I had a cholesterol reading of 6.9 and was told this is too high. The nurse asked how I felt about going on statins although she said I am low risk due to my lifestyle & diet.
I’m not keen on going on statins because I heard that they are not good to take if you have an underactive thyroid.
Also was told by someone that your cholesterol can be high if you are not properly medicated with levothyroxine. I take 75mg daily and am always told after blood test that I am within range so have been on 75mg for a long time now.
So you need to get FULL Thyroid and vitamin testing
75mcg is only one step up from starter dose. Unless you’re extremely petite likely not on high enough dose levothyroxine
Is your hypothyroidism autoimmune?
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested
Also both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested at least once
Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum
Low vitamin levels are extremely common when hypothyroid, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease
Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins
List of private testing options and money off codes
am always told after blood test that I am within range
Within range is not necessarily optimal levels
You are legally entitled to printed copies of your blood test results and ranges.
The best way to get access to current and historic blood test results is to register for online access to your medical record and blood test results
UK GP practices are supposed to offer everyone online access for blood test results. Ring and ask if this is available and apply to do so if possible, if it is you may need "enhanced access" to see blood results.
If you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), treatment may be delayed until this problem is treated. This is because having an underactive thyroid can lead to an increased cholesterol level, and treating hypothyroidism may cause your cholesterol level to decrease, without the need for statins. Statins are also more likely to cause muscle damage in people with an underactive thyroid.
I have seen the link from slow dragon, so I am aware of the connection between high cholesterol being a symptom of being under medicated, but it is trying to convince the nurse of that fact.
I am going to ask for an increase when she phones otherwise I’ll go private.
They have it in their heads that if you are within their guidelines then you are fine. A constant battle for me🙄
Print out these NHS guidelines and give them to nurse/GP and politely insist on trial increase in Levo
If they still refuse
Here’s link for how to request Thyroid U.K.list of private Doctors emailed to you, but within the email a link to download list of recommended thyroid specialist endocrinologists
Ideally choose an endocrinologist to see privately initially and who also does NHS consultations
On Facebook there is a stop the stations group oh my goodness take a look at that before you make any decisions. What medicals fail to tell us is cholesterol should be higher than we are led to believe look on a Facebook page unlearn rethink. We need cholesterol to help us with depression, libido, ect get yourself informed before you make any decisions . Personally I'd stay away from statins
Cholesterol is critical to healthy living and is required to produce hormones. My last test my total cholesterol was 8.8 with LDL of 6.9 but my Triglyceride/Hdl ratio was .56 which is the key predictor of heart disease and very healthy. Needless to say when my GP suggested statins I pointed out my Tri/Hdl number was very good and the conversation ended there.
Hi! Interestingly I got this in my email as I have not logged in here in forever. And I totaled my car after a younger doctor scared me and prescribed me a statin and baby aspirin because my lumbar x-ray showed calcifications of my arteries but I’m told it’s normal to see a bit by 40 and it just has to be noted.
I have Sjogren’s syndrome and hypo Hashimoto’s low iodine and right now I am overmedicated on armour on 3g there is too much t3. .1 my old doc always said was fine but now my TSH was last .005.
I’m wondering if your LDL is the same range as mine because mine if that’s the not so good cholesterol , as they call it, is always around 101 ish borderline . but my angel of a doctor just retired out of Jacksonville they told me it was fine for years. I believe it coincides with possible PCOS and cortisol and chronic stress because my glucose is always borderline high and LDL and I eat pretty healthy yet to lose weight is like insane hard low low carb or I don’t.
however my specialty doctors do not consider the LDL high at 101 or even 105. my intuition told me not to take the statin then I realized she knew nothing about sjogrens syndrome being an SARD and she thought it was just dry eyes
my spine was already horrible I was leaving with an MRI and then I was on the phone trying to get a rheumatologist and an endocrinologist and collided with another woman when I never use the phone. it’s just been a really insane year and i am a single Mother living in chronic pain more then before MRI is horrid. I’ve no car no phone no laptop ATM and I am using my mother’s iPad which is difficult to type so pardon my typos I have to speak to text it hurts to type.
I’m sure I would feel a lot better if my glucose and LDL would come down I believe it is a problem with converting mixture with Hashimoto’s even though my numbers are not showing positive they did my whole life or 20 years of my 40 after medical trauma but seeing your LDL at 6.9 I’m super confused sorry this is so long can you please shed some light if this is the same number?thank you tomorrow I’ll look up ranges.
DeedellaD sorry to hear about your issues. Following my cancer diagnosis it was clear that I was insulin resistant which was the true core of my health issues. I needed to become insulin sensitive and tried all sorts of calorie and carb restricted diets. I could not sustain any of them. Then I realised that calories restriction made things worse as I was not only restricting calories but nutrient intake. Which is the key to health. The answer was a carnivore lifestyle. It means that I don't count calories, I get all the vitamins we talk so much about on this site, plus the saturated fat and cholesterol that is required to produce the hormones that we need.
My LDL did go up but I believe that LDL is the fireman not the fire and it is part of the bodies response to fixing the issue which root cause I believe is insulin resistance. Your PCOS is an indicator of insulin resistance. Other benefits of carnivore are it is by nature a exclusion diet so you reduce inflammation in the body. It has also been shown to help relieve if not clear auto immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis which many believe has it's roots in consuming plants. I never need to count calories and eat great healthy food. Saturated fat does not cause heart disease, excess carbs and processed carbs are the primary driver as I believe you know. I feel great, sleep well, have lost weight, I am now insulin sensitive have low blood pressure and take absolutely no medications or supplements.
Really worth giving Carnivore a shot. You won't believe how much better your health can be.
Thank you! I am a big-time veggie lover even though I haven’t been eating as many as I would normally and I have never been a big meat lover. I do the overpriced capsules that many do. I think I’d rather live in proteins shakes then meet I do love seafood and fish I know about the carnivore diet from some people and old groups are used to be in a long time ago. I know I have a lot of issues with histamine and if I followed a super low histamine diet I believe a lot of my issues with clear out and I need to be moving around and keeping my heart rate up with regular workouts I need a real test for PCOS I proved it years ago but recent scans tell me I don’t have it but I do believe I def have insulin resistance whatever that causes I’m not sure. I have a three hour glucose fasting test with sounds like the worst time of my life since I never get time alone but I guess I could read something tells me that’s not the way and I had it done when I was pregnant and that was fine but I’m not sure if it’s the same and that was six years ago but I’ve always been this way my body is always not responded well to carbs. I will look more into it and I am so glad that has helped you that is amazing being sick and in pain is no fun at all especially when it starts in your 20s or teens
Hi, I've been on statins for about 20 years. It is very possible that they have helped me avoid the heart problems all my siblings have had.I have an underactive thyroid which was (finally) diagnosed around that same time.
Statins go in and out of 'favour' in the medical community as does the importance of low cholesterol (I am told it is the ration that is important, not a single figure).
Also - Books by Dr Asseem Malhotra (in particular - A Statin-Free Life) . I have raised cholesterol - slightly higher than you. Separately, my endo told me to refer any doctor who pushed me to go on Statins to look at The Number Needed to Treat (or NNT). I personally wouldn't touch them.
I think that in the meantime there are some doubts that lowering cholesterol is preventing any deaths. In addition the thyroid has a big influence on cholesterol levels. Getting the thyroid meds well calibrated is much more important than taking statins; in my opinion anyway. One of the doctors I saw lowered my thyroid medication and then put me on statins when the cholesterol level went up. She even told me that my TSH was too high, but did not increase the Levo. After starting the statins I was in excruciating pain. Every muscle in my body, even the ones I never realized I had, like facial muscles, hurt beyond description. I would rather give birth to ten more children than ever go on statins ever again. A long term consequence was muscle weakness which I still struggle with. This could have been caused by the statins and/or the low thyroid hormones. I'm not sure. Since I have been on T3 I have had fewer falls and less problems with muscle pain as well as lower cholesterol, though. I would be very cautious about statins. In your case your lifestyle even has been acknowledged as putting you at low risk. Why the question of taking statins was even brought up beats me.
Every year my surgery runs a campaign on statins and I think they try to get everyone to take them. They don’t seem to understand much about thyroid problems and it affecting the cholesterol levels.
I don’t seem to be able to get through to them about this.
I’m not going to take statins.
I just wish they were more up to date with thyroid issues.
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