cholesterol

[Gettingoldnow]

hi I was put on statins a couple of years ago and came off them due to really awful muscle pains .well my doc after seeing my bloods this time (a locum ) has insisted I should go back on them or have a stroke/heart attack .i am 77 and take 75 mg levothyroxine and have quite a few health issues now but no known heart issues .i looked my results up and last year cholesterol total was 7 this time after trying to eat better it was 6.9 my problem is statins do not like me at all what are other peoples opinions on them ..with hip arthritis my latest problem I don’t want to add any further muscular pain .is my score that high ? I know it should be 5 but don’t want a stroke or heart attack either ..many thanks in advance .

[helvella Administrator]

No doctor can say that if you do not take a statin you WILL have a heart attack.

And any doctor who does say it is acting unethically. Especially if the statin you were taking had that sort of awful impact on you.

Even if they insist on taking the view that cholesterol is the demon, there are now alternatives to stations which could be considered.

Forcing you back as appears to be the case is plain wrong.

I offer this link to the Statin Intolerance Pathway document. Though I question an awful lot in the document, the doctor should at an absolute minium have followed these steps. I mean, have you even had a Creatine Kinase (CK) test?

england.nhs.uk/aac/wp-conte...

[Gettingoldnow in reply to helvella]

thank you for your reply all she said after that was we will check your kidney function in 3 months …I did say I thought over 75 should not be given statins she said we weigh up the risks against the benefits ..I ask the pharmacy to decipher my results and bless her she could hardly read them lol I asked the same question and answered well it’s your choice but you should take them ..I am going on holiday in two weeks and do not wish to be ill as the last holiday I had ended up in hospital with covid in Montenegro

[Anthea55]

Quote the NHS website which says that it's not recommended to take statins when we have an underactive thyroid.

nhs.uk/conditions/statins/c...

Quote that to your doctor!

Previous posts on here and replies. Plenty more if you put 'statins' into the 'Search HealthUnlocked' box, then filter to Thyroid UK.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Good luck!

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Anthea55]

Thank you will have to look into this further as I don’t feel happy about it

[helvella Administrator in reply to Anthea55]

Trouble with that is they will point to levothyroxine and say Gettingoldnow is treated so no longer hypothyroid.

[greygoose]

OK, so first of all, statins are a god-send - for Big Pharma! Forcing more and more people to take them is bringing in untold riches for BP. But they're not so good for the patient! They can do so much damage.

Then, we have to ask ourselves: does cholesterol really cause heart attacks and strokes? As I interpret the evidence, no it doesn't. Cholesterol is a necessary building block for the body. The body needs it to repair and regenerate because the body is mainly made up of cholesterol: cell walls, the brain... We also need cholesterol to make sex hormones.

High cholesterol is usually caused by low FT3 - which they very rarely test (innocent mistake or evil ploy?). And treating a hypo patient with levo won't necessarily raise the FT3. It will reduce the TSH, yes, so if that's all that's tested  helvella 's scenario is a distinct possibility. But testing TSH will not tell you how well you convert that levo (T4) into the active hormone, T3.

But, I would suggest you google Dr Malcolm Kendrick and read his cholesterol blog and his book: The Great Cholesterol Con. He makes a lot of sense. Although, unfortunately, he doesn't mention thyroid. Then, you can make an informed decision on your own: To Take or Not To Take. No-one can force you to take them. Just because a doctor prescribes them there is no law that says you have to take them. Doctors want you to take them because it's profitable for them, with little concern for the patient. We have to look out for ourselves!

A couple of article that might interest you:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu....

[Jazzw in reply to greygoose]

Totally agree. 👍

[Gettingoldnow in reply to greygoose]

thank you that is very interesting and I will defiantly look into this more .much appreciated

[Gettingoldnow in reply to greygoose]

thank you greygoose this is very interesting I shall be looking into this in more depth now you are much appreciated .

[greygoose in reply to Gettingoldnow]

You're welcome.

[sugarplumferry]

In my opinion statins are the devils work. I’m not in the remotest bit interested in my ‘levels’ and refuse to look at them or discuss with my GP. As helvella has said - your locum doctor was out of order. They can offer advice but it’s entirely up to you whether or not you accept it. If you want to understand the whole statins thing I would suggest you look up Malcolm Kendrick and Zoe Harcombe. Best wishes

[arTistapple in reply to sugarplumferry]

And Dr. Aseem Malhotra cardiologist.

[Tina_Maria]

The problem is that high cholesterol is a symptom of hypothyroidism, however, the actual cause is the under-treatment of patients, as they receive too little hormones.

Thyroid hormones play an important role in our metabolism and are responsible for a normal lipid (fat) metabolism. So if you have enough thyroid hormones, your liver will produce enzymes and metabolise cholesterol and other lipids. The hormone that is crucial for an efficient lipid metabolism is T3 (your active thyroid hormone). It plays a key role in lipid metabolism by regulating the expression of genes responsible for the processing of fats. If this pathway is not working properly due to the low availability of thyroid hormones, your lipid metabolism is slowed down and as a result your cholesterol rises.

So it is not a good idea to treat the symptom of high cholesterol by giving statins to patients, it is necessary to give the patient enough thyroid medication, so the metabolism increases and this will clear the cholesterol from the system (without statins!). It is a metabolic symptom and not a dietary issue. Many physicians just don't see this connection.

Have you had a recent thyroid function test? You need to test TSH, T4 and T3. Your doctor will say that your results are normal when they are just somewhere in the wide reference range, but as I have just mentioned, if your T3 is low, you will have difficulties processing your cholesterol, hence the high levels.

A normal replacement dose of levothyroxine is 1.6 mcg per kg of weight, so if someone weighs 63 kg they need 100 mcg levo as a full replacement dose (NICE prescribing guidelines):

cks.nice.org.uk/topics/hypo...

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Tina_Maria]

Interesting thanks

[bookish]

High homocysteine is far more likely to be an issue as it can damage the lining of the arteries, cause blockages and clots, which will increase risk of stroke and heart attack. You could ask for it to be checked or do your own test and then treat appropriately (B vitamins, omega 3 etc). Are you getting vit B12 injections?

[Gettingoldnow in reply to bookish]

thank you

[Healthmom]

I was put on a statin! Only stayed on it for 2 months! It gave me terrible side effects, I read that statins are super bad for you! I just learned a few days ago that metamusal or how ever it’s spelled, is good for lowering your cholesterol! I have high cholesterol so I’m gonna try it out after I talk to my doctor today! And also if your doctor says that to you I would look for a different doctor!!!!!

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Healthmom]

let me know your docs answer please

[Healthmom in reply to Gettingoldnow]

I will!!! I’m also getting my cortisol checked! I read that high cortisol levels can cause lots and lots of health issues!!!! I will update you with it!! That might be something to look into for you too!!!

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Healthmom]

Thank you

[humanbean]

My GP wanted me to take statins about 8 or 10 years ago. I refused. I've never been asked again since, and I have no regrets.

The two things I would quote if I was ever pushed would be these. I think you might have already been given the first one :

nhs.uk/conditions/statins/c...

People at an increased risk of side effects

Statins should be taken with caution if you're at an increased risk of developing a rare side effect called myopathy, which is where the tissues of your muscles become damaged and painful. Severe myopathy (rhabdomyolysis) can lead to kidney damage.

Things that can increase this risk include:

being over 70 years old

having a history of liver disease

regularly drinking large quantities of alcohol

having a history of muscle-related side effects when taking a statin or fibrate (another type of medicine for high cholesterol)

having a family history of myopathy or rhabdomyolysis

If one or more of these apply to you, you may need to be frequently monitored to check for complications. A lower dose of statin may also be recommended.

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

And a useful article which I found to be an eye-opener is this one. The graphs are particularly important to study :

drmalcolmkendrick.org/2012/...