Colesterol and statins

[T4tomo]

When I went on to Statins I knew there was some controversy about them, but I'd never paid much attention. So I asked the consultant to explain. He said - not in as many words - something like: "The controversy around them is mainly about using them to get an effect that could also be obtained by lifestyle changes. That's not why I'm prescribing them to you. I'm prescribing them as an intervention because you've had a Serious Thing." adding "So shut up and take your medicine. Jeez, everyone's an expert these days. I blame YouTube".

Highly embroidered and not anything like his exact words, but that was the gist.

I'm on 20mg Atorvastatin, recommended after the company medical as Chol reading of 6.5, with a decent diet. I was recommended them about 25 years ago when my reading was 9.0, but my diet was v poor then, so I only took a months worth and then managed to hold Chol at 5.5 ish from diet and exercise for years, echoing the above.

Now its crept up a bit, family medical history suggest a low dosage is beneficial and I have had no adverse effects. blood test new year to see what the new reading is.

In both cases my good to bad ratio's were very favourable

 

[Once a Wheeler]

Unlike most of my contemporary male acquaintances, I do not take any routine medication. A few years ago my weight began to creep up so I started following this well-known plan:

It has worked well and is easy to follow. It seems to bring with it a number of additional health advantages including reduced cholesterol and improved cardio-vascular health. Well worth a look as the minimal fasting involved seems to switch on a number of innate metabolic self-protection systems that simply go unused if you follow normal modern eating habits.

The underlying observation is that we evolved in a world of irregular food supply and that the body uses the times of minimal intake to do a lot of repair and maintenance. By analogy, medication such as statins can be like trying to maintain your car whilst it is on a journey. You get a better result by stopping and letting the on-board mechanic do his job.

Obviously, acute conditions and genetically prone individuals will need medication; and in any case you should discuss it with your doctor. Book available here. Well worth considering: best of luck for a long and healthy future.

 

[mjr]

he said it was clear the high reading was down to genetics

So has he referred you for genetic screening, then?

I took statins for years. I accept they work for some people but they really didn't work for me and doctors took too long to spot the signs. I will never get the missing memories back. I've tried other statins since and none worked right. I've also tried PCSK9 inhibitor which failed differently. More drugs are coming on stream now and unless I suddenly hit the diet jackpot (not found one that works for me yet), I guess I'll find out if they work for me...

If you get genetic screening, they can also spot some statin intolerances. Otherwise, I'd follow the instructions, including usually ramping up instead of starting at the maximum dose.

 

[bobinski]

So has he referred you for genetic screening, then?

I took statins for years. I accept they work for some people but they really didn't work for me and doctors took too long to spot the signs. I will never get the missing memories back. I've tried other statins since and none worked right. I've also tried PCSK9 inhibitor which failed differently. More drugs are coming on stream now and unless I suddenly hit the diet jackpot (not found one that works for me yet), I guess I'll find out if they work for me...

If you get genetic screening, they can also spot some statin intolerances. Otherwise, I'd follow the instructions, including usually ramping up instead of starting at the maximum dose.

No, but i had told him all my family on the Irish side have high colesterol and angina etc. Interesting re statin intolerance screening. I will be starting on 20mg Atorvastatin and see how it goes.

 

[mjr]

No, but i had told him all my family on the Irish side have high colesterol and angina etc. Interesting re statin intolerance screening. I will be starting on 20mg Atorvastatin and see how it goes.

The problem with that is most inherited high cholesterol genes have 50-50 chance of being passed on, so it shouldn't be all your family unless it's polygenic... but either way, screening should tell you more.

Good luck with the meds.

 

[DCBassman]

<rant>

general practitioners have limited to downright wrong knowledge of

...rather a lot more than you'd imagine.
</rant>

 

[yello]

Cholesterol and statins are certainly subjects of debate. You don't have to search long to find disagreement amongst health professionals.

What we, as uneducated sheep, are meant to do is beyond me. Eenie meenie mynie mo? I just take the darned things because the doc told me to and I don't notice any I'll effects.

 

[bobinski]

Saw my GP yesterday and he looked at the blood results and said, hold on, let’s redo them and see what readings we get. At the very least, if we do give you statins, we have a baseline to work from and we can see if that high reading was an anomaly. Very impressed with his approach.

 

[T4tomo]

No, but i had told him all my family on the Irish side have high colesterol and angina etc. Interesting re statin intolerance screening. I will be starting on 20mg Atorvastatin and see how it goes.

The Doctor told my Mum she had acute angina. She misheard and punched him for his cheek.

 

[AlanW]

Just reading thru this thread as I've just had my results after a fasting blood test and the GP has sent me a text saying that he suggests it would be a good idea to start taking Statins. Like most people I'm not really keen as I'm already on Warfarin for life and don't really want to start popping even more pills. The GP's text didn't contain any numbers or reasons, it was more like a generic type text?

However, I have since logged into my NHS account and got all the numbers, but to be honest I haven't clue what they mean and wondered if a change in diet would help instead of taking Statins.

I'm certainly not overweight, I have decent enough diet, but accept that it could be better. Such as maybe cutting down on, milk, cheese, processed foods, cakes etc etc. My family have no history of high cholesterol either. As for exercise, I think my average weeks cycling for the year is over 300 miles per week, and I walk probably 10 miles a week to.

But before I jump in and start taking medication, I've made a face to face appointment to discuss it with the GP, but its not till the 10th December.

Serum cholesterol is 6.1 mmol/L - the normal range is below 5.2

Serum HDL cholesterol level is 2.7 mmol/L - the normal range is 1.0 to 3.0

Se non HDL cholesterol ratio 3.4 mmol/L - no range

Serum cholesterol/HDL ratio - 2.3 - no range

Serum triglycerides is 0.6 mmol/L - the normal range is 0 to1.7

Serum LDL cholesterol level - 3.1 mmol/L - normal range 0 to 2.5

But I've also noticed in my test results, the results of the"QRISK2 cardiovascular disease 10 year risk score", which was 9.9% but no range? There is a box for Health professional comment and that box is free of any text? I have no idea what that is all about and if its good or bad?

EDIT - after a quick search on Google:
QRISK2 score of less than 10%. This means that you have less than a one in ten chance of having a stroke or heart attack in the next 10 years. QRISK2 of 10-20%. This means that you have between a one to two in ten chance of having a stroke or heart attack in the next 10 years.

 

[fossyant]

LDL is the bad one. TBH I have it and it's hereditary, and I take a very low dose (when I remember). No side effects here but you are on a much more controlled drug that needs monitoring, so I wouldn't be too bothered as you need warfarin ! Playing it safe as you are on a blood thinner.

 

[AlanW]

LDL is the bad one. TBH I have it and it's hereditary, and I take a very low dose (when I remember). No side effects here but you are on a much more controlled drug that needs monitoring, so I wouldn't be too bothered as you need warfarin ! Playing it safe as you are on a blood thinner.

Well that's what I thought, as surely taking the Warfarin would help the situation? I guess I'll understand it more once I get to speak to the GP next month

 

[fossyant]

Well that's what I thought, as surely taking the Warfarin would help the situation? I guess I'll understand it more once I get to speak to the GP next month

Not necessarily. Speak to the GP, try diet. It's low, marginal TBH, but better safe than sorry given what you are taking - don't know your health condition though, the GP does.

 

[rualexander]

2.7 HDL is very high, HDL is supposedly the 'good' cholesterol but as it becomes unusually higher it becomes less 'good'.
My HDL was 2.1 at my last test.
Normal level is around 1.0.
So taking your high HDL into account a total of 6.1 is not really very high.
You could probably try dietary interventions to reduce LDL before hitting the Statins.
The GP's thinking will also be based on the reason you are taking Warfarin of course.

 

[PK99]

LDL is the bad one.

Correct, my hematologist described them as:
HDL - Healthy
LDL - Lethal
and advised that the ratio is more important in most cases than the absolute level.