Discussion
Unless you’ve had a previous heart attack stroke the main indication to start them is QRISK.
Towards the end of this document there are some nice graphics with smiley faces that give you your risks:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg181/resources/p...
Towards the end of this document there are some nice graphics with smiley faces that give you your risks:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg181/resources/p...
Sauce said:
Unless you’ve had a previous heart attack stroke the main indication to start them is QRISK.
Towards the end of this document there are some nice graphics with smiley faces that give you your risks:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg181/resources/p...
Nice!Towards the end of this document there are some nice graphics with smiley faces that give you your risks:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg181/resources/p...
Trouble is when I spoke to the doc she was coming out with all sorts of percentages of risk I lost track a bit, which is one of the reasons I thought I would ask in here.
I had a blood test recently and my Cholesterol level was 6.7. 49, don't smoke, rarely drink, rarely eat takeaways and never eat fried foods at home. When I spoke to the doctor they scored me at 5%, so didn't want to put me on a statin at this point.
Since then I have made the following changes.
1)Cut out all sugary foods, cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, ice cream etc.
2)Cut out all Alcohol, to be honest I drink once or twice a month so don't miss it
3)Cut out all added salt, this is related to a high blood pressure scare I had recently (it's high-normal 120 to 130 now. I don't think the salt has made any difference, I believe it was stress related )
4)Walking for 40 minutes a day, on Saturday this ended up being 3 and a half hours and 8.5 miles
5)Changed my margarine to Flora Proactive.
6)Stopped having cook in the bag roast chickens (the amount of congealed fat in the bottom of the pan the next day was scary) and just have chicken breast instead.
7)Red meat once a week
I have got to have another blood test in 3 months, I suspect all of this will have made a negligible difference to be honest.
Since then I have made the following changes.
1)Cut out all sugary foods, cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, ice cream etc.
2)Cut out all Alcohol, to be honest I drink once or twice a month so don't miss it
3)Cut out all added salt, this is related to a high blood pressure scare I had recently (it's high-normal 120 to 130 now. I don't think the salt has made any difference, I believe it was stress related )
4)Walking for 40 minutes a day, on Saturday this ended up being 3 and a half hours and 8.5 miles
5)Changed my margarine to Flora Proactive.
6)Stopped having cook in the bag roast chickens (the amount of congealed fat in the bottom of the pan the next day was scary) and just have chicken breast instead.
7)Red meat once a week
I have got to have another blood test in 3 months, I suspect all of this will have made a negligible difference to be honest.
Joey Deacon said:
I had a blood test recently and my Cholesterol level was 6.7. 49, don't smoke, rarely drink, rarely eat takeaways and never eat fried foods at home. When I spoke to the doctor they scored me at 5%, so didn't want to put me on a statin at this point.
Since then I have made the following changes.
1)Cut out all sugary foods, cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, ice cream etc.
2)Cut out all Alcohol, to be honest I drink once or twice a month so don't miss it
3)Cut out all added salt, this is related to a high blood pressure scare I had recently (it's high-normal 120 to 130 now. I don't think the salt has made any difference, I believe it was stress related )
4)Walking for 40 minutes a day, on Saturday this ended up being 3 and a half hours and 8.5 miles
5)Changed my margarine to Flora Proactive.
6)Stopped having cook in the bag roast chickens (the amount of congealed fat in the bottom of the pan the next day was scary) and just have chicken breast instead.
7)Red meat once a week
I have got to have another blood test in 3 months, I suspect all of this will have made a negligible difference to be honest.
I eat very badly, and have minimal will power or wish to change so when the doctor said that she thinks statins would be a good idea and might help to prevent heart problems I could think of any reason why my medical knowledge should exceed her so I was happy to agree.Since then I have made the following changes.
1)Cut out all sugary foods, cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, ice cream etc.
2)Cut out all Alcohol, to be honest I drink once or twice a month so don't miss it
3)Cut out all added salt, this is related to a high blood pressure scare I had recently (it's high-normal 120 to 130 now. I don't think the salt has made any difference, I believe it was stress related )
4)Walking for 40 minutes a day, on Saturday this ended up being 3 and a half hours and 8.5 miles
5)Changed my margarine to Flora Proactive.
6)Stopped having cook in the bag roast chickens (the amount of congealed fat in the bottom of the pan the next day was scary) and just have chicken breast instead.
7)Red meat once a week
I have got to have another blood test in 3 months, I suspect all of this will have made a negligible difference to be honest.
Joey Deacon said:
I had a blood test recently and my Cholesterol level was 6.7. 49, don't smoke, rarely drink, rarely eat takeaways and never eat fried foods at home. When I spoke to the doctor they scored me at 5%, so didn't want to put me on a statin at this point.
Since then I have made the following changes.
1)Cut out all sugary foods, cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, ice cream etc.
2)Cut out all Alcohol, to be honest I drink once or twice a month so don't miss it
3)Cut out all added salt, this is related to a high blood pressure scare I had recently (it's high-normal 120 to 130 now. I don't think the salt has made any difference, I believe it was stress related )
4)Walking for 40 minutes a day, on Saturday this ended up being 3 and a half hours and 8.5 miles
5)Changed my margarine to Flora Proactive.
6)Stopped having cook in the bag roast chickens (the amount of congealed fat in the bottom of the pan the next day was scary) and just have chicken breast instead.
7)Red meat once a week
I have got to have another blood test in 3 months, I suspect all of this will have made a negligible difference to be honest.
We have a bit of a family history of heart disease and my mum, visiting the GP for something completely unrelated, had a blood test which showed her cholesterol at 9.8 and was put on statins immediately. Consequently I then went for a full blood test and mine came back at 6.1. Not danger levels but on the wrong-side of 5. Like you, I was 49, non smoker, don't drink, normal weight (skinny) and eating relatively healthy meals (cook from scratch, rarely have takeaways etc). This was in Jan '22.Since then I have made the following changes.
1)Cut out all sugary foods, cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, ice cream etc.
2)Cut out all Alcohol, to be honest I drink once or twice a month so don't miss it
3)Cut out all added salt, this is related to a high blood pressure scare I had recently (it's high-normal 120 to 130 now. I don't think the salt has made any difference, I believe it was stress related )
4)Walking for 40 minutes a day, on Saturday this ended up being 3 and a half hours and 8.5 miles
5)Changed my margarine to Flora Proactive.
6)Stopped having cook in the bag roast chickens (the amount of congealed fat in the bottom of the pan the next day was scary) and just have chicken breast instead.
7)Red meat once a week
I have got to have another blood test in 3 months, I suspect all of this will have made a negligible difference to be honest.
I started swimming 3 times a week (half-hour, 40 lengths). I monitored all foods for saturated fats so cut out most dairy, cakes, switched to Benecol marg and drinks, minimal beef and pork, upped my fish intake, have porridge for breakfast after swimming (oats are good) etc.
I had a 6 month check-up in June '22 (the GP said 3/4 months probably wouldn't show any improvement by then) and it came back at 4.4. Unfortunately the second half of 2022 I wasn't as committed and my yearly test in early Jan showed it at 4.8. It does make a difference but how long I can battle genetics, I don't know. To compound that, the menopause can increase cholesterol and I'm now in that bracket so I'm keeping an eye on things. Meanwhile my mum is down to about 2.1.
I was prescribed Simvastatin about 10 years ago after a stroke and took them for a couple of years. I did quite a lot of exercise pre-stroke and it took me a good few months to get back to doing anything and I worked slowly to build up my fitness again. Through a combination of poor organisation and laziness, I ran out of tablets and ended up going about three weeks without taking them. By the end of the third week I was posting PBs on runs and rides that were getting on for 10-15% quicker than I had been managing. Nothing else had changed.
I spoke to the doctor who was happy to try a different statin so gave me Atorvastatin as an alternative. Fitness dropped again back to where it had been on the other tablets so I made the decision to stop taking them altogether. My cholesterol was already really low and there's no way I'd have been prescribed them had it not been for the stroke.
They definitely didn't agree with me, for one reason or another.
My dad had also previously been prescribed them when he was doing a physical job and had to ditch them as he didn't have the energy to get through the working day.
It's a small sample of two, but there can definitely be side-effects.
I spoke to the doctor who was happy to try a different statin so gave me Atorvastatin as an alternative. Fitness dropped again back to where it had been on the other tablets so I made the decision to stop taking them altogether. My cholesterol was already really low and there's no way I'd have been prescribed them had it not been for the stroke.
They definitely didn't agree with me, for one reason or another.
My dad had also previously been prescribed them when he was doing a physical job and had to ditch them as he didn't have the energy to get through the working day.
It's a small sample of two, but there can definitely be side-effects.
lauda said:
...
It's a small sample of two, but there can definitely be side-effects.
Oh, certainly. I had the muscular weakness and kidney area pain side effects. I can assure you that was the pills not old age - firstly I was relatively young, and secondly they stop when you stop the pills. The eye damage seems permanent. I am glad my optician was paying attention there. The doctor certainly wasn't.It's a small sample of two, but there can definitely be side-effects.
As a result of this I read rather a lot about statins. I recommend you do too. The first billion dollar drugs, they are now a cash cow. The benefits are overstated, the risks swept under the carpet. No overall mortality benefit, they only benefit men who have had a heart attack, and women not at all.
Try -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Cholesterol-Dr-Malc...
or
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Statin-Free-Life-revoluti...
and certainly try lifestyle changes before pills.
K87 said:
1)Cut out all sugary foods, cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, ice cream etc.
2)Cut out all Alcohol, to be honest I drink once or twice a month so don't miss it
3)Cut out all added salt, this is related to a high blood pressure scare I had recently (it's high-normal 120 to 130 now. I don't think the salt has made any difference, I believe it was stress related )
4)Walking for 40 minutes a day, on Saturday this ended up being 3 and a half hours and 8.5 miles
5)Changed my margarine to Flora Proactive.
6)Stopped having cook in the bag roast chickens (the amount of congealed fat in the bottom of the pan the next day was scary) and just have chicken breast instead.
7)Red meat once a week
I'm not prepared to give up on the food and drink I enjoy so won't be altering my diet any time soon. If my QRISK score changed or my fitness declined AND I was given medical advice then I'd think about it. 2)Cut out all Alcohol, to be honest I drink once or twice a month so don't miss it
3)Cut out all added salt, this is related to a high blood pressure scare I had recently (it's high-normal 120 to 130 now. I don't think the salt has made any difference, I believe it was stress related )
4)Walking for 40 minutes a day, on Saturday this ended up being 3 and a half hours and 8.5 miles
5)Changed my margarine to Flora Proactive.
6)Stopped having cook in the bag roast chickens (the amount of congealed fat in the bottom of the pan the next day was scary) and just have chicken breast instead.
7)Red meat once a week
I'd rather enjoy eating the above with some risk than cutting it all out for a 'potential' reduced risk and being miserable. Today everything is a risk and long life and good health is no guarantee.
Or another way of looking at it go on statins and you can keep eating all the stuff you shouldn't as your high Cholesterol is offset by the medication.
DS129 said:
I've been taking Atorvastatin 20mG / day for about 10 years, no side effects apart from weird 'trippy' nightmares which is one the 1 in 100 possible effects.
Does anyone else get this, I get these, I called them my long dreams, epic length and always shocking. I had put these down to painkillers before bed rather than statins?My late mother decided to downsize at the age of 92. She moved to be near my brother and registerd with his GP.
The first thing the GP did was to put her on statins.
Before taking them she was relativly active,but after, her quality of life went downhill. Usual problems, 'heavy feet and legs', no energy,she also developed leg ulcers that wouldn't heal.
My brother and I tried to get her to stop taking them but she argued that the GP knows best!
I asked my GP about statins for a 92 year old and he said that the guidelines say no one over 80 should be prescribed them as they have serious negative effects in the elderly.
Basically mother's GP saw her as a way of making money, not acting in her best interests.
The first thing the GP did was to put her on statins.
Before taking them she was relativly active,but after, her quality of life went downhill. Usual problems, 'heavy feet and legs', no energy,she also developed leg ulcers that wouldn't heal.
My brother and I tried to get her to stop taking them but she argued that the GP knows best!
I asked my GP about statins for a 92 year old and he said that the guidelines say no one over 80 should be prescribed them as they have serious negative effects in the elderly.
Basically mother's GP saw her as a way of making money, not acting in her best interests.
mikyman said:
My brother and I tried to get her to stop taking them but she argued that the GP knows best!
I asked my GP about statins for a 92 year old and he said that the guidelines say no one over 80 should be prescribed them as they have serious negative effects in the elderly.
My mum had a similar experience. GP put her on statins when she was in her 80s, she started developing all sorts of new aches and pains so she got him to take her off them. She said she'd rather have the slightly increased risk and a better quality of life.I asked my GP about statins for a 92 year old and he said that the guidelines say no one over 80 should be prescribed them as they have serious negative effects in the elderly.
grumbledoak said:
Oh, certainly. I had the muscular weakness and kidney area pain side effects. I can assure you that was the pills not old age - firstly I was relatively young, and secondly they stop when you stop the pills. The eye damage seems permanent. I am glad my optician was paying attention there. The doctor certainly wasn't.
As a result of this I read rather a lot about statins. I recommend you do too. The first billion dollar drugs, they are now a cash cow. The benefits are overstated, the risks swept under the carpet. No overall mortality benefit, they only benefit men who have had a heart attack, and women not at all.
and certainly try lifestyle changes before pills.
I had a similar experience with knee pains, which went away after I came off the statins.As a result of this I read rather a lot about statins. I recommend you do too. The first billion dollar drugs, they are now a cash cow. The benefits are overstated, the risks swept under the carpet. No overall mortality benefit, they only benefit men who have had a heart attack, and women not at all.
and certainly try lifestyle changes before pills.
I also agree with last sentence. As per my previous post, replacing statins with half a red grapefruit a day reduced my cholesterol just as much as the statins did.
PurpleTurtle said:
I'm 51, been taking Atorvastatin daily for six years in conjunction with Aspirin/Bisoprolol/Losartan since I had a heart attack and one stent fitted.
No side effects to speak of.
I'm 73 with three stents and have been on 40mg Atorvastatin + a bunch of others for eight years, I'm doing OK too.No side effects to speak of.
DS129 said:
I've been taking Atorvastatin 20mG / day for about 10 years, no side effects apart from weird 'trippy' nightmares which is one the 1 in 100 possible effects.
I've been on 20mg of Simvastatin for many years. I occasionally have very vivid dreams. The only downside is that I am no longer allowed to drink grapefruit juice or eat grapefruit!Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff