High Cholesterol

Norcliffe09

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi, I’m just wondering what people’s thoughts on Statin are? I’m recently diagnosed as type 2 and likely to go on Metformjn in a couple of having declined it last week. My recent cholesterol levels were around 7mmol. I’m 35 and have always exercised but more recently I’ve been consistent losing 17lbs since jan..a steady 2lbs on average a week. Being so young I’m not sure Statin in right for me right now? My diet was good before diagnosis but definitely had room for improvement, is it worth leaving a few months and then evaluating then?

Thanks
 
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Guzzler

Master
Messages
10,577
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
Poor grammar, bullying and drunks.
Hello and welcome to the forum. I'm tagging @daisy1 for the info pack for you. Lots of invaluable info in there, be sure to read through it.

If you were to hit the search button having put in the words statin and cholesterol then you would get thousands of hits! It can be a contentious issue at times. I suggest you do some reading on the subject as you will have to make your mind up about the risks v benefits where statin use is concerned but my own personal opinion means I refuse to take a statin.

Do you have the full breakdown of your cholesterol count? Total cholesterol is a pretty useless number on its own. If you have online access to your test results you can post them here and some members can tell you if they are good, bad or ugly. N.B. While you are still actively losing weight (well done by the way) this can skew your lipid values for a while so I agree that you should give it time before you make any decisions.
Hope this helps.

Have a wander around the forum and ask as many questions as you like.
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,868
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
I was almost two years on a high carb cholesterol lowering diet - I gained weight really fast and ended up at 264lb - and then was diagnosed.
On a low carb high fat diet for a few months I had good ideal or normal cholesterol levels - the nurse said it was a delayed reaction. Yeah - right.
I did take a statin and metformin for a few weeks - and was dreadfully ill - it affected my memory and I think it has altered my brain for good - or rather the reverse - I just can't do what I was doing any more. I have had to painstakingly rehearse and try to remember all my songs, which is a real pain, but it is so difficult to make anything now a days, and it used to be so easy.
 
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daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
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Cruelty towards animals.
@Norcliffe09

Hello Norcliffe09 and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 

Norcliffe09

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello and welcome to the forum. I'm tagging @daisy1 for the info pack for you. Lots of invaluable info in there, be sure to read through it.

If you were to hit the search button having put in the words statin and cholesterol then you would get thousands of hits! It can be a contentious issue at times. I suggest you do some reading on the subject as you will have to make your mind up about the risks v benefits where statin use is concerned but my own personal opinion means I refuse to take a statin.

Do you have the full breakdown of your cholesterol count? Total cholesterol is a pretty useless number on its own. If you have online access to your test results you can post them here and some members can tell you if they are good, bad or ugly. N.B. While you are still actively losing weight (well done by the way) this can skew your lipid values for a while so I agree that you should give it time before you make any decisions.
Hope this helps.

Have a wander around the forum and ask as many questions as you like.

Thank you! I’ve no breakdown at all and being completely honest my understanding around the levels is much to be desired. I’ll be sure to check this so thanks. To be honest they’ve not even discussed Statin with me either they’ve just prescribed them! I’ve done a bit of research and it’s a really hard one to call but i think I may leave for a while.

Thanks for the info much appreciated
 

Norcliffe09

Newbie
Messages
4
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I was almost two years on a high carb cholesterol lowering diet - I gained weight really fast and ended up at 264lb - and then was diagnosed.
On a low carb high fat diet for a few months I had good ideal or normal cholesterol levels - the nurse said it was a delayed reaction. Yeah - right.
I did take a statin and metformin for a few weeks - and was dreadfully ill - it affected my memory and I think it has altered my brain for good - or rather the reverse - I just can't do what I was doing any more. I have had to painstakingly rehearse and try to remember all my songs, which is a real pain, but it is so difficult to make anything now a days, and it used to be so easy.

Thank you for your reply. You appear to have had the not so great side affects and that’s what I dread! I have a good job with important accountability and having memory issues would impact quite bad. I do hope things improve for you.
 

LeanneSpain.

Well-Known Member
Messages
51
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi, I’m just wondering what people’s thoughts on Statin are? I’m recently diagnosed as type 2 and likely to go on Metformjn in a couple of having declined it last week. My recent cholesterol levels were around 7mmol. I’m 35 and have always exercised but more recently I’ve been consistent losing 17lbs since jan..a steady 2lbs on average a week. Being so young I’m not sure Statin in right for me right now? My diet was good before diagnosis but definitely had room for improvement, is it worth leaving a few months and then evaluating then?

Thanks
In relation to statins. Sorry its long but......Back to February 2017 my overall cholesterol was 6.0. But it was a good cholesterol i had?! I was told it should be below 5. So doctor put me on statins.i unknowing just took them. Up to this point i was feeling fine. No health issues(was at doc for general checkup) after I started taking them everything started going wrong Diagnosed with diabetes in april 2017 (type2 is a side effect of statins along with elevated blood sugars) now im out of work and off the road with all the side effects. I stopped taking them last week and starting to feel a little better but it takes minimum of 6months to get them out of your system. It wasn’t my doctor who advised this but someone else who had similar issues(doc agreed for me to stop taking them though) So imho just eat healthy (as much as you can) and try not go on statins.
 
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Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,868
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
My problems frightened my husband into stopping taking statins - even though he felt that they had not affected him all that much - but he is very different now, the grumpy old man has faded away.
 
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Reactions: Norcliffe09
Messages
16
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Thank you! I’ve no breakdown at all and being completely honest my understanding around the levels is much to be desired. I’ll be sure to check this so thanks. To be honest they’ve not even discussed Statin with me either they’ve just prescribed them! I’ve done a bit of research and it’s a really hard one to call but i think I may leave for a while.

Thanks for the info much appreciated

Hi, I am new to this too, I was diagnosed type2 in jan this year with an hba1c of 59. I had another test done this week along with a cholesterol test. My hba1c is down to 41 which is great but I have lost over 1 stone in weight. My cholesterol as comeback abnormal at 5.7? And the doctor has recommended statins for myself too, I have refused for now and will see how I go
All the best with it

Regards Richard
 
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Mal37

Well-Known Member
Messages
282
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Social situations
Hi, I’m just wondering what people’s thoughts on Statin are? I’m recently diagnosed as type 2 and likely to go on Metformjn in a couple of having declined it last week. My recent cholesterol levels were around 7mmol. I’m 35 and have always exercised but more recently I’ve been consistent losing 17lbs since jan..a steady 2lbs on average a week. Being so young I’m not sure Statin in right for me right now? My diet was good before diagnosis but definitely had room for improvement, is it worth leaving a few months and then evaluating then?

Thanks
Hi there!
I had a cholesterol of 7 when I was diagnosed two years ago with Type 2, and my GP wanted to put me on Statins but I refused, asking if there was other ways to try first. She recommended Plant Sterols from a health food shop and I began to take one after each meal. I had a diabetic review yesterday and my cholesterol is coming down. It is now 5.8 ... still a little high but moving in the right direction. Just thought it may be worth you trying that route before succumbing to the awful Statins?
 
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DeejayR

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,381
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello. I took statins for 6 years without any side effects and then stopped, and in the next 2 years my overall cholesterol went from 5. to 7.7. Recently some other health issues have arisen so I've started taking statins again to see if they work. Whatever you decide, it should be your choice.
If I had to pay for drugs I'd probably prefer to spend the money on more good LCHF food instead and take the risk.
 
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