Advice re Statins please

[learning2me]

I have read quite a bit on here about statins.
Tried them a couple of times and both times had excruciating headaches, muscle pain and stomach cramps.

I have been following LCHF for 3 months now, and I've lost about 8 kilos.
Feeling better, taking more exercise and seeing results.
Had bloods taken yesterday for a 3 month diabetes review as my last Hba1c was 61.

Had a call from surgery today. Some bloods are back and another GP in the practice has looked at them and decided I need to go back on statins as my cholesterol and lipid levels were not within range.

I have no idea why this has happened as I'm eating more healthily and feeling better. Have told the surgery that I;m not happy to go back on statins and will discuss with my own GP when I have my review on 16th.

I feel so disappointed and confused as I din't understand why this is happening, and don't know who to trust.
Immediate reaction was - ****** it, I'll just eat what the hell I like because whatever I do it isn't good enough.
Help me pull myself up please.

 

[dancer]

It could be that the GP has just looked at your cholesterol result, without looking at your history of problems with statins, and just used "the rule book". Your cholesterol may not have changed but is higher than the recommended levels. It is your choice whether to go back on statins but you don't have to.

Hopefully your HbA1c will have come down with the change in diet. That should be your prime concern at the moment.

Don't worry about it until you find out if there is anything to worry about. Good luck with the rest of your results!

 

[dawnmc]

You need to get the breakdown, you need the numbers. Think there are 3 of them , until you get those we cant help. However if you read Dr Malcolm Kendrick, he might just persuade you not to go on statins.

 

[seadragon]

I have read quite a bit on here about statins.
Tried them a couple of times and both times had excruciating headaches, muscle pain and stomach cramps.

I have been following LCHF for 3 months now, and I've lost about 8 kilos.
Feeling better, taking more exercise and seeing results.
Had bloods taken yesterday for a 3 month diabetes review as my last Hba1c was 61.

Had a call from surgery today. Some bloods are back and another GP in the practice has looked at them and decided I need to go back on statins as my cholesterol and lipid levels were not within range.

I have no idea why this has happened as I'm eating more healthily and feeling better. Have told the surgery that I;m not happy to go back on statins and will discuss with my own GP when I have my review on 16th.

I feel so disappointed and confused as I din't understand why this is happening, and don't know who to trust.
Immediate reaction was - ****** it, I'll just eat what the hell I like because whatever I do it isn't good enough.
Help me pull myself up please.

I would wait and see your own GP. Don't be bullied into something you don't want.

Also think about whether you want to take statins at all regardless of lipid profile. To help have a read of this link about how long Statins extend your life
http://drmalcolmkendrick.org/2015/10/27/how-much-longer-will-you-live-if-you-take-a-statin/

Then you can decide if it's worth it to you given the strong probability that you will have an adverse reaction to statins as you have previously had. Is a lower quality of life now worth the possibility (and a small possibility at that) of extending it at best a few days?

You can always print it out and hand it to the doctor to read and ask his opinion on it.

Keep up with the good diet and exercise - it will have a greater positive effect than statins. Statins have been shown to negate the effects of exercise in some studies and also have the known side effect of raising Blood Glucose levels.

Do search for other posts on statins - there are many on here.

Also note that if the other doctor was just looking at total cholesterol (despite cholesterol now being shown NOT to be a factor in causing heart disease) it may indeed have risen slightly on low carb higher fat diet but the likelihood is that it is the so called 'Good' cholesterol that has gone up which may make overall levels higher but ratios better.

When I queried why I was being offered statins despite a healthy lipid profile my doctor told me they have 'other benefits' than cholesterol lowering but was entirely vague about what those may be. As i've stated elsewhere it is my belief that the drug companies are now looking for new reasons to give people statins since cholesterol lowering is not useful. They are I believe more concerned about their bottom-line than the health of the nation. I refused them and would never take them and would discourage anyone in my family from ever taking one.

Statins have not been shown to be beneficial to women at all. Higher cholesterol levels can be heart protective in older people. Low cholesterol can be dangerous.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

If you are feeling well but your doctor's stats say you are not then you have to trust your own knowledge or instincts. Your instincts are clear in that you are feeling well but to increase your knowledge then this may help.

http://drmalcolmkendrick.org

 

[donnellysdogs]

Get a full breakdown of the previous and the latest readings.
Make sure you get the triglicerides, hdl and ldl besides the total readings.
You are entitled to have these and do your own research before doing anything once you have the full breakdown of readings in front of you.

My hubby and myself both went in wrong direction when we went heavy on the cheese and cream that others get good results on.

Then we removed all the heavy dairy and replaced with fish, avocado, olives and heaps of olive oil dressing. Hubby had been put on 40mg of atorvastatin. He has gradually reduced them and now takes one 10mg every 3 days. He did come off them totally for a while but he went back for a couple weeks to having a few sandwiches at work whilst we were packing up and moving house. He has now registered at another GP and can get his cholesterol done again soon. Our levels improved just with removing the heavy dairy products.

We are all different. I don't tolerate statins at all. He did but preferred to change diet rather than taking meds.

 

[Indy51]

If you are actively losing weight, it can push your cholesterol up while the weight loss occurs. Hopefully once your weight loss is over, the cholesterol levels will improve. I certainly wouldn't be bullied by doctors to take a drug that has given you problems in the past.

 

[learning2me]

Thanks for all the replies.
Was feeling very down last night, but you are all right - I'm in control and I am the only one who knows how I feel.

 

[Daibell]

Hi. If you have had previous problems with statins then I think the best guidance is don't have them unless the GP says there is a very good reason and he should then try a different statin from last time. If the GP is just following NICE guidelines in robot mode then I would say no. The important thing about cholesterol is not the total which is largely irrelevant but the LDL/HDL ratio and trigs; many GPs don't understand this.