Cholesterol Medication

[adp]

I am Type 2 Diabetic and being offered Cholesterol medication despite an overall Cholesterol level of 3.5. I am reluctant as I do not wish to deal with another batch off side effects. Am I wrong?

 

[ert]

The current NICE recommendation is for diabetics to have total cholesterol of 4 (5 for normal people). What are your ldl and hdl ratio and triglycerides? Do you have a family history of cardiovascular disease?

https://www.nice.org.uk/news/articl...with-diabetes-not-meeting-cholesterol-targets

 

[xfieldok]

Personally I would only take them if I had had a cardiac event and they were prescribed by a cardiologist.

 

[bulkbiker]

I am Type 2 Diabetic and being offered Cholesterol medication despite an overall Cholesterol level of 3.5. I am reluctant as I do not wish to deal with another batch off side effects. Am I wrong?

Did anyone give you a reason as to why?
Personally I'd never take them under any circumstances.

 

[ianf0ster]

Not sure if I qualify as having had a 'cardiac event' (no heart attack but a 3x bypass to prevent one).
After that I took statins reluctantly, but stopped after hearing about side effects such as muscle damage, brain fog, heart failure as well as experiencing some muscle pain. My Total Cholesterol is high, but my ratios are good, so I think my HDL and LDL are healthy - my Triglycerides are certainly lower but could be lower still.

 

[adp]

I was only told that the total cholesterol was 3.5 and HbA1c 47. I will try and find out the ldl / hbl split. There is no family history of cardiovascular disease as far as I know.

Did anyone give you a reason as to why?
Personally I'd never take them under any circumstances.

 

[bulkbiker]

I was only told that the total cholesterol was 3.5 and HbA1c 47. I will try and find out the ldl / hbl split. There is no family history of cardiovascular disease as far as I know.

Total cholesterol number is pretty meaningless to be honest the breakdown will give you a slightly better picture.
HbA1c of 47 mmol/m is on the upper edge of pre diabetes in the UK borderline fully blown T2.

 

[Resurgam]

It seems that those with higher cholesterol are living longer.
It may be that such naughty people will have to be dealt with, but we are also more able to fight off infections with higher LDLs, so with any luck we will end up being the last ones standing.
Your cholesterol is really rather low, and I do not understand why anyone would think it a good idea to push it lower.
I took Atorvastatin and the effects were pretty devastating, and there was absolutely no warning about them given by the doctor.

 

[Tophat1900]

I am Type 2 Diabetic and being offered Cholesterol medication despite an overall Cholesterol level of 3.5. I am reluctant as I do not wish to deal with another batch off side effects. Am I wrong?

You don't have to accept them if you don't want to. It is your choice.

I don't understand why they'd want them lower. I just don't think that messing around with such an important substance is a good idea. This guy explains things rather well....

 

[Jo_the_boat]

I am Type 2 Diabetic and being offered Cholesterol medication despite an overall Cholesterol level of 3.5. I am reluctant as I do not wish to deal with another batch off side effects. Am I wrong?

We are presuming you're being offered statins for your cholesterol??
How long have you been T2?
Have you tried lifestyle changes (diet / exerecise) as an alternative to medication?
Many here swear by the lifestyle option and have found they have got their HbA1c down to non-diabetic levels and their cholesterol balance right. There's evidence, last time I looked, that low cholesterol is more dangerous than it being somewhat high.

From my perspective:
Statins for cholesterol: No.
Statins for prevention of secondary cardio-vascular events: Possibly
I take a statin for a specific reason and have done for 4 years. It's unwise, in my opinion, to rule them out carte blanche.