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LCHF and Statins

A

Atlantico

Well-Known Member
Messages
85
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Since I started eating LCHF I have put on 3/4 stone. i am seeing my Dr on Thursday and think I may have to have a cholesterol check, If my lipid profile has gone up and I am offered statins I am nervous about taking them and wonder if anyone on here has any info, good or bad about them.
Thanks.
 
I may have started a little thread on the subject

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/cholesterol-and-statins.156985/

There are quite a number of ifs and buts in your post so I think you could be worrying unduly.. but get the test (after fasting for 12-14 hours beforehand) and then we can analyse for you.
Suffice it to say there's no way on this earth I'd ever take them... whatever happened.
 
I was on statins for 8 years and going on them was the worst decision I have ever made. I turned into an old lady who could hardly walk 500 yards & could not even hoover thru without resting. To say I had brain fog would be an understatement, I was beginning to think it was time for a dementia test.
I stopped taking them in October and the change in me is remarkable, I feel a good 20 years younger & no longer feel that I’m dying.
I was put on statins as I had had a heart attack & as I understood it, they gave me 24% protection against further episodes. What they didn’t say was that there was an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes which in turn would give an increased risk of heart problems etc.
This has been my experience & I would never take them again
 
Hi, @Atlantico
My doctors have tried three times to put me on statin s for family reasons.
My family has a history with heart problems, but, as with every one of us is either tolerant or not to the drug. They gave me bad leg cramps. And didn't sit well in my stomach.

I have been told, if you do have an existing heart problem, they are great, but only necessary if you have hereditary history of heart problems. They are not necessarily a preventative medicine!

But as I found out my heart and general health is excellent, so I didn't need them.

But you will get a different version of pros and cons with every medical practitioner you talk to!

Best wishes
 
I'm on them and have had absolutely no bad side effects. Well, none obvious amongst the myriad that I get from medication in general.
I think its personal choice. You can be educated by what others say but every person is an individual and what helps one person may hinder another or vice versa.
 
Did your GP give you any particular reason why you are taking it apart from "because"... unless you have had cardiac problems in the past its very unlikely to be doing much of anything so it could be a medication you could discus stopping. You say you are taking lots so one fewer might be helpful?
 
The most popular statin worldwide:

http://www.natap.org/2017/HIV/052517_01.htm

"RESULTS-Atorvastatin treatment resulted in a 38% reduction in relative risk ([95% CI -58 to -8], P = 0.017) of first major cardiovascular events in older patients"

That should be it then. Lie's and more lies the impressive 38% is a "relative" risk, when 99.9......% of people understand naturally "absolute" risk. The absolute risk reduction with this statin is 1% under a myriad of conditions, with potential side effects of muscle pain and.......increased Type 2 diabetes risk.

In my view better improve HDL and Trigs using LC / Keto protocol, than forcing down LDL.
 
Medics are often very good at quoting relative risk at us.
 
When it’s a known fact that statins can cause muscle problems is that why they can cause heart problems because the heart is a muscle.
My mum stopped taking them 7 years ago because of their side effects - she will be 93 this month
 
Good news: if you've never had a heart attack, taking a statin will prolong your life by -5 (yes, that's a minus sign before the 5) to 19 days. The median postponement of death for primary prevention trials was 3.2 days:

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/9/e007118
 
There's only one I can take, the others wouldn't "go" with my thyroid... And it wasn't good. Jointpain, like the rheumatism was completely back again, massive flare up. Limping with my hip, couldn't open the door with my key anymore because my fingers felt like snapping off... Was glad to be rid of the stuff; my cholesterol went down with LCHF.

Am a bit surprised you put on weight. How's your bloodsugar?
 

Thank you to everyone for your replies, especially Bulkbiker. I am working my way through all the information.

Unfortunately I haven't been too well the last couple of days, trouble keeping my BG level. One day I can manage 1 small slice of Bergen bread and the next day I can't. If only there was some consistency. Some days I think I am doing well and then I feel as though I am going backwards. Tomorrow I hope to play golf but not sure what to eat while I am on the course for over 3 hours. Any suggestions?

Thank you all once again for your comments on statins.
 
Last edited:
NoCrbs4Me said:
Try just having water. 3 hours isn't a long time to go without food.
Click to expand...

Hi, Well I went golfing on Monday having had a fried breakfast, no bread and a coffee with cream.
I managed 3 holes and was so exhausted I had to come off the course. I had a good drink of water before I teed off and a drink after I finished each hole.
When I got back home I had high protein meal but struggled for the rest of the day with tiredness. Still not sure what I should eat while playing golf.
 
You really shouldn't be exhausted after 3 holes of golf.
 
I suspect that you have kept yourself dependant on carbs by eating high carb foods, so when you decided to stop carbs you left yourself with no fuel source - it is not an instant switchover done by one low carb meal.
Remember too it is higher in fats than the normal diet, as without fats protein is broken down to make glucose.
Maybe sort out your eating plan rather than chopping and changing between different plans.
I was put onto Metformin and Atorvastatin and just five weeks did dreadful things to my mind and body. I still have not relearned to play my guitar, but there is so much to do these days.
 
From my reading, not as professional advice opinion:
Most persons lose weight on a low carb diet. Just how low carb is your diet ? What food are you actually eating?
And is it really helping reactive hypoglycaemia?
Hypoglycaemia may occasion increase intake of carbs to combat the low sugars which might lead to a vicious cycle of low BSLs with weight gain being the outcome.
Also a low carb diet will often lead to a reduction in cholesterol in most people.
 
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