Saw this you tube clip and thought it might be useful because it moves on to when statins are beneficial. (Starts talking about cholesterol so have patience with it! )Thank you Catherine.
I have discarded the idea of the blood thinners. I've had no blood tests to see if I need them, and my gut feeling is I don't need them. When I bleed, my blood runs freely. On my last blood test it took several minutes to stop the external bleeding, and I am still bruised 3 weeks on. She did say these tablets do the same job as aspirin, but research has shown them to be more effective. She will have offered it as a precaution. She is one of those doctors that offers everything as a precaution!
I must now find out about the statins. I didn't have any side effects when I took them, but I only took them just over 3 months.
A few weeks ago I had a routine CT scan, which was thankfully clear. However, it did show up a low intensity, non-severe thinning or weakness in one area of my brain that was likely due to reduced blood supply. The GP suggests this is a risk factor for future TIA or stroke. She said taking my statins would help reduce this risk (irrespective of what my cholesterol might be and irrespective of my diabetes). She also mentioned a blood thinning agent called Clopidogrel. She sent me away to do my own research on the effect of statins on reducing the risk of TIA and strokes (she knows me too well!!) saying as a doctor she is recommending I take the statins, but is leaving the decision entirely up to me with no pressure.
No sorry but I am on statins and wondering wether to stop taking them...looks like there is two schools of thought for these drugs but which is the right one??
Thank you Catherine.
I have discarded the idea of the blood thinners. I've had no blood tests to see if I need them, and my gut feeling is I don't need them. When I bleed, my blood runs freely. On my last blood test it took several minutes to stop the external bleeding, and I am still bruised 3 weeks on.
She did say these tablets do the same job as aspirin, but research has shown them to be more effective. She will have offered it as a precaution. She is one of those doctors that offers everything as a precaution!
Saw this you tube clip and thought it might be useful because it moves on to when statins are beneficial. (Starts talking about cholesterol so have patience with it! )
Hope this helps!
Thanks Scandi for that video. I found it very interesting.
Much of the research I have found involves trials with patients that have high cholesterol. I don't have high cholesterol. Also, the primary and most important predictor of a stroke is high blood pressure. I don't have high blood pressure. (rarely higher than 120 using my own monitor) None of the trials I found mention diet or weight issues amongst the participants. The only reasons my GP is recommending I return to my statins is because my CVD risk is 20% (almost half of which is due to being a diabetic, with no way of entering HbA1c results to the equation. If you are diabetic, no matter what your control, your risk is doubled on the calculator) and because this subtle low attenuation (possibly ischaemic in nature) appeared on my CT scan (done for other reasons). Added to which, low cholesterol is as equally damaging as high cholesterol.
I am slowly talking myself out of taking them again. It isn't the physical side effects that bother me, I didn't have any. It's the hidden ones that concern me.
Thank you everyone for your input.
Have you been onto the qrisk site: http://www.qrisk.org/index.php to check the percentages for yourself? I understand this is the site our medics use.
With just my height and weight details, post code (rural) and my age I am 8.9!!! My BMI is 23! I can't help being 66.
Its the Clopidogrel that made you bleed its a blood thinner, Hubs takes it instead of aspirin.
In this case the effect of statins would have ,for me, INCREASED my risk of strokes as I had a bleed-type stroke!.I was called in to see my GP with regard to statins because she has just discovered I stopped taking the ones she prescribed for on diagnosis in January. I stopped them a month before my next blood test was due, so I knew I had a safety net, and I told my DN. My next blood test came back with normal cholesterol components for non-diabetics.
A few weeks ago I had a routine CT scan, which was thankfully clear. However, it did show up a low intensity, non-severe thinning or weakness in one area of my brain that was likely due to reduced blood supply. The GP suggests this is a risk factor for future TIA or stroke. She said taking my statins would help reduce this risk (irrespective of what my cholesterol might be and irrespective of my diabetes). She also mentioned a blood thinning agent called Clopidogrel. She sent me away to do my own research on the effect of statins on reducing the risk of TIA and strokes (she knows me too well!!) saying as a doctor she is recommending I take the statins, but is leaving the decision entirely up to me with no pressure.
So, that's me, doing more research for the next few days.
Has anyone any experience of this?
I was called in to see my GP with regard to statins because she has just discovered I stopped taking the ones she prescribed for on diagnosis in January. I stopped them a month before my next blood test was due, so I knew I had a safety net, and I told my DN. My next blood test came back with normal cholesterol components for non-diabetics.
A few weeks ago I had a routine CT scan, which was thankfully clear. However, it did show up a low intensity, non-severe thinning or weakness in one area of my brain that was likely due to reduced blood supply. The GP suggests this is a risk factor for future TIA or stroke. She said taking my statins would help reduce this risk (irrespective of what my cholesterol might be and irrespective of my diabetes). She also mentioned a blood thinning agent called Clopidogrel. She sent me away to do my own research on the effect of statins on reducing the risk of TIA and strokes (she knows me too well!!) saying as a doctor she is recommending I take the statins, but is leaving the decision entirely up to me with no pressure.
So, that's me, doing more research for the next few days.
Has anyone any experience of this?
I stopped taking my stains and had a TIA mini one. I am now back on them.MRI and MRA all normal but eer notIn this case the effect of statins would have ,for me, INCREASED my risk of strokes as I had a bleed-type stroke!.
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