Statins (to Take Or Not)

Welcome to the forum Denise 2
Here's an article you may find useful http://drhyman.com/blog/2012/01/19/why-women-should-stop-their-cholesterol-lowering-medication/

You will deprive your GP of a tick in the box which earns the practice extra cash if you don't take the pill but you may save yourself side effects whilst likely not adding a day to your life. If you do decide to take them it might be useful to suppplement with co Q10 or ubiqunol since statins cut out this useful metabolic pathway alongside reducing your ldl cholesterol.

Denise 2 said:

Thanks catinahat. Interesting article especially as I am post menopause. Really don't want to take more meds than absolutely necessary but was told by my GP that all diabetics are always put straight onto statins. Really scary thought. I think I will continue to resist.

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A TC of 4.1 is not high to begin with.

Hi @Denise 2
Below I reproduce a post I made on another thread nearly a year ago
"I would say that the main beneficiaries of statins are men with previous heart problems. Dr Malcolm Kendrick (author of The Great Cholesterol Con) also adds:
"If you are a woman at very high risk of heart disease, statins reduce the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease .. statins will not increase your life expectancy by one day ... death from other causes (are) increased."
His argument is that statins might work, but not by lowering cholesterol. For older people higher cholesterol is protective.
Also, it's only men who might live a little longer. To reinforce this he states in his book that "statins do not save lives in women" five times in succession (the fifth time IN CAPITAL LETTERS to underline his point).
It's your choice. I know I'll never take them due to their noxious effects on the body, whether these are noticed or not.
Hope you find some clarity
Geoff"

Sady GPs are driven by targets, and sometimes financial rewards for meeting them. The word you were looking for is 'refuse'. No one is going to force feed you

Denise 2 said:

I will practice saying 'refuse' so I am better prepared for our next meeting!

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I use the word ‘decline’, I think it sounds less obstinate!

Your best 'defence' will be education. There are books you can read, YouTube videos you can watch etc. Just ask if you want suggestions. Here's a starter for you, with one of my heroes Dr Macolm Kendrick appearing from 1.45 in
https://drmalcolmkendrick.org/statin-nation-the-documentary/

Increasingly professionals (such as consultant cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra) are seeing that high total cholesterol or high LDL have nothing to do with heart disease*, but rather it's inflammation and high insulin levels ( * the only cholesterol figures of any use are triglycerides and HDL, and the ratio of trigs/HDL should be 1.5 or lower.)
Geoff

p.s. whilst in hospital recently my total cholesterol was found to be 6.1, an increase from 5 something.I was offered a statin, I politely declined and nothing more was said. I'm seeing my GP next week That should be an interesting conversation.

Edited to add p.s.

I am very clear. I say “There are no circumstances when I would take Statins, Thank You but No!” But then, I have read, I have watched, I have absorbed the whole argument and debate. Statins are not for me, and I am not really interested in a month’s trial to prove that I have no short term side effects. People suddenly get Rhabdomyolisis with no warning, after years on the things. people get Transient Global Amnesia, suddenly, out of the blue, with no warning. Antd their benefits, particularly for women, are not demonstrated by any clinical trial.
If you want to do the research, Malcolm Kendrick’s ‘Great Cholesterol Con’ followed by’Doctoring Data’ are amazing. Prof Ken Sikaris’ You Tube Videos are insightful. You don’t need to ‘please’ your doctor, you’re the grown up!

Denise 2 said:

Thanks Librarising. I have had a phone call from my GP suggesting another HbA1c blood test in 2 months. She added that I definitely should be taking statins. I said I didn't wish to take them but she suggested I take them for a month then see if I have any side effects. I was too cowardly to say anything more but I am not going to take them as the doctor has not yet given me any clear explanation as to why I should have them. I will practice saying 'refuse' so I am better prepared for our next meeting! Could understand it more if i have a family history of strokes, heart attacks etc but there is absolutely nothing like that in my family. Thanks for everyone's support and information.

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@Denise 2 you must do what is right for you. Unfortunately GPs and DNs automatically prescribe statins to diabetics regardless of any other factors. I was diagnosed with an hba1c of 48 and took statins because ‘every diabetic should take them’. Within a few months my Hba1c had risen to 54 and I was getting side effects inc dizzy spells and sleep disturbance so, after research inc talking to my local pharmacist, I phoned my GP and told him I was not going to take them anymore - surprisingly after I told him why he agreed. However my DN is not so forgiving and we have the ‘you should be on statins’ conversation at most reviews but I decline her kind offer by politely saying ‘not at the moment thanks’.

Im very cautious of taking statins and will try my best to avoid them and concentrate on diet, healthy eating and supplements.