Statins

I wouldn't refuse to take them if I needed them. My concern is being prescribed them "just in case" !


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Read up on them. Not much research to show they help women. Can't eat grapefruit with them so why not just eat grapefruit instead. Final stats on how they help seem very low for numbers of people who would actually benefit although evidence they help with someone who has previously had a heart attack.
Anecdotal accounts from my friends is that they have caused muscle problems but they just tell the doctor they are still taking them but stop. My biggest objection was that muscle aches etc could continue even when statins were stopped. For me, better not to even start.
Lowered my cholesterol by losing weight. I eat Low Carb/High Fat. My trigs are down and my ratio is good and my HDL is up. My opinion is that cholesterol is a symptom not a cause of heart disease. General health and weight would be better addressed than popping pills.
My diabetes nurse s pleased and surprised but knows better than to continue try to persuade me to take them.
Read up as much as you can, I am sure some posters will come along to give you some links and make then your own decision.

paulins said:

I have read with interest the widespread refusal to take statins but am not really clear why. My doctor told me there was significant evidence that they would lower my levels and help me avoid heart disease. Next checkup at the beginning of April and lots of questions.

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Maybe your doctor could produce said evidence.
IIRC there's little evidence that they do anything to prevent CVD in women of any age.
Also having a cholesterol level which is too low increases your risk of a large number of dangerous conditions (including CVD).

paulins said:

I have read with interest the widespread refusal to take statins but am not really clear why. My doctor told me there was significant evidence that they would lower my levels and help me avoid heart disease. Next checkup at the beginning of April and lots of questions.

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There's not a wide-spread refusal, many people take statins without any problems and many are on this forum, they do lower cholesterol levels as my brother had a works medical and was found to have dangerously high cholesterol levels, his level was 9 on diagnosis and within a year in was in the 3's, if you have any unanswered questions then you could contact the British Heart Foundation:

https://www.bhf.org.uk/#&panel1-1

Mushroom said:

Not much research to show they help women.

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Not much? I'm not aware of any...

borofergie said:

Not much? I'm not aware of any...

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Conspicuous by it's absence!

A perfect example of gender research bias - because it's mostly men who suffer from CVD, most of the research has been done on them - so same with statins. When they rig their stats to show statins are beneficial for men, then then extend that to women even though there's absolutely no evidence to support it. In fact, most of the epidemiological evidence points to higher cholesterol being protective against CVD in women, but hey, let's not let the facts get in the way of a good marketing plan...

paulins said:

My doctor told me there was significant evidence that they would lower my levels and help me avoid heart disease.

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There is absolutely not evidence that statins (or any other treatment for anything) would help you. There is statistical evidence that in the general population they may be helpful, which raises the likelihood that they might help you, but the only evidence for any individual is that individual's own experience.

By analogy: most people like ice-cream, so the likelihood is that I like ice cream. In fact I don't. The only evidence of that is that I have tasted it and disliked it. But if I'd never tasted it then it would be worth my trying it, as chances are I'd like it. Similarly I'm one of the rare people who are deficient in co-enzyme Q10. Statins interfere with the body's ability to use Q10, but most people make enough to keep going, though often with a few aches and pains. For me, the effect of statins on Q10 means that statins are actually dangerous to me. But that's because in this respect I'm not a typical person. The way I found this out was not through statistics based on populations but on personally trying Simvastatin.

Your doctor should have said that based on the evidence he knows there is a significant chance that statins will help you avoid heart disease.

Hmm, I've strayed off topic. Sorry. I get annoyed when professionals misrepresent how much statistics mean.

Kate

If you need to lower your cholesterol then statins will help but, do you need to lower your cholesterol?

Also, you can lower your cholesterol by eating certain foods, oily fish, nuts, foods high in fibre such as brocolli or oats, olives, you can google the list, and also avoid eating too much red meat and include more poultry in your diet.

Or you can take the pills but, they often come with side effects including, for some types, raising blood sugar levels. At least, that's what it says on my pack of atorvastatin.

I'm on the lowest dose and hope to stop taking them altogether.

Oh, and surprise surprise, exercise has a very big cholesterol lowering effect. GPs only prescribe this stuff because they don't believe that you will do these things for yourself.

Simple. If you are going to diet and exercise and take the appropriate nutrients, then you won't need statins.


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As bergamot reduces blood sugar levels, does anyone know if it would be detrimental to substitute simvastatin with bergamot, if taken in conjuction with metformin?