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[Jules]

Has anybody else been told they're cholestrol is high and that it can rise after menopause? Mine has gone up from 5.3 to 5.8.

[Ayesha]

Yes, I've been told that it raises as we get older.
Mine is high and have been prescribed Ezetimibe, I can't take statins because of the horrible side effects.

[Summer-sky]

Hi Jules,

Yes the same thing has happened to me, always low and in the last year increased to 5.3 and now 5.8 too.  I'm just researching ways forward with it. 

[Jules]

I wasn't prescribed statins but directed to the advice about reducing it. One point, cutting down on alcohol. I stopped altogether 8 months ago yet my cholestrol has gone up🤷

[Taz2]

Mine is 5.9 and, funnily enough, I've actually been prescribed statins today. I've been given Atorvarstatin which seems to be the one most likely to cause nosebleeds which I suffer from anyway. I think I'll ask the pharmacy tomorrow whether there's a more suitable one for me. Nosebleeds can be so disruptive! Looking back through my records my level was 6.8 in 2016 which was the last time it was tested! My doc then just dismissed it as she was anti-statin. 

[VioletAquarius]

Taz2, do you know why she was anti-statin?

If a doctor is against them, it doesn't look good.

[Dierdre]

My level was 6 9 in January and I got it down to 6.2 over 3 months with diet and losing nearly 2 stone. I also had Benecol drinks and yogurts but the plant sterols interfered with my estrogen (different thread). The doctor wanted me on statins straight away but I refused. Everyone I know that has tried statins had problems with awful side effects and one friend on them for 3 years was left with permanent muscle damage, so no thank you.
You can get your cholesterol down quite easy with diet and exercise, this should be the first option.

[Taz2]

Taz2, do you know why she was anti-statin?

If a doctor is against them, it doesn't look good.

It's like with a lot of medication in that some people can develop problems from the thing that's meant to be doing them good. As Deidre says they can cause a muscle problem called Rhabdomyolysis. It is rare whereas muscle pain is quite common and a different statin often gets rid of it. It's like with PPIs. I need them to control my hiatus hernia reflux which causes ulceration of the oesophagus  but I know I have a risk of developing stomach cancer if I take them. Fors and againsts! There's loads of stuff online about statins.

Deidre. I agree that diet and exercise are the first things to try and you've done amazingly in just three months. How long do you think it will take to get down to usual target of under 5?

Taz x

[Jules]

Taz2, do you know why she was anti-statin?

If a doctor is against them, it doesn't look good.

It's like with a lot of medication in that some people can develop problems from the thing that's meant to be doing them good. As Deidre says they can cause a muscle problem called Rhabdomyolysis. It is rare whereas muscle pain is quite common and a different statin often gets rid of it. It's like with PPIs. I need them to control my hiatus hernia reflux which causes ulceration of the oesophagus  but I know I have a risk of developing stomach cancer if I take them. Fors and againsts! There's loads of stuff online about statins.

Deidre. I agree that diet and exercise are the first things to try and you've done amazingly in just three months. How long do you think it will take to get down to usual target of under 5?

Taz x

Who told you that you've a risk of stomach cancer ftom PPIs? My doctor told me it's nonsense. The risk is osteoporosis.  I have to take them daily too but none of the stomach doctors have ever mentioned stomach cancer risk. 

[Jules]

Regarding statins, it wasn't mentioned and they're just re- checking I'm a year. My friend had his and his was 5.9 and no concern was expressed so it seems it depends on your GP however I've been told the threshold for cholestrol has been lowered and they want it under 5.1 now. I'm going to tighten up my diet and up the exercise and see what happens  though a year is a long time to wait.

[Taz2]

Yes Jules they've lowered it so anything over 5.1 is looked at as possibly needing sorting out. They look at both the good and bad cholesterol. They look at other factors too though such as blood pressure, weight and definitely age. I came out as a 15% risk of a heart attack or stroke in the next ten years and the cut off risk, where statins are prescribed, is 10% hence the statins for me. All of this has been done via text messages and I have been unable to see or even ask a doctor for more advice. I find it really upsetting that seeing a GP is so difficult. I think, that with something such as beginning statins or blood pressure medication, then a consultation would be really helpful. I have been directed to various links that I can read but it's not like actually seeing someone is it? I am going to ask the pharmacist whether a different one would lessen the possibility of nose bleeds (my bugbear already) as, reading one of the links the surgery sent, Atorvastatin is the main one to have this as a side effect. There is also the fact I am on omeprazole to consider apparently and fibromyalgia is also mentioned in the "consult your doctor if you have..." section of the PIL.

It has made me up my exercise this week though which is a good thing so now I do two fast two mile walks a day instead of one and also have a trundle on the treadmill in the garage. My partner has been really helpful as he has high BP , and is trying (successfully) to lose weight, in printing off a diary which I can fill in with everything I eat showing all the different things such as calories, salt, fats etc. This has shown that although I am around a stone heavier than I'd like I am only consuming 1200 calories a day. Think my body has gone into starvation mode to conserve what fat it's already got 

This all came about due to the new service from the NHS inviting patients for a thirty minute health check. My BP was 180/90 in the nurses room so now I'm sending in two readings a day for four days ( via another link which is actually a useful one!) and today's readings are 117/71 with a pulse of 60. Maybe I'll be able to stave off the blood pressure medication for a while.....

Taz x

[Julia Dizzy]

Hi Jules,
My cholesterol is 6.2 and LDL bad cholesterol is 4.3 so I have been on 10mg statins for a few years. My surgery pharmacist (no, don't get to see the GP...) has requested I up them to 20mg which I have now done.

I first tried 40mg Atorvastatin years ago before the menopause when my level was 7.8 but they gave me leg pains so have been on Pravastatin ever since. I have lots of aches and pains but hard to know whether it's just getting older!

My risk score is apparently 11.1%. I'm not really happy to take them but doing as I'm told!

[Jules]

Well I have a gp appointment for something else on Friday so I will be able to ask. My BP is ok, I'm not overweight,  I don't drink now or smoke and don't eat fried foods. I'm 66 though. I could increase my exercise but I've ME so am limited. I will ask about the good and bad levels. My friends was over 9, she is now on statins, it came down to around the same as mine but she has muscle pain so only taking alternate days. She's 58. There's so much to worry about healthwise. My GP told me that in this country they prescribe BP meds as a precautionary measure to cost save in the future when other countries would judge it as not high. He shrugged his shoulders despondently.

[Penguin]

I think the point is you don't actually have to take the medication if you want to try and manage by diet or other means first. They might not like it but as long as you've made an informed choice, it is your body and up to you to decide. I would definitely look at thresholds in other countries and how they assess risk, and see how it is done elsewhere before starting medication I'd need to be on for the rest of my life. Saying that however, my mum took statins for years with no adverse effects  except the one time they tried to change her to a cheaper one and she got side effects. My husband has been on BP meds for 15 years and has annual blood tests to check his organs are okay, and he's been fine so far.

[Jules]

Yes, that's true. The GP I'm seeing is a good one, honest, so I'll get sound advice off him.