Atorvastin

Hi Jane I know you haven't put your question to me but my cholesterol was 8.2 and I had tried alternative ways, I have 2 autoimmune disease's that increase cardiac risk, I have regular liver test and I exercise as much as anyone can on crutches but I believe that levels that high were unacceptable for me.

Are your levels high, do you have high risk factors, on here the majority of people will be anti statins, and each to there own but you do have to make your own decision, its your health no one else's.

 I only asked because with hypertension, plus my age [75] the Qrisk is 16% which automatically puts me on the radar of the statin police.  I am a sceptic I admit and I did refuse them, I have arthritis of the knee and wish to continue living a full active life as long as possible and was worried statins might give me side effects that I didn't want.  Arthritis compromised my mother and grandmother's lives enormously and I will do anything to avoid that. 

Last time it was measured the cholesterol level was 6.6 and the ratio was 2.4. and the GP was happy with that but she had to offer a statin as the QRisk was over 10%. The NHS rules! 

 I do feel they are hiding something when they drop the risk from 20% to 10%  overnight,  I don't believe in medicalising the entire nation. They are in denial over the side effects issue and unless they come clean I won't take them.

Hi Jane as I said before the choice is thankfully yours, if you decide that you don't want to take them then we are all behind you and no one on here would try to coerce you in any way for or against and reading your reply I can only presume you have already made your decision and it seems that your GP is actually with you on that, my Dr was the same, he said it was up to me and after 3 years I decided to go with a low dose, my sister has been on them for years and also has no problems on them, I will also point out that the statistics on here will not portray the real figure's as only a small minority of statin users actually use the forum.

Unfortunately, we the patients/public are never quite aware of the hidden agendas behind prescribing practice.  The more cynical would quite understandably suspect that reducing firstly the level at which statins should be considered and secondly what the 'ideal' cholesterol level should be are more down to how much influence the pharmaceutical industry have on N.I.C.E than actual good medical practice.  Statins are useful to many people but most definitely not for everyone.  Blanket prescribing is not best practice and in some cases not even safe.  There is a plethora of reputable research online about statins and when it is in the patient's best interest to take them or not.  I encountered a stone wall when I had all my physical issues and it wasn't until I was so ill I had to call an ambulance.  The attending registrar in A&E was the one who told me it was likely to be statin reaction that was causing the problems, my GP refused to accept it even after that. 

My feelings entirely Loxie. With Alexandria's other issues it is a different matter but I feel it is wrong to medicalise the entire nation because they have a risk of over 10%. Another way of looking at that is to say you have  a 90% chance of not having a heart attack. Some drs apparently take the line of 'One size fits all' and actually it doesn't.  I did my research into cholesterol levels even before I was offered statins,  actually the dr said she was bound to offer it [I guess their hands are tied!] so I asked given my health would she take one. No she said. She did however say that if you have had any heart issues or mini strokes then they are life savers.

That's a very relevant point Jane - for women especially, statins can be a lifesaver AFTER a stroke or heart episode but almost all of the research available is quite specific that they are not recommended prior to, or just in case.  For men it's more effective as a preventative measure but even then only in acute cases.  poisoning the entire nation without real investigation into individual circumstances is not only bizarre but immoral.  I reiterate, statins can be a life saver but absolutely only if absolutely necessary.

Hi Wayne I can see where you are coming from and I would imagine anyone on a mega dose, and 80 mg is a mega dose, in fact its actually the highest dose you can go on, your cholesterol was either extremely high or you were and still are suffering from familial hypercholesterolaemia, this is one of the main reason's for the maximum dose to be prescribed, the majority of people now on statins are on the low dose 10mg, I'm not saying that all those on the low dose do not get a negative effect I'm just saying that in general the majority of people on the maximum dose do have an issue with side efflike and I don't find that surprising.

I'm not advocating statins that's not up to me to decide for others, I'm just saying that non of us can try by our own situations to influence another person.

Its like someone who has been unlucky and had a reaction to BP pills in general saying that if there bad for them they will be bad for everyone when we all know that's not true, but we do know that all medication carries a risk, I had a friend many years ago who took 2 cocodamol and died, very very sad but until that day she had never used them only paracetamol.

I also would like to be med free but I would also like to have a bit lower cholesterol.

I can say that I have not put any extra weight on since taking them, but I have still kept to my normal 13/1400 calories a day.

Its good Pearly to here someone who is on a high dose who is actually OK on it, it is sad when due to health issues we have to take meds but I'm glad you are coping with them, the q10 sounds like a plan I will check them out.