Worry re commencement of statins after shoulder damage!

Well said alzheimer, the sad thing is that there are some great doctors  and consultants out there, they jusst seem to be so few and far between. I read somewhere about the massive number of patients some GPs have - I keep thinking that if they actualy cured their patients instead of just administering pills, perhaps the numbers would go down! I did tell my GP that I thought many doctors had changed from curing sickness to simply managing disease. He laughed and told me not to blame the GPs , but blame the majority of patients who don't feel happy unless they get medication! By the way, have you read the book called Bad Pharma?

 

I hope you've checked all other medication you're taking because there's an enzyme in  grapefruit which makes it a contraindication for some medications.

What's in these Holland & Barrett caps, because I don't think that brand is available in Australia?

So have you had your cholesterol checked after all that exercise?  I ask bc many non-statin remedies I've tried don't in fact make any difference, in spite of them being healthy for other reasons.

I also point out that your level of exercise wouldn't be possible for many of us because of other health conditions:  eg I have COPD, no way I cd do it, much as I might like to

Jude have you tried CQ10 or even better the upgrade ubiquitine (not sure of the spelling) 200g per day during a meal containing fat.Get them from Amazon. Holland and Barrett had no idea what I was talking about!   Also take magnesium.  Keep away from sugar if you suffer from fatigue, memory loss and breathlessness as statins raises your sugar levels.

Hello Leajayse, I was given a leaflet on CQ10, when I went to my health food shop but dimissed it, what exactly is it all about, and I'm going to look up "ubiquitine"and Phyllius husks find out what that is. Sugar I don't touch,but I do have half a tea spoonful of honey in my coffee, I got that in France, works very well, also good for other things relating to the body.

What do you take the magnesium for?

I started taking CQ10 when I was on statins n the hope that it would minimise or banish the negative effects:  it made no difference but I'm still taking it.   Who is Barrett?

Why magnesium?  I eat very little sugar but would be interested to know how sugar affects breathlessness, I've never heard of that before, or that statins raise sugar levels.  There is evidence statins may make it slightly more likely one will develop diabetes, also cataracts but both those conditions are so common anyway I wouldn't regard it as a good reason not to take statins if you believe they'll prevent heart attacks - it's a matter of balance.    

That's PSYLLIUM, by the way!   Just be careful to never take the powder dry because it expands very quickly on contact with liquid and could cause choking.   I mix it into porridge, 3 tsp, which on the advice of a naturopath I'm slowly increasing to 6 tsp a day;.

Yes, my cholesterol has been checked recently at 5.2, having raised from 4.5 over the past year. My GP wants me to get it down to 3 or below as I had a minor heart attack two years ago. I fully understand your comment about those who have other health conditions which prevent them from exercising, in particular COPD which I know about as my Mother-in-Law has it. However, I know many people who could exercise but simply reject it. Also, exercise alone will not lower your cholesterol sufficiently - dieting also helps a lot.

Of course exercise is only part of a health regime and yes, I also know people who sit around in older years bored off their brains but won't even go for a walk, which would greatly improve their mental as well as physical health.

I'm so glad I have a dog who gets crazy if she's not walked most days, because that gets me out of the house, I meet other locals with their dogs and it's greatly improved my periods of depression

You do realise that your cholesterol level would've been regarded as normal decades ago before statins came on the market?   I had a minor heart attack nearly 4 years ago and struggled with bad side effects of every statin on the market, before I decided last year that I'd rather risk another heart attack than live with constant pain, exhaustion, depression and loss of libido.

Diet doesn't help some of us with cholesterol issues:  I've never eaten a high fat, high sugar diet and have always eaten heaps of vegies, even being totally vegetarian for some years, but both my parents had high cholesterol so I reckon there's a genetic factor too.

I think if you do some research you may find that 3 is in fact too low:  our bodies do need some cholesterol and there's some research which indicates that low cholesterol may be a factor in dementia, because our brains need it.   Maybe statins are the cause of the increase in dementia, who knows?

hi powerwalker.  Please ignore your GP's opinion to get your cholesterol below 3, that is too low.  The body needs cholesterol and it's only when it gets high and causes artherosclerosis that cholesterol becomes an issue.  Please read research on dementia and Alzheimers in connection with low cholesterol levels, its very enlightening.  Diet isn't always the cause.  Like Jude I have a very healthy diet and have done since childhood but my doctor advised changing my diet would have no effect as my high cholesterol was familial, ie hereditary.   As I eat healthily, go swimming regularly and am not overweight, nor do I have high blood pressure or high blood sugar, my current view is that I'd rather risk the cholesterol level than be invalided or suffer liver damage from the statins.

Hi Loxie, after being on statins for six months my cholesterol went down to 3.something, doctor said, brilliant, keep on taking them, but you mention Alzheimers, Dementia, I do think that Jude has mentioned these factors about statins, I reckon she has a good point there, it is amazing how many people are being diagnosed with these problems lately, it would be interesting to have information on how low their cholesterol is.

I,ve stopped taking statins now, feel so much better all round.

Hi Elizabeth.  Yes, unfortunately doctors are now 'advised' to lower the target level for cholesterol from its previous recommended level of just over 5 down to 3 or below.  There's lots of documented reports available online by quite eminent specialists that when cholesterol drops to the 2 - 3 range cognitive ability is detrimentally affected.  There doesn't appear to be anyone willing to state categorically that statins cause dementia I would point out, however there is clinical evidence that those with dementia and alzheimers often have lower than normal cholesterol levels and that cholesterol IS essential for brain function.  The cynics amongst us are convinced that the lowering of the advisory level is purely as a result of drug companies trying to sell more and having influenced NICE (by fair means or foul - for 'funding' read 'bribes') to then amend their guidelines to GPs on prescribing.  The habit now of prescribing statins to anyone with a '10% chance of a heart episode in the next 10 years' is ridiculous and can only be a sales ploy.

Hi Loxie, Totally agree with all you have said, I wonder how many people are going to suffer from these B........drug companies, and GPs  that seem to prescribe them willy-nilly to us and then do not listen when we tell them that since being on them we start getting pains,etc; mine was totally adament the statins had nothing to do with the pains I suddenly started getting.