There appears to be increasing concern about the side-effects of the statins, especially in the higher doses (40 to 80mg/day). It would be nice to try out the various natural cholesterol-lowering regimes. Are there any self-assessment kits that allow one to measure one's own cholesterol levels ?
Yes, but they're not cheap:-
Oats are supposedly good for keeping cholesterol down, which makes Potteries oatcakes and proper porridge worth a try.
I heard a review a year or so ago where various home test kits were tried, many were uselessly inaccurate.
NT
One of the arguments for statins is that they do not simply reduce cholesterol levels, but also help prevent plaque adhesion to the blood vessel walls.
There are alternatives to the widely used Simvastatin, which seems to be linked to most of the reports, but they cost more and upset NICE if your doctor prescribes them. Rosuvastatin, for example, is effective at much lower doses but is also the most expensive. Personally, with a natural cholesterol level of 4.0, I don't bother with them. I take enough pills as it is.
As for the test kits, most only test the total level of cholesterol, which is not a great deal of use by itself. You need to know the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglycerides, which you will only get from the most sophisticated and expensive test kits. You also need to know how to use that information.
Colin Bignell
I found that Simvastatin caused muscle pain and led to depression. It affects some people like this but not others. I eventually stopped taking it and went back to the doctors.
I was put on "Omacor" 1000mg, which is highly refined fish-oil - rich in certain types of Omega 3 that help to reduce cholestrol. These are *not* the same as Omega 3 available over the counter.
So far, I've had no side effects and they seem to be working as blood tests have shown an improvement that has pleased both me and the doctor.
So yes, there are natural(ish) alternatives, HTH...
Omacor is on the list of products not recommended for prescription. The reason given is a lack of evidence that it is effective.
Colin Bignell
Maybe that is the case, but they seem to be working for me.
I can only speak for myself, but Simvastatin wasn't going to work because it messed me up and I wasn't going to take it!
My doctor has no problem with Omacor.
I would like to see everyone who is considered to be a candidate for statins first tested for thyroid issues.
1) In earlier years, high cholesterol levels were considered a sign of thyroid disorder; 2) People who are hypothyroid and are given statins have a significantly higher level of side effects including myopathies and rhabdomyolysis; 3) If despite 1) and 2) it is still decided to treat with statins, then the ones which are regarded as safer in those with thyroid disorders can be chosen, and simvastin in particular can be avoided.Lots and lots of people have experienced cholesterol lowering upon having their thyroid disorder treated appropriately.
(Mind, this suggestion flies in the face of adding statins to the water supply as several doctors suggested in the early days. More or less seriously.)
Unfortunately, that is rather too small a sample space.
As I said, there are other, better, statins, although I choose not to take any.
It is usually less a matter of whether your doctor has a problem than whether NICE has one.
Colin Bignell
Yes, but I'm sure that I'm not the only one taking Omacor. It seems to work for me and hopefully others too. Maybe it works for some and not others and that is part of the reason for the non-proof. It is also, I gather, relatively expensive compared to statins. That may, or not, have some influence on the database, if doctors are afraid of prescribing it.
If you have a cholestrol problem, which I take it you have, how do you deal with it?
Read this before you do anything;
I have been on Atorvastatin for simply ages, without ill effects.
I recommend oatbran rather than porridge, as it has twice the soluble fibre, and it actually tastes nicer.
Thanks!
But there is only one of me! Omacor seems to work well for me. If time proves that this treatment has been unsuccessful then I will have to reconsider and maybe go back to statins like the type you mention if I can tolerate them.
I have a fairly healthy diet already but Oats supposedly do help - although, like the fish-oil I'm on, it's unproven.
There is a body of medical opinion, albeit small, that says cholesterol is broadly irrelevant to things like coronary heart disease, and that the relation between saturated fats and cholesterol levels is at best, unproven. As well as Kendrick, the OP might also read Ravnskov, see
Glad to hear that fish oil is giving you good results. But the general medical view that omega-3 fish oil supplements are beneficial, and that everyone not eating oily fish regularly should take an omega-3 supplement, is now discredited. The benefits have been much exaggerated, apparently. See
Incidentally, as CB says, you should get the breakdown of your cholesterol figures from your GP; HDL, LDL, Triglycerides and Total. Some useful limits are Total/HDL should be
Thanks for that Chris,
I must admit now that the fish oil was prescribed to me as an answer for someone who could not tolerate Simvastatin, as an alternative.
It seems to have helped in my case. I don't have the figures to hand but my doctor was impressed with the levels from my latest blood test.
I'm not adverse to trying another statin but my experience, so far, would make me wary.
Atorvastatin is now a generic drug and is dirt cheap. It has less sever side effects than simvastatin and many doctors are switching patients to it.
well that's what I had that made me (more suicidal) than simvastatin.
I've been taking simvastation for years. Apart from some rather lurid dreams in the first couple of weeks, I've not noticed a thing. Other than my cholesterol coming down.
Ah! It doesn't make you legs or arms drop off?
This is an edited list of side effects for Atorvastatin - leaving only the most serious:
anaphylaxis. peripheral neuropathy. hearing loss. pancreatitis. hepatic failure. angioneurotic oedema, dermatitis bullous including erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis. myopathy, myositis, rhabdomyolysis, tendonopathy, sometimes complicated by rupture.
The list of Simvastatin is similar - and I don't think it is any longer.
It might be less likely to cause some or all side effects. But it certainly appears capable of doing so.
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