Thanks to you all who troubled to reply.The reason for taken them is high Cholesterol,but since January I have been going to the Gym Three times a week and changed my Diet,so hopefully when I see my Doctor in June she will take me off them.I do have a Blood test in June to see if my Cholesterol has changed.
I was on them for a bit after a suspected TIA a few years ago. Changed docs after moving and he took me straight off them. Said lifestyle change is much more effective.
Thanks to you all who troubled to reply.The reason for taken them is high Cholesterol,but since January I have been going to the Gym Three times a week and changed my Diet,so hopefully when I see my Doctor in June she will take me off them.I do have a Blood test in June to see if my Cholesterol has changed.
I was on them for a bit after a suspected TIA a few years ago. Changed docs after moving and he took me straight off them. Said lifestyle change is much more effective.
Must get round to that...
Get yourself:
1. A Fitbit. And then join the CL Fitbit gang. Brace yourself for humiliation and tell yourself it's Ok because you don't know most of them.
2. A Nutribullet. Use without fail to make breakfast, and sometimes for your evening "meal" too.
You'll thank me for this, Rich, if you follow my advice. :-)
I am not knocking statins, or the sincerity of those who prescribe them. But for medium or lower risk people the above combo can bring all sorts of health benefits, but your GP simply cannot "prescribe" them.
Honestly I was a bit sceptical. Especially the idea that I could have a "Nutriblast" for breakfast, and not need anything else before lunch. But I can.
The thing is, people talk about a balanced diet, but imagine trying to eat for breakfast Chinese cabbage, spinach, six different fruits, goiji juice, coconut water, almond milk, fresh ginger, fresh mint, flax seed, chia seed... Whack it all into your NB and you can drink it all while shaving.
I didn't have a weight problem, but I can measure my body fat, and it's 9% down since i bought the thing. Loads of other benefits too which come under "too much information" :-)
Thanks to you all who troubled to reply.The reason for taken them is high Cholesterol,but since January I have been going to the Gym Three times a week and changed my Diet,so hopefully when I see my Doctor in June she will take me off them.I do have a Blood test in June to see if my Cholesterol has changed.
I was on them for a bit after a suspected TIA a few years ago. Changed docs after moving and he took me straight off them. Said lifestyle change is much more effective.
Must get round to that...
Get yourself:
1. A Fitbit. And then join the CL Fitbit gang. Brace yourself for humiliation and tell yourself it's Ok because you don't know most of them.
2. A Nutribullet. Use without fail to make breakfast, and sometimes for your evening "meal" too.
You'll thank me for this, Rich, if you follow my advice. :-)
I am not knocking statins, or the sincerity of those who prescribe them. But for medium or lower risk people the above combo can bring all sorts of health benefits, but your GP simply cannot "prescribe" them.
Wasn't entirely serious, but have put it on again recently.
The nutribullet thing - you lose a lot of the benefits because it's smoothied. For example, the benefits of fruit lie largely in their fibre - as soon as that's broken down you're really getting a sugar blast. Well bit more complicated than that, but sugars and carbs are my enemy so I might leave that one.
I do generally eat much more healthily than I once did, but my energy equation still favours the intake.
Thanks to you all who troubled to reply.The reason for taken them is high Cholesterol,but since January I have been going to the Gym Three times a week and changed my Diet,so hopefully when I see my Doctor in June she will take me off them.I do have a Blood test in June to see if my Cholesterol has changed.
I was on them for a bit after a suspected TIA a few years ago. Changed docs after moving and he took me straight off them. Said lifestyle change is much more effective.
Must get round to that...
Get yourself:
1. A Fitbit. And then join the CL Fitbit gang. Brace yourself for humiliation and tell yourself it's Ok because you don't know most of them.
2. A Nutribullet. Use without fail to make breakfast, and sometimes for your evening "meal" too.
You'll thank me for this, Rich, if you follow my advice. :-)
I am not knocking statins, or the sincerity of those who prescribe them. But for medium or lower risk people the above combo can bring all sorts of health benefits, but your GP simply cannot "prescribe" them.
Wasn't entirely serious, but have put it on again recently.
The nutribullet thing - you lose a lot of the benefits because it's smoothied. For example, the benefits of fruit lie largely in their fibre - as soon as that's broken down you're really getting a sugar blast. Well bit more complicated than that, but sugars and carbs are my enemy so I might leave that one.
I do generally eat much more healthily than I once did, but my energy equation still favours the intake.
Well, they recommend that even for a fruit based blast, 30% is veg. to reduce the sugar content. I sometimes have a veggie one in the evening.
Are you 100% sure about losing the fibre when you mix the fruit and veg with liquid? And what about the vitamins? I gotta say that my digestive system seemed to get a lot more efficient after a couple of months, and has stayed that way.
Side effects sound horrendous (obviously worse case scenario's), my cholesterol levels are higher then what is normal for me, some dietary changes 'maybe' in order. Not to sure I fancy going on statins as the doc has suggested.
Side effects sound horrendous (obviously worse case scenario's), my cholesterol levels are higher then what is normal for me, some dietary changes 'maybe' in order. Not to sure I fancy going on statins as the doc has suggested.
I've been taking for about 6 months. No side effects i've noticed.
Side effects sound horrendous (obviously worse case scenario's), my cholesterol levels are higher then what is normal for me, some dietary changes 'maybe' in order. Not to sure I fancy going on statins as the doc has suggested.
I've been taking for about 6 months. No side effects i've noticed.
Last year a good mate out here who had a persistent problem with his chloresterol told me that he had tried a natural remedy cocktail. After 3 months his headline level dropped from 6.3 to 4.45. The cocktail he described has three elements. The key one (according to my GP, more from him below) is the pill;
- Sold here under the Mycocholest label. Key ingredients :Shiitake and ang-khak rice mold (Monascus purpureus). one tablet each morning. - teaspoonful of good quality cider vinegar (in a small glass of water) after each of three daily meals - Organic Jiaogulan tea; they suggest up to 800ml per day, which isna lot of tea.
So I tried it and got similarly impressive results. My problem wasn't as acute as his. I was on 5.5. Sure enough after 12 weeks, down to 4.9.
There are two catches. One is that it can be hard to follow the whole programme religiously. I particularly struggled with the tea, and it can be easy to forget the vinegar dose. When my mate had another test after a further three months where he had been more lax with the vinegar and tea, he had edged up to 5.1 but that remains well below his historic levels.
There's another problem which doubtless some GPs will flag up, mine did, and why we can't expect health services to go all out on this. The tablet is the key ingredient and it can strain your liver. My GP told me this beforehand. Sure enough in my annual blood test, the liver marker score (labelled S_GGT on my test results, but I don't know more than that) edged slightly above the acceptable level. The range was 0.14-0.64, my previous score had been 0.45 and now had edged up to 0.66. However we also noticed that the upper rate for this marker from that lab was not consistent with the upper rate used by other labs (1.14). Anyway, my GP concluded that the benefits definitely outweighed the risks and recommended me to continue. Important to stress this point though, because I think people would want to consult their GPs first, and some might say "those tablets harm your liver, that's why we don't recommend them rather than statins".
I'd meant to share this earlier, so thanks for reviving the thread. I'm a bit cautious about "natural" remedies replacing pharma but the good thing about this one is it is so easily measurable. And my GP is a good guy who tries not to Over-medicate his patients. Ironically he admitted to me that he has a big chloresterol problem himself (9) and his partner in the practice had virtually ordered him to start taking statins.
I took a specialist cocktail of 3 statins for several years. (Atorvastatin, Ezetimibe and Fenofibrate). I got a new lipids consultant when I moved to the Isle of Wight and in the wake of my limb loss. He has taken me off two of them completely and reduced my remaining statin (Atorvastatin) dose by 50%. Instead I have been prescribed Repatha which I self inject every two weeks. I have been on it for over a year during which my cholesterol levels have gone to a lifetime low (less than 3 of which the “bad stuff is 1.5”). For those on statins who are worried please ask your quack about Repatha. It is very expensive though so I suspect it will not be an easy referral.
On the subject of cholesterol, does anyone use a home tester and if so do you find it reliable? I'd like to keep on top of my levels (currently on Atorvastatin without side effects) but i dont want to be nagging the surgery for blood tests other than the 6 monthly renal function test they've asked me to book for on the back of the cocktail of meds theyve prescribed.
Should this thread be moved to the ‘you know you’re getting old’ when you start talking about 💊;)?
I’m on Atorvastatin and Metformin been on them for about a year, not aware of any side effects, other than my penis dropping off but as it doesn’t get used these days no bad thing!
I've been taking them for 7 years, ever since I had a minor stroke .. the first script did not agree with me, the second one (change of medication but still a statin), I had a few problems, real or imagined with joint pain and stomach upset .. but it soon settled down and now I seem to have either got used to the s/effects or they have gone away ..
I have had a stoke and colon cancer, statins supposedly also act as a barrier to cancer as well as reducing cholesterol .. even if a few side effects are noticeable, for me, taking statins is a small price to pay for some reassurance against heart attack/stroke or cancer
reprising this post from 7 years ago .. since then my statin dose has increased 50%, I have no side effects that I am aware of, and my original post still stands FOR ME .. however we are all different and what is one man's medicine could be another man's poison .. LAST BUT .. in my experience talking to people like me, age, health problems, statin dose etc. 99% are better off for taking statins. Over time the statins formula has been adjusted to eliminate potential side effects .. IF I were you @Hastingsaddick , I would seriously consider taking the medicine, at least give it another try
I've only just seen this. I was prescribed 10mg of Rosuvastatin which improved my cholesterol from just over 6 down to just over 3. However after taking them for 5 years the cramps, fatigue and aching legs got too much. I saw my cardiologist last March and she changed me to 10mg of Pravastatin and 10mg of Exetimibe. Generally felt a lot better although the cholesterol is up around the 4 mark but the bad ldl's are apparently worse.
I guess it's a balancing act really. You have to try a few variations and get it fine tuned.
I do have history of allergies to certain antibiotics Penicillin since a child and recently Cipraflixacin which had all sorts of nasty side affects. So I guess the moral of my story here is listen to your body and if in doubt go back and question the doctor to establish what drugs are right for your body.
I've only just seen this. I was prescribed 10mg of Rosuvastatin which improved my cholesterol from just over 6 down to just over 3. However after taking them for 5 years the cramps, fatigue and aching legs got too much. I saw my cardiologist last March and she changed me to 10mg of Pravastatin and 10mg of Exetimibe. Generally felt a lot better although the cholesterol is up around the 4 mark but the bad ldl's are apparently worse.
I guess it's a balancing act really. You have to try a few variations and get it fine tuned.
I do have history of allergies to certain antibiotics Penicillin since a child and recently Cipraflixacin which had all sorts of nasty side affects. So I guess the moral of my story here is listen to your body and if in doubt go back and question the doctor to establish what drugs are right for your body.
Interestingly I have had lower leg pains for awhile now, could that be a result of statins?
I've only just seen this. I was prescribed 10mg of Rosuvastatin which improved my cholesterol from just over 6 down to just over 3. However after taking them for 5 years the cramps, fatigue and aching legs got too much. I saw my cardiologist last March and she changed me to 10mg of Pravastatin and 10mg of Exetimibe. Generally felt a lot better although the cholesterol is up around the 4 mark but the bad ldl's are apparently worse.
I guess it's a balancing act really. You have to try a few variations and get it fine tuned.
I do have history of allergies to certain antibiotics Penicillin since a child and recently Cipraflixacin which had all sorts of nasty side affects. So I guess the moral of my story here is listen to your body and if in doubt go back and question the doctor to establish what drugs are right for your body.
Interestingly I have had lower leg pains for awhile now, could that be a result of statins?
Could be or a host of other things. Even wearing too tight socks.
Likewise, been on them since August 2020 after the bypass, no problems at all. Blood pressure and cholesterol both good.....and a lot better than before the heart attack.
I occasionally have night leg cramps but that's most likely triggered by some foods and general circulation reducing with age. I say occasionally so very unlikely to be just the statin.
Comments
Do I get any redemption for saying statins are close to my heart?
Must get round to that...
1. A Fitbit. And then join the CL Fitbit gang. Brace yourself for humiliation and tell yourself it's Ok because you don't know most of them.
2. A Nutribullet. Use without fail to make breakfast, and sometimes for your evening "meal" too.
You'll thank me for this, Rich, if you follow my advice. :-)
I am not knocking statins, or the sincerity of those who prescribe them. But for medium or lower risk people the above combo can bring all sorts of health benefits, but your GP simply cannot "prescribe" them.
My dads on Statins and I'm worried it's giving him side effects which appear like arthritis, but also muscle strains.
I got my cholesterol right down via the fit bit route, was 6 something but halved it or more
Be interested in others thoughts and recipes for nutribullet
Honestly I was a bit sceptical. Especially the idea that I could have a "Nutriblast" for breakfast, and not need anything else before lunch. But I can.
The thing is, people talk about a balanced diet, but imagine trying to eat for breakfast Chinese cabbage, spinach, six different fruits, goiji juice, coconut water, almond milk, fresh ginger, fresh mint, flax seed, chia seed... Whack it all into your NB and you can drink it all while shaving.
I didn't have a weight problem, but I can measure my body fat, and it's 9% down since i bought the thing. Loads of other benefits too which come under "too much information" :-)
Incidentally I'm on Atorvastatin too, swapped from Simvastatin can't remember why - could be another side effect.
The nutribullet thing - you lose a lot of the benefits because it's smoothied. For example, the benefits of fruit lie largely in their fibre - as soon as that's broken down you're really getting a sugar blast. Well bit more complicated than that, but sugars and carbs are my enemy so I might leave that one.
I do generally eat much more healthily than I once did, but my energy equation still favours the intake.
Are you 100% sure about losing the fibre when you mix the fruit and veg with liquid? And what about the vitamins? I gotta say that my digestive system seemed to get a lot more efficient after a couple of months, and has stayed that way.
I've been taking for about 6 months. No side effects i've noticed.
Last year a good mate out here who had a persistent problem with his chloresterol told me that he had tried a natural remedy cocktail. After 3 months his headline level dropped from 6.3 to 4.45. The cocktail he described has three elements. The key one (according to my GP, more from him below) is the pill;
- Sold here under the Mycocholest label. Key ingredients :Shiitake and ang-khak rice mold (Monascus purpureus). one tablet each morning.
- teaspoonful of good quality cider vinegar (in a small glass of water) after each of three daily meals
- Organic Jiaogulan tea; they suggest up to 800ml per day, which isna lot of tea.
So I tried it and got similarly impressive results. My problem wasn't as acute as his. I was on 5.5. Sure enough after 12 weeks, down to 4.9.
There are two catches. One is that it can be hard to follow the whole programme religiously. I particularly struggled with the tea, and it can be easy to forget the vinegar dose. When my mate had another test after a further three months where he had been more lax with the vinegar and tea, he had edged up to 5.1 but that remains well below his historic levels.
There's another problem which doubtless some GPs will flag up, mine did, and why we can't expect health services to go all out on this. The tablet is the key ingredient and it can strain your liver. My GP told me this beforehand. Sure enough in my annual blood test, the liver marker score (labelled S_GGT on my test results, but I don't know more than that) edged slightly above the acceptable level. The range was 0.14-0.64, my previous score had been 0.45 and now had edged up to 0.66. However we also noticed that the upper rate for this marker from that lab was not consistent with the upper rate used by other labs (1.14). Anyway, my GP concluded that the benefits definitely outweighed the risks and recommended me to continue. Important to stress this point though, because I think people would want to consult their GPs first, and some might say "those tablets harm your liver, that's why we don't recommend them rather than statins".
I'd meant to share this earlier, so thanks for reviving the thread. I'm a bit cautious about "natural" remedies replacing pharma but the good thing about this one is it is so easily measurable. And my GP is a good guy who tries not to Over-medicate his patients. Ironically he admitted to me that he has a big chloresterol problem himself (9) and his partner in the practice had virtually ordered him to start taking statins.
I’m on Atorvastatin and Metformin been on them for about a year, not aware of any side effects, other than my penis dropping off but as it doesn’t get used these days no bad thing!
Blood pressure and cholesterol both good.....and a lot better than before the heart attack.