High cholesterol - unsure about statins - can anyone tell me their experience?

[PunishmentRoundupWithJoon]

Cholesterol has been consistently high for well over 10 years. Never gone higher than 7.5, occasionally drops into the 6's. Obviously the GP's have suggested statins many times but I've always declined, imagining I could reduce it myself (not my most successful endeavour...)

I'm not against statins, just concerned about the side effects - I've read that some people can have less energy and muscle pain when on them. I already suffer from ME so fatigue and muscle pain is a part of my life and I don't relish the prospect of being even more knackered and achey. Obviously I realise that high cholesterol is not great and would love to see the figures dip into the 5's (I'd be happy with that).

Can anyone give me their experience of statins? Did you actually find that you felt fabulous whilst on them? (clutching at straws here).

Thank you in advance.

No side effects from Atorvastatin whatsoever @Clarich007 so hopefully you'll be the same, they've worked really well for me and taken me from 5.2 to 3.4.

I have famillial high cholesterol. Have known about it since I was 8 years old (37 now) started statins at age 15 and have been on them ever since other than stopping them for all my pregnancies (before during and breastfeeding). My cholesterol is over 10.5 without them so I am very high risk.
Lucky for me, I respond well to a very low dose (5mg of Crestor/rosuvestatin) brings my cholesterol down to around 5.
I would say the biggest side effect is "speech fog".. sometimes I know what i want to say but can't think of the right word! It's definitely the most noticeable side effect imo... I noticed this symptom stopped when I came off the statins.
Good luck.. statins are life savers

@RandomPerson42 thank you for putting the link to one of nutrition made simple videos. I really like them and I found them after a comment from my cardiologist on saturated fats, because on some discussions on the low carb threads on MN a few members had convinced me they we harmless, or that cholesterol didn't matter and even that low cholesterol increased mortality and I have never felt so stupid when trying to ask about these things.
So I went and tried to understand better, and this YouTube channel was an eye opener.
I still feel stupid to have fallen for the low carb narrative and all the saturated fats certainly didn't help.
It is nice to read a discussion with common sense.

Thanks Cornish Gem.
So far so good. No side effects yet at all. I feel fine.
I am trying hard though with my diet and making lentil soup and eating more nuts and avocado etc.
Hopefully I might lose a few pounds too 😁

I take statins because of Familial HC. When I was first tested, diagnosed and given medication I told my (younger) brothers and they were tested - they too are both on statins.

I've been on them for some years with no side effects. It certainly beats dying in my sixties or earlier like almost all my maternal relations whose history I know, including a cousin born the same year as me.

DH switched to rosuvastatin and has absolutely no side effects at all.

My cholesterol is a bit high but my overall Q-risk is very low so GP said statins were very optional (and I’ve started running since those results so fingers crossed). You can do your Q-risk here qrisk.org/three/

Mine was 6 last time
Dr put me on statins but not sure he should have as I have Gilbert's syndrome.
20mg of atorvastatin caused horrendous calf pains.
So I came off it and am trying to lose weight and am taking plant sterols.
I'll get it re tested in a few weeks

Just done that
Risk is 3%

What's the downside, other than muscle pains, of taking them? I've heard half-baked stuff about them interacting with medications that you may not yet know you'll need. Or that you can never come off them? (Well, no, because the need to be on them won't have changed so not sure why this is a daram).

Also, are people just asking their GPs for cholesterol checks or getting them elsewhere? My last one was 4 years ago. And shouldn't they be done over a few weeks to get a better picture of what your stats really are - do they work like that?

I'm definitely in the zone where it'll be raised soon so want to know why it's a bad idea to take them.

www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jan/12/new-statins-guidelines-nice-nhs-england

I'm on statins and have been for years I've tried most of them and have the least side effects with atorvostatin 60mg I also have familiar high cholesterol and told it will never lower with just diet changes.
My cholesterol is much higher than yours even though i taken statins.

I had mine tested about 8 years ago - I'm
56- should I be tested again? Do GPs do it regularly?

Yes

High cholesterol is very strong indicator for heart disease and stroke risk, so yes, we should all have it tested regularly @aramox1 and funnily enough, cholesterol that drops without reason such as lifestyle changers or drug is a strong indicator of cancer, so one more reason to get it tested regularly!

I started on 20mg Atorvastatin less than a week ago, felt fine at first, but i feel awful today. I have diarrhoea, stomach pain, and my tinnitis is suddenly much worse.. It's putting me off to be honest. Has anyone else experienced this.
71 years old. Cholesterol 6.8, but the good cholesterol is high.
Thank you

I don't take a statin but a fibrate. Does anyone else take those?

"I have diarrhoea, stomach pain, and my tinnitis is suddenly much worse."

I have 2 friends like this at the moment and neither of them are on statins. They have a virus.

I've been on statins for years with no side effects.

Thanks for this reminder- I've booked a test in. I see we are meant to have five yearly nhs checks. No sign of that from our GP, just text messages telling us how we can't book appointments.