Just had cholesterol level diagnosed as 10.5, is there ever a reason not to have statins??

[WindUpBird]

I've known I have high cholesterol since I was 17 (mum has high cholesterol and has been on statins for ages), I'm now 35 (so old!) and got some test results back today which say my cholesterol is 10.5. Seems pretty high to me...
I'm not massively over-weight (I don't think), haven't eaten red meat since I was about 10, eat lots of fruit and veggies, lentils, chick peas, most food is home-cooked etc etc. Is there anything else I can do other than go on statins? I'm breastfeeding my 6 month-old and am wary of taking any drugs at the mo. At the same time I'd rather not keel over of a heart attack just yet.

You can reduce your cholesterol naturally. I bought DH a book on it a few years ago but haven't got it now to check title.

Oats are great. So porridge for b'fast. Almonds also great. Those Benecol products are supposed to help.

My mum is on Lipitor and due to some other issues I looked it up and some of the side effects were scary.

Sounds like you have familial hypercholesterolaemia- basically high blood cholesterol which is genetically linked.

Diet changes may have an effect, but to be honest if it where my cholesterol that was this high, I would be popping the statins until the level in blood reached at least below 5mmol/l or below.

This level of cholesterol is a massive risk factor for heart disease.

I would thank god this has been picked up so soon and hence you can prevent any end organ damage before its too late.

good that you know now and can do something about it.
diet is good. lots of oats and very low fat.
statins work a treat. side effect iirc are weird dreams/sleep disturbances. can'tremember the others but will have a look

My dad has familial hypercholesterolaemia. He has controlled his for years and years with diet (his was higher than yours and he has the white bits in his eyes from cholesterol etc). He did get his HDL and LDL levels checked (and does so regularly). His HDL's are high compared to his LDL's so he's the 'healthy' way round (it's LDL's you need to watch).

His doctor persuaded him to try statins but they gave him al sorts of problems so he came off them and went back to diet and regular blood tests.

and liver function should be regularly monitored.
thik other side effects can be mood disturbance and muscle pain.
you need to weigh up the risks of not taking them . also if you know what to look out for you can monitor them.

I was told by a hospital dietician that diet can lower your cholestral by about 10%. So you could lower it to 9.

Guess its worth a\go to see if you can lower it more than that.

Lilymolly, you've scared me now! My mum's dad died of heart attack age 40 so it's really shocked me to realise I'm not so far away from that age (sounds silly, but I always assume I am fairly young). Do you know of anywhere I can go to get further info? Googling hasn't come up with a definitive site to high cholesterol etc. I'm not able to get a docs appt till next week, even then I have to ring on the day and see if one is free etc etc.
Sleep disturbance is all I need! DS is waking me up 4-5 times a night as it is

If you go onto this website you should get some good advice. The BHF have a good booklet on reducing your cholesterol which you might find at your GP surgery, or you can order it on line from their website. bhf.org.uk

Statins shouldn't be used if you are breastfeeding, so make sure your Dr is aware. Keep up the dietary changes and try(easier said than done when BF!) to increase the amount of exercise you do, as this can also help keep cholesterol levels in check.
Re High cholesterol, anything above 5 is now considered to be high enough to consider treating....

Very high! Try the following:

• Exercise 3x weekly / learn to relax (stress makes it worse)
• Cut out the baddies (red meat, butter, full fat, etc
• Eat porridge for breakfast
• Try taking 'Lestrin' (veg based tablets that clear out the bad stuff)
• There are foods that positively help - they are the 'bitter' ones - raddish, red lettuce, brassica... Speak to a dietician to see what you can eat to help things along.

I know this from 1st hand experience - you can do it by diet and exercise! Was on the statins for 2 years and liver function began to be effected. Also put on loads of weight. I went to a dietician for help.

You will need to be checked at the doctors every 3-6 months but long-term side effects of the pills are not good!

Thanks for those links stanosaurus.
I was hoping to breastfeed for at least another 6 months so I wouldn't be able to take the statins till then.

Just saw the hospital dietician 10% thing. Hmmm.

I saw a nutritionist/dietician and asked the doctor to give me 3 months to try to lower it naturally, then I would try the pills again.

Have had 3 relatives keel over as a result of this and 2 others have had bypass surgery.

Just looked at my notes:
Seaweed is good to add to soups and stews (the japanese type you buy dried)
Bitter gourd (kumara from Indian shops) cooked up
Tumeric is good too
Watercress
Mooli/daikon (Tesco now sells this!!!)
Grains such as couscous, quinoa, spelt, kamut...
Lots of fruit - apples and pears for the fibre.
Lentils, aduke beans, chickpeas,

Some of it tastes like poo (althoug you can disguise by using the cooking water from gourd in soups) but it is worth it.

WindUp I was diagnosed with high cholesterol earlier this year and possible heart disease { I am 49 }. I tried to adjust my diet for a couple of months, but there was not much to work with really as I have never eaten dairy food and have been a vegeterian for over 25 years. I cut out the occasional egg that I ate and drank the dairy free Benecol and at my next check my cholesterol had actually gone up so I now take statins. I think that it is hard to get it down from a high level by dietry changes alone unless you have a very unhealthy diet to start with.

I haven't had any side effects and am on quite a high dose, but I do take a coenzyme Q10 tablet with it as I read that the statin depletes you of this and is what causes some of the side effects

Thank you georgiemum...Funny...the above list is pretty much the food I eat anyway!!! However, I also eat chocolate and cake by the bucketload given the opportunity.

It's probably different for different people. I had been veggie since 15 and a bit of a healthy-eating fiend. I was in my early 20s when they discovered a fine seam of lard running through my body! The diet way seems more about what you DO eat rather than what you DON'T eat, as there are some foods that naturally help.

dear God, you should have had a statin years ago.

Do be honest about diet, portion size, alcohol, exercise. I'm assuming you don't smoke. I'm assuming you're not diabetic.

There are lots of statins avail - your GP will try to prescribe the cheapest to start with. Any side effects - insist on a change

It's also worth bearing in mind that statins have a role to play in reducing inflammation in the artery lining which can reduce the incidence of plaque formation (the furring up of the arteries. Like Highlander said, there are lots of different statins available. Most GPs will start on simvastatin, but atorvastatin has more effect at a lower dose (if I remember right!)
It's worth asking about screening for familial hyperlipidaemia - it's one of the most commonly inherited diseases, and there are a lot of clinics around for this. Hope you get to see your GP soon!

Atorvostatin is indeed more effective at lower doses than the other- I should know I used to sell it!!

Seriously high cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease- I would contact the BHF as someone else suggested and find out the current guidelines of what the level of lipids should be- and make sure you do everything possible to lower your level to this guideline.

As regards to the Bf- yes prob not advised, but only cos their is no evidence to prove their safety- I would be advised by a cardiologist or an expert GP.
To be brutally honest I think it is more important to have a mum around for many years time then it is to breastfeed and put off taking drugs.

Just my very humble opinion of coures

Lilymolly - does this mean I can expect a free pen and some post -it notes in the post??

uesd to

The only free thing I get now is suture anchors in case you dislocate your shoulder- Let me know x

FFS used

I'm so grateful for all your posts and all the information. I've finally got a few minutes to read through them and look at the links. I guess I need to find out what my HDL and LDL levels are before I panic too much. Then hopefully I can be referred to a specialist.
georgiemum have you managed to reduce your levels?
Highlander I think I definitely have the hereditary high cholesterol. I don't drink that much at the moment (certainly less than the recommended 12 units per week, or whatever it is), don't smoke (I used to though, on and off), don't have diabetes.
I don't know how accurate this info is but it mentions a study in the US which showed that pregnancy and breastfeeding increase levels of cholesterol in a good way...

Hi there. Yup, levels down to below 5 although I do have to keep an eye on them (I suppose everyone does really).

Yes,

Breasfeeding DOES increase the mothers HDL. Which is the one you WANT to be higher. Current research is now showing having low HDL levels are even a bigger risk factor than high LDL. The problem is there is no drug currently available that can raise a persons HDL levels. (Some research on statins have shown they are able to increase HDL by only about 10%)

I am currently breastfeeding. My problem with my cholesterol has always been that my HDL is too low, I've tried everything to increase it nothing seems to work. It usually runs at 45 - the recommendation for women is 50 or over. WELL GUESS WHAT I HAD A LIPID PROFILE DONE TODAY AND MY HDL WAS 95!!!!

I have been trying to increase my HDL for the past 10 years with little sucess. My mother almost died from heart disease, her ONLY risk factor was and still is a LOW HDL. Unfortunatly I have the same problem, which is why I keep track of it. I want to avoid open heart surgery if at all possible!!

So I am seriously considering pumping a few times a day for the rest of my life, to maintain lactation. If that is all it takes to increase my HDL levels it will be well worth it.

WindUpBird,

My Dh had the same level 10.3 (age 35) as you picked up on a routine health check.

He managed to reduce it to 6.5 (certainly more than 10%!) in about 5 months by a strict diet (eats healthily anyway but totally cut everything out that affects LDL) and regular exercise, plant stenols.He was really careful in this time.He has gone up to 7.2 at recent check but his HDL/LDL balance is good.

His weight is good - BMI is 21, he has above normal HDL (the good one) and low BP.
His specialist did not want to put him on statins at his age and considering all else he is not at risk at present although he has to have 6 monthly tests.He was told he probably won't need statins until about age 60.

You definately need your HDL/LDL ratio measured and speak to a specialist or GP who is qualified in this area.It is not so simple as just the one figure.Views of medics on long term statin use do vary.

It was a big shock to my Dh also as he has always been essentially 'healthy'.Hope you aren't worrying too much.

There seems to be quite a few dangers with statins. I would echo the others who stay reduce it naturally. We really must get away from 'a pill for every ill' mentality.

I am positing a link to Mercola a alternative health site, this link contains info about statins, you could use it as a starting point to do your own reseach.

here