Hello, I am new here....I've had consistently high cholesterol. The lowest reading I've had is 6.8. I am currently at 7.3 after coming down from 8.6 (I've been 9.something in the past!) My doctor has prescribed Simvastatin (10mg). I had decided to give up and take them, but then I discovered this site and read about all the bad experiences people have had with them. I have also read 'The Great Cholesterol Con' by Dr Malcolm Kendrick....He says that high cholesterol is good for you, protects against cancer and is nothing to worry about, unless you have a low reading! Who is right? Do I play Russian Roulette with a heart attack or stroke, or Russian Roulette with a drug that can have nasty side effects, including what seems like permanent ones...I can't believe the people here would just write a lot of lies...I'm psychologically paralysed. I can't make a decision. The statins sit in my cupboard. Can anyone advise me? I'm taking benecol products plus 3000mg of Omega 3 now. Will this make a difference? I've got another blood test in February to see the effects of the statins. My doctor will definitely have a go at me if I tell him I didn't take them.... Really worried and stressed! Please help!
Hi
I feel the same as you as my doctor will go mad if I stop them but I cannot go on like this, I feel like C....
Its hard to know what to do but there has to be something else we can take for this.
Any advice would be great...perhaps from a GP!!!!!!!
Ina
My Dads Dr refused to take him off of these tblets saying they dont cause all these symptoms, he is in a lot of pain, and has ben on these since 1995. without being asked if he has anyside affects. he has already had 4 heart attacks since 1995 
and last yr went through n op to remove part of his lung due to cancer, he has recovered really well up until about 2 weeks ago when he started to get severe pains in his right rm with pins n needles , the pain is now in his shoulder and legs, but the dr says she cant do nything unti the results come back, i m at my wits end s i still will be unhappy for him to take this drug even if tests show neg.
Hi
Why did his doctor refuse to take him off themwhen you know they are causing side effects.
Why can't his doctor put him on somethine else.
I feel awful on these and the feelings are getting worse, I am looking for alnernatives to simvastatin as I feel so ill.
Let me know what happens
Ina
I have decided not to take the simvastatin, but I haven't told my doctor. I'm going for a blood test on 22 Feb to see how the drug that I'm not taking , is working! Since my last test, I've been taking 3 tablespoons of olive oil, using benecol margarine, minicol cheese, omega 3 supplements, sachets of 'Help Cholesterol', a handful of almonds every day, oat bran, optivita cereal, benecol yoghurts, half an hour on the treadmill etc....it goes on. If this doesn't bring down my cholesterol, I'm giving up and taking my chances. I believe the experiences of patients, not the doctors or the money-making drug companies. I'm also not convinced that the cholesterol/heart attack link is valid. There is a body of medically qualified sceptics who say the whole thing is untrue. Imagine that! All these people here have suffered for nothing - or rather, for the profits of a drug company! I'm not convinced either way, as the pressure is so great to take these drugs, but everyone has to make a decision and I've decided to try to get my cholesterol down by natural means only....
Hi Jackofall
Totally agree with you, let me know what your doctor says when you return, it will be really interesting.
Ina x
My latest cholesterol test came out as 7.1 - a tiny improvement after a huge effort! I saw a locum doctor who is going to refer me to a cholesterol specialist as I'm not taking the statins. I hope there might be another way...
Interestingly, I emailed the author of a book called something like: '$29 billion worth of reasons to maintain the cholesterol lie' - I've ordered the book now. He was very helpful indeed. His research has convinced him that the cholesterol hypothesis is flawed. The average cholesterol level has decreased dramatically over th eyears in the UK but the heart attack rate has stayed the same. I'm looking forward to reading the book.
He also mentioned that perhaps I'm eating too much carbohydrate, as this gets converted to glucose and triglyserides. He asked me if I eat a lot of pasta, bread and rice.....I think he may have found the answer for me! I am a vegetarian and LIVE on pasta rice and bread. I'm cutting this out now and eating more beans, pulses etc. The doctors have never asked me about what I eat....strange!
Hi! Since my last blood test that came out as 7.3 total cholesterol, I altered my diet drastically and cut right back on carbohydrate. I ate fish, salads and fruit a lot more and stopped the mountains of pasta and rice. Last year in July I weighed 12.5 stone. I now weigh 10.5 stone.
I had a consultation with a lipid specialist yesterday and my total cholesterol is now 6.1. I've got it down from 7.3 in a few months due to my change of diet. Mt triglycerides are now normal, but my LDL needs to come down a bit more, apparently. The specialist suggested that I drink two glasses of pomegranate juice which could bring it down a further 10% which will put me in the clear....
I'm now full of confusion! The books I've read that say cholesterol isn't a problem - just a ploy to sell drugs have made me think again. So I adopt a healthy diet, lose weight and my cholesterol falls. This suggests to me that cholesterol is a bad thing after-all.
As I just don't know what to believe or who to trust, I'm sticking with my original plan - try to satisfy the doctors with the numbers, but don't take the drugs! As I said to the specialist, I'm happy to use pomegranate as a medicine, as it's so delicious and totally natural, but I'm not taking the statins!
I have just bought a cholesterol monitor from Lloyds pharmacy. I am due to see the specialist soon again but I wanted to see how my cholesterol was after the following chnages:
1. Drinking pomegranate juice every day
2. Taking 1000 mg of Krill oil (capsules) every day.
3. Cutting out pasta and rice and reducing carbohydrates
4. Eating cod in breadcrumbs (delicious!)
I have been told that I would not be able to reduce my cholesterol very much, that I have a genetic trait towards high cholesterol etc....well the good news is that my total cholesterol is now 5.4 . I have bought it down from it's highest - about 9.5 to the current level without statins. I think it's still on its way down too.
I have been drinking beer almost every night and not gained weight. I'm just below 11 stone. I have been just over 12 stone for years. Carbohydarates/sugar is the problem - not fat and dairy products. I thank the author of '$29 billion reasons to lie about cholesterol' for this...
all you need to do to lower your colesterol is have scottish porridge every morning.Its given to wild deer to clear and clean there sytem before there culled..
Interesting! I have had mini strokes and am taking pills to lower blood pressure and thin blood and also simvastin to lower cholesterol in the evening. I wake up often in the night with weakness in arms and legs which fades in about 10 minutes. But it scares me that it is another stroke rather than the simvastin. Also I had lurid dreams. I will stick to until I see my GP again now in January than say I do need this? My choesterol is \"only\" 5.9 compared with others here. I am changing diet gradually so stop eating \"pies\". Too tired to exercise so no reduction in weight yet. My blood pressure has reduced in the last few days after 2 weeks of pills which is good news. But I would love to get a good nights sleep soon. On sick leave and I cant see me working with all these pills. The strokes were TIA and lucky I can still type this - this is my priority. Simvastin not convinced about yet. Happy Christmas!
Hi My name is Alan Gibson I was on Simvastatins for about 6 yrs but my body told me it will cripple me so I asked a few doctors but they said there is nothing to worry about I found that Tablets do effect your system so I went through the net asking people around the world and found that it can cause paralisis in the leg-legs which I thought that was weird because it did it to my left leg if you had past history of injury in your legs which i did the left got the worse of it but I built my self up again untill they put me on statins and it effected my left ankle caused a sper growth stopping blood suply so I stopped taking them consulted a doctor who sent me for an x-ray and to have it seen to they said it wont be worth operating because I could loose my leg a german doctor who deals with this problem so I came off all my tablets but keped my lasinopril as I know they are good for the blood anyway up to now I feel MAGIC I can play footy I can run and I feel really fit and I am 64 in feb and feel forty -forty five. if you see life around you in animals it can tell you how life is around you I found one I believe in the guinea pig and thats what we all are it's up to you if you can repair your self like me thanks for reading yo can check me any time .
I am following Jackofall conversation with interest because my Cholesterol is 7.2
and I want to bring it down by changing my diet. I would like to hear more from Jackofall please.
Thank you!
Hello ruth-in-ireland,
I am 90 % convinced now that cholesterol levels are nothing to worry about. I really recommend 'The Great Cholesterol Con' and there are many other books that argue the same dissenting view. I have read most of them! If there's one study that really decided it for me is the one conducted in US hospitals where all patients admitted with heart attack had their blood cholesterol measured. This was over 137,000 patients. The result was consistent - that these patients had LOW cholesterol levels!
Please also get hold of the two DVDs called 'Statin Nation' (1 & 2) that goes through all the arguments. You will be fascinated by them.
So, I was worried and confused when I made the first post in this thread but I'm not so bothered by it now. Interestingly, the last time I had a blood test, my GP told me that I didn't need to take statins anyway. It had gone down from 7.2 to 6.2. This coincided with me getting two dogs and walking them everyday, come rain or shine. So, although I don't believe in the hype about cholesterol and statins, I do think that perhaps high cholesterol MIGHT indicate that more exercise is required. This was reinforced for me when I read about two mad, crazy polar explorers who pushed their bodies to the very limits of endurance for hundreds of miles across ice and snow. They had to eat something like five times the recommended level of saturated fat to survive their ordeal. They tested their blood for cholesterol and it was 'normal' because they were burning up so many calories through physical exertion. So, I cautiously think that high cholesterol is simply indicating that fat isn't being burned off enough. I'm sticking to dog-walking rather than polar exploration in just getting fit and losing a bit of weight.
Best wishes and definitely read the books and watch the videos to make up your own mind. Definitely don't just accept what doctor's say!
I forgot to mention something important! In earlier posts, I wrote about my cholesterol level coming down to 5. 4 I said this becuase I believed in the accuracy of the monitor I purchased at the time. This monitor turned out to be completely useless and has many bad reviews (having read these after using it). I had tested my level at home and then had a formal test 30 mins later at the surgery. The two readings were completey different. Don't waste your money!
Hi,
What news .Am going mad again waking up to itching & lumps when lymphoedema diagnosed on a hunch . There are no specialists in Gloucestershire & most of patients have it as a secondary of cancer so a Macmillan Nurse oversees on a Cancer remit.
The first time the pins and needles cramps were caused by simvastatin after cardiac arrest [ poor oxygen pumping] .Because have a dosett box was not given side effects & interactions .The GP diagnosed Raynauds till read side effects and stopped the stimvastatin [ told them what intended doing] I have never had cramps since.
I then had rosuvastatin now atovastatin about 6 months ago and am woken daily with terrible itching , inflamation & raised large lumps that come and go and hard spots under skin which once read could be cholestriol spots.The GPs keep giving histimanes which are useless.Have a low thyroid, fatty liver & possible heart failure and am now thinking of stopping lipitor also having a private MRI concerning the microvascular that someone on a forum mentioned as had an angioplasty to revive when had the cardiac arrst over 10 years ago .The GP who has not done blood & liver tests is not referring me for the private MRI so wondering whether stuck in this awful situation which is driving me mad. Can one never get a second opinion now ? What is to do?
Hi Julie01285, That sounds so awful! I am so sorry for what you are going through and clearly, a large percentage of what you are suffering seems to be due to the statins. I have just looked up the side effects of Lipitor. Itching, peeling and hives are listed, among many, many others! I know what I'd do if in your situation. I would stop the statins completely and take my chances. They are just making everything so much worse.
I hope things improve for you. Wishing you health and well being...
One can troll true the Internet and always find an answer to whatever ails us .i have had both knees replaced and am in more pain than ever. Needless to say I am on a high dose of opiate pain relief. I also have high cholesterol. My GP has put me Simavastin. In the last few months I get terrible cramps and recently my pain level has increased to the point of not being able to cope. Seeing the thread about Simavastin I stopped taking them and went back to my GP and had a long chat. Upshot is yes I have high cholesterol (which is not due to lifestyle or diet) and yes I do have to take statins, however. Since I have stopped taking Simavastin I no longer get cramps and my pain level has gone back to acceptable. I am having a 2 week rest from the statins, look into how I can tweak my diet and then go back on the statins. My point is that not all drugs are suitable for all people. People do suffer from high cholesterol and it is something that should be taken seriously. If one drug does not suit, then get your GP to change it. What is the point of taking something that makes you worse. To all of you out there on Simavastin, don't necessarily stop taking them, but do go to your GP and change to something else. The cholesterol co is fine reading if you don't have issues. Me, I want to live long.
Hello Jaco, i am in the same boat as you with readings. I was put on 10mg Rosuvastatin about a year ago and took them for about 6 months. I started for the first time in my life feeling old with cramps and pains and lethargic all the time. I then started getting very bad dizzy spells and was practically bed bound with severe bouts of vertigo and nausea ! I was diagnosed with Menieres disease(inner ear abnormality)by an ENT spcialist.
From being the healthiest person i knew i went to being old, lazy and spent half my life in bed and almost unable to work. The vertigo was severe and i was given medication to help but always felt like i was half dead and was always wanting to throw up.
I never get sick and this whole episode seriously affected my quality of life. I felt like i didn't want to live anymore.
My cholesterol was at 7.2 when this all happened and my doc said take the statins otherwise you will have a heart attack !
I kept thinking to myself why did this change occur !? Why all of a sudden am i sick ? Could it be the statins causing all of this ?
I then started my research and found people on the internet with the exact same experience as me. Same side effects and nausea and vertigo ! I found 10 people that had almost given up the will to live cause of the intense nausea and vertigo. Once you have been there you will understand !! Worst experience of my life !!
So.... i stopped the statins about 7 months ago, went through about three months of cold turkey where the vertigo got worse and i could hardly get out of bed without falling over. 6 months in i was back to a 7 reading on my cholesterol and my energy levels were coming back. Im still on medication to help with the vertigo but it has improved immensely and i'm weaning myself off the medicine. Some people on the internet say they never recovered. I feel i was only on the statins for six months so i was lucky. I can feel my body is recovering. My joints are all clicking and a bit messed up from the statins but i feel i got out in time. I went to a cardiologist and he did a few tests on my heart and said i am fine with no blockages.
My doctor would not acknowledge what the statins did to me ! I changed doctors until i found a doctor that would listen and help me recover from this nightmare.
I share this with everyone out there to tell you of my horrid experience with statins. The medical industry doesn't know enough about cholesterol. People with readings as low as 3.5 are having heart attacks with clogged arteries !
I am 1 of 4 kids in my family. My brothers are all older than me and we all have the same condition with a high cholesterol reading. I am 49 yrs old and my brothers 53,55 and 57. My eldest brother at 57 has a reading of over 9. My parents had the same condition and lived long lives with no heart related issues.
This is my experience. Read and gain knowledge off the internet. It's your life and your decision. I'm not telling you not to take them. I'm just telling you what happened to me. I hope i will recover fully one day from the statin damage. Only time will tell !!
Good luck.
Regards.
Wil.
Hi William,
After the amount of reading I've done, I know that when your doctor said 'take the statins or have a heart attack', he was showing his ignorance or was lying. Doctors just obey their masters - the drug companies. Show them the undeniable evidence that low cholesterol is clearly associated with heart attack and they have nothing to say or call it 'reverse causation' - high cholesterol suddenly becomes low cholesterol after a heart attack. This sounds like a truly desperate attempt to deny damning evidence against their cherished and profitable hypothesis. On top of this denial of what's clear and obvious is another one - that statins don't have side effects. Apparently there are none according to the doctors and nurses I've spoken to. All the people on this forum and all the others I've read about and seen on the DVDs are all mistaken, even though recovery is marked when the statins are stopped. The doctors and drug comapanies are not just in denial, they are lying because their profits are more important to them than people's health. It's a terrible lesson to have learned, but I believe that it is true.