Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: Hurdity on April 24, 2025, 07:58:23 PM
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Hi all
Having had high cholesterol for at least 10 years (probably more as it wasn't tested) - including LDL and total etc, recently my Qrisk score became borderline and sometines over the 10% level, because I'm now older and in my 70's - and I was offered statins. Being naturally a minimal medication person (I don't count HRT as medication!) I ummed and ahhed for a bit, and refused, but my son whose university pal is now a cardiologist, persuaded me that it was a no-brainer in terms of reducing cholesterol and therefore stroke risk. So I've been taking it for 2 months and the results are dramatic!!! Recent ch levels have been between 8 and 9 and the LDL etc far too high, but my last blood test showed levels had dropped to something over 4 and everything else in the right range - never has been ever since measurement first started. I'm on the lowest dose (10 mg per day) of Atorvastatin, no side effects that I have detected....I'm well pleased :)
Hurdity x
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Tnx for sharing. DH and I have been swallowing the same for about 5 years, after deep discussions with various medics, mainly to alleviate the stroke risk. No side effects.
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My cholesterol has gone up to over 6. I was asked to attend a risk assessment with a nurse. I did the same last year when it was 5.1 and sat while a nurse twice my weight advised me on lifestyle so this time I declined. There wasn't much I could change. I'd put half stone on but still normal weight but have tried losing it, increasing my exercise and been taking plant sterols so I've had another test and waiting results. I doubt it will have changed much, too short a time. I didn't want to take statins as my friend gets all sorts of muscle aches from hers. Has anybody successfully reduced their cholesterol?
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My husband is on statins and I’ve recently been advised to take them because of blood test result and age.Having read Hurdity’s post I need to get on and make the decision.
My husband had bad muscle cramps and the doc agreed to change the dose and test after 3 months. He is now on a level that works and no cramps.
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Interesting - DH has developed intermittent cramping at night as well as having hands that 'don't work properly' all the while. Time to discuss with him ?
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My husband was getting leg cramps at night and weird ankle cramps.
He went away for 3 nights and forgot his statins and noticed the difference which is why he asked the doc about his 20mg level.
He went down to 10 but not enough so is on 15. 20 one night followed by 10 the next. Don’t ask me why he hasn’t got 15 mg pills ::)
I have to tread carefully around it all !
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I do envy those that can tolerate statins, I've tried them all but they gave me crippling muscle pain and had to give up. Nurse took one look at me and said, well I can't give you any dietary advice and instead gave me a pill called Ezetimibe, not a statin but helps to lower cholesterol.
Its genetic in our family and nothing can be done but I've had it for many years, no other health issues as yet!
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I'll see what my latest test results is. I don't want to risk a stroke. It must be ages that's raised mine.
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You’re very lucky. I have a much under diagnosed condition called familial hypercholesterolemia, which caused my dad’s death in his 30s.
I take 40mg atorvastatin which was working but thanks to menopause no longer did. I don’t seem to have any side effects though.
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After my cholesterol result was 6.4 I cut back on any treats, got more active, lost a tiny bit of weight and took plant sterol tablets every day and 2 months later it was down to 5.4. still a bit too high I was told but to keep up the good work. I'm going to have another check in 3 months
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As someone with raised cholesterol since it was first tested at 24, when I was really slim and athletic with a clean diet, and a strong family history of the same, I believe the impact of lifestyle advice is extremely limited unless someone has a particularly unhealthy lifestyle to begin with.
People are too often made to feel like high cholesterol is their fault, when in reality it is as heritable as eye colour, and young women in particular are overlooked for statin treatment as "your risk of an end stage CVD event in the next 10 years is low".
That's fair enough if the patient is 75 or 80. In younger individuals, lifetime risk is a more appropriate outcome.
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As someone with raised cholesterol since it was first tested at 24, when I was really slim and athletic with a clean diet, and a strong family history of the same, I believe the impact of lifestyle advice is extremely limited unless someone has a particularly unhealthy lifestyle to begin with.
People are too often made to feel like high cholesterol is their fault, when in reality it is as heritable as eye colour, and young women in particular are overlooked for statin treatment as "your risk of an end stage CVD event in the next 10 years is low".
That's fair enough if the patient is 75 or 80. In younger individuals, lifetime risk is a more appropriate outcome.
Mine was only in the 3s when I was in my 30s. I think mine is age. I've never smoked, I didn't drink a lot but stopped 2 years ago, I don't eat fried foods and barely no red meat and I'm not overweight. I have ME so exercise is an issue. I believe the sterols have helped and it's easier for me to take the supplements than to get enough of the drinks and spreads that my brother uses to maintain his lower cholesterol level. It was a different GP and he didn't mention statins this time
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Could you explain is that 6.4% risk in the next ten years or a different result not a percentage.
I’ve now started atorvastatin at 12% risk in next ten years when at my age they want to see 10% or below.
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Could you explain is that 6.4% risk in the next ten years or a different result not a percentage.
I’ve now started atorvastatin at 12% risk in next ten years when at my age they want to see 10% or below.
Sorry, that was my cholesterol measurement from my blood test. I haven't had a risk assessment since last year. I didn't want another at this time as it's with a pretty overweight nurse whose cholesterol measurement is higher than mine and yet she's giving lifestyle advice. So I decided to try a few things first. I know some medication is recommended to reduce NHS costs in the future.
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Could you explain is that 6.4% risk in the next ten years or a different result not a percentage.
I’ve now started atorvastatin at 12% risk in next ten years when at my age they want to see 10% or below.
https://www.qrisk.org/index.php
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Again if you plan to live more than 10 years, the lifetime risk calculation also by qrisk is more relevant.
The NHS is really only focused on treating those likely to already be in the prodromal decade before an end stage CVD event.
This is no longer really primary prevention, it is attempting to modify the course of already well established disease.
However I do believe that there are distinct subtypes within those with hypercholesterolemia.
There are those like me, or like Bella above with lifelong raised cholesterol, and those like Jules with a healthy lipid profile in youth that goes off with age or other acquired factors.
The latter group can probably afford to be less aggressive as their cumulative exposure to harmful lipids is lower overall.
Unfortunately the NHS approach is very much one size fits all, with most people never offered a cholesterol test in young adulthood, or abnormal results ignored even if one is done.
The risk prediction tools used also don't account for female-specific risk factors such as pregnancy complications or menopause, and place someone with a single male relative having an MI at 59 after smoking heavily and living off takeaway, in the same bucket as someone with multiple affected relatives of both sexes at much younger ages, all very fit non smokers.
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All good points. I'm 67, my youngest son at 39 had higher cholesterol than me at his last blood test, he also takes BP medication, all I think genetic from his father's side. He refused statins. Im not even sure he gets an annual blood test.
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Could you explain is that 6.4% risk in the next ten years or a different result not a percentage.
I’ve now started atorvastatin at 12% risk in next ten years when at my age they want to see 10% or below.
https://www.qrisk.org/index.php
Thanks
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As someone with raised cholesterol since it was first tested at 24, when I was really slim and athletic with a clean diet, and a strong family history of the same, I believe the impact of lifestyle advice is extremely limited unless someone has a particularly unhealthy lifestyle to begin with.
That’s very interesting. It’s worth asking for a genetic test. I was only tested because my optician noticed a white ‘arch’s’ in my eye and I mentioned to the GP that my dad died in his 30s of a massive heart attack. It’s very common 1/250 people I believe. If you have it your child has a 50/50 chance (sadly mine does). If you have boy children it’s very well worth it (girls are protected to an extent by oestrogen, but it can cause very premature death in men as it did with my dad). He died in the 80s when they didn’t know much about these things. When they did the autopsy they discovered he’d had lots of mini heart attacks. It’s not ideal because I have health anxiety (likely triggered by my dad dying instantly when I was a child). If statins don’t work out there are other treatments. My consultant says it doesn’t matter how healthily I eat (although I should) my levels cannot be within safe levels through diet alone. It’s quite a struggle esp when menopause hits
People are too often made to feel like high cholesterol is their fault, when in reality it is as heritable as eye colour, and young women in particular are overlooked for statin treatment as "your risk of an end stage CVD event in the next 10 years is low".
That's fair enough if the patient is 75 or 80. In younger individuals, lifetime risk is a more appropriate outcome.
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I should say as someone with health anxiety (appreciate not everyone has this) I would steer well away from calculating my risk of dying. I do understand why some people want to assess the risk and I agree that statins are over prescribed but they’re not overprescribed for everyone and familial hypercholesterolemia is very very under diagnosed even now. I feel like I shouldn’t really say this as I wouldn’t like anyone to be reading this and be worried but you can ask for a genetic test and there are treatments available
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I haven't calculated my risks of anything in the future. I stopped looking into the future when my marriage ended and all my future plans went out of the window. There's no point. I do what I can in the present