General Chat

Having tried several different type of statins over the past few years and suffering too many side effects I finally stopped taking them few months ago. I’ve had heart attack some years ago, am Type 2 diabetic and have a blocked stent in a leg artery plus other problems
About 34 days ago I started eating Betavivo – Crispy Oat Hearts with high concentration of beta-glucan.
Nov 14 chol’ was over 5 and previous results whilst on statins were at 5 or more.
Received results of latest check ( bloods taken 2 weeks) ago and my chol level down to 4.9 despite me eating more stuff like cheese, eggs, butter etc. Nursey very pleased.
So the Betavivo worth the cost of £14.99 one pack for 15 days or £22.48 for 2 packs = 30 day supply and of course NO side effects. The oats are packed into one portion sachets So my old b’fast starter of one weetabix now cast aside.
I just pour some milk over them same as I would w’bix

Interesting, Ron.......

I read that porridge was good for you and that's oats. But be very careful Ron.

Never mind whether nursey is pleased, does your doc know that you've stopped taking statins?

I have porridge in the winter and for the last few months i have been having oatibix rather than weetabix for my breakfast but it it hasn't helped with my cholesterol.

I can't take statins either so i have Bezafibrate which does the same job without the side effects.

my doc thinks my high cholesterol is genetic .

My cholesterol level is 3.

Doc says I have to stay on the statins :-S

BP is perfect..... but doc says I also have to stay on the medication :-S :-S

I had a heart hiccup 12 years ago (I have a stent), but I've been fine for years!

I have to stay on statins - no side effects thank goodness - been on them for over ten years now - I have familial high cholesterol so what I eat is not the cause

I am on statins and my level last month was 4.7

Hubby eats porridge every single day and his level when last tested (he hates needles) was 4. Doctor told him to keep on eating it.

The only thing I miss is grapefruit :-( but will stay on them.

Sue my OH like yourself misses grapefruit.

Emma, you always crave something you can't have :-(

JoyLouise. I attend the diabetics clinic headed by a Nurse Practitioner so no GPs involved. She has watched over me for 13years and is quite happy with the situation. She did mention porridge for breakfast in mornings but I quite like the Betavivo (tho not the cost lol) and its certainly worked quicker than described in the leaflet. I shall keep on with it. Statin's just ain't for me. Too many serious aches and pains etc

Something else to try is oat bran.

Apparently it's even better than oatmeal in lowering cholesterol. I sprinkle it over sliced banana and milk for breakfast or a late night supper. It can be added to soups or sprinkled over anything you like, I guess.

Cheap too and if you look around can find it 'organic'.

Lavender, i will try that .. :-)

Lavender, my dear mother-in-law used to sprinkle bran in soups, broths and even gravy. She was physically fit to the end.

Here is my daily breakfast, for what it is worth. Three tablespoons of oats, one of oatbran, one of ground almonds, (or flaked). Four dried apricots, chopped, and about a tablespoon of sultanas. Add soya milk, about half a pint. Leave all this to soak while I shower, dress, walk to the shop for paper. By the time I am ready to eat it the oats/bran have softened nicely. No added sugar, no preservatives, no salt, no chemicals. My doctor still wont let me stop statins. Last blood test showed LDL 1.7, HDL 1.6.

Ron

I appreciate that you are seemingly being watched by a nurse, but I do hope that you are NOT advocating that others should follow your lead, and abandon taking statins.

It is a dangerous thing to do, unless done under the supervision of a Medical Practitioner

Thanks for all the contributions - one lives, one learns. Have copied some of the ideas.. bob - no doubt the leg man at my local hospital wouldn't be happy knowing I've stopped statins BUT he'd be happy at lower chol levels - cant have it both ways. Docs there to advise. If mine said I had to continue with statins I'd say No as the oats doing the job without any side effects. Statins caused a mate of mine a hell of serious pain (he started taking some of the first ones available) and in the end he lost the will to live - no pansy he was ex rugger player and served regular army. Can remember quite a few "Letters to the Editor" in Daily Telegraph from GPs complaining of pain and other side effects some years back. I'm nigh on 75 and reckon lived long enough to decide my own fate.

Just in case anyone thinks I'm slow to pick up on threads - I only come online from around 6pm daily but sometimes later that that but I do catch up on events

SylviainCanada. What others do is up to them but there has been a lot of discussions in UK newspapers, online etc etc about pros and cons of statins.

I understand a lot of people in UK have stopped taking them due to some nasty side effects. One side effect I had was that at night my left ankle became swollen and of many colours, another was headaches, cramp, serious muscle pain et al I've enough pain due arthritis etc so why should I add to my troiubles?

Ron

I am also on statins, and yes there are also a lot of discussions about statins here, especially if you take one or two certain other drugs with them.

The important thing is that you pay attention to your body and any NEW aches and pains, without becoming obsessed.

As it is, I think you are very wrong in saying that a doctor is there to "advise" you ............... he is there to treat you and you pay attention to that.

Otherwise, one is assuming that you know as much as, or more than, someone who has been trained for at least 6* years.


I actually had an interview with a pharmacist during my last visit to the doctor ............... the clinic we go has a pharmacist on duty at all times to help inform the doctors and to discuss with patients.

The pharmacist showed me some charts resulting from massive amounts of research that indicated just how important it was to take care of your body (ie, stop smoking, drinking too much, exercising, etc), AND the differences that taking various drugs can make.

He actually told me that I COULD opt to stop taking the 20 mg dose of Simvastatin that I was taking .......... but I prefer to continue, and check regularly with the doctor that there are not any adverse effects .......... shown by having a blood test of liver function.


How do you know that your aches and pains were due to the statin and not to your arthritis???

I also suffer from arthritis, and my husband is now basically my carer as I can do so little ................. and I couldn't tell you whether the ache in my thigh, my knee or my ankle is from the arthritis or not. That's why I depend on the blood test.


But I want to live as long as I can ............. and statins are helping with that.



*6 years = 4 years of medical school to get the MD, and at least 2 more years of Residency to become qualified in an area.

I'm assuming that the UK is similar to here where a GP or Family Practitioner has to do 2 years Residency in Family Practice before being able to get their license to be a GP.

Sylvia, I agree with everything you've written.

Ron, of course the decision is yours. However I would urge you to see your doctor because the problem you have, if it is not arthritic pain, may be alleviated by a different strength and dosage of a statin. I say this, not from personal experience but from the experience of a delightful in-law now gone because she thought and did as you are doing now. She is missed terribly.

I can only urge you to see the doc but I know it is your choice.