Completely out of the blue, my Doc' phoned me last week suggesting that I take STATINS. Why he suddenly thought this was a good idea, I have no idea.
We had a short chat about them, and I explained that I HAD been advised to take them many years ago, but had been put-off by rumours of ill effects.
My Doc' said that all those rumours had now been disproved, and they were 100% safe.
I said "OK".
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I picked-up my scrip a few days later (after a few hiccups from Boots), and, as normal, the Pharmacist asked me if I'd taken them before.
I said I hadn't, so he explained that I may have headaches as a result of taking them, in which case I should consult my Doc'. He also said that on no account should I eat Grapefruit whist taking them, as this could have some very unpleasant side-effects.
So, guess what young Kimbo brought down with him from London this past weekend? Yes, you've got it.... a Grapefruit (above). I love Grapefruit.
Luckily he also brought a couple bottles of Champagne (what a good boy), some Mother's Day gifts, and some interesting looking packet noodle soups from Singapore (below) which I can't wait to try.
However, I'm not allowed to eat the Grapefruit.
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Statins are to reduce your cholesterol level, I've been taking a low dose for years with no side effects. Thankfully I do not like grapefruit. I've heard there are other foods that interfere with the statins, so you should look into that maybe.
ReplyDeleteHe was so insistent about Grapefruit. Yes, I'll do some more research.
DeleteGrapefruit has certain enzymes that react badly with many medications.
DeleteSurely not "out of the blue". To be prescribed Statins you must have had some tests.
ReplyDeleteAs to side effects by ingesting grapefruit, and this is not limited to Statins, one possible side effect being death (toxicity). No shit. One may die by trying to avoid an earlier than desirable demise. Wrap your head around that one. Who'd have thought it: Such a lovely, seemingly innocuous fruit messing with how your body processes certain drugs (including alcohol).
Which reminds me: I just love when a doctor, prescription pad poised, asks whether you are allergic to ...? Come again? How am I supposed to know if never having been exposed to whatever it is I am being prescribed. Keep it.
U
It was entirely out of the blue. No-one had mentioned Statins to me for about 20 years. Nor have I had any recent tests.
DeleteIn which case I'd seriously question your doctor's competence. A minimum is a recent blood test. And, more likely than not, you'll see a specialist at your nearest (University) hospital before they prescribe the heavy guns. Taking Statins, as I know from several friends, is serious stuff. And, as far as I understand though please don't hold me to it, once you are on them you are on them for life.
DeleteYou are too trusting, Cro.
All the best,
U
I do as I'm told (usually).
DeleteSeconding Ursula's advice here...there are more ways than this and you need proper testing first
DeleteI could do without grapefruit …… there are so many delicious things to eat out there so, going without grapefruit isn’t too much of a hardship !!! XXXX
ReplyDeleteI do rather like them, so was a bit annoyed.
DeleteWhen my partner first began taking statins, they caused him bad aching joints, especially in the hips. A different statin was prescribed and he was fine. I vaguely remember him mentioning something about grapefruit.
ReplyDeleteIt came as a total surprise to me!
DeleteGrapefruit is definitely a no no…..our pharmacy’s even put little stickers on your box of tabs reminding you not to take them.
ReplyDeleteAsk Mr G (grapefruit and statins reaction) and he’ll give you the reason why
Sounds as if this is common knowledge then. I'm not really au fait with such things.
DeleteI have been fortunate to have controlled my cholesterol with diet changes although I think my thyroid medication also helped bring it down initially.
ReplyDeleteI don't even know if my cholesterol is high or not. He must know something I don't. I did have a blood test about 4 months ago.
DeleteThat would have shown the high cholesterol level.
DeleteCro, I have to admit I'm quite shocked. You are an intelligent man. How can you just accept a prescription for such medication and not be asking the whys and the wherefores?
ReplyDeleteI discussed the matter with my Doc' for about 5 minutes before I agreed to take them. It was the Pharmacist who later told me about Grapefruit.
DeleteI would have thought with your largely Mediterranean diet you are living healthily and have near perfect cholesterol levels. However, nothing to do with me, but if Andi above is shocked, I am gobsmacked. I refused statins 15 years ago and altered my diet to get my cholesterol to healthy levels. More elderly people died from Covid in civilised countries because of high use of Statins, think UK and US, Your body needs cholesterol. I would at least ask the doctor for a cholesterol test. If you had a blood test 4 months ago why has he waited until now to contact you about statins?
ReplyDeleteI have no idea, I'll have to ask him next time I see him. I always thought the same as you about Statins, but he assured me that they're now OK. It's difficult to know who to believe.
DeleteIt is not really a question ofcwho to believe. We may be able to lengthen lifespan but there is little attention given to the quality of that life.
DeleteHow strange.I'm like Rachel and gobsmacked too! There are much better ways of controlling cholesterol than taking statins.I've avoided them so far.
ReplyDeleteYou do know doctors get paid more when they prescribe more don't you!
I will join you in being shocked and gobsmacked. Dishing pills out like smarties seems to be the answer to everything, even when you don't know you are ill.
DeleteMaybe I'll stop taking them, and eat the Grapefruit instead.
DeleteStatin Island... That's what they should rename Britain. Then when crossing The Channel from France we could talk about riding on The Statin Island Ferry.
ReplyDeleteNice one YP.
DeleteI get the impression they want everyone over 60 to take them. When I turned my G.P. down, he carefully put it on my record that he had recommended them and that I had refused.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be a more controversial subject than I'd imagined. Maybe I'll stop taking them before I'm hooked.
DeleteAfter all those comments it sounds as though you need another call to your doctor. Has he just taken four months to make the decision?
ReplyDeleteIt looks like it, his call came as quite a surprise.
DeleteI've heard grapefruit interacts negatively with a lot of drugs. Weird...
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I made your curry for my visiting sister and she loved it. I will be making it more regularly from now on.
Yes, since I wrote the above I've read a bit more about them, there must be some nasty chemical reaction which happens.
DeleteI'm very pleased to hear about your sister. Did yours look anything like mine, i.e. quite dry?
Mine looked almost identical to yours...I even served mango chutney on the side.
DeleteMy doctor also recommended them after a blood test showed my cholesterol was a bit high and I am also over 60. I researched them and decided against. You have to remain on them for life and it's recommended you take them if you have high blood pressure, mine is low, are overweight, I am not or have heart attacks in the family, I don't. I was annoyed that the doctor didn't even ask any of things. It also said it could be bad for your liver and kidneys if you regularly drink alcohol which I do. None of this was mentioned and I get the feeling that they are just eager to hand them out. I decided to try to lower my cholesterol by diet.
ReplyDeleteA lot to think about there. I also enjoy a glass or two of red wine every night; no-one mentioned that!
DeleteCholesterol levels should be in a certain range and when they are outside of the range many docs advise Statins. Some docs recommend diet changes and in a month or two test the levels again to see if diet resolves the cholesterol problem. Your pharmacist and/or doc should review this alternative with you.
ReplyDeleteI will ask my Doc' about it when I next see him.
DeleteWell, I'll chime in too. My doc wanted me to take 1/2 of the smallest dose tablet they make. I did. The one she prescribed for me is linked with tendonitis - which I developed. Trigger finger. I stopped taking the statin, finger healed up. Blood test was OK for cholesterol after a 3 month abstinence. Now, the USA folks are saying statins DO reduce cholesterol, but they don't significantly reduce mortality. What to do?! I'd eat the grapefruit instead of the statins.... Cheers!
ReplyDeleteThat Grapefruit is sitting looking at me... I'm very tempted.
DeleteHi Cro- long time reader here but I've never commented -my conscience got the better of me with this post. As a retired(46 year) expat RN/Midwife and Nurse Practitioner be VERY leery of statins. Your doc did you a grave injustice by saying they are 100% safe! Not true-lots of well documented side effects. He also should have done a full lipid panel- not just an isolated cholesterol -which in any case he obviously hasn't. The lipid panel gives a much broader picture and the very best indicator of heart health
ReplyDeleteis the Triglyceride/HDL cholesterol ratio. Please do your research carefully and ALWAYS question your doctor! Cholesterol is needed by all the major organs in the body. Ever wonder, just as one example, why there has been such a great increase in dementia? Cholesterol is needed for proper brain function. Ultimately you're the one responsible for your health-do your research. Good luck.
I do enjoy your blog!
Thank you for that Zoe, I'm beginning to think it was a big mistake, and my original advice was right.
DeleteI have taken statins for quite a while now as I have high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It does say on the bottle to never eat grapefruit so I don't. I haven't had any trouble with it.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be one of those questions where a toss of a coin might be the best answer.
DeleteIt is a lot more serious business than a toss of a coin. Think of your immune system for starters. If you need them medically then so be it, but otherwise think seriously about why you would want to take them.
DeleteI've only taken five so far, so I could easily stop without any internal harm. In fact I will stop taking them.
DeleteThe best weapon against high cholesterol is porridge for breakfast every day.
DeleteYour medically qualified doctor has recommended statins. Your blog readers, seemingly without medical qualifications, bar one, are expressing concern and you have decided to stop the medication.
ReplyDeletePeople seem to be gobsmacked and shocked. The comment that more elderly people died from COVID in “civilized countries” because of high use of statins is particularly remarkable in two ways. Firstly the concept that there must be “uncivilized societies” and secondly that is contrary to the study published in PLOS Medicine which suggested statins are associated with a slightly reduced risk of COVID.
The comment “ever wonder why there has been such an increase in dementia” - check the Alzheimer’s society. It cites a meta-analysis that those taking statins had a 29% reduced risk of developing dementia.
Some probably think that prescribing statins is all part of this big reset because of the involvement of Big Pharma.
The only good piece of advice on here that I can see is to talk to your doctor!
Nobody recommended he stopped. Everybody recommended he go back to his doctor for more information.
DeleteI don’t believe I said people recommended he stopped. I was merely commenting on all the shock and horror and, no, not everyone recommended he go back to his doctor for more information.
DeleteWell it was taken as read that he would surely do that. A phone call out of the blue with no back-up information would not see many of us not questioning it. I don't know what country you are in, but GPs in the UK are paid extra to prescribe drugs and makes most of us question them closely before going ahead when there is no illness. Cro has been living overseas for 42 years.
DeleteHi, Keke aka John.
DeleteTo take it from the top:
The voices of caution are just that: Caution. Doctors are not infallible. Remember that lovely Thalidomide? Circa late 1950s, early sixties. The antidote to morning sickness. Result.
Remember how tranquilizers were given out like smarties?
Remember how doctors were bribed, literally, by pharmacy salesmen pushing THEIR company's pills? Not like, say in insurance, a broker who'll find you the best deal, tailored to your needs. No, no, allegiance to their company's name.
What you call "the shock and horror", by his loyal readers, at Cro's unquestioning acceptance of his doctor's "wisdom" is, I am afraid, justified.
As to your gasping at the term "civilized society": Well, it's how we talk, isn't it? Western Civilized Society. As opposed to those, strewn across particularly across other parts of Mother Earth, who don't even have the basic human right to clean water. Our, oh so civilized Western neglect, doesn't make those people, deprived, uncivilized. Do I really need to spell it out? Probably. Let me know.
Your "29% less reduced risk of developing dementia". 29 % in relation of what? Please do go back to class and learn about statistics. In context.
That big Pharma is BIG (in it for the money) has been known for decades. Recent example? They fell over each other to find the antidote to the magic Covid and variants - raking it in.
Come to think of it, Keke aka John, what are YOUR credentials? Please do remember that Cro has already spoken to his doctor, all five minutes of it. Maybe time to not only inform himself but seek a second/third/fourth opinion.
U
I had presumed that 'John' was a medical person in some form or other so I checked his profile. Unfortunately he gives nothing away; no location, no profession, no favourite books/music, etc. I always mistrust such people, as there must be a reason for so much secrecy.
DeleteThank you Ursula. I would also add to 'John' thay all those who responded to the post either way had personal experience of one or other of high cholesterol, doctors and statin recommendations and were not talking without at least researching for themselves what alternatives there might be. After my encounter with the GP he suggested a 7 month return when results of my personal dietary efforts would be showing. I made this return visit and carried on talking to him. He noted that my test levels had improved and he said I did not need the statins.
DeleteI must say Cro I have taken a statin every evening for years - nevr had any side effects. I don't know wheether they do me any good All I do know is that I trust my doctor and do as she says. We are good friends and because I go rarely she often rings me to ask how thiings are going. I shall continue to take them.
ReplyDeleteWhat a difference in comments to a subject that I hadn't imagined so contentious. I have now decided to stop taking them. I had only taken four, and had already wondered how necessary they were.
DeletePeople have said what I was thinking. Doctors seem to have a new role. It's difficult to get to see one face to face, because they are now doctoring remotely through the phone and online. All they have to do is look through their records and pick out a few customers to dish out more smarties. It will boost their coffers, no need to actually spend time discussing suitable treatment.
DeleteYour doctor had just received a call from his accountant. Improve cash flow.
ReplyDelete