Statins

[robert551069]

I wrote to my doctor, whose opinions I respect, about the daily 20mg Simvostatin tablets which he prescribes for me, among others, to reduce my blood pressure.
I sent him the following article from the Internet:-
It states “ Statins seriously deplete your body of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)...the vital heart nutrient that naturally PREVENTS hearts and strokes.
CoQ10 stops cholesterol from blocking arteries. It helps to lower blood pressure and rejuvenates heart cells.
Yet statins destroy this essential ‘life spark’....diminishing it to such an extent that it reaches dangerously low levels.
If you take statins you must take CoQ10.
99 people out of 100 do not need statins”
His reply was that there are divided opinions on the subject and that I should continue to take the tablets.
I wish I had asked him for a prescription for CoQ10, but I am reluctant to request him for this.
Does anybody also take statins? If so, I would appreciate your opinion as to whether I should ask him for CoQ10.

[boxtops]

I've had to go back on a statin because my cholesterol level shot back up - so far so good - but I have been taking CQ10 supplements since I first went on the statin. Didn't stop the agonising aches and pains the first time round, but it doesn't seem to be doing me any harm, either.

[boxtops]

^^ and PS robert, you won't get them on prescription, I get mine from Holland and Barrett. They are complementary medicine, the NHS doesn't prescribe it.

[Sqad]

dennis....the problem is that TOWIE like many others could carry her high cholesterol into her 90's and you could die of a heart attack in your 70's.

They say that more people of cardiovascular disease with a normal cholesterol than those that die with high cholesterol.

[Sqad]

sorry....missed out "die."

[boxtops]

Sqad, that's fair comment - my GP undertakes a CVD risk every time I have my bloods done, and if the % risk is low, they don't prescribe. My risk of an event in the next 10 years had gone up to 28%, so he put me back on the meds. OH has now put me on a low fat diet, too :-(

[Sqad]

boxy........low fat diet........but I like you the way you are.

[boxtops]

Hmmm.... :-)

[Bazile]

sqad you stated - //..I takes statins but do not intend to take CoQ10.....you decide for yourself. //

I must admit i had not heard of it before
As you say it is for a person to decide - however is it worth taking as a precaution ?

[Sqad]

Bazile.....you are getting me into a corner ;-)

I think that i have offered you some clue when i stated that i take statins but do NOT take our friend CoQ10.

[Bazile]

sqad - indeed

[boxtops]

Sqad, I didn't think you'd take them, reading your earlier stances about this particular group of meds...

[Sqad]

boxy......I was started on them after i had my heart surgery at Christmas. My opinion on statins hasn't changed it's just that my cardiac" plumbing" procedure has necessitated a change in attitude.

[LoftyLottie]

I feel the same as Towie about statins and agree with Sqad's views on them (which are the same as my GP) Like Sqad, Mr LL takes them an has to because of heart surgery. He isn't happy with the various aches and pains, but a change from Simvastatin to another one has helped a lot.

Statins seem to be the new 'in' drug and many GP's, in my opinion, prescribe them unnecessarily. They are not a wonder drug.

[LoftyLottie]

Actually Mr LL didn't have heart surgery - he had plumbing like Sqad!!

[TraciG]

There have been no scientific trials that prove that CoQ10 works with people that take statins BUT... I attended the HEART UK (cholesterol charity) conference last year and this was discussed widely with Doctors and Consultants. They have seen patients energy levels etc improve after taking CoQ10 but it would need to be 200 - 300mg daily.
It is fairly expensive (I pay £24 for 45 days supply @ 200mg) and I was told it wasn't available on the NHS. I shall ask my GP at my next visit though just to be doubly sure.
You can get more info on cholesterol and statins at the HEART UK website: www.heartuk.org.uk or their members forum: http://heartuk.healthunlocked.com

[woofgang]

Did the patients know they were taking coQ10 and were they told what effects to expect?

[TOWIE]

I have never smoked and don't drink - granted I could do with losing a bit of weight (have gained in the last year due to stress of my Mum dying). I don't eat red meat, never eat any visible fat. My last blood pressure reading was 130/80 at the docs.

I am due my thyroid bloods tomorrow and will also tick the box for cholesterol as my gp was going on about it.

When my Mum went on statins many years ago (her late 50's) she also cut out every conceivable bit of fat from her diet, she was never a big person and was always slim. At the time this is what was advised by the medical profession - nowdays, it is not so strict and the realisation that some fats are beneficial for organs to work efficiently, including the brain.

[TraciG]

sorry woofgang, I dont know :/ its been a year and these statins are playing bloody hell with my memory!

[elizabeth ho]

i've been on atorvastatin for 20 years,the only problem is i get a lot ocramp in my legs and i'm tired all the time liz

[robert551069]

Thank you, Traci G and elizabeth ho for your helpful comments.