How do statins work?

JITR said:
The question is why your "cholesterol creeping very very very slowly up".
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I thought it was well known that cholesterol rose with age, peaking in the 60s and 70s, according to one Cholesterol charity website I looked at. Mine certainly has. For women, it may be due to decreasing oestrogen levels.
I decided on an arbitrary cut off point, and started a low dose statin when I reached it. There is evidence that in Type 1 diabetes, the increased risk of heart disease is due to inflammation caused by having generally less stable blood glucose than the non-diabetic population, and the other benefit of statins (that of preventing plaques breaking away from artery walls and clotting in the wrong place) may be more significant than the cholesterol lowering one.
(I can’t quote any studies, this is just what my Diabetes consultant told me)
 
PerSpinasAdAstra said:
The 10mg Atorvastatin dose I'm taking has been very effective
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I’m glad to hear you are able to get a 10mg tablet. My GP told me 20mg was the lowest dose available. 6 months ago I was on 40mg. Changed to whole food plant based eating and my cholesterol reduced. Asked if I could half my avorstatin to 20mg, which was agreed. Blood test three months later and cholesterol had slightly reduced further. Asked if I could halve it again and was told not possible as 20mg was lowest dose possible. I guess I can challenge that now. Thanks.
 
counsellorneil said:
I’m glad to hear you are able to get a 10mg tablet. My GP told me 20mg was the lowest dose available. 6 months ago I was on 40mg. Changed to whole food plant based eating and my cholesterol reduced. Asked if I could half my avorstatin to 20mg, which was agreed. Blood test three months later and cholesterol had slightly reduced further. Asked if I could halve it again and was told not possible as 20mg was lowest dose possible. I guess I can challenge that now. Thanks.
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I take 10mg atorvastatin the brand is Lipitor.
 
counsellorneil said:
I’m glad to hear you are able to get a 10mg tablet. My GP told me 20mg was the lowest dose available. 6 months ago I was on 40mg. Changed to whole food plant based eating and my cholesterol reduced. Asked if I could half my avorstatin to 20mg, which was agreed. Blood test three months later and cholesterol had slightly reduced further. Asked if I could halve it again and was told not possible as 20mg was lowest dose possible. I guess I can challenge that now. Thanks.
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You're welcome. 20mg is the starter dose recommended in NICE guidelines. I was started on 20mg when I was diagnosed, lost a mess of weight, and saw my cholesterol numbers go to extreme lows. I asked if I could be switched to 10mg Atorvastatin + Ezetimibe after reading a paper that indicated that combination may be better than the 20mg statin dose for diabetics - Link. I was told there were no grounds at that time to add a second medication given how low my numbers were, but that my dose could be reduced to 10mg. The following test still show low numbers, a bit below the current guidelines, which I'm very happy to proceed with. I'm guessing 10mg is plenty for me due to a combination of weight loss, diet composition and perhaps genetics.
 
PerSpinasAdAstra said:
You're welcome. 20mg is the starter dose recommended in NICE guidelines. I was started on 20mg when I was diagnosed, lost a mess of weight, and saw my cholesterol numbers go to extreme lows. I asked if I could be switched to 10mg Atorvastatin + Ezetimibe after reading a paper that indicated that combination may be better than the 20mg statin dose for diabetics - Link. I was told there were no grounds at that time to add a second medication given how low my numbers were, but that my dose could be reduced to 10mg. The following test still show low numbers, a bit below the current guidelines, which I'm very happy to proceed with. I'm guessing 10mg is plenty for me due to a combination of weight loss, diet composition and perhaps genetics.
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Thanks for your reply. I’ve also lost a load of weight over the last five years. Gone from nearly 16 stones to just above 11 now. Plus three years ago completed C25K and have kept running so feel a lot healthier and my blood tests seem to back that up. Think I’ll press for 10mg and see how the results are three months on.
 
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