Statins

[mad_jock]

Right thanks to my genes at exactly the same age as my dad got told he had high cholestrol I am on them as well.

Currently was told to take Lopid 600 by an AME.

Now in my local just now this brand seems as common as rocking horse poo.

Now can someone suggest an alternative? That you can get worldwide.

I would go to the local quack but the last visit for a sickline because of a blocked ear. I got told to take antibiotics (and i think it was the one's that are for emergency use only in the UK), steriods and another 4 other things. I didn't take any of them I might add, a day in bed and some vick did the trick. He has been assigned into the TWA grade of Doctors so I presume he will just tell me to take which ever is the lastest medical reps fancy.

[Unixman]

<Normal warning about seeing health care professional and not relying on info below!>

For a kick off Lopid is not a statin but rather contains a chemical called a fibrate which lowers triacyglyceride concentrations in the blood. A statin specifically reduces cholesterol (and works by blocking an enzyme which is involved in the synthesis of cholesterol) but not other types of lipids which have different metabolic routes.

There are a whole range of fibrates, Fenofibrate (lipanthyl), Gemfibrozil (Lopid) for a starter. They all work by activating a specific receptor which is responsible for clearing fats out of the bloodstream.

Fibrates are often used in conjunction with statins in order to lower overall lipid concentrations,

Given the above I would strongly suggest that you do not self-medicate but rather see you local quack!

(Gawd... I can still remember what I thought was long-lost biochemistry!)

[mad_jock]

Thanks for that info

After a quick internet search I think I will be getting a flight home to get this sorted. And explains a few things which I put down to dehydration.

[gingernut]

GP's in the UK are generally pretty clued up on managing high cholesterol.

Lopid isn't usually the first choice, unless the lipid profile (the breakdown of the fats in your blood stream) is unusual. Without that information, it's difficult to give specific advice.

Cutting down on risk factors (weight, sedentary lifestyle, diet,smoking) may influence (or at the very least, delay) the decision to commence, what is essentially, a life long medication. And life long is needed to gain any benefit.

Probably not a good idea to make any specific recommendations here, but I'd ask the question as to why a "statin" is not the first choice in your case.

It's important to realise that the decision to prescribe life long treatment is not made lightly, but if that is the outcome, then you are not "ill", your doc is trying to prevent you getting that way.

As a matter of interest, is your dad still alive, if not, at what age did he die?

[mad_jock]

Dads still alive 69

Both Grandads went with dementia both in there 90's. One was 40 a day man the other stopped smoking after getting demobbed.

This is the issue the sods over here lead with drugs. There fav are antibiotics and Steriods. As I said I had a script for 6 items for a blocked eustation tube. back home the Doc would have looked at you with a what do you want me to do about it look. Then you would explain what you did for a living and he would give you a doctors line.

There was no discussion about changing lifestyle just here you go take these for the rest of your life.

After looking up the drug in question.

I have had over last three months taking them

Headaches, never usually get them unless sunstroke or to much beer.
Been taking rehdration packs in water its 40+ where I am. Drinking 3 ltrs+ a day. Getting them 2-3 times a week.

Tingling in my little fingers put that down to RSI using a lap top.
Started doing the stretches.

Calf muscles twitching.
Again put down to lack of salt and rehydration.

The packet of lipod is now in the bucket.

Current lost about 5kg since the reading goal is to get my BMI from 31 down to 28. I have done the good thing with the diet as well.

Unfortunately I am a long way from a UK GP. Its TWA with a hellva lot of letters after thier names. Some of which are British colleges of knowledge. For example I didn't know that the University of Lancashire had a Cardio Vascular unit. I thought it was Preston Tech with a Hairdressing Unit.

[gingernut]

:ooh:H'mm, lots of symtoms there, may be worth consulting your doc, for a systematic review.

[mad_jock]

Stopped taking them and will try and get a trip back home.

If you do a quick search, all those symptoms are on the list of side effects.

And another one on the list is gall bladder stones which really can **** off.

To be honest if I pop my clogs without having to go through what both my grandads went through with dementia I am quite happy having high cholestrol with a reduced life expectancy. Both had vascular dementia over a period of 10-15 years.

I will keep the weight coming off and avoiding staturated fats etc.

[Grasscarp]

My husband was on Lipitor for high cholesterol. Had pain in his legs, started to get numbness in his hands (neuropathy) and was feeling tired each day by lunchtime. When I read the startling newspaper reports a couple of weeks ago about statin side effects and told him, he stopped taking them and is feeling much better already. I had a high cholesterol reading on a blood test and cut it down substantially by myself as research pointed towards several things. The porridge to start the day I knew already. Magnesium, I started taking a supplement. Also plant sterols tablets I found from a vitamin supplier. Also Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 tablespoon a day in water. By myself I cut it down enough to quieten my doctor.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<I will keep the weight coming off and avoiding staturated fats etc.>

Lay off the booze too! I've been on low dose statins for several years. My cholesterol level was greatly reduced and I have no side effects. My doctor arranges a blood test every six months and I'm very happy with this treatment. A friend of mine had similar side-effects to the husband mentioned above. Her doc tried her on several different types of statin and she now has one she can tolerate with no problems.

[mad_jock]

Just planning for my trip home. How long does it take to turn round the blood test in the UK?

Cheers for the advice. No headaches so far and the calf twitching has stopped since I stopped taking them.

My booze consumption due to my locality and roster is extremely low. Single figure of units per month. Its way to hot to even consider chancing a hangover.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

My cholesterol blood test takes about 5 days for results..

[mad_jock]

Cheers for that.

Will start playing the cat and mouse game with the cow at the desk in my GP surgery.

Will go in 18 hours starved but I am sure there will be some policy or procedure that means what could be dealt with in 2 visits a week apart will end up taking 8 weeks with multiple visits to the the nurse and the GP.

[gingernut]

If it's a pain getting in, then ask the doc if he can deal with it by phone.

The test can be turned around and interpreted in a matter of days. Remember, even though the test is fasting, drink plenty of water, as they sometimes test kidney function also. Going with a thirst may result in a false kidney test.

[mad_jock]

Its not a pain getting into the surgery. Its a pain trying to get any contact at all with GP's since this bloody target system has been introduced.

We can but try though.

[pulse1]

You could try adding pistachio nuts to your diet:

Pistachio Nuts - Pistachio Nuts Are The Food To Eat To Lower Cholesterol (http://cholesterol.about.com/od/cholesterolloweringfoods/a/pistachio.htm)

[mad_jock]

Already doing the nut thing. Actually quite a pleasant addition to the diet.

[gingernut]

Its a pain trying to get any contact at all with GP's since this bloody target system has been introduced

It's now gone. It went on the same day as Mr Brown. I thought the 48 hr access thing generally improved things, although, of course, it ended in the system becoming perverse. Most people couldn't book in advance, which was a real pain.

I'd hate the thought of patients ringing up and being told that they couldn't be seen until 3 weeks next Tuesday- ok if you've got something like a cold, terrible if you've got a breast lump.

[mad_jock]

Well my experence was for intial appointments you had to phone at 8 am. Even if you were on the dot the appointments were always booked. I have a bigoted opinion that there was a list that got input at 07:59 that was all old folk and kids.

You then had a second stab at 2pm on the so called emergency line. Which is the only way I ever managed to get seen.

You would have thought that it would be quicker seeing the nurse, nope the 4 of them are maxed weeks in advance.

From what I can tell female problems get expidited they just turn up in reception and burst into tears. My last medical issue 2 years ago was a inflamed epidimus. I was walking like John Wayne got the intial visit on the emergency line and got some antibiotics, phoned back saying it was getting worse and got an appointment 4 days later and no sooner and no they wouldn't phone me with a cancellation. In the end it was sod this and tried to go to A&E. Car park was miles away and when I stopped for a rest I discovered I was outside the GUM clinic. Thought they would know a bit about bollocks. I was seen by a consultant within 45 mins. Ultrasound, free drugs and even seen outside walk in clinic hours.

Got a right talking to by the witch on the desk when I phoned up to cancel my appointment. Which I found out later was to do with self referal statistic's appartently your not ment to mention you have already seen your GP if you then visit the hospital. The consultant had apperently written a snot o gram the day he treated me.

If the system had actually meant you could see a doc inside 48hours it would be great, in my experence it just meant that the doc's had a system available so you might get an appointment. There was no system to track how many people actually asked for an appointment to be refused.

Blokes aged 20-50 get a second class service and if you are usefully employed it goes down to third class.

[gingernut]

I'm not sure if your angry at the system or your practice, admitedly, one is easier to change than the other.

Access isn't always as good as it could be, Patient access survey scores fall slightly in 2009/10 | Healthcare Republic (http://www.healthcarerepublic.com/news/rss/1010639/Patient-access-survey-scores-fall-slightly-2009-10/) as your scenario describes. Interesting point about measuring who doesn't get an appt. Thought long and hard about the system myself, the bottom line is that there is so much demand, with only so much capacity.

The capacity has been bolstered, 8o'clock openings, Saturday surgeries etc, but of course more would be good. How this is achieved? I've not got that figured out yet. Options would include employing more docs and nurses, but that would take resources which aren't available. Perhaps we need to look at the bigger picture-I suspect we need to look closely at what we are employed to do-improve health, and scrap all the other boll*cks that don't make a difference. (And believe me, there's a lot of it.)

Other alternatives are to look at the consultation itself- generally GP's get 10 minutes per patient. I suspect making this tighter (shorter) would not reap many benefits. Perhaps we should ask the patient how long they think they need? May be a useful experiment.

My own feeling is that we should bolster up the skills of others in the system, but unfortunately, there's nothing like a nurse for never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity.:) (Does it really need a doc to manage your cholesterol and bp?)

The demand is increased, 10 years ago your doc got paid by the number of patients on his list, didn't really matter if he spent all his time talking about football with his patients, he still got paid the same. Now it'sslightly different,he has to at least demonstrate some useful outputs. (Which, I think, is beneficial to the patient).

We've fiddled about with looking at demand-walk in centres, nhs direct etc, but have these really made a difference, (or do they just create greater demand?). Perhaps centralisation of assesment may work-I'm not convinced-people come to see me because they trust me, which maybe part of the problem. (I'm a nurse in a gp practice.)

[mad_jock]

Having had a look at a few other country methods of doing it now.

Thankfully getting other folk sorted I quite like the South African method.

Which is you first go to see a Nurse who deals with sick lines colds and all that stuff. They can then either sort you out or send you through another door to see a doc.

You can if you wish you can bypass the nurse by paying 40 quid.

Not really angry at either, its just yet another service in the UK that the majority of working people get a raw deal on. And that time I was in particular distress. Anyway the consultant seemed to be more pissed off about the whole thing than I was. I was just glad it was being sorted. The embarassment factor of walking into the clap clinic for the first time really didn't enter into the equation. And I must say if I get any problems in that region again I think I will go striaght there and miss out the GP service.

Any tradionally out of hours stuff is just used up by the same people that fill it up during the traditional hours. Must admit we did have it good for 6 months with a locum in covering maternity leave. The guy was a long haired jean wearing t-shirt wearing doc. Pulled his own blood and was a good laugh. He was one of those docs that goes off to the third world and comes back to locum work to get a bit of cash in his bank account. The old dears didn't like the look of him, the mums didn't like him cause he told them what he thought of there lifestyle choices. Result all the working folk got seen.

O and to add its exactly the same with blood donation I am O neg apparently you can't get enough of the stuff. I was a donor for years while a student. Soon as I started work. No chance the clinic openings hours just didn't allow for it.

And for your quest to see how long I need with the GP err I would say most of the time zero. A nurse could sort it out, in fact a nurse can sort it out very quickly when you walk into a surgery with chicken pox. You get thrown out the door and someone gives you a doctors line on the end of a stick for 14 days off. Then the couple of times I do need to see the GP 10 mins is about right.

[40&80]

Jock...You sound smart enough to get qualified and be a GP....if you do let us know how it looks from the other side of the desk.
If you do not pay UK income tax any more you might find you do not now even qualify for NHS free care.
Cheers and good luck with the diet.

[mad_jock]

No chance way to old for a start and too thick. I think my sympathetic listening skills would be a bit lacking as well.

And if anyone picks this thread up in a search. The symptons I described have now gone after stopping taking the lipod.

And the diet is going pretty good actually.

My UK AME who is a GP is being an absolute star and doing the biz via email. I just go and pay $30 for the lipid test locally and send him the results. I think a bottle of 20 year malt will be due next time I see him. Apparently I am not the only pilot who has had this issue while working abroad.

His instructions are exactly the same as gingernuts and his views on who nurse/doctor managing it are the same as his as well.

Ex-pats don't have a problem with free care. You can also pay NI contributions which means you don't loose any benefits when/if you eventually decide to come back to live/work.

[40&80]

There could be a payment problem with free NHS care if the questions are ever asked.
Some branches of the UK medical profession today appear to be more "required" to ask about eligibility for NHS free care as an SOP.
After a recent heart attack the UK hospital to which I was blue lighted the
accounts people certainly asked me.
After my treatment.... I was required to convince them of my eligibility to free care.... via time resident and recent tax returns...I think it was to complete their paper work.

In the case of long term expats. returning and seeking NHS free care,the period to complete one tax year and send off their tax return could be important....it seems wise to have private medical insurance cover for this period.

The Class 3 NI contributions by an expat. non resident in the UK.
Only "Protects their yearly contributions" to their UK State pension.

Apparently these Class three contributions and have nothing at all to do with eligibility for the NHS free care.

I could be totally wrong on all of the above but I am comforted that you have found the bottle of "Something Nice" system also works wonders.

Possibly what you say is correct for Scotland and what I say is correct for England.

Anyway according to the Daily Mail the best way to return to the UK seems to be as a political refugee seeking asylum and that way you could also get a free house and live on benefits and also save on buying the bottle.
Cheers.

[mad_jock]

The 2004 act which deals with this stuff is only applicable to England.

To my knowledge Scotland and Wales NHS still stick to the pre 2004 rules. If anyone knows any different please sing out.

More than likely because we never had the same problem with health care commuters from Spain.

[40&80]

So English folk who retired to Spain for a few years and are now returning for whatever reason... could find they are out of the English NHS system for at least 18months and should possibly head for Scotland... if they have a significant health problem....looks to me like this dream of retirement to the sun stuff can get expensive.

[Shack37]

More than likely because we never had the same problem with health care commuters from Spain.


I think you'll find that the reverse is the case now.


So English folk who retired to Spain for a few years and are now returning for whatever reason... could find they are out of the English NHS system for at least 18months and should possibly head for Scotland... if they have a significant health problem....looks to me like this dream of retirement to the sun stuff can get expensive.


If they take the trouble to comply with the EHIC system there should not be a problem.

[mad_jock]

Must admit I won't be going to a dentist again in the UK.