Statins and GPs

Well I have taken them for 30 years now and I’m still here. I am totally sure I wouldn’t be if I hadn’t taken them. I can put up with the muscle aches, better than a heart attack in my book. Our family all has naturally very high bad cholesterol levels, die prematurely of heart problems, just the luck of the draw. None of us are overweight.

We can access our results online using Patient Access. I thought most Practices offer this.

You can order repeat prescriptions, view your consultations, read latest health news and get test results. I wish you could also book appointments but you can’t.

That is the worst thing about our surgery. You are often 23rd in a queue to speak to someone and when you finally get through they say there are no appointments available and they can’t book further than 2 weeks ahead.

www.patientaccess.com/

This is what we use and have done so for about 10 years.

Primrose53 Some GP practices (including mine) have opted to turn off the test results information in Patient Access.

My GP didn't even bother to tell me personally that I should take statins, I was telephoned by a pharmacist who told me that my cholesterol level was high and I should take them What I find difficult is understanding the relationship between good and bad cholesterol and how that affects things. I have a high level of good cholesterol, if you look at the ratio of good to bad mine is much better than someone who wouldn't be prescribed statins.
I don't take them. Just before covid I took part in some research and one of the things measured was my blood flow, indicating how healthy my arteries are. Mine was excellent for my age.

Is Patient Access the same thing as the NHS App? I use that all the time but I can’t access test results from it and so assuming my surgery must have turned that facility off as growstuff says.

I take statins, my cholesterol was high. It has improved even though I only take one every other day because of slight side effects.

maddyone

Is Patient Access the same thing as the NHS App? I use that all the time but I can’t access test results from it and so assuming my surgery must have turned that facility off as growstuff says.

No, it isn't, although it has more or less the same information.

The NHS app has stayed the same, but my surgery (for example) no longer subscribes to Patient Access, but changed to a new system. That didn't work out well, so they're in the process of changing to another system, which I understand will include more remote consultations and more triaging.

Repeat prescriptions use a completely different app to the above.

I think it depends on the individual surgeries.

Glorianny

My GP didn't even bother to tell me personally that I should take statins, I was telephoned by a pharmacist who told me that my cholesterol level was high and I should take them What I find difficult is understanding the relationship between good and bad cholesterol and how that affects things. I have a high level of good cholesterol, if you look at the ratio of good to bad mine is much better than someone who wouldn't be prescribed statins.
I don't take them. Just before covid I took part in some research and one of the things measured was my blood flow, indicating how healthy my arteries are. Mine was excellent for my age.

Don't you have to authorise repeat prescriptions either online or on a paper form? Just don't tick that box if you don't want to take them.

Oh thanks for a quick response growstuff. My surgery must still be using the NHS App as I can do everything on it except access test results, which is a bit of a pain. I have to message my GP and she then rings or texts me, which is fine for me, but some people might just not know what their test results show.

growstuff

Glorianny

My GP didn't even bother to tell me personally that I should take statins, I was telephoned by a pharmacist who told me that my cholesterol level was high and I should take them What I find difficult is understanding the relationship between good and bad cholesterol and how that affects things. I have a high level of good cholesterol, if you look at the ratio of good to bad mine is much better than someone who wouldn't be prescribed statins.
I don't take them. Just before covid I took part in some research and one of the things measured was my blood flow, indicating how healthy my arteries are. Mine was excellent for my age.

Don't you have to authorise repeat prescriptions either online or on a paper form? Just don't tick that box if you don't want to take them.

I didn't accept them in the first place. Although the girl from the pharmacist tried her best, nagged on I suspect by someone else. She seemed to take my refusal quite well at first and hung up after I'd given my reasons, she rang back 5 mins later and tried again to persuade me.

Glorianny

My GP didn't even bother to tell me personally that I should take statins, I was telephoned by a pharmacist who told me that my cholesterol level was high and I should take them What I find difficult is understanding the relationship between good and bad cholesterol and how that affects things. I have a high level of good cholesterol, if you look at the ratio of good to bad mine is much better than someone who wouldn't be prescribed statins.
I don't take them. Just before covid I took part in some research and one of the things measured was my blood flow, indicating how healthy my arteries are. Mine was excellent for my age.

What are your triglyceride levels and do you have other risk factors for CVD?

That's why I think it's important that people are given the complete results. These days, the figure most doctors look at is the ratio of total cholesterol (including triglycerides) to HDL Other risk factors are then taken into account.

In the end, you don't have to do what your GP advises and you can just decline them.

maddyone

Oh thanks for a quick response growstuff. My surgery must still be using the NHS App as I can do everything on it except access test results, which is a bit of a pain. I have to message my GP and she then rings or texts me, which is fine for me, but some people might just not know what their test results show.

The NHS app is a national thing and doesn't depend on your surgery, although hopefully it does communicate with any app your surgery opts to use independently.

As I stated before, the app I use for test results (not just blood tests) is the Addenbrooke's "My Chart" app. I can send personalised messages on it too and it copies me into all correspondence.. It seems to treat patients as more adult than the systems GPs use. My Chart sends the results to the GP surgery and I can see them at the same time.

Glorianny

growstuff

Glorianny

My GP didn't even bother to tell me personally that I should take statins, I was telephoned by a pharmacist who told me that my cholesterol level was high and I should take them What I find difficult is understanding the relationship between good and bad cholesterol and how that affects things. I have a high level of good cholesterol, if you look at the ratio of good to bad mine is much better than someone who wouldn't be prescribed statins.
I don't take them. Just before covid I took part in some research and one of the things measured was my blood flow, indicating how healthy my arteries are. Mine was excellent for my age.

Don't you have to authorise repeat prescriptions either online or on a paper form? Just don't tick that box if you don't want to take them.

I didn't accept them in the first place. Although the girl from the pharmacist tried her best, nagged on I suspect by someone else. She seemed to take my refusal quite well at first and hung up after I'd given my reasons, she rang back 5 mins later and tried again to persuade me.

So don't tick the box on the form next time you order a repeat prescription. Simples! You can always refuse to accept them or throw them away.

maddyone

Oh thanks for a quick response growstuff. My surgery must still be using the NHS App as I can do everything on it except access test results, which is a bit of a pain. I have to message my GP and she then rings or texts me, which is fine for me, but some people might just not know what their test results show.

It's not that difficult to find out what test results mean. In my case, there's a link which tells you. I don't think that's a reason not to give them to people.

I agree growstuff. People should be informed of their test results, but it appears that my surgery will tell you quite willingly but only if you make the effort to approach them. There seems to be no other way to find out. I feel a bit guilty having to approach them as all I want is a test result. Having said that, for X-rays my GP texts me or gets a receptionist to phone me, but not for blood test results. Yes, thinking about it, it’s blood test results you have to chase really. If the blood test result needs action my GP phones me, but if it’s okay there’s no contact. But I want to know my cholesterol level, even if it’s okay.

The ‘Health’ watchdogs have recommended that everyone takes statins! Why oh why? I have not been prescribed them and would refuse them anyway. Cholesterol is now being regarded as necessary (even our brains are made up of mostly cholesterol), it is essential for us to live and is no longer being considered evil. The things that are causing the problems are sugar, carbohydrates and processed foods. We need to eat meat, dairy, eggs and animal fats for our bodies to work efficiently. Get rid of sugar and carbs, in turn reduce obesity, and statins will be a thing of the past and would save the NHS millions in unnecessary drug prescriptions.

Excess sugar and starch increase your triglyceride level, which is another form of fat and usually measured in a cholesterol test. Statins will help bring them down.

growstuff

Excess sugar and starch increase your triglyceride level, which is another form of fat and usually measured in a cholesterol test. Statins will help bring them down.

This. Some cholesterol is good, other is bad. If you are borderline and have no family history of heart disease and strokes- then refuse them if offered.

If bad cholesterol is significantly over limit and family history indicates you are at risk- then don't listen to all the nay sayers and fear mongers, and listen to your doctor.

Fleurpepper

growstuff

Excess sugar and starch increase your triglyceride level, which is another form of fat and usually measured in a cholesterol test. Statins will help bring them down.

This. Some cholesterol is good, other is bad. If you are borderline and have no family history of heart disease and strokes- then refuse them if offered.

If bad cholesterol is significantly over limit and family history indicates you are at risk- then don't listen to all the nay sayers and fear mongers, and listen to your doctor.

I don’t think somebody who is not a health professional should be giving medical advice . It is up to the individual to ask the appropriate people before making an informed decision.

Shropshirelass

The ‘Health’ watchdogs have recommended that everyone takes statins! Why oh why? I have not been prescribed them and would refuse them anyway. Cholesterol is now being regarded as necessary (even our brains are made up of mostly cholesterol), it is essential for us to live and is no longer being considered evil. The things that are causing the problems are sugar, carbohydrates and processed foods. We need to eat meat, dairy, eggs and animal fats for our bodies to work efficiently. Get rid of sugar and carbs, in turn reduce obesity, and statins will be a thing of the past and would save the NHS millions in unnecessary drug prescriptions.

No medical advice given by myself or growstuff- just countering and balancing comments like the above, which can be truly dangerous.

I notice ibuprofen on the patient access you sent. I always buy mine - didn’t realise you can get them on prescription .

Paracetamol and Ibuprofen are cheap enough and unless we can’t get out to buy them, or really can’t afford them, I feel we should buy them.

Foxygloves

Fleurpepper

growstuff

Excess sugar and starch increase your triglyceride level, which is another form of fat and usually measured in a cholesterol test. Statins will help bring them down.

This. Some cholesterol is good, other is bad. If you are borderline and have no family history of heart disease and strokes- then refuse them if offered.

If bad cholesterol is significantly over limit and family history indicates you are at risk- then don't listen to all the nay sayers and fear mongers, and listen to your doctor.

I don’t think somebody who is not a health professional should be giving medical advice . It is up to the individual to ask the appropriate people before making an informed decision.

I agree! That's why I find it a bit disturbing that there have been so many negative comments about statins. My feeling is that everybody has a right to control what they put inside their bodies. We're fortunate that there are treatments for conditions which would have killed people prematurely in the past. I know that there is much disagreement about taking statins, even amongst medics and scientists, but if people don't want to take them, they don't have to. It's absolutely fine if they want to be responsible.

Foxygloves I don’t think somebody who is not a health professional should be giving medical advice. It is up to the individual to ask the appropriate people before making an informed decision.

Indeed.

Same could be said to good diets and paucity of nutrients, weight control, and genetics. Ask and make your own choice.