hi all and a happy new year
after a blood test i’ve been contacted by the surgery and spoken to the nurse practitioner – informed that my red blood cells were slightly enlarged and cholesterol count was slightly raised but these were of no great concern - however as we talked i mentioned i had a stroke 1 year age - it was apparent he was not aware of this and then said that i should have been on statins on leaving hospital and that needed to be taking them now – since then i have been looking online and see that statins are not recommended after a haemorragic stroke – completely unsure as to what to do and not really do not have much confidence in his advice as he was not aware initially that i’d had a stroke – i haven’t been asked which type – i am doing well now and taking very few meds – just ramipril and amlodipine - 10mg anyone has any advice - don’t like taking pills and don’t know if taking statins is the right thing to do
I was advised not to take statins as my stroke was a bleed. There is a new type of medication that can be taken as an alternative called Nustendi.
I hate statins, and do not take. I have to take BP meds, but they are the only ones I take. My stroke was also a bleed. Good luck,
Roland
I take statins but had an Ischaemic stroke. Perhaps go back to your dr and mention what you’ve read & make sure they know your stroke was a haemorragic one. They should know but you should never assume. There are alternatives to the standard statins that might be ok.
I hate statins also. They gave me a liver injury , recovered from that as soon as I stopped the statin thankfully . I’m now on Ezetimibe
I have had two haemorragicv strokes and one ischaemic stroke and the hospital have put me on Atorvastaton. My chorlestrol has come down.
thanks to all for the replies – going to talk to the doctor before making a decision - i’m hoping that i won’t need to take any more meds
My GP also wanted to put me on statins for being just over the lower cholesterol limit claiming that ‘anyone who has a stroke’ should be on them.
This approach struck me as odd and I queried why this would be when I’d had a bleed, to which they had no answer. I told them I wanted to discuss further with my stroke consultant.
The consultant was not in agreement with their generic suggestion of statins and advised me against them.
I may be entirely off the mark, but it felt like there was some kind of financial incentive to the GP for every patient they can sign up to a course of statins.
While I appreciate that everyones situation is unique, it’s a no from me.
I don’t want to get involved with this, but there are a huge number of clued up patients who refuse to accept the “take statin” imperative that is handed out automatically after a stroke. Listen to bio-hackers and they cringe and run a mile from this brain washing. Those who follow medics with their blanket policies are doing so in good faith, but in this day and age we need to question everything that comes our way, especially since we’re so vulnerable after a stroke. There are good people out there but big pharma ain’t one of them
Wholeheartedly agree with your observation of brain washing @pando. The Asch conformity experiment comes to mind.
I think a healthy dose of skepticism is warranted in an age where corporate pharma has shown its true colours in recent years with their questionable motivations, secretive procurement and data redaction arrangements and glaringly obvious greed for profit.
Sadly I continue to feel firmly vindicated in this belief. 
Agreed, conformity and group pressure. Maybe it makes us feel more accepted? something like a survival instinct.
Yes I think you’re right.
Acceptance and not standing out is presumably a beneficial evolutionary adaptation. In its most basic sense a form of camouflage to diminish harm or predation. Presumably also an element of the route of least resistance.
If I remember right, it was Bonhoeffer that theorised about the mechanism of this kind of group based socio-psychological phenomena in the context of mass support for political or religious movements and presumably has similar underpinnings.
Interesting topic, thanks for opening up the rabbit hole. 
Do you take an Ace-inhibitor or calcium-channel blocker? Or a combination of both? They don’t seem to give out beta blockers for high blood pressure like they did years ago. My 78-year-old father takes a calcium-channel blocker (very low dosage).
I wish you a Happy Near Year 2025, Roland. Haola!
Hello, there! Nice to meet you!
I am not a real big fan of statins in general, although I’ve never heard that they can trigger a brain bleed. Thanks for sharing that. If you look at a lot of research done on statins, there is no real strong evidence that they much good for anyone but a select few (and even that…).
If you can’t control your blood pressure with aged garlic, or a few other supplements, I would go the route of calcium-channel blockers. I’m no expert, however – just giving my silly advice, as someone who has managed 2 parents’ health conditions with lots of researching.
Take good care.
Hey Matthew !!
Happy 2025 ; hope you had a merry end-of-year celebration !
Blood pressure Medication I take
• Amlodipine 5mg x2
• Perindopril 8mg x1
• Doxazosin 8mg x2
• Spironolactone 25mg x1
Amlodipine is a Calcium channel blocker used to treat hypertension. It helps by relaxing and widening blood vessels.
Perindopril is an ACE (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme) inhibitor and works by relaxing blood vessels and decreasing blood volume. ACE inhibitors inhibit the activity of angiotensin-converting enzyme, an important component of the renin–angiotensin system which converts angiotensin I to angiotensin II, and hydrolyses bradykinin. Therefore, ACE inhibitors decrease the formation of angiotensin II, a vasoconstrictor, and increase the level of bradykinin, a peptide vasodilator. This combination is synergistic in lowering blood pressure. As a result of inhibiting the ACE enzyme in the bradykinin system, the ACE inhibitor drugs allow for increased levels of bradykinin which would normally be degraded. Bradykinin produces prostaglandin. This can explain the two most common side effects: angioedema and cough.
Doxazosin is an Alpha-1 blocker, or alpha-adrenergic blocking agent, which is a medication used to treat symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate) and hypertension (high blood pressure). It may cause low blood pressure when standing. Alpha-1 adrenergic receptors are present in vascular smooth muscle, the central nervous system, and other tissues. When alpha blockers bind to these receptors in vascular smooth muscle, they cause vasodilation. Alpha-blockers reduce blood pressure by preventing norepinephrine from binding to alpha-receptors. This relaxes the blood vessels, which allows blood to flow more freely.
Spironolactone belongs to a class of medications known as potassium-sparing diuretics primarily used to treat fluid build-up. It is also used in the treatment of high blood pressure, and low blood potassium that does not improve with supplementation. Common side effects include electrolyte abnormalities, particularly high blood potassium, nausea, vomiting, headache, rashes, and a decreased desire for sex. It is a steroid that blocks the effects of the hormones aldosterone and testosterone and has some estrogen-like effects.
Thank you so much for that information.
You’re only on 4 medications. If so, that’s great, friend!
Are you planning on staying on these medications long-term?
My father does Finasteride for his prostate issue – not what you take.
Interesting.
Please take good care of yourself.
Hi @Wendy1953
If I understand this, you are unsure whether you should take statins or not after discussing results of a recent blood test with a nurse practioner at your GP surgery.
From what you say, there was no great concern arising from the results of the blood tests and only after you mentioned you’d had a stroke over a year ago that the nurse suggested you should be on statins.
I think you said you would talk to the GP before you decide which makes perfect sense.
I note, unless I am mistaken, that statins were not prescribed when you were discharged from the hospital post stroke. I would have expected the discharging consultant would have made sure the necessary medication had been precribed and your GP informed accordingly. Further it has been a year since you had the stroke yet, the GP has not raised the concern of you not being on statins.
I hope you will be better placed to decide what you need to do after discussing with your GP or even your stroke consultant.
I wish you all the best.
Peace & Love
& 
good advice – and really what i want to hear which is always the best advice --i was not aware i had a stroke consultant – should i have seen someone since i left hospital ? – if that’s right then i have only seen my gp and nurse at the surgery a total of 6-7 times and no one else
Hi @Wendy1953
By Stroke Consultant I meant the consultant who looked after you when you were in hospital following your stroke. Whenever my Mum has been admitted to hospital she has always been discharged with a “care plan” which includes the medication that needs to be taken etc. The GP is also sent a copy of the discharge note and if they are responsible for any ongoing aftercare actions this will be indicated on the discharge note.
I appreciate it is a long time since you were discharged from the hospital and you may no longer have the discharge letter, but your GP certainly should have this. If there are any follow up appointments/actions, these are also documented in the discharge summary.
I would hope that having seen your GP and nurse 6/7 times, any follow-on actions would have been picked up.
Sorry if I caused any confusion.
I am really confused with this discussion of statins. I had an ischemic stroke several years ago. I took atorvastatin before then for cholesterol and still take it even though my levels are much better. I had a heart attack also and a few years later the stroke and the desired range for cholesterol is lower than for those who are healthy. All that being said, I believe statins are used for high cholesterol not high blood pressure. Am I not understanding something here? I take Cardizem for my heart which is a calcium channel blocker and also lowers blood pressure however pressure is ok.