Nine years on statins and ezetimibe. My cholesterol got worse, not better. The NHS blood tests don’t lie. I’m Neil, and I’ve got 13 years of cholesterol data tracked across multiple GP surgeries. Every number I’m about to share comes straight from my medical record. This isn’t theory. It’s documented reality. What happened over those nine years on medication surprised my GP as much as it surprised me. And what happened when I stopped might challenge what you think you know about cholesterol management.
What the Data Actually Showed
April 2012. Baseline. Before any medication. Total cholesterol: 7.5 mmol/L. High, yes. But here’s what matters more: HDL (protective cholesterol) was 1.6. Cholesterol-to-HDL ratio: 4.7. The NHS target is under 5.0. I was inside it. Triglycerides were elevated at 3.4. Liver enzyme ALT: 37 (normal range). Glucose: 4.4 (fine). So the picture in 2012: cholesterol high, but ratio within target, liver healthy, no diabetes risk.
I started atorvastatin shortly after that test. Standard protocol. NICE guidelines recommend statins for primary prevention when your 10-year cardiovascular risk hits a certain threshold. Made sense. I trusted the process. Took the pills every single day for nine years.
October 2016. Four years on medication. Cholesterol: 7.0. Ratio: 4.8. Still within target. But HbA1c had crept to 40 — borderline pre-diabetic. That wasn’t there before.
December 2016 showed one outlier reading: cholesterol 5.3, ratio 4.2. The only time in thirteen years it looked like statins were working brilliantly. But two months earlier it was 7.0. Same medication, same dose. Cholesterol doesn’t halve in eight weeks on stable statin therapy. Something else was going on — timing, fasting status, I don’t know. One good reading in nine years doesn’t make a trend.
July 2020. Eight years on dual therapy (statins plus ezetimibe). Total cholesterol: 7.40. Higher than baseline. HDL had dropped from 1.6 to 1.33 — protective cholesterol going the wrong way. Ratio: 5.9. Now outside the NHS target. Was 4.7 in 2012 without medication. Triglycerides: 5.40 (360% above upper reference limit). HbA1c: 43.2 — the lab report said “consistent with pre-diabetic hyperglycaemia.” Uric acid: 502 (outside range, despite being on allopurinol for gout).
Eight years. Two cholesterol drugs. One gout drug. Asthma inhalers. Antihistamines. Five medications total. And the numbers were getting worse.
The Final Test While Still on Medication
December 2023. Nine years on statins. Total cholesterol: 8.0. The highest reading I’d ever had. Higher than 7.5 in 2012 when I wasn’t on any medication at all. HDL: 1.3 (down from 1.6). Cholesterol-to-HDL ratio: 6.2. Started at 4.7. That’s a 32% increase in cardiovascular risk ratio. On medication.
LDL: 5.6. HbA1c: 46 (one point below diabetes diagnosis). Liver enzyme ALT: 69 (normal upper limit is 40 — mine was 73% above that).
Let me repeat: April 2012, no medication — cholesterol 7.5, ratio 4.7, liver normal. December 2023, nine years on dual therapy — cholesterol 8.0, ratio 6.2, liver stressed. Worse across the board. Documented on the NHS record.
What I Did Next
October 31st, 2023. I left my GP surgery on the Isle of Wight. All prescriptions ended that day. I had enough supply to last until February 2024.
Boxing Day 2023 — two weeks after that December blood test — I started: 18:6 fasting, non-UPF eating, walking daily. The basics. Nothing exotic.
February 2024: last tablet taken, last inhaler used.
But — and this is critical — I didn’t just stop and hope. I registered with Boston Spa Surgery. Told them what I was doing. They agreed to monitor me closely: monthly blood tests for three months, then quarterly, then six-monthly. My GP didn’t fight me. We looked at the data together. Nine years of worsening numbers on medication. She agreed to a supervised trial. If anything deteriorated, we’d restart. Partnership, not rebellion.
The Numbers After Stopping
March 2024. One month off all medication. Total cholesterol: 7.0. Down from 8.0. Better than any reading during the final five years on medication. Liver enzyme ALT: 28 (down from 69 — a 59% improvement in thirty days). The liver stress was medication-induced. Cholesterol-to-HDL ratio: 5.4 (down from 6.2).
April 2025. Fourteen months off all medication. Total cholesterol: 7.11. LDL: 3.8 (32% improvement from the 5.6 peak on medication — closer to target than eleven years of statins ever achieved). HDL: 1.5 (up from 1.3). Resistance training four times a week. HDL responds to physical stimulus, not pills. Ratio: 4.7. Same as 2012. Full circle. Back within target. Without medication.
CRP (inflammation): 1.0 (down 84% from January, near zero). Liver enzyme ALT: 23 (lowest on record, 67% below the peak on statins). HbA1c: 37 (lowest ever recorded — pre-diabetes reversed).
My GP ran a QRISK2 assessment (NHS cardiovascular risk calculator). 10-year risk score: 7.28%. She sent me a text. Direct quote from the NHS record: “Your cholesterol is elevated but at the moment you do not need cholesterol lowering medication.”
That’s not me interpreting data. That’s the NHS saying: no statins needed.
November 2025. Twenty months off all medication. Most recent bloods. Cholesterol: 6.77 (lowest off-medication reading yet). Ratio: 4.8 (within target). HbA1c: 37 (holding normal). Liver enzyme ALT: 10. Started at 37 in 2012 on no meds. Peaked at 69 on statins. Now 10. Healthiest liver function in over a decade.
🎯 Key Takeaways
- Nine years on dual cholesterol therapy — cholesterol went from 7.5 to 8.0, ratio worsened from 4.7 to 6.2, liver enzymes rose 86%
- Twenty months off medication — cholesterol down to 6.77, ratio back to 4.7 (within NHS target), liver enzymes dropped 86% from medication peak
- My own decision, and I told my GP afterwards. Monthly blood tests initially, QRISK2 score confirmed no medication needed. Not the approach I would recommend to anyone else.
When to Question the Protocol (and When to Trust It)
This is my data. N equals one. One person. Not a clinical trial. I’m not saying statins don’t work. For a lot of people, they do. If your cholesterol’s improving on medication, your ratio’s within target, your liver’s fine — brilliant. Keep going. That’s your data telling you the medication’s doing its job.
But if you’ve been on statins for years and your numbers aren’t improving — or they’re getting worse — you’re allowed to ask “why not?” That’s not anti-medicine. That’s reasonable.
Here’s what I’d suggest: Track your biomarkers. Not just total cholesterol — the ratio. HDL. Liver enzymes. HbA1c. The full picture. Six months minimum. Ideally years. One blood test tells you nothing. A trend tells you everything.
Then sit down with your GP. Show them the trajectory. Ask: “Is this medication working for me?” Not “do statins work?” — that’s a population question. “Is this working for me?” — that’s a personal question. Your GP can help you answer it.
My GP looked at nine years of data and agreed to a supervised trial off medication. Yours might say the same. Or yours might say “actually, your numbers show the medication IS helping.” Either answer is the right answer — as long as it’s based on your data, not assumptions.
When to question the protocol: when you’ve followed it faithfully for years and the numbers aren’t moving (or going backwards).
When to trust the protocol: when your data shows it’s working.
Data beats assumptions. Every time.
Ready to Track Your Own Data?
If you’re on cholesterol medication and want to start tracking your numbers properly, I’ve built a free guide that walks you through the basics of what I did: fasting windows, real food choices, what to track, and how to have that conversation with your GP.
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⚠️ Important: This is educational content based on evidence and personal experience. It is not medical advice. Speak to your GP before making changes to your fasting pattern, diet, or medication.
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