Does your child take cholesterol-lowering meds?

[Cinder]

I just took dd for her 5yo check-up. She saw a new dr this time, but at the same practice. This new dr asked if there was high cholesterol in the family. Dh and mil have high cholesterol and are on meds. Dr says since dd is at a normal weight and has a healthy diet she doesn't recommend cholesterol testing yet. But she thinks in a couple years we should consider getting it done to see if dd should go on meds.

 

Is this a new-ish idea in the medical community? Or just a young dr's idea of how to keep a child healthy? I know cholesterol meds have been around a long time. Dh and mil starting taking them around 15 years ago. But our "old" dr, whom my ds's (15 and 12 yo) still see, hasn't said anything about it. Now I'm wondering if he's not a good dr or if this is new-ish as this new dr is quite young and our "old" dr is about my age--mid 40's. :tongue_smilie:

 

I would love to hear about your experiences.

 

Cinder

[EKS]

My experience (with my father) is that you want to be VERY careful about taking any of the statins. They're advertised as being wonder drugs, but every time my father has taken one he has had serious memory problems. The medical community seems to be in denial about this side effect. There is no way I would give any cholesterol lowering drugs to a child unless there was a very clear need to do so. And then I would be extremely watchful.

 

I have not heard of this particular practice, but they do seem to be giving "adult" medications to younger and younger children. Just because a doctor has not recommended a new practice in medicine does not make him a bad doctor. Some doctors seem to always be prescribing the latest drug or procedure, while others are more conservative. I generally prefer the more conservative ones, as they have the test of time to back up their recommendations. You might want to ask your sons' doctor what he thinks about it.

[abbeyej]

It's in line with AAP policy:

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/july08lipidscreening.htm

 

Personally, I'd be leery of putting a young child on cholesterol reducing medication as a first step, but it's probably wise to be aware of cholesterol levels in children with a strong family history.

[gingersmom]

My children started being tested for high cholestrol when they were 7 and 9 (after their father died). My daughters cholestrol was fine and so she is only tested every 3-4 years. My son's was elevated and he was tested again at 8, 9 and 10. The last test was within normal range so he won't be tested till he is about 13 again.

 

The first thing the doctor discussed with me was my children's diet. They eat little/no red meat and are extremely active and within a good height/weight range.

 

They do say there is a strong hereditary component when young children have elevated cholestrol levels.

 

Before I would even consider putting my kids on cholestrol medicine I would check in with a specialist. And I would be leery of a doctor who was pushing me to put my kids on medication like that.

[Cinder]

Thanks to all for your thoughts. Dh and I just had a long talk about this and since we are already a bit skeptical of some medical "trends" we will probably hold off on any testing. He thinks it would be good for them to be aware when they're older, so we're still considering testing for the 15yo (who is not active and has a lousy diet). Dh told me he's not taking cholesterol meds anymore. (I'm pretty sure he's told me this before but I had to confirm.) When he was taking them he always had a general "unwell" feeling that he couldn't describe.

 

As to the family history, dh tells me his siblings don't have high cholesterol. His father didn't either, but he was the one with heart disease. Dh's mother, with the high cholesterol, is still kicking around and is in pretty good health for an 83 yo. ;)

 

Cinder

[Cricket]

Wow. My dh is 51 and sees a cardiologist once a year. Dh has never had heart problems but every man in his family has died of a heart attack and most were in their 40s. Dh's cholesterol is high but his cardiologist said his first choice is to see if diet and exercise will control the cholesterol. Drugs are a last resort. I'm really surprised that a doctor would consider putting a child on cholesterol medication. I wonder what studies have been done on children and cholesterol and those medications. Children's bodies are different than adults. Cholesterol is important in building muscle and brain development. I'm sure with a typical American diet children can have elevated levels but I'd also worry about lowering their cholesterol too much.

[Pamela H in Texas]

There is NO way I would put a young child on cholesterol meds without there being something severely wrong with her causing the problem and the problem was going to cause extreme issues.

 

There are healthy ways to deal with the issue and I would choose those alternatives.

 

I'm a little worried someone is going to bring up "family" as a major cause of high cholesterol. I COMPLETELY understand that. I also understand that almost every situation is able to turn around with lifestyle changes. I'd rather go with an extreme (generally not even necessary) this direction than put a child on medication.

[phathui5]

I would be hesitant to put a child on cholesterol medicaton. There's so much that you can do with diet and exercise to improve cholesterol levels without resorting to meds.