Can I demand a cholesterol check from my GP?

j.e.j.

Just wanted to say I think Lloyds pharmacy will do a cholesterol test, but I seem to remember you have to fill out a form and sign saying it's ok for them to access/share info with your doctor.

VfM4meplse

willing2learn wrote: »

Hi i've been looking into this stuff - depsite heart disease being the biggest killer in the UK there is no basic screening - but you can request a health check - it's just that most people don't know about it to request it.

Wrong - the over 40s vascular risk assessment is supposed to be the national screener.

plodder, take a look at this. There's no substitute for discussing your concerns with your GP though.

HTH.

Torry_Quine

That is a very high level and you really need something to be done about this. Whether you need medication is for your GP but there are dietary changes which you can do now.

Edwardia

Plodder73 has experienced circulatory problems and assumes that they are caused by high cholesterol. They might not be and I would suggest that since he has high BP already he goes and sees his GP about the circulation probs as his BP could be worse or there might be other causes.

mr_rush

A lot of wrong information above.
You cannot demand anything from your doctor.

You go their with your symptoms/concerns/rash etc and it's up to them to interpret the problem and offer appropriate investigations/treatment. If you are not happy then you can request a second opinion - either from another GP in the same practice, or if you are really very unhappy you can register with another practice.

'free health check at age of 40' - well that's news to me (and probably the Royal College of GPs!)

'simvastatin 40mg' - well primary prevention is a difficult field. You can of course buy low dose statins over the counter but I don't think simply reaching for a pill is the right answer in many cases.