High Cholesterol Support Group

My cholesterol was over 350, I was put on Lipid had bad side effects, that makes the second one I had problems with. I to went off of it. I am taking (2) 1200 fish oil and omega 3 after breakfast and two at night time, plus garlic AM & PM. That is what my husbands doctor told him to take. He eats anything and everything, his stays down.

Talk to you doctor about your problem and STAY on the medication.

If you have a reputable compounding pharmacist near you, you might ask them for alternatives that are over the counter. There are some.

I'm trying three different things for my cholesterol, and will have my first blood work done next month. I've got my fingers crossed because I can't tolerate any of the Rx meds for lowering my bad cholesterol. My other numbers are perfect.

I'll post the results when I know them.

This is an update, I left DS and have returned with a different name.
Since this post, I have tried pravastatin and Crestor. Both gave me severe muscle pain in back, buttocks and thighs and kept my liver enzyme ALT elevated. Since mid July, I am off all statins, and dealing with pain. I have since seen a neurologist and after going over my medical history, he told me I am not a good candidate for statins since I had polio when I was a child. My muscles are already compromised by the polio but I've been able to get around find. The statins 'overloaded' the muscles. The neurologist said you have a decision to make, live your life in pain on statins or live a happier life and watch your diet. So for now, I am on Zetia, and taking 2,000 mgs fish oil 3 times a day. I will have a cholesterol blood test the end of October.

U sed niacine and it worked real well for me butr you need to check with your doc since you are on so many neds. I personally think this cholesterol trap can be beaten with Natural remedy

Have tried everything, bad side effects with each of them. The last thing was Zetia, I thought that would be okay but after 2 weeks I started getting bad headaches, insomnia and weird feelings of anxiety. My doctor isn't a proponent of the 'natural way' though he did try me on something called Lovaza, which is supposed to have a natural component to it. But I experienced headache, bloating and sleep problems after a few days of taking it. Still searching for the right medication.

Please talk to your doctor. I am on simvastatin also (80mg) once daily. My last blood work showed Trig 168, LDL was 68, and HDL was 38. The trig was up from a normal 115 due to eating ice cream over the summer. No more ice cream. Do not ever stop medicines that are prescribed to you by a doctor without checking with the doctor. The side effects you are experiencing may change if you stop to something more deadly (like a heart attack, clogged arteries, etc).

UPDATE: After starting Zetia in Sept., I have lowered the trig from 297 to 220, LDL from 140 to 109 and HDL from 36 to 35. Total Cholesterol lowered from 234 to 188. I have also had a change in my beta blocker in August from metoprolol to Bystolic. I am very excited about the Bystolic because I have not suffered with swollen ankles or the fatigue I had before.

My doctor is prescribing an additional cholesterol medication that is not a statin, since I cannot take them. It's called Trilipix, it is a fenofibric acid. I will try this and have another cholesterol check in January, 2010. I am thankful my numbers are coming down, but a bit unhappy that I have more prescriptions to take. I will update again.

Cholesterol levels in itself is a very poor predictor of heart attack and stroke. The CDC states that 50% of heart attacks happen to people with low cholesterol. Now doctors are saying almost half of first time heart attacks have LDL cholesterol well within range.

Using cholesterol to guage ones risk of a cardiovascular event is about as reliable as using which way the wind is blowing as a predictor.

But, if a person wishes to lower their cholesterol anyway, there are two primary ways to to it.

The first is through increasing metabolic rate. As metabolism increases, lipids tend to drop. This can be done thru diet and exercise, or by increasing thyroid hormone levels, and steriod hormones. These ENHANCE metabolism.

The second is taking a statin drug. Statins work differently. They actually INHIBIT a metabolic pathway called the mevalonate pathway and prevent the liver from making cholesterol. This is completely the opposite from the first method.

One method enhances metabolic funtion, while the other inhibits metabolic function.

This is one of the reasons I beleive so many people experience bad side effects from statins. Their bodies simply can't tolerate the inhibition of a very important metabolic pathway which produces cholesterol and other vital products.