Your liver manufactures cholesterol its all related to how your liver functions. I'm seriously looking into what can be done about it naturally its alotof reading but if I find anything I'll post it .I'm thinking we're not supposed to be taking anything not even things for acid reflux .

Thanks for the reply Banff. I hate taking Lipitor because of the memory loss but I don't want a heart attack either. I've heard of other options but don't know if they really work. My Dr. said not to ever stop taking my Lipitor because my cholestrol will shoot up again so I just don't know what to do. If you find something that can be done naturally please let me know.

I'll certainly look into it because I'm in the same situation . I'm going to try going back into anti toxin foods like strawberries and blueberries daily like I used to when I smoked . I'm going to share my cholestrol meds with you so you know how they approached mine : At first I was given Simvastatin my triglyceride levels were 5.88 (very high) 6 months later was 5.95 (unchanged) they switched me to LOPID and it dropped to supposedly normal 3.69 everything else is about normal HDL LDL etc I have been taking Nexium , prevacid , or pariet for about 3 years long before my heart attack . They are all acid reflux pills the difference is the price and they are more or less what lipitor is I also take ezetrol which is a cholesterol absorbtion inhibitor to back up the pariet . So my 3 are LOPID PARIET and EZETROL . I am going to try stem enhancer and or hemp but I eat Flax bread take OMEGA 3,6,9 supplements and also PROBIOTICS (intestinal health)Niacin is supposed to work well but I met a doctor who can't do anything about his cholesterol problem and said nothing works for him and hes tried everything he said Niacin is shit (in those words )but apparently it does work but can give you bad hot flashes maybe thats what he meant because I was clueless to what he was talking about until someone here explained it to me on DS . We are doing so much harm to our livers its a wonder how they can function at all .

Lipitor is the only think i have ever took. I do take a pain blocker for my back pain and that also causes memory loss, so I would love to find something natural to take. I plan to start taking garlic pills and Omega supplements. I have always heard that Rolaids or anything for acid or heartburn would weaken the effect of most medications. I have to take something for heartburn at times so I thought this might be one cause my cholestrol went up but then again, I have always had to take something for heartburn.

The same thing happened to me while on lipitor for 7 yrs. Only I also suffered from debilitating fatigue which drs blew off b/c I also have fibromyalgia. Turns out it really was the lipitor!! Now that I'm off, my numbers have rebounded to 80 pts higher than they ever were!!!

I've tried cholestoff, fish oil caps w/little success. High cholesterol runs in my family.

Right now on dr's suggestion, I'm taking niacin, flaxseed oil & large doses of folate. Just had tests done & am praying these have helped.

I had to laugh at my dr when I mentioned that I'm going to start taking some amino acid supplements. She warned me that they aren't regulated! HA! Like the FDA really regulates meds???? Sorry, but I just thought that was funny since prescription meds have stolen my energy and it seems to be permanent.

Recently there have been reports of studies that are now saying that statins may not be the miracle drug it's been touted as - that it may not help much at all. And all the supposed protection if offered from alzheimers isn't really there...

Eating a lot of sweets could also be the problem. Pastry items(cookies,cakes,pies,ice cream,candy,etc) are full of fars! Limit or avoid theses!!! My doctor said to me to watch eating these to keep my cholestrol. Concentrate more on fresh produce and fish and chicken(no skin) and not fried. Watch those sweets!!! Good luck!!!

I stopped taking Zetia last week when I ran out, I had been taking Simvastatin before that and Lipitor before that.I was told all my aches and pains etc were caused by the statins, was told my ck level was too high and muscle damage was the result. Well now I am hearing from people in the medical field that the ck level was not all that high and since my aches and pains did not stop when I stopped the statins I am beginning to agree. The Zetia has done very little to lower my levels, my good level is bad and my tri-g's are high. So tomorrow my dr will either put me back on statin, perhaps a lower dose to start, I will increase my intake of omega3 and all the other good stuff. The Zetia is also very expensive even with my ins co-pay. I may then look around for another dr or at least ask for a referral to a specialist to get this matter figured out once and for all. Sometimes I think general practitioners do not have time to figure things out and the patient suffers. Duh...maybe that is why I spent many years with aches in my hands with so many different dx's only to wind up being told I have arthritis AND cts. I will post when I get back from drs., she probably will be unhappy with what I have done (only been 4 days) but I am unhappy with her.

OK just got back from drs appt today. My levels are just as bad but my tri-g's are even worse. I told my dr I will no longer take Zetia, either she put me back on lower doses of statins and I will kick up my omega3 and more walking. She wants me to try Tricor. Anyone else on that? She says after 3 months if it hasn't started to improve we will go back to statins and do as I suggested. I guess this drug is a step up from lopid as she described it. I hope it works. I am sick to death of doing the right stuff (same if not betetr things) than when I took statins and all my levels are all within range of where they should be. I also need to go read that article that states that women who have given premature birth may get high cholesterol as they age. Hmmmm I had 5 kids and 4 of those 5 were ALL premature. Now that is a case study I should have been on.