High Cholesterol Support Group
High cholesterol is the presence of high levels of cholesterol in the blood. It is not a disease but a metabolic derangement that can be secondary to many diseases and can contribute to many forms of disease, most notably cardiovascular disease. If you have high cholesterol, join the community to find support and share your experience.
We have all seen those ads touting statins as wonder drugs boasting 36% and higher reduction of cardiovascular events. But are they as wonderful as their commercial image projects?
Here is the skinny on statins true performance. The behind the scenes numbers the drug companies would prefer you not know.
Lipitor:
100 high risk men had to take Lipitor for 3 years to spare one man a heart attack. The number of patients needed to treat to prevent one event is 100. Since only 1 person out of 100 received a benefit, the ABSOLUTE RISK REDUCTION is only1%.
Crestor:
288 people had to take crestor for 2 years to prevent one stroke.
241 people had to take crestor for 2 years to prevent one heart attack.
120 people had to take crestor for 2 years to prevent combined, a heart attack, stroke or death from CV causes.
This places Crestor's absolute risk reduction well below 1%.
For further information on Number Needed to Treat and Absolute risk reduction, see this award winning article in Business Week....
http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-01-16/do-cholesterol-drugs-do-any-good
Here is the skinny on statins true performance. The behind the scenes numbers the drug companies would prefer you not know.
Lipitor:
100 high risk men had to take Lipitor for 3 years to spare one man a heart attack. The number of patients needed to treat to prevent one event is 100. Since only 1 person out of 100 received a benefit, the ABSOLUTE RISK REDUCTION is only1%.
Crestor:
288 people had to take crestor for 2 years to prevent one stroke.
241 people had to take crestor for 2 years to prevent one heart attack.
120 people had to take crestor for 2 years to prevent combined, a heart attack, stroke or death from CV causes.
This places Crestor's absolute risk reduction well below 1%.
For further information on Number Needed to Treat and Absolute risk reduction, see this award winning article in Business Week....
http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-01-16/do-cholesterol-drugs-do-any-good
I thought about you today. I think you are in a unique situation with the 2000 TG's. I hope you never stop a medication due to my opinion on these drugs. It needs to be between you and your doctor. This is just a discussion forum.
According to Cardiologist Barbara Roberts, statins help about 1 out of 1000 women. Maybe you are that 1/1000 with your situation. But Dr. Roberts also notes in her practice roughly 20% of her patients having difficulty with statins. She wrote a book about statins released just this year. She, like your primary care Dr. is not crazy about the drugs.
I myself have am very interested in Cardiovascular disease. My Dad passed away from CHF and CVD.
I grew up in the 70's fully believing in the cholesterol theory. However today on this forum, I am the the guy who confronts the lipid hypothesis and challenges it validity.
I'm the guy that points a finger at Big Pharma sales and marketing influencing medical practice. I bring up conflicts of interest, and point out disturbing data that suggests we as a society have been barking up the wrong tree in the pursuit of Heart disease.
We have an incredible medical system which can save lives. Doctors can do wonders, but on the other side of the coin profit driven Big pharma has America overdosed on prescriptions they never needed, and the prescription cascade is out of control.
After studying the world. If someone told me they had CVD, the first question I would ask is " Where do you live?"
Its the healthy individuals who have a cholesterol of say 225, no heart disease, and the doctor puts the patient on a statin as a "preventative"
The patient develops problems on the statin, then has to take another drug to combat those problems.
Then problems develop from the second drug and a third drug is prescribed to fix that.
Next thing you know, a perfectly healthy patient is now sick because of a screwed up system that dictates " You MUST take this Statin if your cholesterol is over 200."
That's the part I don't like. And it happens everyday.
You on the other hand need to take action and do whats best for you. I wish you the best.
I don't take anything for cholesterol. My cholesterol stays below 200 despite eating a diet high in cholesterol from eggs, dairy, and meats.
In fact I have tried unsuccessfully to raise my cholesterol to 225. That was my goal, 225
If I remember to take my thyroid meds and eliminate refined carbohydrates my triglycerides will be perfectly normal.
If I fail to take my thyroid medicine my triglycerides shoot up high to over 1,000.