Lipitor or other statin type cholesterol reducing drug that is.....
Those of you taking Lipitor or similar variant:
1.) Is it working for you? 2.) What side effects, if any, are you experiencing? 3.) Any other thoughts on this type drug?
Doc said about a year ago that I have a bad hereditary profile where the good cholesterol is low, the bad is high, and the type of cholesterol is the "sandy" variety instead of the "chunky" kind which is not good, because the sandy kind tends to accumulate more readily. The chunky variety tumbles through the vessels more easily. (this is a fairly new discovery and can be a valuable assistance in profiling cholesterol/heart problem risks - I think only one lab in NC is doing that particular test)
Anyway, I feel fine, haven't had any "heart" problems or issues...but doc says it'll catch up to me at some future point. Doesn't seem to make sense...I'm not overweight...you'd think that would mean something, but apparently not.
I have resisted taking anything, because I don't like the thought of popping any medication...but am thinking that I need to bite the bullet and swallow the pill.
Feel free to "weigh-in" on this.
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
Ya, my count was over 300. Had no idea where it was comming from. "They" said it was genetic too. I was using lipitor. but stopped. I wanted to try to control the cholesterol with self control and proper diet.
Well, it worked. My levels are great last test was total 170. However, this is not easy to maintain. Red meat only about every 15 days. Lots of deep cold water seafood and veggies and a vegatable based protien. Also, totally removing any transfat sources when ever posible. And then, using omega 3 supplements, fish oil, and flax oil. Cook with only olive or saflower oils. A complete life style change. My over all food bill actually is lower. I wonder if anyone realizes just how expensive junk food is?
The trade off? It is very difficult to find a place to eat that meets my needs. And, just one weekend of celebrating will elevate the count to over 200.
The conclusion. It would be much easier but more expensive to use the pill.
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
The drug companies and doctors are trying to ram these drugs down our throats when there are alternatives. One of the statins, I can't remember the name now, was pulled from the market because it was killing people. It's back now, reformulated, but I sure wouldn't trust it.
There is a new procedure being tested right now that may kill the statins. It is synthetic "good cholesterol" and the early tests are showing that it cleans out the arteries, in fact it seems it goes after the worst spots first. They expect approval for general use in 2 to 3 years.
But in the mean time, I have an alternative that you can try that would be much healthier. There is a product from a company in Arizona called Choleste-Care. A close friend of mine was on Lipator. He tried it for 3 months. His cholesterol went down, but he couldn't stand the side effects. He went off and his cholesterol went right back up. I told him about Choleste-Care so he tried it. In 2 months his cholesterol was within normal range. It typically lowers it by about 50 points for about 80% of those who try it.
It's main ingrediants are red rice yeast, red sage root, plant fats called beta-sitosterol, garlic, natural vitamin E and vitamin C. The cost if you become a member is $33.95 for a one month supply. Membership is only $15 with no minimum purchase. If you are interested, call or e mail me for the info.
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
I was well over 300 cholesterol ... my Doc put me om Lescol, then Lipitor....both about finished me off! Side effects were lack of strength and muscle pain , plus elevated liver emzimes.
I am now on Slo Niacin, and it is doing the job. The Slo Niacin plus using olive oil for cooking and salad dressing, has me down to 216 cholesterol, BUT my HDL/LDL ratio is extremely good!
The best part is that the Slo Niacin costs me $12/month, instead of $186/month!!!!
Check with your doctor, because the Slo Niacin doesn't work for everyone.
[ March 09, 2004, 12:10 PM: Message edited by: Si Allen ]
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
15 years ago, when they 1st started checkin CHOL. i had mine checked and was at 305!!!!! i was told by the guy who tested it ...."you be lucky if you make it home!!!" he meant that it was so high that i could drop dead before i got home. this was 15 yrs or so ago and they had no drugs available. and i wouldnt have taken any if they had. so i quit eating beef, pork, and continued eating poultry and seafood. had it tested 4-5 months later NO CHANGE. wife and her sisters went on a week cruise to the bahamas....one sister is a travel agent so she set this up at really great price. while on the ship, its a 24/7 MEAT BUFFET, with a continuious serving....hennie well being on this cruise started reading DIET FOR A NEW AMERICA, and when she hit home....she said I QUIT EATING ALL MEATS....after this cruise i dont want to see any!!!!! fine with me......so thats how i became a vegitarian. after 90 days of no meats, eggs, cheese,(only cheese was romano on pasta)i went and had my cholesterol checked....by the same guy who did it at 305....he thought he got the samples mixed up.....did another on me....both said 160!!!!!!!!! since then i do eat eggs, and cheese and had it checked a couple years ago at a health fair...and it was 170...and i had just had DENNY's breakfast. i take a lot of ribbing here and on chat, iam the TOFU EATING, OWL, WHALE, SEAL TREE HUGGER!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA.... but i just want to make it to 60, then 65, maybe 70.....when i was 25, never thought i would make it past 30!!!!!!hehehehehehehe just want to add this....your own body makes chol. and it can pretty well regulate that most of the time. there are some people that once they hit 45-50 the regulation of your own chol goes outa wack. these people have no choice but drugs. only foods we eat that have chol are MEAT,FISH & POULRTY. in my case i can eat a whole chicken, used to make HO-JO'S wed nite clam ALL-U-CAN-EAT, a feast!!!! 4-5 plates of deep fried clams!!!! so my added chol intake was off the scope! once you stop adding chol to your body, it will reset its regulation, and see if that is what it will take.....then after 60-90 days of limited meat intake, have it checked....if it dont make a diff then go for the pills.....
[ March 10, 2004, 08:26 PM: Message edited by: old paint ]
Posted by Diane Crowther (Member # 120) on :
Your weight has nothing to do with your cholesterol level. I've battled my weight all my life, and am currently about 60lbs overweight. My cholesterol level is that of a newborn. My husband, on the other hand, has never been more than about 10 lbs. overweight in his whole life and his cholesterol is borderline high.
Your cholesterol buildup is cumulative over a lifetime. You're either predisposed to it building up or not. If you are, then dietary changes or medications can help to bring it down. If you're not, like me, then you can eat all the bad stuff you want and it won't raise your cholesterol levels.
So, by looking at my husband and I, you'd think my arteries would be clogged and his would be free-flowing, but it's just the opposite.
Everyone should have their cholesterol levels checked even if they're not overweight.
Posted by aaronssigns (Member # 490) on :
last oct. I was 315 lbs and was also taking Liptor On dec. 15th i had gastric bypass surgery im off all meds now and im down to 225lbs and last week my colest. test came back at 156!....hehehehe I LOVE IT!
Posted by aaronssigns (Member # 490) on :
last oct. I was 315 lbs and was also taking Liptor On dec. 15th i had gastric bypass surgery im off all meds now and im down to 225lbs and last week my colest. test came back at 156!....hehehehe I LOVE IT!
Posted by jimmy chatham (Member # 525) on :
my cholesterol is ok but my triglycerides were 900 the dr. told me i would be dead in 2 weeks if i didn't get my blood sugar& tryglycerides down so i have been on lopid ever since.
Posted by Ed Williams (Member # 846) on :
I've been Lipitor for 5 months. The numbers are starting to look good. Have your blood tested to see if it has any bad effects on you. I haven't had any side effects. Now my blood pressure medicine makes me dizzy. Well dizzier than normal.
Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Thanks for all the personal stories and alternative suggestions. I have to weight these and do something. I don't want to be posting about a heart attack, or worse yet, having somebody else post that I had a heart attack if you get my drift.
At least there are various choices and the miracles of modern medicine today. I often think of how rough it must have been in the "old days" where some poor pilgrim got a sore throat, which turned into a throat infection then went into scarlet fever and killed them.
Thanks for the replies. I'll keep reading them as they come along.
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
Yes, I forgot about the red yeast rice Red yeast rice is available in any health food store. I get it for about 20 bux a bottle. Or its available with niacin for about 30 bux a bottle.. The story about red yeast rice:
Its is used by the chinese for 1000 years. It was the basis for reasearch into cholesterol lowering drugs. (lipitor).
Its main component Red Yeast is banned in the USA (i wonder why) has the basic compnent as lipitor. Statins in some form. It is well known to work.
However, you can do soem things yourself. Look up lowering cholesterol on da net and you will be shocked as to how easy it could be for many. And what food really raises it.
The formula for finding LDL is
LDL = total cholesterol - HDL - Triglycerides/5
So your triglycerides have a strong factor. Triglycerides are made of fat and Carbohydrates...
One more point, a book called Chinese Red Yeast Rice by rita Elkins M.H.
[ March 09, 2004, 08:48 PM: Message edited by: Curtis hammond ]
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
I'm in the same health boat as you Todd, with the same quandry- it doesn't quite make sense. Some good advice above too, though mine was up in spite of not being overweight, nor a bad diet, not any family history of problems.
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
Aparently Old Paint only reads the lead topic and not the replies.
Drugs...
Only as a last resort.
Our health care system is built on "wait till its broke, then fix it with drugs." The only exception is when they can come up with a drug that they can charge an arm and a leg for to supposedly keep you healthy.
In most cases you can do it with diet and supplements. But there's no money in it for the drug companies.
Posted by Rovelle W. Gratz (Member # 4404) on :
I take Zocor with no apparent side effects...my C number is 137.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
dave....iam confussed...read the last sentence of my post..... added comment here is the DRUG COMMERCIALS! they all tend to portray their drug...AS THE ONLY FIX!!! and i dont like it. there was one LIPITOR add specially. it has this woman who is a surfer, middle aged(late 30's, early 40's)says she is a vegitarian...and her cholestrol is still 250!!! or some rediculious number!!! so she still needs the DRUGS.... We have a group of people here in pensacola that are vegitarians and we have a pot luck dinner once a month for the exchange of recipes, information and freindship. there is a doctor, a couple of R.N.'s and L.P.N's, and we sometimes will watch a video on healthier ways to eat and live. one video comes to mind of DR.M. KLAPER look here http://www.vegsource.com/klaper/bio.htm now his tape is really an eye opener but not for the squimish. also go here and look thru the info http://www.lordly.com/talent/sei/OrnishDean.html
[ March 10, 2004, 08:53 PM: Message edited by: old paint ]
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
Joe, you said, "there are some people that once they hit 45-50 the regulation of your own chol goes outa wack. these people have no choice but drugs."
There is another choice. It's listed in my first post.
Posted by Dennis Veenema (Member # 833) on :
Ok I wanna know! What is it with you Americans and getting your cholesterol checked? I don't know anybody here who gets it checked and that includes my 72 year old father.
You're all getting scammed by drug companies who are running the health system.
I just read the other day that Americans consume 44% of the prescription drugs produced in the world. Canadians consume 2%.
Tell your doctor to shove that test. Eat balanced meals: you'll be fine.
Posted by Mike Paul (Member # 4200) on :
Hey Dennis, I would like read that article you talked about in your last post. Can you tell me what magazine it was published? Re: >>> (Americans consume 44% of the prescription drugs produced in the world. Canadiansconsume 2%) Thanks, Mike Posted by Todd Gill (Member # 2569) on :
Actually, we probably comsume so many drugs because as a nation we can afford them. Many other countries can't afford a bowl of rice once a day....which is darn unfortunate. We are truly a blessed country and need to take the time to remember that.
Cheers.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
ok i see what you ment dave. the ones i refer to in that sentence are few and far between, but they do exist. like any medical problem, diet and lifestyle are the main things that determine your ailments. i agree with you, as ive changed mine and seen all the changes WITHOUT DRUGS. i have a real problem with all of the antibiotics!!!! these things are really bad. i havent had a cold in 2-3 winters now, and i eat a lot of spicy(capciacian)foods. no heartburn or acid reflux. even with the spicy foods.if and when i go to the doctor..i tell him to give me plain old penicillian.
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
Joe, cool. Glad it works for you. The drug companies are going to screw up the world.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
have you seen the add for the latest errection medication(can i say that?)CIALIS i think is the name.....in the side effects it says IF YOU HAVE AN ERRECTION FOR MORE THEN 4 HOURS....GET MEDICAL ATTENTION??????? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA
Posted by TransLab (Member # 470) on :
3rd year on lipitor.... works well, no side effects, and cholesterol level is checked. I have to have blood tests every 3 months to check the liver, but no ill effects so far, and being a canuck I don't have to worry about expense.
I was on lovastat first, but didn't like the side effects, lethargy, disiness.
It's brought a new zest to life ... 4 eggs, extra bacon, and pop an extra pill ... kidding
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
mike dont take this personally, but there in lies the problem with people and drugs. what you said about extra eggs and bacon...and POP A PILL.(i saw the just kidding!) some how i cant fathom that. but people do it. i had a friend in sarasota who had a triple by pass. after this he had to carry around an oxygen tank. he would shut off the tank .....AND LIGHT UP A CIGARETTE!!!!!! my brotherin law has a friend who is on his 2nd liver tranplant...BUT WONT QUIT DRINKING!!! darrel, this brother in law, is on 2,3 different cholestrol drugs, really bad time with controlling it.....comes here on visits and wont eat with me and the wife...HAS TO GO GET FRESH SEAFOOD everyday hes here(and mostly shellfish...highest cholestrol there is)!!! i had cholestorol of 305, i had(i belive 3 heart attacks) AND I DONT TAKE ANY MEDICATION TODAY!!! i quit smoking(heart attack cause) and quit eating meat(cholestrol loaded) and i still eat eggs...and my cholestrol is 150-170 at the most. i changed a few things in my life...for my health, no other reason....and if i can...anyone can.
[ March 15, 2004, 01:39 AM: Message edited by: old paint ]
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
in my humble opinion,
Anyone who is on a SECOND transplant ,, actually a second lease on life and still consumes seafood,, especially shellfish needs to be beaten within an inch of his life twice, and then never get a third chance for a liver.
sheesh.
Posted by Serge (Member # 3645) on :
I ran the same question on adult webmasters board and have to conclude: adult entertaintment is healthier occupation than sign business ;-)))
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Joe, cool. Glad it works for you. The drug companies are going to screw up the world.
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kidding