I had my cholesterol tested and several other tests recently. My DR said my heart attack risk was 1 in 4 by age 60. I'm 34. I don't smoke, exercise and eat a low fat diet, no family history of heart attack, MOm has had several strokes caused by HBP, arteries are all clean.
My total cholesterol was 188. HDL is 41. LDL is 128. Triglycerides is 94. Sugar was 85(after 16 hour fast). My DR said I was doing good but I need to improve those numbers and suggested red grape juice or red grapes, raisins, add almonds, pecans or walnuts to my diet and niacin(250 mg), also suggested a vegetarian diet(I already eat almost no meat) otherwise take an aspirin a day. I asked about the niacin because I'm concerned that the numbers need to be better.
One of the problems has been steady weight gain over the past year and no matter what I do(short of starving) I can't get it down. My thyroid is fine and there doesn't seem to be any reason for the weight gain. A few months back my DR put me on a really strict diet of breakfast and lunch and no dinner. I'm pretty much able to stick to the two meals a day.
It seems for the past year I haven't been able to lose, I just keep gaining. My cholesterol numbers have gotten worse in the past year. I've accepted at this point that I'm going to have to adopt pretty much a vegetarian diet and as little fat as possible. And if I don't lose then I have no idea how I'm going to get it off short of just not eating.
For the past year I've been on metoprolol(75 mg) for tachycardia.
Anyway, does anyone know how those heart attack risk factors are determined? 1 in 4 doesn't sound too good to me.

rachelh69,

Your numbers aren't really all that bad, except that your HDL could be better. A higher HDL would most certainly improve things all around. Niacin can be quite effective at raising HDL, but the problem is, I'm not so sure that 250mg is nearly enough to have any significant effect. Maybe 1000mg. But 250? I don't know about that. Of course, it's probably best to start with a lower dose, and then gradually increase it over time.

Anyway, your risk is probably about average. Risk factors are generally based on statistical averages. But if you are able to increase your HDL, say to about 60, then you will have lowered your overall risk.

I can't say for certain exactly what is causing your weight gain, but I looked up Metoprolol, and it listed "sudden weight gain" as one of the side effects.

Arizona,
I'm curious, what website was that on? I've looked up the side effects of metoprolol before but never saw weight gain as a side effect.
I know I've read other peoples stories about weight gain with beta blockers.
I know one thing I have to have the medicine(it works pretty well with no other side effects) but the weight gain has to stop.

rachel,

All beta-blockers have this very undesirable side effect...I gained nearly 10 pounds in 14 days on atenolol :eek: and needed to squeeze EXTREMELY hard on the calories to reverse the trend!
After 30 days I jettisoned the drug.

The cause and effect is very easy to see since beta-blockers work by slowing the heart rate and force of each pulse (along with OTHER muscles unfortunately)...but just the cardiac effect is enough to cause the most energy intensive organ of the body to drastically lower it's caloric needs. AND WORSE the favored fuel of cardiac muscle is teeny bits of fat molecules (acyl-CoA.)

This class of drugs is probably the dieter's worst enemy (well ALMOST ...nothing beats PREDNISONE for porking-up.)

Unfortunately, I can't stop taking the medicine. When I was put on it my pulse rate was going up to 160, 170 and it has worked very well at slowing my pulse. Now I average around 60, 65. Sometimes laying down I'll go up to 90 or 95 but overall I'm doing good.
When I started the medicine I was already a little overweight but fortunately my weight gain hasn't been as bad as yours was. I average a 2 to 4 pound weight gain every time I go to the DR which is every three months. The problem has been getting it off and stopping any more weight gain.
One problem has been the fact that over the past few months I've had alot of back problems which for a couple of months made exercise impossible. I'm back to exercising every day but I can't do as much(I can't walk as far as I was before or stay on the stationary bike quite as long). I'm gradually trying to increase my exercise time.
I've heard some complain about atenolol and propranolol and it sounds like they are even worse than the one I'm on and mine's bad enough. I got lucky and didn't get the tiring(can't go) side effects that some complain about.

Rachel, who is this dr of yours. I would switch. Words have power. especially an influencial, intimidating dr. I was put on metopropal for anxiety and tachnicardia. I thought it was the med from hell. I got depressed, slowed down to a crawl. couldnt exercise because my heart rate wouldnt go up. the dr switched me to verapamil. My heart rate was up to 90-100. come to find out that tachycardia is a symptom of peri-menopause, along with multitude of symptoms. I am 42. 34 is young to start peri, but it is not unheard of. There is a 38 year old posting on the menopause board.

I dont how much you weigh, but the diet of eating 2 meals a day seems crazy. Has it backfired on you, meaning, are you so hungry and deprived that you end up binging?
Even weight watchers encourages 3 balanced meals a day.
Your cholesterol numbers are good from what I see.
I dont like your doctor. he doesnt have my respect.

Why would I want to switch DR's? I like my DR and he's not intimidating.
As for the metoprolol I like it. Other than the weight gain which I don't like but I've heard of other beta blockers that cause weight gain too so I don't see the point in switching to something else that will also cause weight gain and maybe other side effects too. It's too bad the metoprolol didn't work for you and caused bad side effects but I have no other side effects and beleive me I'm grateful for that because I could get terrible side effects.
The reason for my not being able to exercise had nothing to do with metoprolol. I have a back injury(I have neck, shoulder, upper back and low back problems) that I got years ago and a few months ago my dog(she's very strong) yanked me pretty hard and it hurt my low back. When I'm not having back pain I can generally walk about 2 or 3 miles but with the back problems I've had to cut back. And for awhile my back was so bad I could barely get out of bed but metoprolol didn't cause that.
I don't seem to have a problem with my HR not going up when I exercise.
If your HR was only going up to 90 or 100 I don't understand why you're on meds at all. UNless it just stays there then it gets annoying but it's not dangerous or serious.
My cholesterol numbers may not be bad but they need improvement. I don't want to wait until it's so high I have to go on meds to lower cholesterol or worse I develop heart disease. My aunt has had a problem with her cholesterol and she's pretty much had to adopt a vegetarian diet to get it down and keep it down. I don't have a problem with not eating meat, I don't really like it. Occasionally I like chicken or beef or fish but not often.
I've heard that perimenopause can cause tachycardia.
AS for the two meals a day I don't have a problem with it and don't binge. I've never done that. Sometimes I do eat three meals a day. BUt I don't get up real early.
I'm about 25 pounds over but my Dr said he'd be satisfied if I took off ten or twelve. I can understand needing to get the weight down, the more weight I gain the higher my risk of heart disease, diabetes. I don't need more problems on top of what I already have.

Rachel,


As for the dog, she isn't by chance a beagle, is she? I used to have a beagle who pulled so much that I thought for sure that sooner or later he'd end up pulling my arm out of its socket!

Nope, Arizona. She's a lab mix. I've read they have very strong necks. She's a small girl though, only about 45 pounds. Not mixed with beagle, at least I don't think so. Was told at the animal shelter she was mixed with setter.

My dog was actually a mix also. His father was a beagle and his mother was a mutt. But he had the looks of a beagle. My father used to say that he had the looks of his father, and the brains of his mother.

Alot of people seem to think mine's mixed with pit bull but she doesn't really have the looks of a pit, not to me anyway. She looks like she could be mixed with shepherd except she's too small.
She's fear aggressive, I think that might be one of the reasons.
Beagles are cute. My uncle had one, Jim Dandy, and he'd been mistreated(by whoever had him before my uncle got him) and was so scared until he got to know you.

Hello, my cholesterol is high, and I got it down using a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar mixed with a half cup of apple juice. I have also mixed it with water, just ot cut calories. It got it down quite a bit. I had it checked and had been off the vinegar and it was up again, so it does work. Doc wants me to take Zocor, but I do not want to. Anyway, I plan to become almost vegetarian, and do the apple cider vinegar and see what that does to my readings. It is worth a try....good luck. Zuzumanx

I had my cholesterol tested and several other tests recently. My DR said my heart attack risk was 1 in 4 by age 60. I'm 34. I don't smoke, exercise and eat a low fat diet, no family history of heart attack, MOm has had several strokes caused by HBP, arteries are all clean.
My total cholesterol was 188. HDL is 41. LDL is 128. Triglycerides is 94. Sugar was 85(after 16 hour fast). My DR said I was doing good but I need to improve those numbers and suggested red grape juice or red grapes, raisins, add almonds, pecans or walnuts to my diet and niacin(250 mg), also suggested a vegetarian diet(I already eat almost no meat) otherwise take an aspirin a day. I asked about the niacin because I'm concerned that the numbers need to be better.
One of the problems has been steady weight gain over the past year and no matter what I do(short of starving) I can't get it down. My thyroid is fine and there doesn't seem to be any reason for the weight gain. A few months back my DR put me on a really strict diet of breakfast and lunch and no dinner. I'm pretty much able to stick to the two meals a day.
It seems for the past year I haven't been able to lose, I just keep gaining. My cholesterol numbers have gotten worse in the past year. I've accepted at this point that I'm going to have to adopt pretty much a vegetarian diet and as little fat as possible. And if I don't lose then I have no idea how I'm going to get it off short of just not eating.
For the past year I've been on metoprolol(75 mg) for tachycardia.
Anyway, does anyone know how those heart attack risk factors are determined? 1 in 4 doesn't sound too good to me.





GO FOR A WALK EVERYDAY !!! AT LEAST A 1/2 MILE!!!

hi zuzu, I am using apple cider vinager too. I have not had my levels checked. I keep drinking it in faith. I am glad to hear someone has had positive results with it. I am out and heading to the health store for some now. I use "Braggs". I have read yiu need to use the kind with "mother" in it.

Ok,

That reminds ME to get back on the cider vinegar too. I buy the gallon bottle at ShopRite for about 3 bucks and take 1/2 ounce with 1/2 ounce of water and a pinch of sodium cyclamate (sweetner.) I actually love the taste.

{I also take it purely on faith...hoping for either nice weight loss, less cranky joints or blood lipid enhancement...I'll take any one out of three. :bouncing: }

Hey Zip, glad to hear that you are on the cider vinager bandwagon. I remember reading that it has to be the apple cider vinager with "mother" in it, which is unprocessed. It is suppose to have all the enzymes and potassium in it that we need. Make sure your brand does. I just bought a large 32 oz for $4.39. It last me quite awhile. Do a yahoo search for "braggs apple cider venegar."

LOL pslam,

I'm a cheapskate and thus my "motherless" ShopRite Apple Cider vinegar at $2.79/128 ounces will have to do.:D
I make my own kefir and have a glassful every day for nearly a decade so I know I'm in the top .02% of the American population for probiotic consumption.

hey zip, what is kefer and proabotics? The oppisite of antibiotic? Thanks

pslam,

Kefir is an ANCIENT fermented milk product made in the Middle East and into the Caucases and across North Africa.
It's a thick liquid with a more complex flavor than yoghurt because it's made by bacteria, yeasts, and fungi (MANY species) that live in symbiosis in a "grain" that goes from batch to batch fermenting the stuff.
These "bugs" are the probiotics, several of which are VERY useful for establishing in the human colon: they battle colon pathogens and keep it healthy.

Tastes like a complex buttermilk-yoghurt....but MORE!

It's quite delicious. Try your health food store for a taste ($3.49 a quart typically....THAT'S why I make my own :D). I'll bet you like it.
Don't get the "flavored.

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