I am in disagreement with my doctor over this. My numbers are as follows:

Total Cholesterol: 235
HDL: 61
LDL: 158
Triglycerides: 79

My doctor thinks these results are very high and wants me on medication immediately. He is not even entertaining the idea of diet and exercise because he knows that I exercise daily and have been dieting. But my diet was geared towards weightloss, not necessarily all low fat.

I want to go the homeopathic route before I start taking meds for this. I picked up some garlic capsules and it was also suggested that I take Flax.

I don't have high blood pressure or any other risk factors for heart disease, so I can't understand why the doctor doesnt want me to modify my diet before going on medication.

Any opinions please?

Your numbers and ratios are reasonably good. I see no reason why you should have to be on drugs. This is all part of the so-called LDL hysteria that is sweeping the country as of late. Your doctor has evidently been reading too many pharmaceutical comic books.

Thanks. My doctor said the new standards are for total cholesterol well below 200 and LDL at 70 or lower. I thought that was only for people with high risk factors.

well, he and I are going to go 'round & round' on this one.

Thanks again

You're right. Those new guidelines are supposed to be geared toward high risk patients. But I knew something like this would probably happen as a result of these perplexing changes. Many doctors are going to undergo knee-jerk reactions, and end up prescribing drugs to people who are at much lower risk.

I'm wondering then why he considers me "high risk".

I'm 46, 5'1", weigh 117, run 4 miles a day, and for the most part watch what I eat. My blood pressure is 117/63.

I figured my total cholesterol was borderline high. But he feels otherwise. He is taking the meds himself and said that pretty much everyone will have to take them sooner or later.

Yes, that's what I'm afraid of. Eventually they'll want everyone to take these drugs. At least, that's the direction they appear to be heading in.

I have no idea why your doctor would consider you "high risk." I haven't the slightest clue, except that our medical authorities have created such a wave of confusion and anti-LDL hysteria that it has resulted in doctors recklessly prescribing these drugs.

What an eerie paradox we have in this country. On the one hand, these potentially dangerous drugs are increasingly being recommended for a growing number of people. But on the other hand, they continue to sneer at, and discourage the public from taking vitamin C, which is needed in sufficient quantities to manufacture the collagen which is necessary to keep our arteries and entire vascular system strong and healthy. There's obviously something terribly wrong here. Sometimes I wonder what century we're living in.

I am in disagreement with my doctor over this. My numbers are as follows:

Total Cholesterol: 235
HDL: 61
LDL: 158
Triglycerides: 79

My doctor thinks these results are very high and wants me on medication immediately. He is not even entertaining the idea of diet and exercise because he knows that I exercise daily and have been dieting. But my diet was geared towards weightloss, not necessarily all low fat.

I want to go the homeopathic route before I start taking meds for this. I picked up some garlic capsules and it was also suggested that I take Flax.

I don't have high blood pressure or any other risk factors for heart disease, so I can't understand why the doctor doesnt want me to modify my diet before going on medication.

Any opinions please?


Those #s aren't bad at all..but not *optimal*. The LDL should be at least 30 pts lower. If you can accomplish that with diet, then fine . If not, you should be given a low dose statin. My #s were very close to yours (total 250..HDL 61..LDL 170) and I went on Crestor (8 mg ave..alternating 5/10mg). I now have a total of 170 with and LDL of 93.

I'm wondering then why he considers me "high risk".

I'm 46, 5'1", weigh 117, run 4 miles a day, and for the most part watch what I eat. My blood pressure is 117/63.

I figured my total cholesterol was borderline high. But he feels otherwise. He is taking the meds himself and said that pretty much everyone will have to take them sooner or later.

When I asked my Dr. about the statins he said they are the new "holy water" so to speak. The last couple years it was the Purple Pill and acid refux. You sound pretty healthy to me and I have been told by two doctors(after I lost 30 lbs) that losing weight does not help cholesteral and for some people regardless of what they eat it doesn't work. I would talk to him more and see why he wants you to take them and at what level he wants you at. Remember how they pushed estrogen replacement meds for many years. Talk to him and see if he can convince you. if not don't take them.

I'm in there with the consensus. I wouldn't medicate 235 TC with a 61 HDL. Now MAYBE if the TC went over 250 and the HDL went below 50, I'do otherwise. I started Lipitor when I saw my 260 TC with a delightful HDL of 28.

georgiehopper,
Why not add some fish oils...they help everyone, and eliminate all hydrogenated oils...they HURT everyone.
Other than that, keep up the exercise and monitor annually.

I talked to the doctor today and he still feels I need the meds because he takes them too.

I told him that I want to further change my diet and intensify my exercise and weight loss program and he basically said its not going to change anything...but he isnt going to argue with me.

I told him about wanting to add the plant sterols to my diet and he said I should worry about their side effects too.

He's really pro-pill. But I told him no Statins for me yet. And he said for me to come back in 12 weeks and have my blood checked again. He doesnt think it will change.

Hello, You're not that overweight to focus on a weight loss program. You said, "'m 46, 5'1", weigh 117, run 4 miles a day, and for the most part watch what I eat. My blood pressure is 117/63." You need to focus more on what you eat to lower your cholesterol rather than loose weight. You might also ask for a re-test one month after you start your new life plan and be sure not to eat lots of fat the night before. I hope you did a 12 hour fast before you had the test done; otherwise, it may not be that accurate. You also need to check into other possible causes like medications, illness, fatty liver, etc. What you do want to do is to make yourself a really nice food diary for 2 weeks, so you can see exactly what is happening and if your diet really is the problem. You don't want to overdue your total fat intake, really slow down on sat. fats, and do away with trans. fats. Total fat should only less than 30%. I eat 10-25% total fat. Sat. fat is only a small portion of that fat. (I do eat meat.) Keep in mind that 1 gram of fat = 9 cal. I take in 1400 cal. and 16-39 g. of total fat, which is how I lowered my cholesterol. (Most of the time I eat 25-27 g. of total fat.) Substitute olive oil for butter/margarine in your cooking...Eat only the leanest meats...Don't eat the skin on poultry and no duck...Keep it to 1-2 eggs per week...Ditch the regular cheese and go with low-fat cheese or no cheese...Eat fish at least 2-3 times every week....Ditch the premade junk food snacks and eat fruit or veggies instead...Make sure your meals are not double digits in the total fat amount...All snacks should be less than 3 g. of total fat. If you do this and keep up your current exercise routine, your LDL cholesterol should drop.

I just spoke with the doctor and he is convinced meds are the only way to go.

He poo-pooed my ideas about more exercise, better diet, and plant sterols and stanins.

He wants me back in 12 weeks and figures it will be time for medication.

I was hoping he would recommend a nutritionist for me, but no such luck.

I'm kind of digusted over this.

I have been keeping a food diary for almost a year. It always shows that my fat intake is under 40 grams a day. But I dont think its 100% accurate because sometimes I cheat or eat out a couple of times a week. Though I order things from the menu that are within my calorie limits, I dont always pay attention to the fat content.

I was eating low fat icecream once or twice a day so that I'd keep my calcium intake high. I can't drink milk because it messes too much with my stomach.

I also was not getting near enough fruits and veggies. Idont eat eggs, or cheese, or butter or anthing with lots of fat or cholesterol (accept for the times that I eat out)

I eat NO red meat at all. Only chicken breast(never with skin), turkey, canned salmon and canned tuna.

I know that I don't get enough fiber either.

So I'm hoping that making a few small changes to my diet can make a difference.

my #s are similar to yours, tc 216, hdl 51 ldl 151 and tris are 70

ratios were good and yours seems good too. my doc just recommend i try niacin and re test in 3 months, but if it doesnt go down then meds so i have one last cance to lower it on my own. but if u really dont want to go on meds i would try a diet and maybe naicin or fiber supplements and have him retest u in 3 months and then make a final decision. good luck

Hello Georgie, That's it...You mentioned about eating out a couple of times per week and eating low-fat ice-cream 1-2 times per day. The eating out needs to be lowered to once per month, because no matter what they say at the restaurant, it aways has too much everything in it...too much food, too much fat, too much salt, etc. Even if your favorite restaurant uses margarine instead of butter, there's still too much fat and trans fats in the margarine. Even a restaurant salad can still have trans fats in the fat-free dressing and too much sodium and sugar. The low-fat ice-cream you're eating may have only a little bit less than the regular, so you may want to double check the label. Also, 1 serving of ice-cream is only one small scoop (1 cup) so you may be eating 2-6 times the total fat that is listed on the container, since they list per serving. Fat-free ice-cream can be an alternative, but you really have to test out different brands to find out which ones you like best. I like the flavored ones that "Weis" and "Turkey Hill" put out. The banana split fat-free is really pretty good and satisfying, so is the southern lemon pie ice-cream.

I think for a diet change it would take longer than 12 weeks. Unless you are one of those people that no matter what you eat you make cholesteral it should show a difference. Everyone around here is on flax seed. A couple tablespoon on their cereal. I think it is because of the high fiber which is known to help cholesteral. You could also try Metamucil. Did you ask him what his numbers were?

He didnt say what his numbers were, but DID say that they were worse than mine. Plus he is overweight, has higher blood pressure, and doesnt exercise.

I remember over 20 years ago I was about 22 years old and eating anything I liked plus lots of eggs. I had my cholesterol checked and it was 300! I went on a diet and had my levels checked in 2 weeks and the cholesterol had dropped to 200. Back then, 200 was considered good and nothing more was ever said about it. Ever since then, I have avoided eggs and shellfish(because they told me to), and really greasy foods.

I know that I have not been getting enough fiber and that is one of the things I am adding to my diet plus tomorrow, I have an appointment with a dietician. I nagged the doctor into giving me a referral :)

Hi,
Just started taking lipitor 2 weeks ago, I have many aches and sore mucsles,they have me on 40 mg. a day, my count was cholesterol-326, Idl-228 and hdl- 326 and my triglycerides- 280, I know they are high, but am willing to stay on lipitor at least another week.I hope this works, trying to change diet, hard to do when you are so used to eating what ever you want. Hope all goes well for you.
cookie

Cookie, Lipitor is one of the worse for causing those symptoms. You might be able to use another one with no side effects.

To Georgie, I love eggs and still will have them but then I am older than you and probably have less things to enjoy than you do. LOL. Try the flax seed. Everyone is using it around here though my Dr. isn't that impressed with it. I am surprised that you cholesteral went down that fast but my Dr. did say that you could take it every day of the week and it could be different.

Hi Canyon,
Thank you for your reply, yes I think there a different meds. instead of lipitor, but I also have fybromyalga, and I think that has alot to do with the muscle aches, I will keep trying the lipitor only because I am scared because my cholestrol being so high, maybe that will bring it down.
But if you know of another med. that seems to work I would ask my dr. about it,also, with high cholestrol does it go down and you stop the meds? I dont know too much about it, never had it before.
Thank You and have a good day
cookie

cookie,

Know well for future reference that you can get almost the same results with lower dosage Lipitor.
Most people get very good numbers with only 10 mg.
So try to go as low as you can if symptoms bother you.

There is so much hysteria about cholesterol now. I think since the drug companies lost so much business from the Hormone Replacement Therapy debacle, now they want the whole country on cholesterol meds and even financed a study that raised the bar even more for everybody.

An HDL of 61 is actually protective against heart disease.
Up until last week an LDL of 160 of less didn't even warrent diet or lifestyle changes. Now that has dropped to 130 for low to moderate risk, 100 for high risk, and 70 for very high risk.

Your trylgycerides are great.

You know 10 years ago, a total cholesterol count of up to 240 was considered normal. When it was lowered to 200 a few years ago a lot of "normal" people got knocked out of the box.

For your doctor to suggest meds at this juncture given your profile I feel is nuts. My suggestion to you is to get a supplement called "cholesterol success". Use it for 2 months, then go back and have the panel done again.
This supplement guarantees to lower cholesterol 24% or your money back.

I used it for 2 months and managed to drop my LDL from 201 to 140.

Good luck :wave:

I had an appointment with a registered dietician today and she told me that my numbers could be brought down with a little more tweaking of my diet and the addition of flax seed, garlic, and plant sterols.

So, that is what I'm going to do for awhile. I go back in two weeks to see her. The doctor wants to check my blood again in 12 weeks.

Wish me luck!

Hi,
Just curious about that cholesterol supplement,do you get it from a health food store or can you get it from walgreens? I would be willing to try it, if it works that would be great. I also think dr. are giving us too many meds. when maybe something natural would work just as well, and not effect our livers or cause so many side effects.
Have a great night
cookie

Hi,

The supplement "Cholesterol Success" is available in health food stores and I have seen it in chain drug stores. But if you can, it would really be a good idea to get it off of the internet. Shop around for the prices because I have seen it in stores for as much as $26 a bottle. I have gotten off of the internet for as low as $17. This stuff, like I said actually offers a money back guarantee (obtained through the mail if it does not work). It is just plant sterols which is basically fiber, so very safe.

Oh, one more thing. The more I read about you the more your profile reminds me of myself. I am 48, blood pressure 110/70 and low 120's in weight. Tryglyerides are normal (77) and I run a hight HDL (sometimes as high as 82).
I am not a big meat, egg or cheese eater BUT I am a great one for sweets, especially chocolate and fatty pastries. I can drop my numbers very easily just by staying out of the bakery. My numbers spike in the winter from all the holiday parties and then drop like a stone in the summer because of this.

Also, I used to order my coffee light with half and half. Now I order it with skim milk. It was like going off heroine!! Sounds like no big deal, right. Trust me, it makes a big deal of difference in the numbers!

I also used to eat shrimp because it was low in calories. Shrimp is one of the worst things you can eat when you are watching cholesterol. It is not clear to me whether the problem is caused by dietary cholesterol or saturated fat in the diet but I keep on eye on both just to make sure.

Hope this helps. :wave:

Hi Molly,
I would say my diet is the worst, I never had any problems with my diet till now. I think with all I have gone thru with pain from nerve damage and having drop foot, has depressed me and I think I just eat and not think about what I eat. I drink alot of coke and eat alot of greasy foods,I love the fat on meat,so its hard to change , eating well is hard when you are not used to it. I am going to look on the internet and see if i can find cholesterol success, it doesn't hurt to try it. How long did it take before you noticed any change in your cholesterol? I am going to walgreens tonight I will look and see if they have it.
Thanks for the tip
cookie

But if you know of another med. that seems to work I would ask my dr. about it,also, with high cholestrol does it go down and you stop the meds? I dont know too much about it, never had it before.
Thank You and have a good day
cookie

Firstly, the Dr should have tried the LOWEST dose FIRST (10mg) and then adjust upward as required. I think 40 is a bit much for Lipitor. As far as another med..sure... ask your Dr to try CRESTOR (10 mg to start.). I don't think you will need more than 20 mg MAX, since CRESTOR is more effective. I take only 8mg Crestor (average dose 5mg/10mg ) and get very good results with no problems. If your Dr won't do that....drop the dosage to 20 mg yourself and wait for the next test results. I can say this because lowering cholesterol medication is NOT dangerous..like lowering a drug for Diabetes. :D

No, my understanding is that once you are on statins which is what all these cholesteral drugs are you are on them for life. I have been told that for some reason a person can take one and not another and for another person the reverse but that Lipitor is one of the hardest to take. I think it is trial and error. Pravachol was the first, I think. I have Zocor to try but am waiting for another test before I try anything new. Nothing to do with cholesterol. Another thing your Dr. should consider is low thyroid because that definetly is a contributing factor to high cholesteral. So if that has not been check perhaps you should have a TSH, T3 and T4. Get them all cause sometimes one might be off base because of error. When I got the TSh I was off the charts. 2 months later I had them all and it proved the first test was entirely wrong. So I recommend as a check and balance to have them all. It is just a blood test. Good luck. I know it is a worry but it is so common to have problems with these muscle pains that I think I would be willing to go off for 2 weeks and see if they stopped. It is probably aggravating your fibromyalgia. :wave:

I heard that chocolate is really bad for cholesteral.. sometimes people are just predisposed to higher cholesteral by heredity.

Hi Cookie,

I was able to see a marked improvement in LDL (200 to 140) in 9 weeks!
When you get this stuff, you need to get two bottles because their guarantee is based upon using it for a full 2 months.

Ofcourse I didn't just take the cholesterol success. A lot of it was being honest with myself and trying to figure out what it was in my diet that was causing the high numbers in me.

Small changes like just cutting out half and half (not a small change for me!) made a big difference. When I used to order coffee I ordered a cup of half and half with a little coffee in it for flavoring!

Another thing I use is a butter spread called "Smart Balance Light". I spread it on bread and vegetables. It is supposed to improve cholesterol levels and I think it tastes pretty good.

Watching your cholesterol is like watching your weight. Once you have high cholesterol, it becomes a lifetime of eternal vigilence. The good thing is that the right diet and exercise can control both.

Molly :wave:

Hi,
Just read the posts and there are many options for me to try,I cant drop the dose for lipitor because it is a round green pill.Do you think I should cut it in half? And yes I think the lipitor does affect my fibro, my muscles and joints are always sore. My dr. did not even tell me if I need another blood test, so I dont know when I should go back, if I should wait or call him and make an appointment. Its be 2 weeks since I started the lipitor,maybe I should wait and see how I feel. Once again I thank everyone for their advice, I think I get more information on this site than I get from the dr.
Thanks again all
cookie

Hi,
Just read the posts and there are many options for me to try,I cant drop the dose for lipitor because it is a round green pill.Do you think I should cut it in half? And yes I think the lipitor does affect my fibro, my muscles and joints are always sore. My dr. did not even tell me if I need another blood test, so I dont know when I should go back, if I should wait or call him and make an appointment. Its be 2 weeks since I started the lipitor,maybe I should wait and see how I feel. Once again I thank everyone for their advice, I think I get more information on this site than I get from the dr.
Thanks again all
cookie

You can split the pill with a pill splitter (can get at any Drug Store). That Dr is really something :rolleyes: ...he should have scheduled a blood test(liver and lipids) within a month or so of starting the meds.

Hmm cookie,
I can't find a picture of the Lipitor 40's, but unless they are coated (like an M&M) you should be abole to split them easily with your fingers. My 20's are white ovals that snap easily into 2 equal parts and even the 10's are easy to split (also white ovals,)
Try snapping one with your hands and see what you get!

My REAL chore is snapping Cozaar 100's because those sly foxes have coated them and made them teardrop shaped so you can never QUITE tell where the middle is- and the coating is like EPOXY!!

If you must, the pill splitters are quite cheap, but I find they make a lot of dust so I always try finger-snapping first (until cramps set in:D)

Hi Jip,
Yes my pills are green and they are coated so I think to split them I will need that splitter, these are real hard. Like I was saying I dont know if the aches I have are from them or my fibromyalga,I also have been getting light headed, I have to call dr. monday, they called here today but I was with my daughter and missed the call, maybe he is going to change the dose(who knows these drs. drive me nuts) I will call and see what they wanted. Last night I tried not taking my elavil at night, well that did not go well, I was in pain all night, would wake up and try to go back to sleep, with no results. Tonight, back to my meds.
Hope you have a great night
cookie

try eating a 1/2 cup of ground flax seed daily. that's just two ounces by weight. it's helping me with a host of health problems. i buy the brown flax seed for 89 cents a pound and grind it myself. it's supposed to lower bad cholesterol. i put it in my oatmeal, but there are a number of different ways to eat it. it's best when combined with something else, yogurt for instance, if you try to eat it raw it will seriously stick to your teeth. i boil 2 cups water, add 1 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup ground flax seed, reduce heat to medium and cook 10 minutes approx. tastes great and works great for me. i started doing this on june 21 and i started feeling noticeably better june 23. it is loaded with omega 3 essential fatty acids. i was probably severely deficient in this healthy fat. good luck.

Hi Rickhard, Thank you for your reply, do you buy this flax seed in a health food store,or can you buy it from kmart or walgreens? Also, are you on any meds for your cholesteral? I am new to this I dont know how long I have to take this lipitor, I will call dr. monday, they give you meds. and dont really explain if you take it for a month or a year. I think maybe after some time they have you take another blood test to see how well it is doing. Also will this keep coming back, or when it is lowered is that all they do? I know I have to change my diet but that is very hard to do, I dont feel sick or anything from it being so high, but I guess after time untreated then you get symptoms,I will ask tomorrow.
Thanks for your reply and hope you have a great night.
cookie

Once you are on a cholesteral lowering drug you are usually on it for life I am sorry to say unless you can find another way.

Hi Canyon,
So you think thats true about being on meds, I wonder if the people that take different types of vitamins make a differance? I think sometimes its earier to take the pill, I am not to disciplined enough to stay on a balanced diet.
have a great night
cookie

I have mild hypertension and I was prescribed Lipitor last January. My numbers were total cholesterol 191 LDL 130 HDL 38. My doctor thought my numbers were too high so he put me on lipitor. A month later I had a profile done and my new numbers were total 124 LDL 70 HDL 35.. I have to go back again next month for a liver function test and cholesterol profile.
I am in good health other than the hypertension problem. I am not overweight, eat a reasonably good diet, exercise daily and the only risk factors I have are the high blood pressure...

So what does the doctor think of your numbers now? What about the HDL? How often do you get your numbers checked?

Hi,
These are my numbers taken 2 weeks ago, Cholesterol-326, hdl-326,idl-228, platelet-447, and trylycerides-280 are those really high? Thats why he has me on the lipitor-40mgs. and the pills are white< I thought they were green but I was wrong.
Thanks have a great day
cookie

gerogep, what is your age and how high is your blood pressure. suprised the doc put u on meds with those #'s. i took fishoil and it raised my hdl from 41 to 51 in 2 months.

Cookie, that is what the Cardiologist told me. I had been dieting and was eating almost no meat, etc. lost 30 lbs and thought I would wow them with my cholesteral drop. Well, it went up a little. They told me weight loss had nothing to do with it and probably my body was just making its own whatever that means. Also heredity is a big part of it. Try the flax seed. My friends are all in to it but I have a problem coming up with enough foods to put it on. My Dr. doesn't see it as that beneficial. After i heard that chocolate is bad for cholesteral I cut down on that. Also, I was hypothyroid and that causes high cholesteral so we will check again after 6 months to see if my cholesteral has gone down with thyroid meds.

Cookie,

What I'd do if I were you (yep your numbers are really AWFUL) is to STILL split the 40's to 20's and take one a day for a month and don't tell your doctor til AFTER you see the results. If they are great, tell him "THANK YOU DOCTOR FOR YOUR EXPERTISE" and continue taking 20's. If your numbers are only so-so, then fess up and say you'll take the 40's the next month. If he hollers at you, just tell him some idiot on the Internet told you to split them:D, I'll take the blame!:D:D

I just found out that I have high cholesterol today. My LDL is 163, HDL 73 - Total 248, and my triglycerides are 62. My doctor said they can start to prescribe medication if the LDL is over 160. She didn't prescribe any medication for me because she said she wants me to change my eating habits first; also, I am only 25 years old.

Hi Everyone,
Just a quick question, how often do we have to have our blood tested when our numbers are so high? Do we wait like 6mths. or do we have to go more often? My dr. did not tell me, so I am in the dark for now.
Thanks, all have a great night
cookie

Cookie,

It depends on your Insurance Company...many will BALK afer a couple bills for monthly tests. All allow it annually.
If someone has a heart condition or a drug adjustment than more frequent testing will be smiled upon.
Someone new on a statin, maybe quarterly tests are appropriate especially of seeing the doc for something else...For just cholesterol visit, maybe twice a year?

Hi zip2play,
Thank you for your reply, like I said drs. don't really explain things to patients, we are at their mercy I quess. When I talk to him after I have my mamogram next week, I will ask him how often he wants me to have blood work done.
thanks again
cookie

Hi: If you really believe in cholesterol numbers, your cholesterol results are excellent. Your total ratio is only 3.85. Suppose you went to the doctor and told him you had a headache. He wants to take your blood pressure, listen to your heart, and do a blood test. You ask him why? I only have a headache. He tells you he wants to look at the whole picture. (I would agree that this is the right answer on his part) The question now is why doesn't your doctor want to look at the entire cholesterol profile instead of just part by part? The ratio is a more conclusive reprensentation of the entire picture. If your docotr is fighting you on this, I believe I would find a new codtor. You might also want to use the web to research the importance of cholesterol and why it is vital in your body.