mghealth
10-25-2005, 04:13 PM
My numbers are worse than last time, and the only thing that really changed is that I have been eating a lot more sweets:
Total Chol. = 169 (<200)
LDL Chol. = 77 (<130)
Triglycerides = 307 (44-148)
VLDL = 63 (<=22)
MID-C = 18 (<=23)
MID-B = 11 (<=15)
MID-A = 9 (<=25)
LDL-1 = 13 (<=57)
LDL-2 = 6 (<=30)
LDL-3 = 6 (0)
LDL-4 = 6 (0)
LDL-5 = 8 (0)
HDL = 29
So, I'm now going to start taking 500mg of Niaspan nightly. Hopefully the flushing isn't too bad! :nono:
Total Chol. = 169 (<200)
LDL Chol. = 77 (<130)
Triglycerides = 307 (44-148)
VLDL = 63 (<=22)
MID-C = 18 (<=23)
MID-B = 11 (<=15)
MID-A = 9 (<=25)
LDL-1 = 13 (<=57)
LDL-2 = 6 (<=30)
LDL-3 = 6 (0)
LDL-4 = 6 (0)
LDL-5 = 8 (0)
HDL = 29
So, I'm now going to start taking 500mg of Niaspan nightly. Hopefully the flushing isn't too bad! :nono:
Sponsor
mghealth
10-25-2005, 04:39 PM
Last time, 2/24/05, my numbers were:
Total Chol. = 176 (<200)
LDL Chol. = 112 (<130)
Triglycerides = 131 (44-148)
VLDL = 27 (<=22)
MID-C = 21 (<=23)
MID-B = 13 (<=15)
MID-A = 12 (<=25)
LDL-1 = 26 (<=57)
LDL-2 = 30 (<=30)
LDL-3 = 9 (0)
LDL-4 = 0 (0)
LDL-5 = 0 (0)
HDL = 36
As you can see, Total Chol. lowered by 4%; LDL lowered by 31%; triglycerides raised by 134%; HDL lowered by 19%; VLDL increased by 133%.
Total Chol. = 176 (<200)
LDL Chol. = 112 (<130)
Triglycerides = 131 (44-148)
VLDL = 27 (<=22)
MID-C = 21 (<=23)
MID-B = 13 (<=15)
MID-A = 12 (<=25)
LDL-1 = 26 (<=57)
LDL-2 = 30 (<=30)
LDL-3 = 9 (0)
LDL-4 = 0 (0)
LDL-5 = 0 (0)
HDL = 36
As you can see, Total Chol. lowered by 4%; LDL lowered by 31%; triglycerides raised by 134%; HDL lowered by 19%; VLDL increased by 133%.
Uff-Da!
10-25-2005, 05:32 PM
Your numbers are worse because you've been eating too many sweets, but you'd rather take meds than give up the sweets. Hmmm, not the choice I would have made, but to each his own.
mghealth
10-25-2005, 05:55 PM
But if you take a look at my "best" numbers (2/24/05), they were obtained via the best diet and combination of exercise I've ever experimented with: I ate no sweets, very little carbs, no red meats, very little chicken and turkey, lots of tuna and salmon, lots of veggies (green and red), lots of natural garlic, all of my supplements (Omega-3, multi-vitamin, etc.), olive oil for cooking, exercised (cardio) an hour a day, etc. That scheme gave the best case scenario - which was STILL bad!
And it has been this way for several years now. No matter what extreme diet scheme I procure and implement, it doesn't make the numbers go where I'd like them to. Therefore, medicinal help is inevitable.
I, like my grandmother, am cursed by my genes.
So, adding the sweets to my diet may have exacerbated my numbers, but eliminating them won't make them normal again - since they were never normal to begin with.
And it has been this way for several years now. No matter what extreme diet scheme I procure and implement, it doesn't make the numbers go where I'd like them to. Therefore, medicinal help is inevitable.
I, like my grandmother, am cursed by my genes.
So, adding the sweets to my diet may have exacerbated my numbers, but eliminating them won't make them normal again - since they were never normal to begin with.
Uff-Da!
10-25-2005, 08:12 PM
So, adding the sweets to my diet may have exacerbated my numbers, but eliminating them won't make them normal again - since they were never normal to begin with.I guess you are right about that, though the only thing wrong with your 2/24/09 numbers was the HDL. Did you try to increase that by (1) increasing exercise? (2) having a glass of wine a day, if female, or up to two glasses a day, if male? (3) having an egg a day? Maybe you already tried those.
I won't argue with your choice to try Niaspan if you really couldn't get the numbers you wanted otherwise. I'm on 750 mg. Enduracin (an OTC sustained-release niacin) myself. But my TC was running 237-247 on "improved" diet and my LDL was around 157. (If I knew then what I know now, I might have done better, but I doubt that I'd do enough better to avoid the meds, either.) My HDL/TC ratio was never as bad as yours, though. In the past 16 years, the lowest my HDL has ever been was 62.
Keep in mind, though, that it is your health you are concerned about, not just numbers. And excess sweets doesn't make for a healthy diet. Of course, just because you increased sweets doesn't necessarily mean you are eating them to excess, either.
Let us know how you make out with the Niaspan. I only had minor flush when I started Enduracin, but I take only 250 mg at a time, and take it with meals to minimize flush. There is also the recommendation to take an aspirin 30 minutes before the niacin to minimize flush, but I never felt that was necessary.
I won't argue with your choice to try Niaspan if you really couldn't get the numbers you wanted otherwise. I'm on 750 mg. Enduracin (an OTC sustained-release niacin) myself. But my TC was running 237-247 on "improved" diet and my LDL was around 157. (If I knew then what I know now, I might have done better, but I doubt that I'd do enough better to avoid the meds, either.) My HDL/TC ratio was never as bad as yours, though. In the past 16 years, the lowest my HDL has ever been was 62.
Keep in mind, though, that it is your health you are concerned about, not just numbers. And excess sweets doesn't make for a healthy diet. Of course, just because you increased sweets doesn't necessarily mean you are eating them to excess, either.
Let us know how you make out with the Niaspan. I only had minor flush when I started Enduracin, but I take only 250 mg at a time, and take it with meals to minimize flush. There is also the recommendation to take an aspirin 30 minutes before the niacin to minimize flush, but I never felt that was necessary.
mghealth
10-25-2005, 08:41 PM
I guess you are right about that, though the only thing wrong with your 2/24/09 numbers was the HDL. Did you try to increase that by (1) increasing exercise? (2) having a glass of wine a day, if female, or up to two glasses a day, if male? (3) having an egg a day? Maybe you already tried those.
I've tried all of those things, except for eggs. I won't consume a substance loaded with cholesterol (1 egg = >66% daily chol.) in an effort to correct a cholesterol problem. Besides, I don't want to exercise more than an hour a day in hopes that my numbers will get better - that's an extreme that'll infringe upon my daily life activities.
But my TC was running 237-247 on "improved" diet and my LDL was around 157. (If I knew then what I know now, I might have done better, but I doubt that I'd do enough better to avoid the meds, either.) My HDL/TC ratio was never as bad as yours, though. In the past 16 years, the lowest my HDL has ever been was 62.
Even when my triglycerides were at 131, my HDL and LDL bands were still at abnormal levels. However, I've noticed a direct correlation between my high triglycerides and low HDL numbers (higher the trigs., lower the HDL; lower the trigs., higher the HDL respectively). My HDL numbers have *never* been normal - even with the best scenario diet experienced.
Keep in mind, though, that it is your health you are concerned about, not just numbers. And excess sweets doesn't make for a healthy diet. Of course, just because you increased sweets doesn't necessarily mean you are eating them to excess, either.
But the numbers are representative of the causal factors. Therefore, I will not ignore them. I won't wait for symptoms to appear in order to correct the causal factors accordingly. I have always loved sweets. I love eating them all the time! I may (probably :eek: ) eat them in excess, hence the exacerbated triglyceride numbers.
Let us know how you make out with the Niaspan. I only had minor flush when I started Enduracin, but I take only 250 mg at a time, and take it with meals to minimize flush. There is also the recommendation to take an aspirin 30 minutes before the niacin to minimize flush, but I never felt that was necessary.
I hear that most people who are on 500mg don't feel the flush (rather at > 500mg doses). So, I'm not too worried about it. Plus, I hear it's not fatal or life threatening in any way - just annoying. So, I won't worry about it accordingly. :nono:
I've tried all of those things, except for eggs. I won't consume a substance loaded with cholesterol (1 egg = >66% daily chol.) in an effort to correct a cholesterol problem. Besides, I don't want to exercise more than an hour a day in hopes that my numbers will get better - that's an extreme that'll infringe upon my daily life activities.
But my TC was running 237-247 on "improved" diet and my LDL was around 157. (If I knew then what I know now, I might have done better, but I doubt that I'd do enough better to avoid the meds, either.) My HDL/TC ratio was never as bad as yours, though. In the past 16 years, the lowest my HDL has ever been was 62.
Even when my triglycerides were at 131, my HDL and LDL bands were still at abnormal levels. However, I've noticed a direct correlation between my high triglycerides and low HDL numbers (higher the trigs., lower the HDL; lower the trigs., higher the HDL respectively). My HDL numbers have *never* been normal - even with the best scenario diet experienced.
Keep in mind, though, that it is your health you are concerned about, not just numbers. And excess sweets doesn't make for a healthy diet. Of course, just because you increased sweets doesn't necessarily mean you are eating them to excess, either.
But the numbers are representative of the causal factors. Therefore, I will not ignore them. I won't wait for symptoms to appear in order to correct the causal factors accordingly. I have always loved sweets. I love eating them all the time! I may (probably :eek: ) eat them in excess, hence the exacerbated triglyceride numbers.
Let us know how you make out with the Niaspan. I only had minor flush when I started Enduracin, but I take only 250 mg at a time, and take it with meals to minimize flush. There is also the recommendation to take an aspirin 30 minutes before the niacin to minimize flush, but I never felt that was necessary.
I hear that most people who are on 500mg don't feel the flush (rather at > 500mg doses). So, I'm not too worried about it. Plus, I hear it's not fatal or life threatening in any way - just annoying. So, I won't worry about it accordingly. :nono:
NHone
10-26-2005, 12:23 AM
Your numbers are worse because you've been eating too many sweets, but you'd rather take meds than give up the sweets. Hmmm, not the choice I would have made, but to each his own.
This is the same answer I was going to type. However I can't say much on the sweets. If there was a pill to counteract sweets i'd take it. I did find that a glass of red wine a night curbs my sweet tooth and also helped lower trig. (wasn't my idea, my doctor said it would). Also watch for heel pain. Too much naicin can do that. Its a sign of mucles involvement.
This is the same answer I was going to type. However I can't say much on the sweets. If there was a pill to counteract sweets i'd take it. I did find that a glass of red wine a night curbs my sweet tooth and also helped lower trig. (wasn't my idea, my doctor said it would). Also watch for heel pain. Too much naicin can do that. Its a sign of mucles involvement.
Uff-Da!
10-26-2005, 01:07 AM
This is the same answer I was going to type. However I can't say much on the sweets. If there was a pill to counteract sweets i'd take it. LOL! Well, I can't really say too much about the sweet tooth, either. It took me years to kick the Mr. Pibb and ice cream habits. And it wasn't even the trigs and cholesterol that got me to do it. But after eight dental fillings one year and six the next, I finally decided the sweet tooth had done too much damage and had to go. It was really tough the first month or so, but I've finally adjusted.
Besides, I don't want to exercise more than an hour a day in hopes that my numbers will get better - that's an extreme that'll infringe upon my daily life activities.An HOUR a day! If you do that, you are my hero/heroine! I've been sedentary all my life. I HATE exercise, always have. I know what I should do, but it is so hard to do it! I finally last week decided I HAD to do something, and signed up at Curves. But that is just 30 minutes three times a week. (And wouldn't you know it, I only went four times before I twisted my knee in the yard at home and will have to be off the exercise routine for a while.)
Besides, I don't want to exercise more than an hour a day in hopes that my numbers will get better - that's an extreme that'll infringe upon my daily life activities.An HOUR a day! If you do that, you are my hero/heroine! I've been sedentary all my life. I HATE exercise, always have. I know what I should do, but it is so hard to do it! I finally last week decided I HAD to do something, and signed up at Curves. But that is just 30 minutes three times a week. (And wouldn't you know it, I only went four times before I twisted my knee in the yard at home and will have to be off the exercise routine for a while.)
mghealth
10-26-2005, 01:22 AM
This is the same answer I was going to type. However I can't say much on the sweets. If there was a pill to counteract sweets i'd take it. I did find that a glass of red wine a night curbs my sweet tooth and also helped lower trig. (wasn't my idea, my doctor said it would). Also watch for heel pain. Too much naicin can do that. Its a sign of mucles involvement.
Well, yes and no. As I described earlier, my "best" numbers were still all bad.
Well, yes and no. As I described earlier, my "best" numbers were still all bad.
mghealth
10-26-2005, 01:25 AM
An HOUR a day! If you do that, you are my hero/heroine! I've been sedentary all my life. I HATE exercise, always have. I know what I should do, but it is so hard to do it! I finally last week decided I HAD to do something, and signed up at Curves. But that is just 30 minutes three times a week. (And wouldn't you know it, I only went four times before I twisted my knee in the yard at home and will have to be off the exercise routine for a while.)
Well, the ABSOLUTELY ONLY method that has worked for me in terms of committing to an exercise routine is the purchase and daily use a treadmill - it's right there in my home. I have no excuses. And it's right where I can easily watch TV from it. If it weren't for the those two factors, I too would still be sedentary!
Well, the ABSOLUTELY ONLY method that has worked for me in terms of committing to an exercise routine is the purchase and daily use a treadmill - it's right there in my home. I have no excuses. And it's right where I can easily watch TV from it. If it weren't for the those two factors, I too would still be sedentary!
NHone
10-26-2005, 01:30 AM
Ummm, Mr Pibb. I have one in front of me right now. I took niaspan. I flushed unless i took an aspirin with it.
mghealth
10-26-2005, 01:31 AM
Ummm, Mr Pibb. I have one in front of me right now. I took niaspan. I flushed unless i took an aspirin with it.
How is the flush? Is it bad? What does it feel like? How much niacin did you take? And what kind? Thanks.
How is the flush? Is it bad? What does it feel like? How much niacin did you take? And what kind? Thanks.
NHone
10-26-2005, 04:48 AM
It was niaspan. i will have to check on the dosage. I took it in the morning. If i didn't take an aspirin with it, i could fluch soon after or sometimes it would be in the afternoon. I don't know why. You could feel it coming on. It was a warm sensation, and you just got hotter and hotter. My face, chest, and neck all got beet red. It probably lasted only a few minutes, the hot feeling. But the redness would last , probably 3 or four, and gradually fade. It did make my skin nicer. The doctor said that was due to increase blood flow to the skin. I went on niaspan to see if it was an alternative for my mother. My cholesterol was about 201. I wouldn't have done it except to see what it would do. I was on it 2 months and it took my cholesterol to 198. It lowered my trig. a little. The doctor told me a glass of red wine at night would do just as much good. My doctor really doesn't like to mess with the cholesterol, but he will watch your triglicerides. Guess I had given him so much information on cholesterol, that he now believes it. Too bad my mothers doctor can't read. found the bottle. It was 500 mg. One every day. I didn't flush the first couple days, started to after that if i didn't take the aspirin. I took one regular adult bayer aspirin. The flushing feels like a bad , tingling, sunburn, but only briefly. I wonder if anyone else knows why if would hit in the afternoon, and sometimes not even till evening?
mghealth
10-26-2005, 12:38 PM
Well, I've decided to give exercise and diet ONE LAST ATTEMPT!
I will increase my exercise from 1 hr. to 1.5 hrs. daily; drink no more than 5 oz. of red wine every day (more than 5 oz. results in higher trigs.); increase my fiber intake dramatically; increase my Omega-3 dosage from 1 gram to 3 grams daily; increase olive oil and garlic intake; increase green and red veggie intake; etc.
If that doesn't work, I'm definitely turning to medicine for help!
Some studies on wine (and similar grape drinks):
Red Wine and Your Heart
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/111/2/e10
Evaluating the Evidence of Wine's Cardioprotection by Creina Stockley
http://www.winebase.com.au/wccs001.htm
Wine and health. Epidemiological studies and possible mechanisms of the protective effects
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9460292&dopt=Abstract
Concord grape juice increased HDL, lowered inflammatory marker linked to heart disease
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/studies/report-36369.html
A DAILY GLASS OF RED WINE: DOES IT AFFECT MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION?
http://alcalc.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/40/2/102
I will increase my exercise from 1 hr. to 1.5 hrs. daily; drink no more than 5 oz. of red wine every day (more than 5 oz. results in higher trigs.); increase my fiber intake dramatically; increase my Omega-3 dosage from 1 gram to 3 grams daily; increase olive oil and garlic intake; increase green and red veggie intake; etc.
If that doesn't work, I'm definitely turning to medicine for help!
Some studies on wine (and similar grape drinks):
Red Wine and Your Heart
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/111/2/e10
Evaluating the Evidence of Wine's Cardioprotection by Creina Stockley
http://www.winebase.com.au/wccs001.htm
Wine and health. Epidemiological studies and possible mechanisms of the protective effects
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9460292&dopt=Abstract
Concord grape juice increased HDL, lowered inflammatory marker linked to heart disease
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/studies/report-36369.html
A DAILY GLASS OF RED WINE: DOES IT AFFECT MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION?
http://alcalc.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/40/2/102