My husband had a heart attack about 6 weeks ago.At the time his cholesterol was at 208.He was put on Lipitor along with other medications for his heart.He had his cholesterol level rechecked last week and it came back at 118.His doctor said to stay on the Lipitor.Is there such a thing as too low cholesterol?

My husband had a heart attack about 6 weeks ago.At the time his cholesterol was at 208.He was put on Lipitor along with other medications for his heart.He had his cholesterol level rechecked last week and it came back at 118.His doctor said to stay on the Lipitor.Is there such a thing as too low cholesterol?

Yes, I believe that cholesterol levels can be too low, and your husband's level already approaches a rather low level. But just how low is too low has not been determined. His original cholesterol level of 208 was really not that high at all. Do you know what his other numbers were, such as HDL, LDL, and triglycerides? Also, has he ever had his Lp(a) level checked?

My husband had a heart attack about 6 weeks ago.At the time his cholesterol was at 208.He was put on Lipitor along with other medications for his heart.He had his cholesterol level rechecked last week and it came back at 118.His doctor said to stay on the Lipitor.Is there such a thing as too low cholesterol?


Yes that is way too low. You need to make sure that your husband is taking CO Q10 along with the Lipitor. It is a warning on all Statins sold in canada. Unfortunately, doctors are still under the impression that cholesterol causes heart attacks. That is just not true. If you have a question about this, you should call the statin study at ucsd. They will help you with some information.

My husband had a heart attack about 6 weeks ago.At the time his cholesterol was at 208.He was put on Lipitor along with other medications for his heart.He had his cholesterol level rechecked last week and it came back at 118.His doctor said to stay on the Lipitor.Is there such a thing as too low cholesterol?

Does your husband have a history of any heart problems, or family heart disease? Unless his other numbers are out of wack, 208 is almost on target for good cholesterol. There is alot of pro's and con's about too high or too low cholesterol, but 118 seems pretty low to me, but of course we don't know your husband's history. Many are starting to believe it isn't so much the numbers that do the damage as it is the inflammation.

Hopefully your hubby is doing fine now and will make a great recovery. All the best of wishes to U both........ :wave:

Hi and thanks for the replies.When my husband had the heart attack he was told that it was caused by smoking.He has not smoked since.He does like fatty foods a lot.He loves meats such as sausage,bacon,steak etc.I was really surprised that his cholesterol was only 208 at the time.He has cut back on these some but he is a meat eater and always will be.He was put on the Lipitor after the heart attack along with Plavix,Altace, and Coreg.He also takes an aspirin a day.I have the info on the cholesterol breakdown at home and will post it later as I am at work now.He is going to talk to his cardiologist today and see what he thinks about the cholesterol numbers as the cardiologist is the one who put him on the medications. :wave:

You still MUST be sure he gets the CoQ10. That is much more important for his heart than the Lipitor. His cardiologists may not agree, but then most doctors believe that Coq10 is a suplement. They need to do their research. CoQ10 is a vital substance made by the body, of which Statin drugs, and Beta blockers (coreg) are known to deplete.

Is that available over the counter or by prescription?

It's over the counter.

You still MUST be sure he gets the CoQ10. That is much more important for his heart than the Lipitor. His cardiologists may not agree, but then most doctors believe that Coq10 is a suplement. They need to do their research. CoQ10 is a vital substance made by the body, of which Statin drugs, and Beta blockers (coreg) are known to deplete.

Beta blockers like Atenolol etc. do this also? I've never heard that said before, so it is news to me. Hubby finally stopped taking his statins after 7 yrs. due to side effects, but he still takes Atenolol along with another BP med.
Sheesh, is anything out there safe?.......... :eek:

Here are the numbers for his cholesterol count.LDL-64,HDL-34,Triglycerides-100.Total -118.His doctor seemed to think it was good so he ate a steak to celebrate. :)

panzees,

It is important for your husband to do whatever he can to get his LDL as low as possible. THe total of 118 may SEEM extraordinarily low but part of the reason is his very low and unhealthy level of HDL (34...probably lower before the heart attack and the Lipitor.)
With the HDL at this level, the 118 represents good control and the 64 LDL is at a level that should actually reduce the amount of his plaque. A slow process to be sure, but in the right direction.

If he doesn't drink, perhaps a couple drinks a day might get his HDL up a bit which would be a very good thing for him.

PS...Celebrating with a flounder is a better idea! :D ;)

One thing you also need to remember is that not all heart attacks are caused by plaque in the arteries. It could be that he is low in magnesium, which requires an intracellular test, not just a simple serum test.

What should you do to boost your HDL levels?My husband already drinks alcohol almost daily.Any other ways?

The other agent that I find that works to boost HDL is niacin.
Weight loss and exercise are SUPPOSED to work but for me it's only booze and niacin that do.
Other recommendations that are commonly giver are quitting smoking, eliminating all hydrogenated fats, and adding fiber.

Unfortunately, many people are still under the impression that cholesterol is the cause for a heart attack. There are many other possibilities for a heart attack...they should be as completely investigated. People spend too much time on cholesterol, and somtimes discount the real problems.

What should you do to boost your HDL levels?My husband already drinks alcohol almost daily.Any other ways?



Panzees,

I , like your husband had those low and stubborn HDL levels. I used Olivio and it raised them higher than they ever were ! Lenin uses Smartbeat which he feels helps as well.

But on the 118...I know that being to low is debatable. When I called with my Cardiocheck results of 128 TC, the Cardiocheck people told me that drug induced cholesterol has been known to go as low as 90 with no problems. My doc also made a similar statement to myself when I asked him. Keep in mind that your husband just had a heart attack so, to me at least, I would think the lower the better. I would take my chances on lower Looong before higher. :) ;)
I think you want to keep him around awhile. :)


You might want to have his sugar checked as well. My doc tells me that if sugar spikes and cholesterol is high it could trigger a heart attack. But with his present low numbers that may not be an issue.

Panzees,

I , like your husband had those low and stubborn HDL levels. I used Olivio and it raised them higher than they ever were ! Lenin uses Smartbeat which he feels helps as well.

But on the 118...I know that being to low is debatable. When I called with my Cardiocheck results of 128 TC, the Cardiocheck people told me that drug induced cholesterol has been known to go as low as 90 with no problems. My doc also made a similar statement to myself when I asked him. Keep in mind that your husband just had a heart attack so, to me at least, I would think the lower the better. I would take my chances on lower Looong before higher. :) ;)
I think you want to keep him around awhile. :)



You might want to have his sugar checked as well. My doc tells me that if sugar spikes and cholesterol is high it could trigger a heart attack. But with his present low numbers that may not be an issue.

The cardiocheck people are not dealing in reality. You do realize that cholesterol is essential for the immune system. Even the statin proponents say that lowering cholesterol lowers the immune system. They were referring to the fact that it would be great in organ transplants to combat organ rejection.( Kind of bad for us who are trying to ward off infection, and aging. ) Your doctor is another example of the poorly informed doctors we have to deal with. (whether by ignorance or stupidity) The sugar spikes and high cholesterol triggering a heart attack are not connected to cause a heart attack. If that were so, they should certainly curtail Lipitor, which is know to increase glucose levels. If you did have a heart attack, and for certain if you are on statins, you should be taking Coq10.

The cardiocheck people are not dealing in reality. You do realize that cholesterol is essential for the immune system. Even the statin proponents say that lowering cholesterol lowers the immune system. They were referring to the fact that it would be great in organ transplants to combat organ rejection.( Kind of bad for us who are trying to ward off infection, and aging. ) Your doctor is another example of the poorly informed doctors we have to deal with. (whether by ignorance or stupidity) The sugar spikes and high cholesterol triggering a heart attack are not connected to cause a heart attack. If that were so, they should certainly curtail Lipitor, which is know to increase glucose levels. If you did have a heart attack, and for certain if you are on statins, you should be taking Coq10.



Hardly :D

My doc was correct when it comes to Panzees husband.

My doc told me once that there is a "delicate" balance between cholesterol, risk factors like smoking, drinking, possibly hypothyroid a little, and glucose levels. He said thati n cases of high LDL's, smoker and drinker, possible small hypothyroid, that a small glucose spike of a mere 105 COULD trigger a heart attack and actually does happen !

If you notice, Panzees husband had some of these present.

Hardly :D

My doc was correct when it comes to Panzees husband.

My doc told me once that there is a "delicate" balance between cholesterol, risk factors like smoking, drinking, possibly hypothyroid a little, and glucose levels. He said thati n cases of high LDL's, smoker and drinker, possible small hypothyroid, that a small glucose spike of a mere 105 COULD trigger a heart attack and actually does happen !

If you notice, Panzees husband had some of these present.


Ok, if your doctor said it, it must be correct. I've never know of a doctor to "make up things" By the way I guess people should NEVER take lipitor for high cholesterol, because Lipitor is know to cause glucose to increase in many people.

Our son is 38 yrs old and his TOTAL cholesterol is 56. He is/was not sick. Is healthy as a horse, never took statins. Doctor is not worried. I didn't know that a cholesterol can be that low WITHOUT statins, but it doesn't do him any harm. He's been having this low cholesterol for yrs ever since he had it first checkd a few yrs ago.


Natural low cholesterol and induced lowered cholesterol (by medication) are entirely two different things.