525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk?
80 mg lipitor has brought my total down to 218.
Trigs still high at 453 - originally 715.
HDL unfortunately dropped to 70 - originally 104.
But Total /HDL ratio good at 3.1
Am now being sent to Lipid Clinic so they may help with the trigs, and maybe sort out reducing the nausea and tiredness I get on Lipitor. Don't fancy taking it for life especially at that dose but suppose I don't have a lot of choice. I hate taking loads of meds but if they keep me alive and kicking then I'll swallow them, but it's difficult to weigh up the risks versus the gains.
Still carrying on with the healthy-eating /exercise lifestyle that I already had anyway, but will I need to give up my glass or two of red wine to get those trigs down I wonder?
Re: 525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk?
Quote:
Originally Posted by happybunny
80 mg lipitor has brought my total down to 218.
Trigs still high at 453 - originally 715.
HDL unfortunately dropped to 70 - originally 104.
But Total /HDL ratio good at 3.1
Am now being sent to Lipid Clinic so they may help with the trigs, and maybe sort out reducing the nausea and tiredness I get on Lipitor. Don't fancy taking it for life especially at that dose but suppose I don't have a lot of choice. I hate taking loads of meds but if they keep me alive and kicking then I'll swallow them, but it's difficult to weigh up the risks versus the gains.
Still carrying on with the healthy-eating /exercise lifestyle that I already had anyway, but will I need to give up my glass or two of red wine to get those trigs down I wonder?
You do have a choice if you want to take LESS Lipitor! 20 mg Lipitor with ZETIA (not a statin) will give you the same result. Talk to your dr.
Re: 525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk?
bunny,
Though I'm not telling you to try it, if it were I, I'd try a few months at 40 mg. Lipitor and see if the results are the same as with 80, it IS possible.
By all means, keep up the glass or two of wine; it keeps the HDL up.
Congrats on the nice TC/HDL ratio of 3...Now if you can JUST get those triglycerides down some more...maybe no sugar?
Re: 525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk?
I would also try 40mg. You might get nearly the same result as with 80mg. At the same time go on a low carb diet to lower your trigs, which would result in a lower total cholesterol.
It is strange that your HDL dropped.
Last edited by JacquelineL; 01-15-2005 at 10:56 AM.
Re: 525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk?
Quote:
Originally Posted by JacquelineL
It is strange that your HDL dropped.
Problem with cholesterol lowering medications is that is does not correct the problem, just masks the symptoms. I'm surprised you can still walk, taking the highest dosage of Lipitor. My husband could hardly tolerate 20mg.
Has your doctor checked your CRP and homocysteine levels?
These 2 factors have resently been identified as higher risk factors than LDL cholesterol.
Statins not only cause muscle/joint aches and pains, but can cause muscle degeneration and cognitive problems. If you experience any of these side effects, you should inform your doctor immediately.
Re: 525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk?
Happy,
80mg of Lipitor sounds extremely high to me - I'd be afraid to take that dosage.
Have you tried cutting back on sugars, starchy foods, and eliminating (as much as possible) all trans-fats (any food with the word 'hydrogenated' in the ingredients list)??
I would NOT give up the daily glass of Red Wine. First of all, it's a quality of life issue - what's the point to lifestyle changes if they seriously erode your enjoyment of life??? I mean, really - who wants to live on rabbit food??? Secondly, there's lots of evidence that a glass a day is GOOD for you - it is related to a reduction in cardio-vascular disease...
A lot of the other posts have sound advice - see how you do on 40mg (which I think is also very high), watch your weight, and have your CRP and Homocysteine levels taken. (Vitamin-C and Folic Acid can help with them).
Be very wary of the 'tiredness' on Lipitor - it could indicate you are beginning to have statin-induced myopathy - takes the form of muscle weakeness and/or pain...
I personally would try to reduce the Lipitor, reduce sugars and refined carbs, stop trans-fats, and take fish-oil supplements high in Omega-3s (try to get around 1 gram of Omega-3s daily)...
Re: 525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk?
Thanks to everyone who replied. I hope that I get to the Lipid clinic soon as I feel I want to try and just take 40mg. When I had been on 40 it brought my total to 261 after a few months and total/hdl ratio was 3.5.
Diet will not have a lot of effect I reckon as I have been on a vegetarian style wholefood diet for years. I don't use much processed food and eat loads of different fruits, salads, veg, pulses, small amounts of nuts (eg walnuts & almonds) and seeds. Don't use salt or sugar, no butter or marg - the only oil I use is a little of extra virgin olive oil. I don't eat cakes, biscuits, puds, sweets, chips, take-aways, cream etc. I do eat low fat oatcakes, brown rice and brown bread, and oaty type health cereals. I make my own low fat yoghurt which I use for dressings. I use loads of garlic, herbs, spices etc and it makes for a super tasty diet. ...Oh, and chillies!!
Since I started with angina I have 3 portions of salmon or trout a week. And I've cut out cheddar cheese (boo-hoo). My BMI is 22 so my weight is pretty well spot on. My dietician was happy with my diet but suggested more soya but after spitting several versions of soya milk out I reckon that's going one step too far!! Not sure about these low carb diets, I'll research them as I don't know a lot about them. I don't really eat a lot of the carbs/sugar other people eat. Would I have to cut out my rice, bread etc? But it's a good idea for me to check it out. Thanks.
I can't exercise as much as I used to but I walk or swim every day as far as the angina and tiredness allow me to. My halo is shining! I deserve the glass of red wine!
Now off to check out low carb..........
Last edited by happybunny; 01-16-2005 at 07:02 AM.
Re: 525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk?
Happy,
Wow - you obviously are disciplined to stay on such a healthy diet - and obviously your weight has nothing to do with the cholesterol! We should all take a lesson from you and adopt your diet... (If the bread and rice you have are white, try switching to whole grain and brown rice).
But you know, sometimes high cholesterol is genetic - and can't be budged much below a certain level no matter what you do... I wouldn't worry about it too much - the total/hdl ratio is more important than the total - and your ratio is quite good.
There's so much conflicting advise that is available out there - it's hard to know what to do. I'm beginning to think that high cholesterol is not as important as the doctors (who seem to follow the statin drug company advice pretty blindly) think.
Try fish-oil supplements to get more Omega-3 in your diet.
It would be interesting to know what recomendations the Lipic clinic have.
Re: 525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk?
I have posted this many times. There is little or no difference between eating processed or unprocessed carbohydrates. Carbohydrates by chemical structure are sugar molecules. Your digestive system is extremely efficient at breaking the chains of "complex" carbohydrates and releasing the glucose into your blood stream. Complex carbohydrates like potatoes and rice have a higher glycemic index then sucrose (table sugar).
Our bodies are not designed to process large amounts of carbohydrates that is typical in most diets. Replacing calories from fats and protein with carbohydrates as is recommended by the AHA/ADA "Heart Healthy" diet promotes weight gain and may actually raise lipid and especially triglyceride levels.
Re: 525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk?
Zippy,
You're absolutely right. Sorry - I'm new to the forum - didn't see your prior posts. I agree - the glycemic index of a carb is more important than the distinction of "processed" versus "unprocessed". Staying with low GI carbs, and more importantly limiting carbs in total, is important if you have high triglyceride levels.
It never ceases to amaze me that a baked potatoe has a higher glycemic index than ice-cream!!!!
One thing about 'processed' carbs however, you should always be looking to see see if they contain any trans-fats - those are definitely bad for you.
Re: 525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk?
I'm also a supporter of low carbs, mainly because I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. My BMI is 18.9. It was 23 when I started on a low carb regime, so you can see it worked for me. My trigs were cut in half and my cholesterol ratios are very good.
Re: 525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk?
Hi bunny
I reckon your levels are so high that diet doesn't really come into it. It has to be a genetic metabolic disorder in which your body is not dealing properly with cholesterol. So if you eat the worst or the best diet in the world you will still have high levels unless you take meds.
So play safe within reason and have a balance between the low fat/low carbs. Go for mediterranean - sounds as though you already have, actually. Moderate carbs, moderate fats - both of the healthy type, carbs linked to fibre such as in lentils, fibre is important, and fats such as mufas and pufas rather than those evil sats and trans. Another 10 years and they will probably be critisising both low sats and low carbs diets!! Make sure the red wine stays in bounds to keep the trigs lower but yours is not a diet problem so don't expect to get 3 gold stars for your levels.
You will hopefully get a better balance of meds at the lipid clinic and that is what will bring your trigs down more. Maybe less of the lipitor and a fibrate added in.
Enjoy life - don't stress too much about the finer details.
Re: 525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk?
All,
Do be very careful about statin/fibrate combination therapy.
As I'm sure we all know, statins can result in muscle damage in a small percentage of users. This risk can multiply as much as 25 times when combined with a fibrate drug - especially if you are diabetic. I know, I experienced muscle pain/weakness when my doctor combined Tricor with my Lipitor, and after 11 months off both meds, and lots of supplements, I'm only now recovering.
Just passing this along - be very careful about sudden muscle pain or weakness when on both drugs.
Re: 525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk?
Hello 525
Approximately 20 per cent of people who take statins have adverse reactions These adverse reactions vary depending on person, dose, and statin, but can include:
muscle pain, muscle weakness and atrophy
rhabdomyolysis (kidney failure)
gastrointestinal problems, including gall bladder disease, pancreatitis, helicobactor pylori ulcer, and acid reflux...more.
cognitive problems, including memory loss, word loss, amnesia, insommnia, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, and aggression
To learn more about statins read here:
Jay Cohen M.D.
http://www.medicationsense.com/articles/july_sept_04/crestor_truth.html
Starts with Crestor, talks about all the statins
http://www.impostertrial.com
contact within
The website of Dr. Paul Phillips
Head, Interventional Cardiologist
Scripps Mercy Hospital
San Diego
Dr. Phillips is doing studies on statins side effects.
And:
Dr. Beatrice Golomb
Principal Investigaor of the five-year NIH funded Statin Study
http://medicine.ucsd.edu/SES/index.htm
contact within
525 down to 218 on 80mg lipitor, is it worth the risk? 
then I'll swallow them, but it's difficult to weigh up the risks versus the gains. 
I do eat low fat oatcakes, brown rice and brown bread, and oaty type health cereals. I make my own low fat yoghurt which I use for dressings. I use loads of garlic, herbs, spices etc and it makes for a super tasty diet. ...Oh, and chillies!!
Not sure about these low carb diets, I'll research them as I don't know a lot about them. I don't really eat a lot of the carbs/sugar other people eat. Would I have to cut out my rice, bread etc? But it's a good idea for me to check it out. Thanks. 
