Hello I have High Cholesterol it's at 265. I told the doctore that I would try a diet instead of pills. The diet isn't working so I came onto to see what people like and dislike about High Cholesterol Meds. From what I'm reading here are nothing more then horror stories about Meds. I hear Zocar can make your cripple I hear Tri will do that same. Now I don't know what to do or what Med I should ask my doctor not to give me and to give me. Can anyone here tell me if they DO take any High Cholesterol Meds pers from a doctor and if so what are you taking and how do you feel?
No horror story from me. I've been taking Zocor 20mg for one year and have no side effects. Feel great. My Cardiologist said statins are also an anti inflammatory which is good for the heart.
How long have you been on the diet to see that its not working? I was on it for several months with no results. Then I read about Policasonol a natural product, my cholesterol went up 50 points while on the Policasonol. I took other stuff you get at the health food store I can't remember their names and nothing brought it down. Then somebody swore that apple cider vinegar brought her cholesterol way down. I started that every day, yuk still no results.
Everybody reacts different to meds. There are lots of side effects from aspirin even deadly ones but we don't hear about lit ike we do about the statins. It also depends what other illnesses a person has, what his life style is i.e. does he/she drink a lot or even moderate because its a known fact that statins and alcohol combined do NOT agree with your liver. We don't know some peoples backgrounds what their lifestyles are who go on message boards and post these horror stories and I'm sure for some they are real even in healthy people. BTW, even herbs can give you bad side effects, and the stuff in diet pills, and pain meds.
This is what my doctor said to me when I was scared to death of statins: "You tried everything else and it did not work, I cannot force you to take statins, if something will happen to you due to high cholesterol and you are willing to live with the consequences, are not thinking or are concerned how your husband/children/family will feel then don't take the statins, and play Russian Roulette, I cannot predict whether you will have a stroke or heart attack, I can only advise you how to prevent it, and if you decide against the statins and since all the other stuff did not work for you then I don't see what the point is to continue checking your cholesterol for it wont come down without help". I went home and thought about his statement long and hard. Husband and kids said "why do you automatically assume that you will have horror stories you need to do something and since nothing else helped its the statins you need to try" .
One thing that people keep overlooking. Are you absolutely sure that cholesterol is a problem???? And your doctor suggesting russian roulette? Did you know according to JAMA (journal of the american medical association) DOCTORS KILL 62,0000 plus people per year by medication error? THis is on there part, not misfilled or misdirected medications. Seems that people have all become obscessed with cholesterol numbers, and thats all they are numbers. The Framingham Study that people base there cholesterol information listed 240 risk factors for heart disease. Cholesterol was one, but there was also short stature, male baldness, creased ear lobes, and being married to a highly educated woman. Hmmmm, I see three things that could be eliminated in that sentence. Maybe you could have a hair transplant, then you wouldn't be bald, or even divorce you highly educated wife. Drug companies can create a product to lower cholesterol, but some of the other factors are not within their control, therefore they see no value$$$$$$.
I do agree people, especially doctors are obsessed with cholesterol numbers. But I have yet to read anywhere that a TC 309 is nothing to worry about. Believe me I did all the research because I was scared to death of the statins. I read Dr. Uffe's book, read other books, logged on different websites run by Teaching Hospitals. So far I've not found out that very high cholesterol is "harmless" that very high cholesterol does NOT cause strokes or heart attacks. For example: My mother-in-law had very high cholesterol for several yrs and never took statins for it. She had several small strokes, and then a major one. Her BP was fine, angiogram came out fine, she took no meds, and the docs at the hospital scratched their heads until they finally scanned her carotid arteries in her neck and they were totally clogged up.
Another relative of mine had severe chest pains off and on throughout his life, he too had very high cholesterol, very high BP, never took any meds, and lived to be 83 yrs old. THAT is what doctors call playing Russian Roulette. If you're lucky you'll live a long life despite the high BP and Cholesterol, but I'd say more people are not that lucky.
Nobody is forced to take any meds. Everybody is different. Had I not taken statins and had gotton a stroke or heart attack knowing me I'd have asked myself a 1000 times "why did I not at least try the statins". If I will get side effects later on then I have to live with it but frankly living in constant fear what my TC of 309 might will do to me was no picnic either. I've high BP (am on meds) and this constant anxiety was definately not good for my BP.
I understand your concern. Stress played a mojor role in heart disease. If for you are anyone, the cholesterol does not cause any unwanted side effects and reassures you then it should be of benifit, if just from the stress lowering effect. Low metabolism is also a major culprit in buildup of the arteries. That is was the thyroid is important. Many doctors do not realize the the American Association of Clinical Endocronoligists have said the upper limit of TSH is 3.02 ish (can't remember the exact number) but most docs won't treat people unless it over 5 and then you have to search to find them. My mother's was 3.8 for years, and even after the new guidelines her doctors looked at us just like we were nuts. Even told us no doctor in this city would treat at that level. We did find a doctor who would treat her, and he used Armour thyroid. Her level is now below 2, and the outer 1/3 of her eyebrows have grown back, she agin has to shave her legs, and her body temperature is up (closer to 98) than before when it was 96-97. For her is was too late. She had to have bypass surgery 2 months ago, and has had a very hard time, because of the myopathy caused by statin medications. Funny how her angiogram in 1990 showed her arteries perfectly clear, in 2000 still perfectly clear, and still the doctor put her on Zocor. Her thyroid level had gone up in 1999, and the doctor wouldn't treat her. After 5 years on first zocor, then lipitor, then zetia, then zetia and Welchol she needs a triple bypass. ?????? Doctors at Washington University in St.louis, have finished a study announcing that in a surprise to tem low metabolism caused arteries to block (artherosclerosis). They thought lowering metabolism would help but found it was just the opposite. (done by Dr. Clay Semenkovich)..If you read any cholesterol medication sheet it states that hypothyroidism should be treated before beginning statins (among other things)
I just wonder if its a trick of doctors and pharma. companies to stress us out with all of the different reports. Since stress will certainly cause health problems we might have found the root to all our problems. If they would just leave us alone maybe our stress level would go down...but then theirs would go up...how could they afford that new boat, or where are those percs form the drug companies. You know in the early 1900's if a doctor wanted to go into cardiology that were thought of as somewhat of unusal. There was no business for a heart doctor then.. Just think of all the real butter, lard, fat, whole milk, eggs, real ice cream, real cheese, and other yummy but now considered terrible foods for us that people ate.. However there was rarely any heart disease. Even the original Framingham study did not find that a high-fat diet doomed people to a heart attack. A subgoup of the Framingham participants was assesed for their intake of saturated fats, dietary cholesterol and overall calories. None had any effect on the development of heart disease.
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