don't want to go on meds - High Cholesterol Message Board

pisces0301 · 08-14-2008, 09:30 PM

I got a callback from my doctor regarding my latest cholesterol bloodwork. Here are the results:

Total: 236
Trig: 285
HDL: 63
LDL: 116

And these are the results from 6 months ago:

Total 221
Trig: 242
HDL: 57
LDL: 116

Since there has been little positive change they want to put me on Tricor 145mg for a month and check it again. I hear Tricor has some musclular side effects and I'm already on BP meds and really do not want to roll the dice with another pill.

I rarely eat fast food, and keep my diet pretty healthy. I also work out 4-5 days a week and am in optimal shape for my age (39). Since my HDL is excellent I am wondering why the Total and Trig have gone up. Are there more tests I can take that can perhaps isolate the cause of this? My mom was recently diagnosed diabetic, but not the real bad kind where you need insulin shots. Do these numbers reflect any kind of pre-diabetic state? And if meds is the best way to go, what is the one the works the best with the least side effects?

Thanks to any who respond!!!

namelessme · 08-15-2008, 01:49 AM

I'd suggest fish oil at 3 grams of Omega 3s daily (split into 2 doses) + reduction in carbs (including wheat).

I'm not a big fan of Tricor myself. The studies on fibrates are less than convincing to me. Fish oil even comes in a prescription form (Lovaza/Omacor), if you feel wary of taking an over the counter supplement.

The following tests are worth getting too: VAP, c-reactive protein, homocysteine, and hA1c. The latter test will show your glucose control over the past 2-3 months, so will help determine if you are in a pre-diabetic state or not.

Hope this info is helpful.

taffyboyo · 08-17-2008, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pisces0301

I got a callback from my doctor regarding my latest cholesterol bloodwork. Here are the results:

Total: 236
Trig: 285
HDL: 63
LDL: 116

Since there has been little positive change they want to put me on Tricor 145mg for a month and check it again. I hear Tricor has some musclular side effects and I'm already on BP meds and really do not want to roll the dice with another pill.

Thanks to any who respond!!!

Hi Pisces0301

I am assuming that your blood pressure is under control (<140/90) and you have no other CVD risks. If this is the case, for a man of your age and physical condition, you should not have been prescribed Tricor.

Your TC/HDL ratio is excellent at 3.73 (=<4.5 being the target), so you are in the low risk bracket there.
Your LDL/HDL ratio is 1.84 (=<3 being the target) and once again fall in the low risk category.

The doctor should have solely concentrated on your triglycerides which are only a tad high. Target for this is 2.3mmol/L (203.5 mg/dl)

I agree with namelessme, fish oil will reduce your trigs. However, personally I believe 3 grams a day is initially a little excessive. As long as the EPA content is =>600mg and the DHA is => 400mg which can be obtained from 2 x 1gram capsules, then this will do the trick.

Triglycerides and glucose levels increase significantly when a fatty meal is eaten, circulates in the blood but is stored as body fat. Although fasting for 10-12 hours prior to blood work, if you have consumed a saturated fatty meal three or four days prior to the test, your trigs will still show high.

A person who has 'normal' 204mg/dl Trig level who consumes a fatty meal can immediately increase their triglycerides level to between 265 and 354mg/dl.

People who are TRULY hypertriglyceridaemic have fasting levels of 442 to 619.5mg/dl, but these rise to 708 to 796.4mg/dl after a fatty meal.

Taffyboyo.

Machaon · 09-05-2008, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pisces0301

I got a callback from my doctor regarding my latest cholesterol bloodwork. Here are the results:

Total: 236
Trig: 285
HDL: 63
LDL: 116

...

Since my HDL is excellent I am wondering why the Total and Trig have gone up. ...

Your HDL is not excellent. In most cases, the higher the total cholesterol, the higher the HDL. High levels of HDL do not compensate for unhealthy levels of LDL and Total Cholesterol and high Triglycerides.

Do you know your blood glucose levels?

Quote:

I rarely eat fast food, and keep my diet pretty healthy. I also work out 4-5 days a week and am in optimal shape for my age (39).

Strenuous physical exercise will help to lower the levels of Cholesterol, Triglycerides and Blood Glucose. But...... you have unhealthy levels of Cholesterol and Triglycerides, which usually indicates an unhealthy diet.

How many calories do you eat with each meal, and how many total calories for an average day? What are the percentage of Carbs, Proteins and Fats in your diet? Do you select carbs based on their glycemic index and load? Do you eat small servings?

taffyboyo · 09-07-2008, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Machaon

Your HDL is not excellent. In most cases, the higher the total cholesterol, the higher the HDL. High levels of HDL do not compensate for unhealthy levels of LDL and Total Cholesterol and high Triglycerides.

Machaon,

Sorry, I find the above statement a reversal of the fact.

Only occasionally and in a certain group of patients does HDL follow the direction of TC. This is far, far from being "in most cases".

"Total Cholesterol" is the total cholesterol.
LDL, HDL and Triglycerides are "Lipids" that carry cholesterol.

LDL carries cholesterol from the liver to the cells of the body and HDL carries cholesterol from cells of the body to the liver.

If the LDL goes down, your Total will also probably go down. Total cholesterol and LDL usually go up and down at the same time. This does NOT usually apply to HDL, as lifestyle has more of an influence on HDL levels as compared to LDL and TC.

Triglycerides are usually totally independent of total cholesterol. Your triglycerides can go down and your Total may stay the same, go up or go down. It depends on what changes you make to your lifestyle.

This is why LDL and TC are measured against HDL. TC/HDL & LDL(whether measured or calculated)/HDL.

If TC, LDL, and HDL were to decrease then the amount of lipids to the liver would never be enough to counter the lipids from the liver. The favoured measure (ratios) could then never be used as the first choice measure for prescribing drugs.

<removed>

ps. By the way Pisces, your HDL reading IS excellent.

Taffyboyo.