Help my cholesterol is high again

[ty123]

Many people on statins apparently show elevated liver levels. If you don't have apparent symptoms, and the levels aren't extraordinarily high, the doc most likely won't pull the plug on crestor, but simply set up a schedule...usually at 3 month intervals at first...to monitor.

My levels had been trending up on Pravachol, but I had no symptoms after a brief period of lethergy.

mark

[hpbguyfromca]

Originally Posted by zip2play

jtu,
Why not try a LOW DOSE with another statin, perhaps simvastatin or pravastatin. They may cause you less grief than the more potent atorvastatin (Lipitor).

Though I'm loathe to recommend it because of the grief it causes me, but have you tried a trial with high dose Niacin? Buy a bottle of cheap 500 mg's at the health food store and take half a pill. See if you can bear the flush.
If so, try to work up to 2 GRAMS/day <Oy, I can start itching just TYPING this!>

What exactly IS this "flush" everyone is reffering to..?

Thanks,
F.

[Uff-Da!]

Originally Posted by flamaest

What exactly IS this "flush" everyone is reffering to..?

Thanks,
F.

LOL! It feels like you are having a major hot flash. You get hot all over, but especially in the face and neck. The face may turn red. Lasts several minutes; some people say maybe half an hour.

The way to avoid flushes with Niacin or at least minimize them is to:

(1) start at very low doses and build up, 100 mg for the immediate release product; 250 mg for the sustained release

(2) take the Niacin with a meal.

(3) use of a sustained release product, rather than an immediate release product can almost eliminate flushing for most people. However, be aware that a sustained release product is more effective, so you need a lower amount to get the same cholesterol lowering. If you were to substitute it on a mg for mg basis with the immediate release, you increase risks of dangerous side effects.

(4) take an aspirin 30 minutes before the Niacin for the first week or two of Niacin therapy.

(5) do not take Niacin with hot beverages, alcohol or spicy food.

With any Niacin product 250 mg or more daily, it is important to have blood tests for liver enzymes at regular intervals, just as you would on a statin. And diabetics, those who drink much alcohol, or anyone with liver problems should not be taking them.

Also note that the form of niacin which has a cholesterol-lowering effect is nicotinic acid. Niacin in the form of niacinamide does not have this effect.

[Magpiezoe]

Cookies and what is on the popcorn can cause things to go back up. Also, eating out as little as once per week can make the cholesterol sky rocket. The new studies all claim that nuts help raise the HDL and lower the LDL, unfortunately for me it doesn't work that way. I found both my HDL and LDL rose after eating 2 tbls. of flax seed per day. The cholesterol went back down when I stopped eating flax seed, so I really think the nut claim is individual. It might help some, but not others. I think more research on an individulal basis needs to go into all these claims. I think that different people's bodies respond to different things different ways. A good example is the vit. E studies. For a long time vit. E was thought to help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Now, they've found out that vit. E can raise cholesterol in some people. Exercise might be the only thing that can work for everyone, unless you're wheel chair bound.

You said you're on a low-fat diet. How many calories and how much total fat do you take in?

[jtu91952]

Thanks everyone for responding but this is an old post. I no longer have this problem since stopping the thiazide (hctz). You can read my other post (newer one) where i stopped the diuretic and my cholesterol dropped.

I never had a problem with my diet, exercise or heredity. My cholesterol rose due to a bp med and i proved it. As a matter of fact, i proved it in just 3 mos. from tc298 7/15 and 243 10/8. Just imagine if i had never started hctz. In the beginning my tc was 130.