Problem with Liptor

nana59 · 05-02-2007, 06:58 PM

Hi my name is lynne. I have been diabetic for about 15 yrs. I am on insulin (humalog-sliding scale) and (lantus-2 times daily) I have many other problems along with my diabetese. I am on 22 pills in the AM. My sugar has been high for quite a while and I have been trying to get it down. I use olive oil, whole wheat bread and noodles, don't fry much and watch by keeping a log what I eat. I just found this message board today and have read many posts and am very happy I have found you all.
My problem right now is with Lipator. I went to the Drs and told her that my shoulders, hips and legs hurt in the joints. I could hardly walk. I have been on Lipator many years. She did a blood test and called me and said that the Lipator was raising my liver enzymes and to get off Lipator. Now I do have a very bad cholestral and triglyciride problem and if I have to come off Lipator I am afraid my numbers will go up further. Doc says she will be in a quandry as to what to give me. This does upset me. Any ideas of information would be helpful. The pains did go away when I stopped the med. Thanks Lynne

Coravh · 05-02-2007, 07:45 PM

Many people have reactions to lipitor. There are other meds that you can take that won't affect your liver. Talk to your doc about this.

Good luck.

Cora

A3wxOX0 · 05-03-2007, 01:08 AM

It seems that statins are not for everyone. I took one for 10 days and it was awful. Do you know if your cholesterol problems are physical, lifestyle or both? Are you able to exercise? Not necessarily working out but just some physical activity. I was able to lower my LDL by 35 points in 8 weeks by making a few diet and exercise changes, hopefully it will have continued to drop since that was from a few weeks ago. Of course if you have something other than diet that is causing you problems then diet wont be sufficient, but it will help.

The biggest thing that helped me was reading the nutrition labels, not just for th nutritional info but the serving size. Something may be low in saturated fat but it maybe that you are eating 3 or 4 servings of it without knowing, and that can add up. You still need fat and saturated fat but it is worth knowing what your daily goals are so you don't eat too much. Small things would be to cut down on saturated fat and look for things that are high in mono and poly unsaturated fat. It's quite amazing what you can find by comparing like products. For instance I was looking at soft tortillas and could only find ones that had a fair amount of fat and saturated fat per tortilla. Then I looked at one I found in a different section and saw it had 0 fat and wasn't full of nasty ingredients. Also things, especially spreads, that contain plant sterols will help. I also think it would help if you saw a dietitian, even if you already have, and really get it set out the type of meals that will help you to manage your cholesterol and triglycerides. Of course, it sounds like you will be on some kind of medication for it as well but it wont hurt to try some different foods out.

nana59 · 05-03-2007, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kdroberts

It seems that statins are not for everyone. I took one for 10 days and it was awful. Do you know if your cholesterol problems are physical, lifestyle or both? Are you able to exercise? Not necessarily working out but just some physical activity. I was able to lower my LDL by 35 points in 8 weeks by making a few diet and exercise changes, hopefully it will have continued to drop since that was from a few weeks ago. Of course if you have something other than diet that is causing you problems then diet wont be sufficient, but it will help.

The biggest thing that helped me was reading the nutrition labels, not just for th nutritional info but the serving size. Something may be low in saturated fat but it maybe that you are eating 3 or 4 servings of it without knowing, and that can add up. You still need fat and saturated fat but it is worth knowing what your daily goals are so you don't eat too much. Small things would be to cut down on saturated fat and look for things that are high in mono and poly unsaturated fat. It's quite amazing what you can find by comparing like products. For instance I was looking at soft tortillas and could only find ones that had a fair amount of fat and saturated fat per tortilla. Then I looked at one I found in a different section and saw it had 0 fat and wasn't full of nasty ingredients. Also things, especially spreads, that contain plant sterols will help. I also think it would help if you saw a dietitian, even if you already have, and really get it set out the type of meals that will help you to manage your cholesterol and triglycerides. Of course, it sounds like you will be on some kind of medication for it as well but it wont hurt to try some different foods out.

I think that she is thinking that any statin will cause my liver enzyme to be raised. I have tried alot to change my cholesterol but there is always something more, I know. I eat whole wheat bread and pasta, steamed vegs, no white anything and no frying. It seems that there is always some hint that helps. Thank you for your post. I did see my dietitian and she had my insulin amt changed by my Dr. Right now I have to have another blood test to see if not being on Lipator has helped. I will be happy if I can go back on my meds. High cholesterol has put me in the hospital many times. My triglycerides are even higher (1200) That cause me pancretitis and that is painful. Again thank you Lynne

A3wxOX0 · 05-03-2007, 11:56 AM

It sounds like you are doing a lot more than most people and are on the right track. Just for informational purposes, next time you go shopping check other brands of the things you buy to see if there is a better alternative. Check with a doctor or dietitian before you do any of this but here are a few things to help with the triglycerides. Switch to eating smaller meals more often. Eat more lean protein. Limit your egg yolk intake. Eat fish a couple of times a week, especially fresh salmon and tuna. Use fat free or 1% dairy products. Go with high fiber whole grain cereals and breads. Eat a good amount of vegetables a day, the more varied the colors the better. Eat a good amount of fresh fruit but avoid fruit juices unless you water them down or drink very small amounts. If you smoke, don't. Limit or eliminate simple sugars and alcohol, as best you can. That includes things like glucose, sucrose, lactose and fructose. Obviously being diabetic comes with certain strings attached when it comes to sugars so it's a little more tricky than it is for non-diabetics. Get some kind of physical activity every day. Doesn't have to be traditional working out or all at the same time. 5 minutes of walking, doing housework, yard work or anything that means you are active 6 times a day is a great start.

I know that this isn't directly related to your problem but recently I was checking the nutritional info on the bread I had been buying for 2 or 3 years and saw that the carbohydrate content had changed from 18g a slice to 22g a slice. If you don't check the labels of things you regularly buy every now and again it's possible that they might have had their ingredients changed and are now not as good as they previously were.

I'm sure other people will have other suggestions and I've only been paying close attention to cholesterol and triglycerides for a few months but the things above seem to have worked for me.