High Cholesterol

[mickeyboat]

Well, I finally got my cholesterol checked, and as expected, it was high. My doctor wants to discuss medication, and I would like to see if a diet and exercise program will help first. I am 36.

First, anyone know what the side effects are of the cholesterol-lowering medications?

Second, I am having trouble with the results on one portion of the lipid panel. The HDL/cholesterol ratio was 4:5 (anything over 5 being a greater risk for heart disease). I am having a hard time finding information to explain that.

Anyone have anything to offer? TIA

Denae

 

[Virgo10]

I can't help you on the meds but have you tried eating Oatmeal? My total cholesterol was 247. Two months later after eating oatmeal every day it was 210.

I was doubtful about just a food being able to do this but I am now a believer. It dropped my bad cholesterol as well, down to 147 from 169. I have it every day for lunch.

 

[mickeyboat]

I can't help you on the meds but have you tried eating Oatmeal? My total cholesterol was 247. Two months later after eating oatmeal every day it was 210.

I was doubtful about just a food being able to do this but I am now a believer. It dropped my bad cholesterol as well, down to 147 from 169. I have it every day for lunch.

Thanks! I am eating oatmeal for breakfast every morning. I will let you know when they re-test whether it worked. My total cholesterol is 257, and I would love to have it down to 210! That is awesome. Did you do anything else, or just the oatmeal?

High cholesterol is a problem in my family (but not heart disease ), so I am not sure how much diet and exercise will help.

 

[horseshowmom]

I'm also checking into ways to manage cholesterol without medications. I've heard about flax oil and niacin but don't enough about it yet to determine a course of action.

Anybody have any advice about those or any others? Along with the oatmeal, of course!

 

[mickeyfan2]

Try fish oil pills.

 

[meeskamouska]

Try fish oil pills.

I am currently on a new prescription fish oil, Omacor, for my Triglycerides...they are an alarming 1250...the norm is 150...mine is genetic as my diet is great and I am a good weight!!!
Good luck....

 

[Wonderlandmom]

I have a friend who is about 5'3", 95 lbs but her cholesterol was over 250. She started taking "red yeast rice", and cut out all beef. A few months later her cholesterol was around 150. I question the first reading, but she said her parents have high cholesterol and she always did. She did a lot of research too, checked for side effects so she knew what to look for.

I don't have a problem, but if I did, I would start researching some of these supplements I suppose. I really don't know anything about red yeast rice personally.

 

[Ride Junkie]

I also found out I had high cholesterol last year (at age 36). My doctor didn't put me on medication; she had me attend a cholesterol education class, where they tell you what foods are good at lowering cholesterol. Some of the foods I liked were oatmeal and olives. They also said fish oil, flax seed, and olive oil are good for you. Basically, cholesterol comes from animal products (esp. red meat), so you can adjust your diet accordingly. My cholesterol went down (I don't remember the numbers), and I still eat meat, just not as much red meat. Chicken and fish are good choices. Hope it works for you. Down with cholesterol!

 

[Simba's Mom]

DH has been on various cholesterol meds for 15 years, ever since they discovered his cholesterol was close to 400. He's never had any side effects from anything he's taken-niacin, crestor, lipitor, fish oil tablets, etc.

 

[profdsny]

Well, oatmeal and other stuff are good, no doubt about that. Try almonds for one. And, one of the wonders of modern science is that dark chocolate and red wine also help. BUT after a HA meds have done wonders for me, praise god. I've had no side effects, but others I know who take some of the same meds have had some real aches and pains because of them. No one wants to take meds, but if they are going to save your life, it's worth it to do it. Good luck.
Oh, check the American Heart Association web site.

 

[Christine]

According to my doctor, the "statin" drugs are some of the safest medications that he prescribes on a daily basis. They really have no dangerous side effects at and can be beneficial in many ways. They can cause side effects of muscle and joint aches though and many people cannot tolerate them because of that (my dad could not).

My doctor also advises patients who cannot take the statins to take the "red yeast" stuff the other poster discussed. It contains the same active ingredient as the statin drug but at a much lower amount. He says he is getting great results with this and his nurse also uses it. Just remember, it still is a drug even if you can buy it at GNC.

Other things to try are the fish oil capsules.

As far as the ratio question, I'm not sure what you are asking. But, what I know of it is that you can still have high cholesterol but have a "good" ratio (LDL to HDL ratio). If you have a good ratio, then sometimes the doctor won't care about the overall number. If you overall number is high and your ratio is off, then that's a flag. Your ratio is close the the limit so you probably do need to really do something.

 

[mckryan]

My mother tried diet/exercise and that didn't work. She tried Lipitor, but she reacted to it, so she stopped. She's tried oatmeal - nothing. She started drinking red hibiscus tea, and her total cholesterol went from 253 to 186. That is the only thing she did different. DH and I have started drinking it, and DH will get his tested again in May. I can't wait to see the results.

http://www.dragonwater.com/product_detail.tf/325_hibiscus_tea.html

 

[#1MMFan]

Well, I finally got my cholesterol checked, and as expected, it was high. My doctor wants to discuss medication, and I would like to see if a diet and exercise program will help first. I am 36.

First, anyone know what the side effects are of the cholesterol-lowering medications?

Second, I am having trouble with the results on one portion of the lipid panel. The HDL/cholesterol ratio was 4:5 (anything over 5 being a greater risk for heart disease). I am having a hard time finding information to explain that.

Anyone have anything to offer? TIA

Denae

I don't want to sound cruel here(!) but you need to worry about the lipid profile, and not about the side-effects of the medications. There are side-effects of all medications, even paracetamol/acetaminophen, and if one read them one probably would not take the medications. There is no way of predicting who will develop what side-effects, barring the old "whosoever reads the leaflet will almost certainly start developing the side-effects" addage. I see it all the time.

You need to discuss your other risk factors with your Primary Care Physician. You also need to know that your body manufactures cholesterol. It is estimated that only around 30% of your cholesterol can be altered by strict dieting; to be honest, this is probably an over-estimate in practice.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

The American Heart Association website can answer all your questions. Were you fasting before your blood work?

 

[MScott1851]

I agree with #1MMFan... the side-effects of the meds will pale in comparison to recovery from a MI, an angioplasty, or even worse, a multi-vessel bypass! Don't worry about them...you never know what will happen to you.

DH has high cholesterol, so he made some increases in his exercise, he eats Cheerios every morning (won't eat oatmeal, so we compromised), drinks the "Heartwise" OJ, I started buying the margarine made from plant sterols (I can't remember it's name) and we basically try to get as much soluble fiber into his diet as possible. I even substituted fat free hot dogs made with soy instead of his beloved Juicy Jumbos. (If you grill them and smother them with mustard, they aren't bad.) After a three month trial, he had dropped his total cholesterol almost 20 points, but was still above 200.

He is now taking Zetia, it is actually different than a statin, it works in the digestive tract. So far, so good, no side effects. And, six months later, he's down to 172.

 

[nbodyhome]

I'd start with the meds - but eating healthier and exercising is what got my cholesterol down (and it used to be terrible).