Cholesterol-lowering medication: Yes or No?

[kaldaniels]

Originally Posted by Rojo

I don't know if this actually helps but a few years ago I started eating "real oatmeal", actual steel-cut oats. Cooking them can be a pain, which is why everyone eats the instant stuff. But here's a trick I invented.

Before I go to bed, I load a small crockpot with oats and water and set a timer to turn the pot on four hours before I wake up and stop about 1/2 before I wake up.

I get up, dump some frozen blueberries in there, take a shower. When I'm ready, I scoop into a bowl and a tiny pat of butter and a teaspoon of raw honey. It's delicious, warm and filling.

If you cook oats, the ratio is 1/4 cups oats to 1 cup water. After some trial and error, I've found that for a crockpot, 1/4 oats cups to 1 and 1/2 cups of water works better. Probably have to adjust for climate, taste, altitude, all that jazz.

Yes. Crockpot oatmeal is awesome!

[RedsFan75]

Originally Posted by *BaseClogger*

Haha it's a show on the Food Network. I highly doubt he came up with it, but I saw him do it on the show. Here's the episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH8tEw938RM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j-Hk...eature=related

That Granola he makes in that episode is awesome

[RedsFan75]

Originally Posted by Will M

I don't see anyone on coenzyme Q.
- Will

I take it, I couldn't tell fully by the message if you think that's bad, that part wasn't very clear to me.. Sorry.

Originally Posted by Will M

pravachol causes less muscle aches than the other statins but its LDL
- Will

That's the other one I took and it caused me joint issues...

[Will M]

Originally Posted by RedsFan75

I take it, I couldn't tell fully by the message if you think that's bad, that part wasn't very clear to me.. Sorry.



That's the other one I took and it caused me joint issues...

I don't think co enzyme Q is bad for you, i just don't know if it is good for you in any way. the last time I looked at the data there wasn't any clear benefit.

Some people get muscle aches on every statin they try. It sounds like you may be one of them. Zetia is a non statin that can lower LDL. It has pretty much no side effects as it blocks LDL absorption in the gut. However its effectiveness at actually preventing heart disease hasn't been proven.

[macro]

Well, it has taken me six weeks to get in to see the doctor, but finally did the deed today. I have agreed to take 20mg/day Zocor generic and go back in six weeks to see how we're doing.

She said that, given my family history (both parents, as well as uncles on both sides of family), the chance of my getting the cholesterol levels down to an acceptable level without the drugs was slim to none. She also said that she suspected that i would have to be bumped up to 40mg, but we'll try 20mg for six weeks.

I was surprised to learn that the drug reduces the cholesterol levels all it's going to in a six week period. Was also surprised to learn that if I miss for two or three days, my levels will jump right back up to where they are now.

Anyway, I don't think I stated my appreciation for the input and opinions in this thread. Not that anyone is all that interested in my particular lab results, but I'll post the results in six weeks just for the sake of the discussion.

[919191]

Macro, I take what you take. I get 20mg/day too. After one month my total dropped from about 240 to just under 200. After 6 months it snuck up to 204. After one year it was 170. I tried to control it through diet and nutrition to no avail. I took the medicine and didn't worry too much about diet, and started running more, too. Good luck.

[durl]

Originally Posted by SMcGavin

The obesity rate in 1980 was around 10-15%, today it's close to 30%. Obesity and high cholesterol go hand in hand, so there's one big reason why more people need cholesterol lowering meds. And despite less healthy lifestyles now, people are living longer than ever before. Preventative meds like statins play a big role in that.

Something to keep in mind about the percentage of people classified as obese is that the government changed the standards defining obesity in the late 1990s. Basically, within one second, an additional 30 million people were declared to be "obese."

I'd like to find the full article but only found a synopsis. http://econlog.econlib.org/GQE/gqe142.html

I thought it was interesting that, in 2002, if you used the pre-1998-modification standard, obesity rates actually decreased between 1980 and 2002.

[macro]

Another update, again just for the sake of the discussion and not because you need updates on my Rx activity:

After six weeks the Zocor did what it was supposed to do. My cholesterol levels were all within acceptable ranges, albeit at the upper end of the scale on a couple of them. She had intended to increase the dosage to 40mg, but the blood screen has revealed that my liver functions are now elevating. Going to check them again in four weeks, but if they have gone even higher, I'll have to stop the drug, let my liver functions go back down, and try something else.

All statins work through the liver, so switching to another one won't be an option. I'm disappointed, but hopefully something will work out. If I understand correctly, there are four classes of cholesterol-lowering drugs, and statins are only one of those four.

Anyone else had to stop taking statins because of this problem? What did you end up getting that worked?

[BoxingRed]

Originally Posted by macro

Another update, again just for the sake of the discussion and not because you need updates on my Rx activity:

After six weeks the Zocor did what it was supposed to do. My cholesterol levels were all within acceptable ranges, albeit at the upper end of the scale on a couple of them. She had intended to increase the dosage to 40mg, but the blood screen has revealed that my liver functions are now elevating. Going to check them again in four weeks, but if they have gone even higher, I'll have to stop the drug, let my liver functions go back down, and try something else.

All statins work through the liver, so switching to another one won't be an option. I'm disappointed, but hopefully something will work out. If I understand correctly, there are four classes of cholesterol-lowering drugs, and statins are only one of those four.

Anyone else had to stop taking statins because of this problem? What did you end up getting that worked?

I think it is great that you were willing to try the drug and have followed up with it. These are signs of a smart patient. I would ask, if I were your pharmacist (and I am only a pharm student), if you are taking any other medications or, very important, supplements. Ultimately, you may just need to try another statin, though they work the same, they are still different in structure and may interact differently with HMG-CoA reductase. Edit: Sound like your doc has nixed this idea, did not mean to contradict.
Zetia is another drug that might be tried. It acts to prevent the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine. The subsequent decrease in cholesterol stores in the liver leads to an increase of clearance from the serum. It can be pricey and might require a prior authorization from your doctor for your insurance to pay for it.
Another set of drugs is the bile sequestering agents, Cholestyramine being one. These keep your body from reabsorbing bile (which is made with cholesterol). This leads to an increase in sythesis of LDL receptors in the liver and a decrease in the LDL of the serum. They tend to cause some GI problems and may decrease the absorption of fat soluable vitamins like A and lipophilic drugs. I do not beleive they cause problems with liver enzymes.

To answer the other question about Co-Q, it is sometimes used to decrease the muscle pain some get when taking statins. Although it is generally very safe, you should still consult your physician or pharmacist before starting a supplement.

Can you tell we just got done with cholesterol drugs in pharmacology and med chem?

[RedsFan75]

Originally Posted by macro

Anyone else had to stop taking statins because of this problem? What did you end up getting that worked?

Not because of Liver function, but every statin I've taken has given me bad joint and muscle issues. Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor, Pravachol all have bothered me...

Originally Posted by BoxingRed

Zetia is another drug that might be tried. It acts to prevent the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine. The subsequent decrease in cholesterol stores in the liver leads to an increase of clearance from the serum. It can be pricey and might require a prior authorization from your doctor for your insurance to pay for it.
Another set of drugs is the bile sequestering agents, Cholestyramine being one. These keep your body from reabsorbing bile (which is made with cholesterol). This leads to an increase in sythesis of LDL receptors in the liver and a decrease in the LDL of the serum. They tend to cause some GI problems and may decrease the absorption of fat soluable vitamins like A and lipophilic drugs. I do not beleive they cause problems with liver enzymes.

To answer the other question about Co-Q, it is sometimes used to decrease the muscle pain some get when taking statins. Although it is generally very safe, you should still consult your physician or pharmacist before starting a supplement.

Can you tell we just got done with cholesterol drugs in pharmacology and med chem?

My Dr has not tried Zetia yet, and I don't know what other options to take, think that the CoQ-10 will help with my joint issues when on the Zocor/Pravachol etc??? I've not been taking it lately.

[Spring~Fields]

Originally Posted by macro

Anyone else had to stop taking statins because of this problem? What did you end up getting that worked?

They have me confused, so I am reading what each of you say with focused attention.

Each time I took the statin drugs the liver panels went up. By accident once when having blood work and urinalysis done to check the liver panels and other they accidentally checked off the wrong box on the blood work form and subsequently checked the LIPASE and it was out of whack too. I subsequently read that the pancreas has something to do with trygliceride production or something. In regard to the LIPASE The doctor turned to me and said, “what do you do with that”. I did not know at the time that the LIPASE was about the pancreas. So naturally the results tend to scare me, and the doctors remarks did nothing for my courage. Each time he wants to put back on satins the liver panels go up, at one point even the blood pressure was up. I took myself off all his meds and all went back to normal. Of course the cholesterol and triglycerides went up. So now I am trying to intensely, very diligently trying to stay away from any input or intake that increases those and eat diligently what “they say” lowers the bad, and increases the good. I keep forgetting that I came up with more than normal muscles and joint aches and pains that seem to be reduced now to. So I am confused on the good and the bad or concerns of it all.

One good side effect from dilligently eating what "they say" has been significant weight loss over the past twelve months. Unfortunately in that period also I was putting stuff on my foods to flavour them in quantities that I was ignorant about that increases bad cholestrol and tryglicerides up and have hence stopped those practices completely, but it has only been a couple months on that last part.

Additional problem that occurs is that I also see a digestive care doctor who is very much concerned with the liver and pancreas evaluations, that I don’t know how to react or respond to, it makes me very uneasy with limited patient knowledge and being a bit of a ping pong ball perception wise between the two doctors. I am going to get his opinion in the middle of January on how to proceed.

I don’t know and those blood works of liver and pancreas scare the hell out of me to the point of anxiety when I get negative results on them.

[macro]

Originally Posted by BoxingRed

I think it is great that you were willing to try the drug and have followed up with it. These are signs of a smart patient. I would ask, if I were your pharmacist (and I am only a pharm student), if you are taking any other medications or, very important, supplements. Ultimately, you may just need to try another statin, though they work the same, they are still different in structure and may interact differently with HMG-CoA reductase. Edit: Sound like your doc has nixed this idea, did not mean to contradict.
Zetia is another drug that might be tried. It acts to prevent the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine. The subsequent decrease in cholesterol stores in the liver leads to an increase of clearance from the serum. It can be pricey and might require a prior authorization from your doctor for your insurance to pay for it.
Another set of drugs is the bile sequestering agents, Cholestyramine being one. These keep your body from reabsorbing bile (which is made with cholesterol). This leads to an increase in sythesis of LDL receptors in the liver and a decrease in the LDL of the serum. They tend to cause some GI problems and may decrease the absorption of fat soluable vitamins like A and lipophilic drugs. I do not beleive they cause problems with liver enzymes.

To answer the other question about Co-Q, it is sometimes used to decrease the muscle pain some get when taking statins. Although it is generally very safe, you should still consult your physician or pharmacist before starting a supplement.

Can you tell we just got done with cholesterol drugs in pharmacology and med chem?

Thanks for the feedback! I must confess that some of that went over my head, but I'll keep it for reference as this plays out and I have conversations with my doctor.

[RBA]

I'm on Lipator. I'm getting muscle aches and pains from it.

[Larkin Fan]

Considering the research that surfaced a few weeks ago regarding the ineffectiveness of Zetia at preventing atherosclerosis, I'd advise saving your money on an extremely overpriced drug with little clear benefit. Based on that research, you'd be far better off with a prescription niacin, which will not only reduce the bad LDL level but also increase your good HDL level. Plus, it's loads cheaper as well!

[RBA]

Someone recommended Niacin to me about 20 years ago. He was a vitamin addict and said to take twice the recommended daily dose. I did it for a couple weeks and never went back to it. I don't know if it affected my levels at all, but I was beet red for most of the day and a little warm.

The latest Doctor put on the prescription for Lipator: Take 1/2 tablet daily to prevent Heart Attack. It gets my attention now.