Pros/cons, decent websites to look at, lifestyle choices to make instead, whatever.
Go at it from a middle aged woman’s with high total (247) and LDL (179), but good HDL (50) and trigs (95) perspective.
This woman already does not smoke, drinks alcohol maybe 4 - 6 times per year at most (one drink each time), and has a better than average, albeit nowhere near “perfect” diet. (Lots of fruits/veggies, low meat being “normal,” but a few meals each week will vary from normal.) She also vastly prefers natural (aka non-prescipt) fixes, but is not “religious” about it, so is looking to do her own homework on the issue between now and early April when it’s certain to come up in a routine Dr appt.
If it matters, other liver readings are in the normal, but really pretty darn close or semi-close to edgepoint, readings, specifically Anion Gap (8, has been 7 before, but 8 now), ALT (14 - a bit of a drop), and Total Bilirubin (1.1, so dropping back into normal range from having been 1.4).
A quick google search showed statins are the normal recommendation, but also suggested they are controversial and are not always the answer.
Any thoughts from there as that last bit is what leads to the question if anyone cares to share their experiences giving this gal a bigger picture from a BTDT perspective.
I have high cholesterol, even a little higher than yours. However, I have high “good” cholesterol, too. This goid choestetol is what moves the bad away, my doc put me on statins about 7 years ago. She tried two kinds, but it felt like my head muscle was aching. So she put me on a type they give pregnant women, it was very expensive, and did help lower it to 220. Then after about 6 months, I noticed my hair starting to shed. It was getting worse, so I went to the dermatologist. The only thing that changed was my meds. So, I stopped taking them. My cholesterol did go back up.
Same thing happened to my hair stylist. Hers was over 300. The statins caused her to lose about 35% of her hair.
So, about a year later I was talking to my regular doc. I asked her about those moble life screenings and she said they weren’t good. She told me about a heart test you can have at the hospital fir about $50. It is very good and is a likely indicator of heart disease. I had it done and I have the best reading, the tech said that there are some people who do it that have low cholesterol and terrible readings and vice versa, like me.
I’m using this as my indicator of heart issues. My good cholesterol must be doing it’s job.
But you should always talk to,your doctor about your own medical issues.
I got a calcium scan, and they found just a tiny bit of plaque in one spot. Apparently nothing to worry about. I kind of wish I hadn’t gotten it done, as I am exposed to a lot of radiation already and I really didn’t have any particular risk.
My husband (before statins) had LDL cholesterol of 156, and the statins brought it down 50 points. But I don’t know that it’s worth taking statins for that level, as it’s not that high. He eats pretty healthy (except for the bacon) and exercises like crazy. His HDL is pretty good at 81. But that was last year, we’ll see what this year’s results are. I just don’t know that someone should be on statins for something like this.
You don’t mention your weight in the OP. I think that is a consideration as well. One of our family members just lost 20 pounds, and his cholesterol reading dropped 50 points. The weight loss was a combination of eating better, and exercise.
Exercise, according to his very pleased doctor, was likely the key ingredient.
Even when I was running 30 miles per week and going to the gym regularly, my cholesterol stayed high. It runs in my family. But my HDL is good, so my doctor hasn’t put me on any meds yet.
I think many doctors just automatically prescribe statins, as practically a no brainer. But it sounds like there are risks to taking statins, so if you don’t actually need them, maybe they shouldn’t suggest them.
I have heard of red yeast rice as an alternative, however, it sounds like there are risks to that also.
Here is a website that calculates your risk of heart disease or stroke: http://www.cvriskcalculator.com/
This is what my doctor uses to determine if people should be on statins or not.
I took Crestor for years with no problems. My insurance forced me to switch to lipitor. After several months i developed severe muscle aches and one of my liver enzymes became high. My doctor took me off lipitor for six months and then ordered new blood work. Based on the results of the algorithm linked above, she has not put me back on statins. I hope to never go on them again, and certainly won’t take lipitor.
The Total Cholesterol/HDL ratio is probably more important than any specific numbers. For some people, it’s just genetic, and your numbers will be outside of optimal ranges regardless of your weight and exercise habits. There are also different doses of statins like Lipitor, so your doctor may be able to adjust doses to minimize any side effects. I’ve been taking them for a few years at a lower dosage, and haven’t noticed any difference at all, and found that they were extremely effective. My total dropped from a peak of about 230 to 140, while HDL only dropped from 50 to 47.
Whether it makes a difference long-term remains to be seen. Does your family have a history of heart problems?
I started Lipitor about 6 months ago after years of resisting. My doctor and I have been monitoring my cholesterol for several years, and despite diet and exercise my total cholesterol and triglyceride numbers just weren’t coming down, and I have low HDL. I did have the heart scan - normal. After 4 months on Lipitor, my numbers have dropped to well within normal range. I am not experiencing any side effects but of course I will be getting bloodwork regularly to monitor. So for me, it’s working. My advice? Go to your appointment with questions and have a good discussion with the doctor about your specifics and his/her recommendation.
My MD tried something else before putting me on a low dose of Lipitor, but my cholesterol issues are genetic so the non-statin approach didn’t work. I’ve had no problem with muscle aches, but do have hair loss. Heart disease adversely affected/killed many members of my family, so I do what needs to be done to keep my numbers good.
My H was put on statins. Within a week or so, he developed horrible and excruciating pains in his calves. He has a very high pain threshold, so for him to complain was out of character. I did some research and it sounded like rhabdomyosis. He called his doctor, who immediately discontinued the statins. H’s cholesterol is very good, particularly considering that his major food groups are bacon, meat, whole milk and pasta. He was put on statins because he has A-fib. He has not taken a statin since. If you do go on statins and you develop pain in your muscles that is disproportionate to your exercise, etc. seek medical advice immediately! This rhabdomyosis is not rare and it can take a long time to go away.
My cholesterol is high but I have resisted statins. I am truly trying to eat healthier. I do eat healthier than H and my levels are still worse.
A health professional told me that it’s not current best practices to prescribe statins based only on the fasting lipids test results. You need to use the risk calculator in Post #6 (and family history).
Did you have your TSH, F-T4 and F-T3 checked? Hypothyroidism can increase your LDL level.
I wasn’t aware of the link between hypothyroidism, which I also have, and high LDL. That could be one explanation of why my levels are higher than my H’s and higher than they should be based on my diet.
Chocolate is WAY up there. He keeps frozen bars in the fridge. and actually bought a dozen boxes of Thin Mints just for himself (I hate chocolate). However, due his family history, H is pretty much a teetotaler. If he drinks 3 beers and the equivalent of 2 bottles of wine a year, it’s been a big party time. Occasionally, he’ll have a small glass of Bailey’s.
^^That’s the problem, techmom! He obviously has far too low of an alcohol intake. I don’t trust anyone over 21 who doesn’t drink a reasonable amount of wine…
Oh my God, I love thin mints. The best ever, though, is Campfire Girl mints. Hard to find nowadays, as are Campfire Girls, but they are so delicious and creamy, they are incredible.
The article was interesting. Although I don’t really fully understand the chemical interactions, I garnered enough to decide that I should probably see an endocrinologist to determine if I am on the right amount of thyroid hormone and if I should reconsider statins. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet found one that I really like and trust, so I am going to ask my PCP for some recommendations. I like and trust my PCP (he diagnosed my hyperparathyroidism based on patterns in three blood tests) but he’s not a specialist. He is doing his best and he is not afraid to do research but I think I probably need an expert. Thank you.
