Does anyone here take medication for High Cholestrol levels?

[edprush]

Does anyone here take medication for High Cholestrol levels?

My doctor has been asking me to take this medication (Lipitor) for about 3 years now. I don't do it because I am not sure if there are side effects to worry about.

My cholesterol level is about 280-310. I exercise and eat rather healthfully. But my cholesterol stays up there.

Any input from experiences or just plain old advice would be great.

Thanks.

 

[Total Refected Power]

If you eat right and exercise than your body produces excess cholesterol. Whats more important is the ratio of LDL to HDL. The lower the better. I forget the numbers but you want to be around 5 or lower. If your HDL is poor I would take the drug. They are very effective and reduce risk of heartattack. I would also talk to your doctor about taking a baby aspirin every day. You have a risk factor for heart disease. Don't play around.

I believe the statins (lipitor, mevachor etc) are well-tolerated with few side-effects.

Good Luck

 

[jjm]

This is not a flame in any way, but you might get better help on a site devoted to medical issues. This site is mostly for techies, and most of them are pretty young.

 

[Mark R]

Statins are extremely effective, and have few significant side effects. Atorvastatin (lipitor) is no exception.

The guidelines for their use are slightly complicated, but are based on the levels of LDL (or 'bad') and HDL (or 'good') cholesterol and whether you have currently have heart disaser e.g. you've had a heart attack in the past. In addition, a variety of other risk factors, such as a family history of heart disease, age, high blood pressure and diabetes need to be taken into account.

Your physician will be able to advise you, on what risks to your health you currently have, and what treatment, if any, would be appropriate.

Similarly, the recommendation for aspirin is also slightly complicated. The general principle it is inappropriate unless you have had a heart attack, have unstable angina, have had a stroke or 'mini-stroke' or have had a heart bypass operation.

Again, your physician will be able to advise you with reference to your past and present health - general recommendations, such as 'yes, this drug is good' and 'no, this one isn't' are of not helpful.

 

[FlashG]

I'm on mevacore because my ldl/hdl ratio is too low.

What hurts me is the fact that I don't regurlarly excercize or watch my weight. Shame on me.

 

[BDawg]

I'm on questran, but not because of cholesterol, but for lack of a gall bladder. ^_^

 

[wyvrn]

Try to eliminate sugar, excess carbs, excess meat, and fat from your diet. Otherwise, do what your doc says, its your life after all. Ask him about the side effects, if he is legit he will tell you.

 

[edprush]

My doctor did recommend that I take a baby aspirin per day.

I have heard that some of the cholesterol lowering drugs can cause liver damage.

 

[Yo Ma Ma]

edprush, I think you're right about the liver, but your doc will (or should) monitor it with testing to know if you are able to use the drug safely.

 

[Mark R]

The statin drugs can, rarely, upset the liver - actual liver damage is very, very rare. Because of this, you need to have blood tests to check your liver before and occasionally for the first few months of treatment.

It's unusual for any liver problem to appear after having taken the tablets for some time.

The only other significant side-effect of the statin drugs is inflammation of the muscles. It, again, is rare. While unpleasant, it fully recovers after stopping the tablets.

 

[edprush]

So what type of results have you had taking cholesterol lowering medication?

How much did your levels or ratio drop?

 

[edprush]

^

 

[edprush]

^

 

[rahvin]

You doctor told you to do take a drug that could keep you from dieing and you haven't done it? If you doubt his opinion go get a second or third but I'll guarantee you, if 3 doc's told me to take a drug to avoid dieing I would be taking that drug...

The health of your liver isn't gonna matter much if you are dead...

 

[vailr]

Garlic supplementation is supposed to do what aspirin does, without aspirin's downsides.
"Odor free" versions can be found.

 

[dabuddha]

lipitor's great!
i've been using it for almost a year and a half now and before i started using it, my cholestrol level was 273, after 3 months of use, it was down to 104 and has been around there
of course my diet change helped alot but the medicine does work
and so far i haven't suffered any side effects
yet

 

[edprush]

The thing is I feel relatively fine even though my cholestrol is high.

Does taking the medication improve your health noticeably (besides the drop in your cholesterol level)?

 

[rahvin]

A lot of people feel fine up until the moment they die. Most cancer patients (that don't know) feel fine up until about 2 months before they are dead. Death isn't one of those things that always announces that it's coming. Hope you have a good life insurance policy for your familys sake...

 

[dabuddha]

well the change is somewhat gradual so its hard to notice anything but i did have alot more energy

 

[edprush]

I am glad for your input. It helps me make an informed decision. Just yesterday I found out that my blood is concernedly too thin. But does my doctor (the one that told me a I need to start taking aspirin to thin my blood) tell me to discontinue the asprin--no.

Well I can definitely see it is time to find a new doctor.

Any more opinions?

 

[edprush]

bump