Lowering Your Cholesterol With Niacin?, Statins?, Or...?

Don't forget to let us know how you keep your cholesterol low!

Teri :)

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"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas

I'm taking Lipitor. My total cholesterol was 199 when my cardiologist prescribed them for me. They went down to 166 in less than 3 months. I was going to share my LDL and HDL numbers, but I can't find them. I had saved them to my computer hd someplace! My triglycerides went up after beginning the Lipitor, but do not know if that had any connection or not. It was interesting that right after the newspaper had a large article on statins and how they reduce the risks for additional heart attacks for people who have already had them, my doctor prescribed  them to me that month. He told me that he wanted my cholesterol to be lower than the high end. I was relieved after reading that article. The cardiac rehab team had brought it all their patients' awareness. New tests to be done this month as it will be my six month checkup. I'm crossing my fingers!

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ok for 15 years and 2 heart attacks not one but 2 one in 199 and one in 2003 which was a silent one the Dr said no statins etc diet only so low fat low cholesterol no white stuff  no trans fats nothing from deli or bakery but in 6 months my cardio tracked my progress oh me oh my I am ashamed of myself even though eating healthy foods I have gained from 130-153 back to 144 now 14 poiunds to lose I donto smoke and have an occasional glass of red wine if we got the money to buy a botle of red wine since hubby is on SSDi but here I go

My HDl from 6 months ago went from 59 to 50

My LDL from 124 to 190

My Triglycerides from 57 to 54 total Vholesterol from 170 to a whoppiong 290

now on 10miligrams of Lipitor no side effects I do take an Ace and 2 diuretics too and then since Lipitor drains yur body of Co Enzyme Q-10 I daily take a 1,000 milligram flax seed oil, fish oil and a 100 milligram co enzyme q-10 in the afternooon.

Then for eating I use olive oil and  Smart Balance Butter and eat a vegtable meal 2ce a week I love sliced tomatoes with Mrs Dash on them then no white stuff nothing from Bakery or Deli and Low fat milk and cheese and  no creamy sauces too for myuu Cardio told me I have onl damage the size of a quarter and survived 2 heart attacks and the Good Lord mightnot let me survive number 3 so follow this eting plan low ft low cholesterol next to low sodium 800 miligrams a day and then certin foods not to eat with my hypothyridism butt Yes I am trying to follow a low fat low cholesterol diet make my own bread but the killer for me is cheese I love my cheese and the lowfat tastes like cardboard. but I will eat right stay fit and die anyway.

Heidi

hi all,

i believe if you can tolerate the flushing with niacin it is one of the best things you can take.  teri, i'm not sure i agree that all OTC niacin's aren't OK?  particularly, to those who haven't tried niacin yet, you should!  they can be taken with statins, but as teri says you must carefully monitor liver functions (with blood work each 6 months).  but probs are few.  you can take SR niacin, which is slowrelease and helps with the flushing.  also "enduracin" which is SR and is great with that. 

also, to lower bad cholesterol and raise good, lots of things we used to think were bad aren't.  like certain nuts (almonds, walnuts), salmon, avocados, etc.  eating moderate amounts of these, with canola or olive oil and oat bran/oatmeal products can help raise the HDL.  so important for all, but seems to be harder for women to accomplish that with exercise.  instead of only flour, try to use half flour half oat bran.  also, smart balance "spread" has phytosterols which are research proven to be a big cholesterol-building blocker.  that is, if you consume phytosterols in this form (it's also available in capsules) you can even have the occasional eggs and red meat.  but i'm happy with egg beaters and fish. 

there is by the way some new red meat, Belgian Blue, that is EXTREMELY low in fat, you can get it online, i've done this, it's excellent.  and it has much less fat than chicken, etc.  it's very moist, surprisingly.  i've tried their ground beef and a sirloin steak. 

everyone, these kinds of fats mentioned above, in moderation, will help lower total cholesterol and LDL and raise HDL, thereby lowering your ratio, which seems to be one of the most immportant indicators of CHD and preventing AND reversing it. 

 

I'm doing the Niaspan thing along with Vytorin. I've been on them for a month. I'm just at the point where I have to double the dose of Niaspan to 1000 mg per day. I got thru the initial flushing problem by takin half a tablet in the morning and half at nite. Now it looks like I'm gonna have to start tolerating a hgher dosage. I'll letcha know how it's going in a coupla daze.

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Ray

ChevyAsylum.com

Also...

"Some strengths of niacin are available only with your doctor's prescription. Others are available without a prescription, since niacin is also a vitamin. However, it is best to take it only under your doctor's direction so that you can be sure you are taking the correct dose."

Hugs, Teri :)

Guess I'd rather err on the side of caution here...
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/202404.html

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"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas

hi all,

teri is definitely right, of course - you should always check with your doc before starting anything new, even if it seems like it's just an OTC "vitamin" like niacin.   as with all drugs there can be interactions and side effects and your doc should know and approve everything you take.  niacin is usually well tolerated with other drugs, except for the flushing, but i sure didn't mean to indicate that i'm "prescribing" it for everyone on the forum!   i just mean that i've done my research, and niacin seems quite proven at helping with the cholesterol prob, and SOMETIMES can in fact do a great job along with or without statins.  just want to recommend that if you want to consider it read up on it, there's plenty out there, especially by robert kowalski, who has researched it for over 20 years.   AND talk to your doc.

libby

teri,

Also with fat free be sure to check the sodium content sometimes the sodium content is sky high and I am only allowed 800-1,000mg of salt a day if I get over 850-900 my bp starts to go up but i also very healthy eating I thought and still on a cholesterollowering medicine we figured abuot time and my age too oh well. It beats the alternative.

Heidi

Just wanted to bump this one up for the newer members...Teri :)

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"Because he is he and I am I."......E. V. Lucas