Cholesterol Management Community

My doctor didn't because I had chest pain, they put me on it right away. I was on Zocor for 2 years and developed peripheral neuropathy in my left leg and weakness in my left arm. I now can't move my ankle and foot. This has been since 2004. I have tried three other meds (2 were statin drugs) and had deep muscle pain and problems with my left arm again.

I now use Omega-3 capsules, flush free niacin, watch my diet (limit red meat, saturated fats). I also use Smart Balance margarine which has plant sterols in it. I also eat oatmeal or oat products 5 times a week, exercise more and eat less (so that I am losing the extra lbs that I need to). I have been able to lower my numbers which are now in the high normal range.

The doctor wants to lower it more and have me use another med and I have said no. I will never use cholesterol meds again because of the problems that I had. Everyone else had to make the decision whether to take meds or not. I just wanted to share what happened to me.

WOW - I had a horrible experience with Lipitor..both my elbows had scorching pain, I was depressed, felt like I was in a fog....not myself at all! that's the end of taking ANY statins. My doctor agreed. It's the MEDS! Don't think it's just you!

I work in a doctors office and some doctors do things differently. One doctor only prescribes medications, while the other in the same practice will suggest using some over-the-counter products for six months to see if that work, before prescribing medications.

I am 22 years old and last year I was diagnosed with high cholesterol. I wasn't having any symptoms such as chest pain or anything, I just went in for my yearly checkup and had my lipid panels checked. Now I come from a family who has high cholesterol all down the line, so it wasn't no surprise to me when I was diagnosed with this. My doctor told me to eat healthier and try to lose weight and we'll recheck in six months. So this is what I did. I changed my diet by cutting out ALL red meats; I eat only turkey, some chicken, and I'm trying to eat more fish. I started taking Flax Seed Oil, eating oatmeal & cheerios, and I eat ground Flax Seed now as well. I started exercising, but not as much as I should. I stopped eating junk food, not all together though, just not every time it's in front of my face. I'm really excited because I just had my lipids rechecked two weeks ago and my cholesterol has come down a lot! I'm not where I need to be yet, but at least I don't have to take medications yet either (which I don't want to do at all!). This may not work for everyone, but I can say it worked for me! Good Luck with everything!

I fought my doc on going on statins for quite a while and used plant sterols, omega 3's, etc. still my blood test proved I still couldn't get my #'s down, so now I'm taking simvastatin and last blood check was good. My doc say's for me it's part generic so the other options do not lower my cholesteral #'s enough. Still do not like taking the statins but it seems I have no choice. Good luck if you are trying plant sterols, hope they work for you.

HI. I HAVE A VERY HIGH CHOLESTEROL AND MY TRYGLICERIDES IS 324 ALSO.I STARTED DIETING 3 WEEKS AGO, AND I'M ALREDY OUT OF OPTIONS WHAT TO EAT.CAN YOU GIVE ME SOME ADVISE, SO I WONT GET TIRED EATING A SAME FOOD? THANK YOU ANTONIA

I am not overweight, I do watch the food labels for cholesterol. I inherited the problem per my doctor. I have blood work at my insistance when I see the Dr. who wants to put me on medication. I am trying all the natural methods first. I also have high blood pressure which I have purchased "Resperate" and am giving that a try. Unfortunately I do not stick to anything well or for a long period of time. I feel great, I am very active (not at the gym or anything like that) I still work, get up early and get an 11 year old grandson off to school. I want to live a long life as did my parents and grandmother without all the meds. I have several dr's in my family, they do not hound me about my decision. I tell them they are practicing medicine, so am I.

I did not have luck with simvastatin....arms and shoulder aches... I am cutting out all foods with cholesterol, doing at least 20 minutes of cardio a day and my numbers have dropped a little. I have recently become a distributor for Mila - check out my website at www.sharonatlifemax.lifemax.net. I have not been on it long enough to see the results yet, but have heard testimonies of it lowering cholesterol!!! It only cost $1.84 a day which is so worth it to me to give it a try!!! I don't want to do the meds either. I have stopped taking all supplements except my multi. As for diet, I'm not dieting per say...just eating a whole lot healthier.....fresh vegies, fruits, whole grains, fish...lots of water! You just have to be creative so you don't get bored with it....Now, don't get me wrong...it is HARD - especially when others are enjoying the junk foods that you also love!!! Just hang in there - it will get easier and being healthy is worth it! Good Luck!

Fish Oil and Red Yeast Rice twice a day. Promise, it works in 3 months!!

My triglycerides were considered very high 2 months ago, 300, doc wanted me on meds, but first I tried lifestyle change (also wasn't expecting the test and had pizza the previous night-triglycerides can be driven up quickly by a heavy or fatty meal or alcohol even a day or two before). I highly recommend reading "How to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" by Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D. He uses a plant-based diet and has remarkable success with his patients improvement.

You should stay away from cheese esp. and anything fatty, but also eat whole grains and not white breads or simple sugars (soda, candy), and eat an abundance of vegetables and fruits. I followed that, which I've done once before, for these last 2 months--at the same time I happened to have adopted a dog, so I have been walking twice a day avg. about 45-90 minutes walking daily. I also stopped taking birth control pills which can drive triglycerides up. With all these changes, I lost 10 lbs., my good cholesterol went up, overall went down, blood pressure dropped to very healthy levels, and trigylcerides went down to 88. I'm sure the Esselstyn plan is one of the heart-healthiest ways to eat, you don't feel hungry--you can eat vegies in abundance . . . you feel so much better and definitely keep a healthier weight, you don't have to count points or calories obsessively, but it does take some getting used to. Try it for 2 months & check your numbers again.

aquaphor - Specifics Please!

How Much fish oil. How Much Red Yeast Rice. I got BOTH but never sure how much I should be taking.

and thank-you for sharing!

My new direction began when I went with my wife for her physical and decided to get one as well. On the second visit we received the results from our blood work and the doctor turned her concern from my wife to me. My doctor began to ask me about my family health history and I began to tell her my family story (two brothers with early deaths due to heart attack and diabetes). After I finished she showed me my cholesterol count and it was not good. My bad cholesterol or total LDL 269, Triglycerides 298, VLDL 60, LDL 170 and my Good cholesterol or HDL was 40. I was told I need to change my eating habits and begin taking medicine or I could follow the paths of my brothers (a shortened life). I only took the 5 mg medicine for two weeks straight and then off and on for another two weeks. I noticed a muscle in the middle of my right quadriceps was not there anymore. I am not big on medicine and the possible side effects had me worried (the medicine destroying my muscle) so I stopped using it. I changed my eating habits and started to eat a lot more vegetables (especially green ones) with some fruit along with lean cuts of meat. I also began to stay consistent on my work out routine. Within 86 days I had cut my total LDL by 28% to 193 from 269, Triglycerides by 24.5% to 225 from 298, VLDL by 25% to 45 from 60, LDL by 44% to 95 from 170 and raised my good cholesterol or HDL 32.5% to 53 from 40. New results as of 5/1/09 all but one of my totals is in the normal range. My Triglycerides are the only one a little high now 170 from a previous high of 298, 150 is in the normal range.

This was just the beginning of the good news and how my overall health has changed in the last eight months. I am 46 years old and for the last ten years I have had the aches and pains associated to with what I thought was just getting old. I have had feet, knee and joint pain, stiff and swollen hands, swollen face and feet, bone spur and have had all of these problems disappear. I do not have to go to the bathroom at night and sleep the entire night. I do not get indigestion anymore. I have gained my strength back and can lift weight like when I was in college. I lost weight and did not diet. I know more good things will happen if I stay on my routine. I believe anyone can have these results and I want to share them to the world. I have that bounce back in my step and do not feel like I am getting old! The first thing I did was eat healthy. My meals are based around vegetables (1 to 2 cups per meal) and then I add fruit and meat. I use herbs and spices because I love flavor in food. I cut out salt, sugar and processed foods. I make sure I exercise at least 30 minutes or more each day for 6 days a week (upper body one day lower body the other day abs every day). Some workout days are cardio with more repetitions and other days are strength with fewer repetitions and more weight (weights builds bone density). I have a sleep routine and make sure I get enough sleep (7 to 8 hours) for my body to repair itself (studies show lack of sleep causes heart attack and diabetes). I also try to reduce my stress as much as possible (stress causes disease).

I have had great results with a combination of fish oil, red yeast rice, garlic and cayenne. Greg

I'm a 6'6" male, 62 yo.

I've had a cholesterol and triglyceride problem for years, not to mention being obese. I ate like a pig and was almost totally sedentary. I was taking the maximum doses of Lipitor and Fenoglide, and still not keeping my lipids within the recommended levels. Then I lost my health insurance, and all of a sudden needed $250 a month to buy the medication, which I did not have. I asked the doctor to switch me to generics, but he refused, telling me that if the Lipitor and Fenoglide weren't getting the job done, the generics would be even worse. This was last summer.

I quit taking the meds (I had no choice, I didn't have $250 per month). Three weeks later, I went to a local hospital clinic for a cheapie blood test. My total cholesterol was 263, the triglycerides 426, the HDL 37.

The weekend after Thanksgiving, at 311 pounds, I started limiting my food intake to 1950 calories, cutting way back on fats and carbs, and measuring and writing down absolutely everything. I also started taking 500 mg a day of niacin and 4000 mg a day of an omega-3 fish oil supplement (total outlay about $6 a month). In mid-February, I started working out 4-5 days a week.

Last month, at 246 pounds, I had the lipids checked again at the clinic. Total cholesterol 197, triglycerides 145, HDL 45. I will get them checked again in August, the next time the hospital runs the clinic; I expect them to be better yet, because I'm continuing the new lifestyle, which I expect to keep doing until they lower me into the ground.

Lifestyle changes do work, at least for some people. Before you turn your life over to the drug companies and the medical establishment, see whether they will work for you.