Statin Drugs

[kenlove]

Not looking forward to go back on cholesterol medicine and will be more diligent with my diet but heredity plays a part and I may not have much choice.

Does anyone take cholesterol meds and know they are gluten-free? Which brands?

Any other natural remedies?

Bea, what if anything do you have to do for cholesterol?

Doc suggested I try Slo-Niacin from Costco? anyone try it?

Thanks

Ken

[Lisa]

Ken,

Don't know if you have this list. Perhaps it may be helpful.

Open Original Shared Link

I took Simvastatin for a few months and did not like it at all. I quit it and tried to make dietary changes. I've got one of the hereditary issues.

[Juliebove]

Niacin is a natural way to lower cholesterol, but it can cause flushing. There is also red rice yeast, but it's expensive. I take Simvistatin. Don't know if it is gluten-free or not since gluten is not an issue for me.

[psawyer]

Lipitor is gluten-free. There are no generic versions of it yet, as the patent is still in force. Don't combine it with grapefruit in any form.

[kenlove]

Thanks much, the list is a big help. I just dont want to try something that is going to cause problems.

It is going to be hard to give up cheese for 6 weeks in Italy!

Thanks again

Ken,

Don't know if you have this list. Perhaps it may be helpful.

Open Original Shared Link

I took Simvastatin for a few months and did not like it at all. I quit it and tried to make dietary changes. I've got one of the hereditary issues.

[kenlove]

Thanks Peter,

I was on Lipitor years ago. My old pre gluten-free diet I didnt need it anymore but the LDL has jumped in the past 2 years.

take care

Lipitor is gluten-free. There are no generic versions of it yet, as the patent is still in force. Don't combine it with grapefruit in any form.

[kenlove]

Thanks Julie,

I was warned about the flushing -- Does that mean I turn red or get flushed?

take care

Niacin is a natural way to lower cholesterol, but it can cause flushing. There is also red rice yeast, but it's expensive. I take Simvistatin. Don't know if it is gluten-free or not since gluten is not an issue for me.

[Piccolo]

Ken,

I had to chime in here. I have been put on Red Yeast Rice to lower my cholestoral (sp). I don't know if it is sucessful yet. I'll know in July. It can be expensive depending on the brand and strength.

I have been taking 833 mg. This is a specific brand and expensive.

600 mg can be found almost anywhere and cost under $20.00

1200 mg can also be taken.

Hope this helps.

Susan

[lizard00]

Hey Ken

My husband is another hereditary case. He's 30... at his checkup in Dec his cholesterol was 263 (or around there) and is triglycerides were 210. YIKES!!!

He does non-flushing niacin. It is widely available, but you have to read the label. Otherwise, I've heard it described as a burning sensation that makes you want to crawl out of your skin. Doesn't sound great... I get it from the local health food shop, but I'm pretty sure you can find it at Wal-Mart. It'll often say "this product has been formulated to be non-flushing" or something along those lines.

He also takes Red Yeast Rice, which can be expensive. But he's 30 and I don't want him to die.... so it's worth it.

And he started taking Fish Oils because his HDL was borderline too low.

Anyway, at his 6 wk recheck, his total cholesterol had come down 32 pts, I think. It was thirty something... but his triglycerides had come down to 136. Which is really what freaked the doc out in the first place. He watched what he ate also, but to be honest he doesn't really eat that bad, with the occasional indulgence here and there. I don't think his dietary changes made that big of a difference to drop his numbers like that.

[RiceGuy]

From the reading I've done, homocysteine is a major factor, as it apparently causes the liver to produce cholesterol in an effort to protect the arteries. Reducing homocysteine allows the liver to back off. It has been shown that methylcobalamin and folic acid work well together to lower homocysteine. I also read that 1 tsp of cinnamon per day has the cholesterol lowering power of statins, but without damaging the liver.

Homocysteine is a naturally occurring byproduct of protein synthesis. What that means to me, is that one should be able to help the body keep homocysteine low by getting the nine essential amino acids from a wide variety of sources, rather than a few. Specifically, that "complete" proteins (those having all the amino acids) require more work to convert, thereby producing more homocysteine. This is one of the reasons why I suspect red meats have a cholesterol raising effect, more so than the fact that they contain cholesterol. Again, the connection between meat and cholesterol is one I'm deducing based on what I've read and heard, not specifically stated in said studies.

I recently heard that studies actually show no rise in heart disease risk from higher cholesterol alone. This was an expert being interviewed, and I recorded it too. Feel free to PM if you want a copy.

Also just found this:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

[kenlove]

Thanks again everyone

Guess I need to get to the health food store and see whats available.

mine went from 158 prior to celiac diagnoses but is now 271 in 2 years.

HDL was fine though and glucose was 100 and fine.

Again though my testosterone level was way below normal. This and other hormones were a major problem for me during diagnoses

but went back to normal after a year. Why they are going haywire after 2 years I cant guess.

The only reason I decided to have the blood work on Tuesday was because on Monday a good friend only 57 died of a massive heart attack working on his farm here. It makes one think about how valuable health is.

thanks again

Ken

[Miriam Leah]

Not looking forward to go back on cholesterol medicine and will be more diligent with my diet but heredity plays a part and I may not have much choice.

Does anyone take cholesterol meds and know they are gluten-free? Which brands?

Any other natural remedies?

Bea, what if anything do you have to do for cholesterol?

Doc suggested I try Slo-Niacin from Costco? anyone try it?

Thanks

Ken

Hi,

I've finally decided to try using statins because I've tried with all my might to reduce cholestrol with diet, vitamin supplements and herbs but all I've done is lower the HDL. I've been prescribed SIMVASTATIN TEVA and it is absolutely Gluten Free. This has just been confirmed by email by the company.

In the past, I was able to lower the LDL and maintain a high HDL by following the Dr. Dean Ornish program of very low fat. Maybe because I'm now 72 and completely Vegan that it didn't work over the past year of effort. I've only been on it for 10 days; but, so far, no reactions except bruising even more easily than is my norm and constipation, which is supposed to be temporary. I can live with that if it works. I have a family history of heart attacks.