Had my blood checked and DR prescribed statins.
total = 226
HDL = 34
trig = 288
ldl = 134
non-hdl = 192
glu = 87
Ht = 71"
Wt = 185#
Run 10 miles/wk(3x3)
Recently been riding 1/wk 2-3 hrs(30-40mi)
What has been your experience on statins? There is a lot of stuff online good and bad about it.
I have been on statins for 10+ years and never noticed any side effects. Even when I was super lean my total was like 250 off the meds. Taking the minimum dose it drops to 150. That comes from my Dad’s side of the family.
I’ve always wondered the high end of OK. And it just seems I kicked over the edge into low end of not OK.
Thanks for the response.
Had my blood checked and DR prescribed statins.
total = 226
HDL = 34
trig = 288
ldl = 134
non-hdl = 192
glu = 87
Ht = 71"
Wt = 185#
Run 10 miles/wk(3x3)
Recently been riding 1/wk 2-3 hrs(30-40mi)
What has been your experience on statins? There is a lot of stuff online good and bad about it.
Statins don’t work.
Do you have evidence?
Statins don’t work.
Statins do work in terms of reducing bad cholesterol. However some medical professionals are questioning whether this then reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Currently the Australian Heart Foundation, US Heart Foundation, UK Heart Foundation all recommend the use of statins.
Do some research on reputable web sites, not the anti science BS anti vax, homeopathy type of web sites. Then talk to your doctor if you are still concerned.
Have you tried diet and exercise changes to try and reduce your cholesterol levels naturally?
Statins don’t work.
Unless you’re a post menopausal old woman…or is it doesn’t work for post menopausal old women…I can never remember!
What does your diet consist of? My numbers looked identical when I ate animal products. Got off meds by giving up burgers, dogs, pizza, and fast food.
My wife has been on them for a while with no noticeable side effects.
The most common one is muscle pain following intense exercise, sometimes for example marathon runners will stop taking them for a week or so before a race.
Had my blood checked and DR prescribed statins.
total = 226
HDL = 34
trig = 288
ldl = 134
non-hdl = 192
glu = 87
Ht = 71"
Wt = 185#
Run 10 miles/wk(3x3)
Recently been riding 1/wk 2-3 hrs(30-40mi)
What has been your experience on statins? There is a lot of stuff online good and bad about it.
Based on the latest recommendations they wouldn’t be recommended for you assuming you don’t have diagnosed CVD or diabetes and your 10 year risk is below 7.5%.
You can use this to calculate your 10 year risk. http://tools.acc.org/ASCVD-Risk-Estimator/
Do you have evidence?
There are lots of recent studies showing they can lower cholesterol but are just about as effective as placebos at actually reducing the risk of heart disease, which was really the point of taking statins in the first place.
Apparently, doing things like high intensity exercise, eliminating grains, sugar, eliminating vegetable oil and trans fat and sleeping well are far more effective than taking a pill.
It’s not what people want to hear of course, but there is no other way around it.
Had my blood checked and DR prescribed statins.
total = 226
HDL = 34
trig = 288
ldl = 134
non-hdl = 192
glu = 87
Ht = 71"
Wt = 185#
Run 10 miles/wk(3x3)
Recently been riding 1/wk 2-3 hrs(30-40mi)
What has been your experience on statins? There is a lot of stuff online good and bad about it.
Your total CHOL is rated – using today’s standards – as “very high” (greater than 190mg/dL) but many physicians and cardiologists with whom I’ve worked in the past find that a ridiculous standard, absent any risk factors such as smoking and/or obesity. I agree with them. Personally, I don’t believe statins are appropriate until CHOL approaches 250mg/dL or higher – along with low HDL, elevated TRIG and LDL – and even at that, if someone’s diet is good and he or she exercises enough to get their HDL into the 40s or better, I’m still not seeing why they’re prescribed.
Just looking at your lipid panel, from what you’ve posted, I see a few things:
Diet and exercise, consistent over time, should elevate your HDL into the 40s, or maybe 50s, range. That will be very good for you (just remember; there’s some genetic basis for CHOL).
Your TRIG is, by today’s standards, “borderline high.” Again; there’s a genetic basis to some of that, and some you can control with diet, weight loss and exercise.
Your LDL, using today’s standards (again), is also “borderline high” at 134mg/dL. Diet, exercise, weight loss can usually lower that number until you bump up against your genetics, so give that a shot as well.
I think your physician is thinking that with TRIG and LDL where they’re at, and with HDL where it’s at, maybe statins can turn things around? I’m not a physician (I finished my Navy career as a PA, but haven’t practiced since, and that’s been years…so take what I say as being only very slightly more informed than anyone else on this forum), so I’m not going to second-guess your internist’s take on your health.
But there are plenty of things you can do to improve your lipid panel going forward, some of which I’ve discussed above. Diet, exercise, some weight loss (maybe), is a good start. And it looks like you’re doing the exercise thing, so keep that up.
If you don’t have a history of heart disease and no other risk factors such as smoking and/or obesity (or maybe a family history of heart disease combined with elevated CHOL?), maybe your time on statins will be limited? Just from the most cursory look at the data you’ve provided, I think there’s a good chance it will be, as long as your genetics aren’t turning you into a super cholesterol-producing machine. 
**Do some research on reputable web sites, not the anti science BS anti vax, homeopathy type of web sites. Then talk to your doctor if you are still concerned. **
**Have you tried diet and exercise changes to try and reduce your cholesterol levels naturally? **
I have never used statins and lowered my cholesterol and blood sugar by diet and exercise.
I changed exercise from long slow distance to higher intensity and shorter duration and combined and then added time for yoga and meditation. Then with my diet I eliminated sugar (the best thing), all processed foods and grains and now eat vegetables (mostly leafy greens), high natural fat foods (eggs, avocados, olive oil, salmon and small amounts on nuts like walnuts and macademia nuts).
M weight went down to the level it was in University, my blood sugars are now in the excellent range and my cholesterol is very low and not a statin in sight.
I’ve never been a proponent of solving problems with drugs. The human body is way too complex and inter-related to solve things with a pill and Doctors and the drug industry that supports doctors just prey on people who aren’t prepared to work hard to take care of their health.
**Do some research on reputable web sites, not the anti science BS anti vax, homeopathy type of web sites. Then talk to your doctor if you are still concerned. **
**Have you tried diet and exercise changes to try and reduce your cholesterol levels naturally? **
I have never used statins and lowered my cholesterol and blood sugar by diet and exercise.
I changed exercise from long slow distance to higher intensity and shorter duration and combined and then added time for yoga and meditation. Then with my diet I eliminated sugar (the best thing), all processed foods and grains and now eat vegetables (mostly leafy greens), high natural fat foods (eggs, avocados, olive oil, salmon and small amounts on nuts like walnuts and macademia nuts).
M weight went down to the level it was in University, my blood sugars are now in the excellent range and my cholesterol is very low and not a statin in sight.
I’ve never been a proponent of solving problems with drugs. The human body is way too complex and inter-related to solve things with a pill and Doctors and the drug industry that supports doctors just prey on people who aren’t prepared to work hard to take care of their health.
Have you ever heard of Dave Asprey and his “bulletproof diet” stuff? Interesting take.
Going Bulletproof for Beginners | A Guide to Becoming Bulletproof
The Bulletproof Diet: Lose up to a Pound a Day, Reclaim Energy and Focus … - Dave Asprey - Google Books
Had my blood checked and DR prescribed statins.
total = 226
HDL = 34
trig = 288
ldl = 134
non-hdl = 192
glu = 87
Ht = 71"
Wt = 185#
Run 10 miles/wk(3x3)
Recently been riding 1/wk 2-3 hrs(30-40mi)
What has been your experience on statins? There is a lot of stuff online good and bad
about it.
Have had great results by diet change. Not that big of a deal, just a bit of discipline.
There are lots of recent studies showing they can lower cholesterol but are just about as effective as placebos at actually reducing the risk of heart disease, which was really the point of taking statins in the first place.
I think you may be confused. I run a weekly journal club at the hospital I work at for the students. Over the years we’ve gone over a number of the staton trials including PROVE-IT TIMI 22, JUPITER, 4S, and a number of other primary and meta analysis trials. All were well designed, we’ll run and had clear outcome (decrease in CV events, etc) of the effect of statins. What you might be thinking of is non-statin lipid drugs (i.e. Bile acid sequesterants, fibrates, niacin, etc). when ATP IV came out in late 2013 the big change was to basically only use statins for dyslipidemia as they led to positive CV outcomes where as the non statins lowered cholesterol but did not affect CV outcomes.
Have you had your thyroid checked. Hypothyroid can elevate your cholesterol.
I’ve been on Lipitor for about 5 years. My numbers just kept creeping up despite eating clean and doing triathlons. I have my dad to thanks for all things cardiovascular. Two heart attacks for dad by age 60 including a quad bypass. Most of his people died the same way. So I went on it, no issues to date.
BTW my dad is now 84, is still alive and kicking and has been on statins for over 20 years without another heart attack.
Have you ever heard of Dave Asprey and his “bulletproof diet” stuff? Interesting take.
Going Bulletproof for Beginners | A Guide to Becoming Bulletproof
The Bulletproof Diet: Lose up to a Pound a Day, Reclaim Energy and Focus … - Dave Asprey - Google Books
The Telegraph and US News do not have a high opinion of it.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/the-bulletproof-diet-simplistic-invalid-and-unscientific/
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2014/12/24/the-bulletproof-diet-is-anything-but
I have high total cholesterol, and high bad cholesterol - and have taken statins. They promptly lower my numbers dramatically.
I stop taking them because every day I feel like I’ve run a marathon the day before - and I find myself doing less and less activity because I feel so beat up. It’s actually hard to get out of bed.
Tried different ‘brands’ and different (lower) doses but still the effect of extreme muscle fatigue - and then being less active it seems counter productive. So at least for the moment I’m done with statins.
Statins do lower the numbers - and improve indicators - but not sure if they really solve the underlying disease.
So I’m going extreme on the lifestyle changes - losing about 30+ lbs and almost exclusive plant-based diet.