GoFuckYourself.com - Adult Webmaster Forum - View Single Post - Anyone here take Tricor ?? (cholesteral drug)

jayeff · 04-24-2007, 08:04 AM

I know this if GFY, but I really wish people wouldn't be so damn blasé about serious issues. If high cholesterol is coming from food, then yes, diet will fix it (although if it has gone dangerously high, medications might still be needed for a while). If - as in my case - the body simply produces too much cholesterol, all the dietary advice in the world isn't going to solve a damn thing. The best you can do is improve your lifestyle to reinforce the drug's effects.

Slick: I am on Lipitor so I don't know the one you asked about. But all cholesterol-related drugs act on the liver, so your doc should be giving you regular blood tests for a while to check yours can handle it.

Because of the popularity of the statins, there is what you might almost call an industry growing up to discredit them and promote alternatives. As usual there is a grain of truth in some of the claims. For example, cholesterol per se is not a cause of heart attacks. It is not until/if your arteries become clogged that the risk increases dramatically. Thus if your blood circulation is still fine, then a doctor could put you on a diet.

In the real world, people are notoriously bad at living well: we all know the value of a healthy lifestyle and most of us are kidding ourselves that if we are unwilling to change without a traumatic event to spur us on, a doctor suggesting we should, is going to make a difference. Doctors recognize that we will however take a pill every day.

Secondly, if the majority are not motivated to live even a lifestyle which would be adequate to maintain good health for someone who is healthy, even fewer will make the additional adjustments necessary to pull something like a high cholesterol level back to normal. Again, pills are not the right answer, but they are a workable solution to our own stupidity. Don't blame the doctors, blame ourselves.

The last point is that when the doctor found you had bad cholesterol levels, he could have talked to you to gain some idea of your lifestyle. If it were at either extreme (unhealthy/healthy) that would be a strong clue as to whether it is the cause of your high levels, or if their origin is genetic. But most people could have either or a mix of both causes. Putting someone on a statin is a way of improving matters while lifestyle changes and further testing over the next 6-12 months allow for a more solid diagnosis.

04-24-2007, 08:04 AM
jayeff Confirmed User Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 2,944	I know this if GFY, but I really wish people wouldn't be so damn blasé about serious issues. If high cholesterol is coming from food, then yes, diet will fix it (although if it has gone dangerously high, medications might still be needed for a while). If - as in my case - the body simply produces too much cholesterol, all the dietary advice in the world isn't going to solve a damn thing. The best you can do is improve your lifestyle to reinforce the drug's effects. Slick: I am on Lipitor so I don't know the one you asked about. But all cholesterol-related drugs act on the liver, so your doc should be giving you regular blood tests for a while to check yours can handle it. Because of the popularity of the statins, there is what you might almost call an industry growing up to discredit them and promote alternatives. As usual there is a grain of truth in some of the claims. For example, cholesterol per se is not a cause of heart attacks. It is not until/if your arteries become clogged that the risk increases dramatically. Thus if your blood circulation is still fine, then a doctor could put you on a diet. In the real world, people are notoriously bad at living well: we all know the value of a healthy lifestyle and most of us are kidding ourselves that if we are unwilling to change without a traumatic event to spur us on, a doctor suggesting we should, is going to make a difference. Doctors recognize that we will however take a pill every day. Secondly, if the majority are not motivated to live even a lifestyle which would be adequate to maintain good health for someone who is healthy, even fewer will make the additional adjustments necessary to pull something like a high cholesterol level back to normal. Again, pills are not the right answer, but they are a workable solution to our own stupidity. Don't blame the doctors, blame ourselves. The last point is that when the doctor found you had bad cholesterol levels, he could have talked to you to gain some idea of your lifestyle. If it were at either extreme (unhealthy/healthy) that would be a strong clue as to whether it is the cause of your high levels, or if their origin is genetic. But most people could have either or a mix of both causes. Putting someone on a statin is a way of improving matters while lifestyle changes and further testing over the next 6-12 months allow for a more solid diagnosis.