Anyone here take Tricor ?? (cholesteral drug)

[Slick]

Yesterday my doctor felt it was time to put me on a cholesteral drug since my numbers have been horrible, hdls were 24 and triglyceroids were at 588, I'm not sure what the other number was. One other number couldn't be determined because of the high triglyceroids.

Anyway, I just wanted to see if anyone else is taking it to see if it did any good or bad for them, as this is my first real drug and I'm a little paranoid about side effects and stuff down the line.

[Humpy Leftnut]

Just make sure to blend three hamburgers to wash down the pills with..

Naw but really, why take a pill instead of changing the things that give you the problems?

[cherrylula]

I quit eating meat, no worries about cholesterol. Much better than side effects.

Read the book, "You don't eat meat" and you will learn. Good luck.

[Slick]

Thanks for the comments.

Humpy, I agree with ya on that, I know that I have to get out and do more activities. When you work full time at home, it's wonderful, BUT also not the best for health because I wake up, come down stairs, and sit on my computer for a good part of the day. I suppose that since I do work like that, I should force myself to get out and take a walk, especially now since the weather is nice and the snow is gone.

Cherry, I might have to try to cut back on my meat intake, I could try to eliminate it, but I think that'd be the hard thing, but if it's gonna keep me alive, maybe I should look at it. I'll check out that book.

[jayeff]

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.

[Slick]

Jayeff, thanks for the great post

I know I'm the blame for my situation, I sit on the computer all day and even though I don't eat a lot of junk food between meals, I probably do have a little too much restaurant food in my diet which needs to be cut out. The thing with most people, it's easier said than done after being in the same lifestyle for so long.

High Cholesteral does run in my family, both my older brothers have it, as well as my father.

My doctor did give me the option to try to change things on my own without pills, but he also did that a year ago and not much has changed, even my old doctor 5 years ago, I was afraid to take the pills, so I said I'd try to change on my own, which never happend.

[cherrylula]

Read that book and you'll never eat meat again. I never ever thought I'd become a vegetarian but I did. And not just to save animals or anything, the health reasons are tremendous.

I mean, they feed cows the brains of other sick cows and chicken shit. Its disgusting to then eat this meat.

here is the book: You Don't Need Meat

[cherrylula]

Originally Posted by jayeff

If - as in my case - the body simply produces too much cholesterol,...

Are you a vegetarian? Do NOT let a doctor tell you "your body" produces too much cholesterol. That is BS if you eat meat. Cut out meat and you can get rid of your prescription which is probably putting strains on other parts of your body while its processing through your system.

After all we are business people here. The meat industry is huge $$$, so is the prescription drug industry. Don't be a sheep and listen to them. If you cut out meat you will be twice as healthy and feel better. Your body does not have to go through the grueling task of using energy to even digest flesh.

I swear I never thought I could give up steak, it still smells good to me even, but never in my life have I felt so healthy. It takes getting used to, but if you work at home its easier to prepare your food. They make soy cheese and vanilla soy milk that is even better than the real thing and doesn't make your stomach hurt.

I also cut out all trans fat and fast food and again never in my life have I felt so good. I am anemic and would get a bruise on my leg and it would be there for at least a month. Switching to vegetarian diet and drinking vitamin smoothies I had two bruises that went away in 3 days. It was like magic.

I plan on living long so if chopping up friggin veggies for cooking is what it takes I'm in. If you know it might kill you eventually, why do it? Steak is good, but dying sooner just to eat it isn't worth it to me.

[jayeff]

Originally Posted by cherrylula

Are you a vegetarian? Do NOT let a doctor tell you "your body" produces too much cholesterol. That is BS if you eat meat. Cut out meat and you can get rid of your prescription...

Rubbish. 11 years ago I was diagnosed with angina and in January 2006 with congestive heart failure too. Almost every aspect of my life has gone down the toilet as a result of heart-related issues and I have been on borrowed time for longer than I care to think about. Believe me, I have looked at every possibility.

When I first became aware of my problems (by ending up in a heart unit with zero warning) I was 45. I was still playing sports and eating well by most normal standards. I had the same 28-inch waist as 20 years earlier.

My doctors didn't simply "tell" me I had a genetic cholesterol problem. I became "Mr Lentils" to my family (although avoiding meat was just one of the things I did), without my change of diet having any measurable effect. I still eat extremely carefully, just to feel I am doing something myself, but without both pharmaceutical and surgical intervention, I haven't the slightest doubt that I would not still be alive.