meds and cholesterol ryan??? please help

[aprilr]

hey ryan as you know i take zoloft 100mg and .5 klonopin twice a day and now i have been told that i have high cholesterol and i am freaking out is there any way that my medicines are causing this im only 21 please help im freakin out and if you know anything about  it please help

[RCA7591]

April,

A reported adverse effect of Zoloft is elevated Cholesterol. It seems to be unique only to Zoloft, as I cannot locate any other SSRI type drugs with this effect.

The increase in lipids is associated with larger doses of the drug (Zoloft).

The Klonopin will not effect Cholesterol levels.

-Ryan

[aprilr]

thank you so you think it might be the zoloft because about 2 months agao i had my blood work done and everything was perfect but then they took it again last week while i was fasting and it was 234 i wasnt fasting the first time but the pharmisist told me there would be no connection to the zoloft and cholesterol they put me on  zocor 40 mg today is that ok? thank you so much for helping me yoy help releive the worry thanks so much

[aprilr]

the other commment is to you

[aprilr]

and also another question sorry to bug you do you think i should start this zocor stuff or just have my zoloft changed?

[RCA7591]

The pharmacist is wrong, and the elevated Cholesterol is likely a direct result of the Zoloft. I attached a link below as proof.

Furthermore, treating drug induced Hyperlipidemia with Zocor is foolish. Discontinuing the Zoloft (with your doctor's permission) is the better option. Numerous other SSRI's exist that do not cause Hyperlipidemia. Plus, the Zoloft isn't helping you (from what you've wrote in the past). Therefore, the benefits do not outweigh the risk(s).

The Klonopin alone will likely prove to be more effective, at the current dosage of 0.5 mg, bid.

Here's the link to the prescribing information for Zoloft. Note that elevated Cholesterol is clearly disclosed in the literature. Your pharmacist also has access to this literature, and he clearly misrepresented the risk of Hyperlipidemia to you.

http://www.pfizer.com/pfizer/download/uspi_zoloft.pdf


-Ryan

[RCA7591]

"and also another question sorry to bug you do you think i should start this zocor stuff or just have my zoloft changed?"

--end quote--

No to the Zocor, and yes to the Zoloft.

(my opinion only).

-Ryan

[aprilr]

thank you for your help so the siniquen would probably be better to switch to thank you for your help

[RCA7591]

I would try the Klonopin alone once the Zoloft is withdrawn before adding anything else. Chances are that the Klonopin alone will work the best.

If not, Sinequan is a good alternative to the SSRI's.

-Ryan

[aprilr]

well im a little bit of a worry as you know so if i dont take this cholesterol med im not going to like have a heart atteck or anything like i said my total cholesterol was 234 just write back so i dont worry about this thank you again for all your help

[RCA7591]

"well im a little bit of a worry as you know so if i dont take this cholesterol med im not going to like have a heart atteck or anything like i said my total cholesterol was 234 just write back so i dont worry about this thank you again for all your help"

--end quote--

April,

It would take many years for the Cholesterol to build up to the point where it would cause problems, especially in a 21-year-old. A reading of 234 isn't "off the charts", but it is higher than it should be. Ideally, you would want to reduce the value.

I'd ask the doctor to remove the Zoloft, and re-check the Cholesterol in three months to see if it decreased. It may take a few months to decrease once the Zoloft is completely discontinued.

If you haven't tried the Klonopin by itself, I would suggest that you do (before adding any additional drugs). The less drugs you take, the better off you will be in the long run.

Zocor has a horrible side-effect profile as well. Before you know it, the doctor will want to treat those side-effects with yet
ANOTHER DRUG.

-Ryan