I am also on Tricor, it has done wonders for me as well. You can come off cholesterol meds. Once you have made the necessary lifestyle changes and your numbers are low, it is not uncommon to come off them for a period to see if you can maintain a health level of cholesterol.
Your HDL should be the larger concern. A low HDL cholesterol level is thought to accelerate the development of atherosclerosis because of impaired reverse cholesterol transport and possibly because of the absence of other protective effects of HDL, such as decreased oxidation of other lipoproteins. Low HDL is frequently found in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Research indicates that 58% of patients with CHD have high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels below the 10th percentile of normal values. There are many causes including;
very low fat diet
malnutrition
renal disease
smoking
diuretics use
liver disease
severe inflammatory diseases
type II diabetes
If you are unable to increase your HDL by changing your diet, exercising more and taking supplements, then meds may be necessary. Statins not only lower LDL cholesterol but have also shown to have a modest increase of HDL as well.
In any case, it is important that you find he underlying cause so it can be treated.
Good luck,
Jon
Wow that's huge! My worry is also the HDL has to come up. Also once you strat taking the meds would you ever be able to take you off of them, meaning how would they know if your body was ready to come off of the meds if your cholesterol was ideal?
tricor is a great med for lowering your trigs mine was over 600 it took mind down to 137 in 6 weeks , i had no side affects from this meds , i talk to lots on it said no side affects either .
Jon,
Thanks for the advice. I do exercise 30 min a day also I have lost 17 lbs so I'm 5'11" 180 now. Also I don't eat any sugars other than whats in soy milk and I don't drink. I maybe have a glass of wine or a beer maybe once a month if any. I will ask about the Niacin.
Thanks
Not as hard as it sounds. To lower your tri's, cut out the empty carbs like sugars, alcohol, breads and pastas. All metabolize to sugars and raise tri's. The easiest way to increase HDL is with regular exercise. A minimum of 30 mins of moderate exercise most days of the week with your heart rate at 70% of your predicted max plus (220-age). Keep it under 85%, no additional benefit for pushing that hard. You can also ask your doctor about Niacin which is also a supplement and will help increase HDL.
Hope this helps,
Jon