Lowering cholesterol

[louis]

Hi, thanks for your time. I'm a 37 yo male, with low risk for heart disease ( some on my mothers side ). I'm currently on 20mg
mevacor, and tolerate it well. My total chol. is 179 with an LDL of 107 and HDL of 53 tri. are low. my doctor would like to get the ldl lower (he tends to be aggresive) and wants me to take 10mg. zetia a day in addition. I understand this is a relatively new medicine, is there any feedback on this drug yet? can i expect similar side effects as when i started the statin? should i wait until more info is available? thanks alot.

[va_tony]

Thanks for the explanation! Of course, there are already protective mechanisms in place for the failure you mention. For example, the main backup for SA or AV node failure are the bundle of His, and the Purkinje fibers.  They at least provide a 20-40 beat steady rhythm, enough to keep one alive. But are PVCs, coming from random ectopics and at random times, also a back-up?  I must admit that when I was heavily into athletics and my heart rate was low (ca. 40), I tended to get PACs and PVCs more often. On the other hand, many get PVCs even when their heart rates are elevated (as during exercise). Anyway, it's thought provoking to discuss such possibilities and, hey, that's how we learn.

Tony

[va_tony]

Thanks to both of you for the latest info on fish oil and VT.  That was a big surprise. After reading your posts, I performed a google search and, sure enough, found several sites discussing that study and conclusion.  Very interesting.

However, I'm puzzled by Pluto's statement concerning PVCs.  While I agree that aggressive treatment of PVCs often does more harm than good, especially drugs that cause dangerous proarrhythmias, isn't it a stretch of reasoning to conclude that PVCs are there to protect us? What exactly are PVCs protecting us against?

Tony

[Dr. Erik]

That is very incredibly insightful.I Never looked at it that way before. What you say makes a lot of sense. I bet the PVC is a protective mechanism and eradicating them may actually do more harm than good. Keep your comments coming. I am thoroughly enjoying reading them.

[Gaspipe]

I'd want to know my c reactive protein level if it is low ie. less than 1 many docs might not put you on anything.

[Dr. Erik]

You should consider stopping the fish oil as a study has shown that people on fish oil have a tendency to get more arrhythmias than those who do not. Try eating more fiber and adding nuts to your daily diet. They have an incredible affect on your LDL. I lowered my LDL to 70 eating them. the last commentor made a good point about exercise. Exercising 30 minutes per day 5-6 days per week can increase your hdl and lower your ldl as well.

[ontherecord]

You need to exercise more than 10 minutes every other day to get the HDL up.  If it weren't for the family history of CAD, a 129 LDL would probably be fine, but since there a history, I think it warrants further investigation by a cardiologist.  I would at the very least try to get a question posted here on this forum.  The good doctors seem to be very helpful and I'm sure either of them could offer some insight into your situation

[squeala7]

Fish oil has shown to do just the opposite for arrythmias. It's excellent! It has helped many that I personally know.  Look it up on the web

[Dr. Erik]

I actually got the information about the arrhythmia by Cardio Doctor RCJ on this forum. He states this in a recent post. I was planning on using fish oil myself until I read that.

[Kimma]

im only 18..5'3..100lbs, have IST and PVC's this is my cholestorol workup
total=185
triglycerides=71
hdl=41
ldl=129
risk 4.5
im scared about my LDL =( i already have enough to worry about with the ist and pvc's!! i DO have significant heart disease in my moms side, both my gpa and great gpa dying at about 40 from heart attacks. what can i do to improve this?? which numbers need improving?? would treatment be recommended for ldl of 129?? i live in a small town, the doctors here dont take me seriously cus of my age. im moving back to san diego in two weeks, then im going to ask for another cholestorol test. any natural cholestorol lowering supplements that i can add to my
coq10 50mgs
fish oil 1000mgs
vitamin b complex
magnesium oxide 500mgs
zoloft 25mgs
thanks...kim
10 minutes of exercise every other day

[Dr. Erik]

Zetia is a nice addition to the Mevacor. These drugs both work in different ways. The Zetia works by binding to the bile in the intestines and reducing the cholesterol that gets absorbed into the bloodstream. It is very safe with very little side effects. Although your LDL is normal, getting it below 100 would be even better The more agressive the better, in treating your cholesterol. You are lucky to have a Doctor so agressive in his treatment recommendations. Good luck!

[Cleveland Clinic]

inky,

Our experience and practice really involves using high doses of newer generation statins to lower LDL as much as possible. I generally use atorvastatin in doses of 40-80 mg.

Recent data from our center and others has shown this method to potentially halt the progrssion of coronary disease.  The dose of lovastatin to accomplish similar results is unknown.  

I do not routinely use zetia, and would move toward this agent only after maximizing the statin agents, of which you are not on a maximal dose or the strongest agent.

good luck