Makes no sense to me

[captain109]

Hi Folks,

Got my cholesterol #’s back and (I thought) they were pretty good.  I was on 40mg of Pravastatin and now am on 80mg.  Is my doc just being aggressive?  Or is there another reason for the big increase?  

HDL: 75
LDL: 98
Tri: 89

[p1954]

It is my understanding that a key ,marker to watch is LDL and that it is desirable to be under 70, with TC < 150.   But I don't have a clue as to whether cardiologist prescribes based on that.   You might ask..  

Maybe I'm fortunate, but after my MI and stents last Sept I went on a strict diet (close to what Dr Esselstyn promotes) and my lipids dropped like a rock to almost half.  LDL is under 70.   TC is under 120.   HDL has always been low, in mid 30s.    Number didn't move much when I went off the 10 mg pravastatin to test effect.  

[Smiley2000]

Hi there,

I was on Adco-Simvistatim some time ago and my bad cholesterol (LDL) actually increased during that time!

I have been on Lipitor/Aspavor since then and it is now under control.

Does your Doctor test your liver function when he increased the dosage?  maybe you should ask him to consider another drug instead of increasing your dosage to such high levels.

[captain109]

Weird.....

[ed34]

I'm wondering if this is a new trend growing amongst Cardiologists. I too was upped to 80mg in may this year when my cholesterol was under control.

[erijon]

I agree, on the surface it seems a little strange especially in light of the recent study showing at high doses there is a greater risk of side effects. Have you asked your doctor? I would want an explanation as well. He must of had a reason, you need to know what it is. If you have any know artery disease then the current medical protocol is for an LDL under 70, do you have a history?

[captain109]

That’s just it.  I had been on the 40mg for the longest time then got the aforementioned results back at which time doc upped the dosage to 80mg.  Very peculiar in my opinion.  What I am wondering is:  Perhaps in that lipid panel there was another number that I was not aware of that needed addressing? Perhaps he ran a CRP unbeknownst to me?  I do have Mitral Valve Prolapse, but that aside all other cardiac tests have been fine.  Had two Nuclear Stress Tests over the last few years and they came back Normal.

[erijon]

We would need some additional information like;

How high was it before you started the meds?
What other risk factors do you have?
have you had any previous or know heart disease?

Let us know and it will be easier to understand and provide some feedback on why.

Jon