Red Rice Yeast Extract to lower Cholesterol?

[jmjm530]

Anyone taking it? If so, what did your doctor say? What dose? What results, before and after? For those interested, red rice yeast extract (Monascus purpureus )is a kind of natural statin sometimes taken for those who want to reduce their cholesterol.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/red-yeast-rice/NS_patient-redyeast

[copyman]

wow! 50 points. how can you be sure it was the red yeast rice? i'm sure you had to change your lifestyle to accomplish this, diet, exercise, etc? perhaps that had something to do with it more then the red yeast rice? whatever the reason great job!

[SmithYoung]

I've been taking red yeast rice and buying it from Swansons for years with great results for dropping my cholesterol about 50 points.  I do not combine it with other drugs, which is the basis of the FDA claim, such as nefazodone, an antidepressant, some antibiotics, pharmaceuticals used to treat fungal and HIV infections.  Red yeast rice naturally contains lovastatin -- the active ingredient in Mevacor.  So who do you think I will have to buy my lovastatin from in the future?  Ha, and how much will I be paying.  Mevacor has the FDA in their back pocket on this and the FDA does not want us as a society to have a voice.

[returntosender]

This may have been raised before, but I recall reading that the red yeast rice that is now being sold cannot contain the lovastatin like ingrediant because the FDA regulated this out of the product saying that it was a drug and not a supplement.   The product labels cannot claim that it lowers cholesterol.  I was reading about this because my wife was taking it and did not get any benefit from it.  I am not sure whether you can get the old stuff any more but most of the red yeast rice on the market in the US does not have statins in it.  Search for red yeast rice and FDA on google for more of this saga.  

[jmjm530]

The old "standard" for Red Yeast was Cholestin TM  (Pharmanex, Inc) -- and yes, there was a wrangle with the FDA or someone, and Pharmanex had to change the formulation in this country, removing the lovastatin-type ingredient. That said, to the best of my knowledge, other brands (like the one mentioned by TnHepGuy)containing Red Yeast Rice Extract haven't been taken off the market and they contain active ingredients that do significantly reduce cholesterol. Is it possible your wife took the newly formulated Pharmanex brand with the lovastatin-type ingredient removed? Also, I imagine dosage has something to do with it. The dosage taken by TnHepGuy (1200 mg taken twice daily) appears to be the recommended starting dose.

All the best,

-- Jim

[rosebud57]

thanks for your reply to my question, this was a good post and the information given will be very useful.  i have been reluctant to take the lovastatin, but see i should be better at following doc's advice, i will look at the pritkin diet thank you for the link.

and finally jm as i forgot to inquire earlier, i hope that you are recovering nicely.
take care.

[jmjm530]

Yes, very easy for the med community to wash their hands after SVR. Don't know if you saw "Meki's" post (about twenty up from here) where her doctor advised that she no longer needed to see Meki as a patient, now that she is SVR. Unfortunatly, all too common. I heard exactly the same words from one well-known clinician/researcher I've consulted with periodically during treatment. You would think...

Anyway, to my treatment doctor's credit, he does follow up with me every 4-6 months, but not sure for how long, and any discussion of post tx side effects doesn't really go anywhere other than symptomatic advice (or a referral) and the tx drugs are never implicated, except in the case of my metabolic syndrome, which he admits is often made worse by the interferon.

Still, the improvement from last year at this time is dramatic -- back in the gym and able to workout at pre-treatment levels -- and while some physical and psychological issues linger, I'm very grateful for SVR and the benefits it should give me.

I do share your cynicism regarding future 'action' for docs and researchers and one day a new generation of hepatologists will look back at those of us who did the current SOC and say g*d knows what! Anyway, while it may not seem like it at times, I do appreciate the efforts you, Willing and Double Dose to try and keep things honest -- at least the stuff I'm able to understand :)

Thanks again for the Red Yeast info. I had an episode of Atrial Fibrillation a few weeks ago, and it was sort of a health wake up call, so I'm real close to taking something for my elevated cholesterol as much as it cuts against my personal grain. Already dealing with elevated bp both with drugs and diet.

Be well,

-- Jim

-- Jim

[TnHepGuy_]

My GP left it up to me which avenue to pursue: do nothing, red yeast rice, pharmaceutical. Seeing as my cholesterol level had been steadily high for a bit of time, the 'do nothing' option obviously wasn't effective. So, I figured I'd move up the ladder to the next step - red yeast rice. The pharms are a more concentrated/potent form and I figure I'll save them for the next step - if needed.

No recommendation on the 'NOW' brand from my doc. I've been using that brand for the majority of my supplements for about 10 years. They have a reputation for quality/accuracy combined with good price, availability and overall product selection. That being said, I'm always open to whatever else might show up on the market that may be be better/improved.

Thanks for asking how things are with me. I've got some concerns post-tx (most of which point to immune-system-related - quite possibly from being over-modulated via the peg inf, I believe) that appear to be here for good - especially given that I'm now 2.5 years beyond finishing. HR was very helpful and hopefully some good will come of the suggestions he gave me. On the 'better' side, I have more energy these days, but too often it still tends to flag before the finish line - though that may be related to both time continuing to march on as well as the need for more exercise. I think the previous seems also to be the case for mental acuity - improved but not where I would hope/want it to be.

I hope things continue to improve and go well for you post-tx, Jim. There are just so many unknowns for us much under-studied, under served, post-tx guinea pigs. Too easy for the medical community to wash their hands of us when we are 'cured' via the miracle rx's - after which our (SVR's) supposed 'joy' over said cure is supposed to steamroll any thoughts of potential negative consequences.

I can wish and hope for more 'action' from the researchers and docs - but it just doesn't appear forthcoming. So, in the face of that, only my ability to gripe, complain and laugh a bit at such issues appears to be left .... ahhahahaha. Overall, life is good. Thank God.


Take good care.

TnHepGuy

[rosebud57]

i have begun taking ground flax for cholesteral lowering.  took lovastatin intermittently during tx.  just couldn't make up mind to take the pill or not. but i am curious about this discussion.  is high cholesteral due to the hep C or not, would having cleared the virus make a difference in how cholesteral numbers improve or remain high.

i recently also began taking omega 3 didn't before due to financial, but decided anything that will help... will help.  i think the triglicerides are 297 and the LDL are 197  i don't have reports in front of me.  but both were really out of whack.  i don't know why, but i really don't want to take the statins... doc says that i can't do it with diet... anyone have an opinion of this.

[jmjm530]

Yes, cholesterol can rise after treatment. Yours is very high and should be addressed. Your doctor is probably correct that you will not be able to lower your cholesterol to acceptable limits (LDL at least under 100) with simply diet.

That said, you can always try but probably will end up with a combination of diet and drugs or perhaps Red Yeast Rice Extract (discussed here), which is similar to a natural form of the rx drug Lovastatin.

If you're really motivated to try an all-diet approach, check out the Pritkin Program http://www.pritikin.com/   I will warn you, however, that it's very difficult to follow (under 10% of total calories are fat calories), and that you still may end up needing some statins, depending on response.

If you can afford the time and money, a stay at the Pritkin Institute would be ideal. Many years ago I lowered my total cholesterol from over 200 to 140 by rigorously following the Pritkin approach, as almost any deviation (even a meal or two) seemed to set back the results.

Should mention that some nutritionists feel the Pritkin diet is too low in essential fatty acids, but my understanding is that the  diet has been revised under the founder's son, Robert Pritkin, to include more essential fats.

Good luck but whatever you do, make sure to get your cholesterol into a safe range. Natural/diet/exercise is great, but only if you are really motivated to make a long-term committment. I wasn't this time around.

-- Jim

PS A couple of other diets to look into are the Dean Ornish Diet and the Mc'Dougal Diet. Both similar, but even more restrictive than Pritikin, if that is possible :) The Zone diet also helps some lower their cholesterol, but I doubt if it would bring yours down enough.

[TnHepGuy_]

Been taking Red Yeast Rice (1,200 mg - 2x daily, manufactured by the company "Now") since last November, based upon my GP's recommendation. Difference between before and after serum reading was approx. 50 pts. lower after 4 months - though it should be mentioned that I was fasting from meat and most other fats for a few weeks prior to the second test, which could have somewhat skewed the results in my favor. I'll hopefully have further confirmation at the next testing - which will take place a couple of months from now.


TnHepGuy

[gazebo1]

Niceguy, I agree with your "solid" advice.  I too have lowered my cholesterol with psylium husk, the xylans are thought to increase intestinal absorption of cholesterol. I read that taking psylium husk can bring it down 15%, not bad.  I take a tablespoon a day "regularly" with my orange juice, yum!
Regards, G

[niceguy2007]

jim, taking psylium husk is a great way to reduce cholesterol.  the recommended dosage is one tablespoon in a drink a day.

[jmjm530]

That's a very encouraging drop.

My brother had similar with Red Yeast Rice Extract  and that's how I initially heard about it. Studies suggest significant drops, and my cardiologist confirms that has been his experience with a few patients who preferred it over the statins he recommends which is usually Lipitor.

As mentioned, my cardiologist has no problem with me taking it, but cautions that it hasn't been studied as thoroughly as the statins, and quality control could be an issues (he raised the issue of both purity and consistent dosing) since herbs aren't regulated as closely as rx drugs.

Curious why your GP suggested Red Yeast over let's say Lipitor or Lovastatin, and why you finally chose that route after no doubt some research -- since Lovastatin is basically a manufactured form of Red Yeast as I understand it, and has been more studied.

Right now I'm leaning toward Red Yeast over Lipitor, but I'm not sure why and therefore this post in part!

Part of it I guess is that I like the idea of taking a dietary supplement as opposed to a manufactured statin, but with a controversy surrounding Red Yeast in some countries (is it a drug or dietary supplement?) I just don't want to deceive myself.

Lastly, did your doctor recommend the "Now" brand, or did you research that out yourself and have you had any side effects from it?

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience. From the one or two posts I saw to HR, I understand you're still sorting out some post treatment issues. Hopefully, you're making progress and things are going well for you.

All the best,

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

Thanks for the input. I never took Statins during treatment (I'm one year post now) but some recent studies suggest that taking Statins might actually boost your chances for SVR.

-- Jim

[R Glass]

You may want to do some research  on Zetia for cholesterol. It works more through your digestive system instead of your liver
Good Luck

[R Glass]

I tried both Lipitor and Zocar. The side effects were brutal. Constant muscle pain. Joint pain, no energy, felt like crappage 24/7. It was all I could do to make it through work, just to go home and lay on the couch until it was time to get up and do it again the next day. I couldn

[jmjm530]

BTW that side effect profile includes liver toxicity, identical to the statins in that regard. That said, my doc has no problem with me taking either, as long as I monitor my liver enzymes. Not surprisingly, his suggestion is Lipitor, as it has been studied more, plus has better quality control, i.e. you know exactly what is in every capsule.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

What dose? How often? Any effect on your cholesterol? As far as "can't hurt you", you are aware that it has pretty much the same side effect profile as Lovastatin, and not suprisingly, since it contains the same active ingrediet. In fact, red rice yeast extract is available only by rx in some countries. Right now debating whether to try it first, or just start with Lipitor, a manufactured, as opposed to "natural" statin like Red Yeast.

-- Jim

[Forseegood]

good stuff, can't hurt ya, been taking it off and on for years in my smoothies...glad to see you here, youre such a help to the da ta da! "NEWCOMERS" (dont want to get anyone pssy) no really, youre such a help here...but I can also COMPLETELY understand if you have ants in your pants and you gotta dance! 'elsewhere'....