I just saw my endocrinologist and again, as usual, he brought up cholesterol medication. As usual, I told him that I wouldn't take it. I said if my cholesterol were super high, or if I was 60, or if I had a family history of heart disease, I'd consider it more. But I won't take it as a thirtysomething with normal cholesterol *just* because I've had Type 1 for 20+ years. Especially when I'm overweight and I think if I lost weight it would help with my cholesterol, although my doctor said it's pretty much impossible for most people to hit the targets set for diabetics.
He said that there is a new kind of cholesterol medication out that is not a statin, and wondered if I'd be more open to taking that, since it's mostly statin side-effects I'm worried about. The name of the new kind of drug starts with an e, although I can't recall it at the moment. it apparently works by tying up cholesterol so that it can't be absorbed into your body, so your body doesn't absorb any of the drug at all.
I thought I'd ask here if people have heard of this medication and any thoughts on it.
You need cholesterol. Why would you want your body to not be able to access it, so it just floats around in your blood looking for an inappropriate place to attach itself to? I don't understand what it is with the medical profession, don't they even keep up with studies that apply to their jobs? As a typographer, if I didn't know how to use the most current versions of my software, I'd soon be out of a job. If you have normal cholesterol, just leave it alone.
it seems like this new drug does the same thing a statin does, but in a different way. statins prevent your body from producing the cholesterol it needs, and this drug prevents the body from being able to use the cholesterol thats already there. either way, i would think the side effects would be the same when you deprive your body of a naturally produced substance
I doubt the medication ties up all your cholesterol, just some of it. My doctor said it doesn't lower cholesterol as much as statins, he doesn't think it would make mine much lower.
My doctor keeps citing studies that show that having LDL cholesterol < 2.0 (I think that's < 70 in U.S. measures) reduces death in people with long-term Type 1. He says it's nearly impossible to achieve that kind of target without medication. My last LDL cholesterol was 3.2, which I'm not sure the U.S. measurement for but my doctor said it would be considered normal if I didn't have Type 1.
I do like my doctor, he has Type 1 himself and he's willing to listen to me. He did acknowledge the "philosophical debate" around how low cholesterol should go versus later risk of death and such. I didn't say yes to this other medication, just wanted to see if there was anyone here who knew anything about it.
If it's Zetia the research I read said that it didn't have any effects on heart attack or stroke. So it might lower your cholesterol but without any benefit to you.
I've been taking Zetia for several years now with no ill effects. It has really helped keep my cholesterol within normal limits. I have a family history of high cholesterol as well as me being 60 and having T1D for 52 years. No problems with it.I think when you read the research reviews you can come up with all kinds of opinions about these meds. I stopped taking Zetia for awhile and was referred to a cardiologist who wanted me to take progressively higher doses of niacin (not the slow acting kind)as its a natural alternative. She is a well known Dr her in San Diego and unfortunately the niacin nearly killed me and sent me to the emergency room via ambulance. My heart had uncontrollable palpitations and I thought I was having a heart attack! So my decision was to go back on the Zetia. Natural is not always better. We are all different.
I love my endo...I have absolutely no risk factors, my LDL's are completely normal and I flat out told my endo I'm not taking statins or cholesterol medications "just because". He agrees says I have really zero risk factors, and he doesn't see in my case that any benefits would outweigh the risks either. I also don't do ace inhibitors, my blood pressure is really very good, and once again the endo doesn't really see especially since I've gotten my blood glucose under such good control that I need to take it just because. Kidney function is completely normal, and no micro albumin .
My last cholesterol lab values July 2012
Component Standard Range Your Value HDL 40 - 59 MG/DL 57
CHOLESTEROL 110 - 200 MG/DL 127
TRIGLYCERIDE 40 - 149 MG/DL 34
LDL CALCULATION 50 - 99 MG/DL 63
Good work Christy and good point about kidney function !! http://www.onlineconversion.com/cholesterol.htm and I still find it confusing to compare US to Canadian values .PS I don't take chol lowering meds , neither BP meds at age 73
I see your LDL cholesterol is already below the target set for diabetics. Might be at least in part why your endo is not pushing so hard ... My endo said that it's nearly impossible to get < 70 for anyone, even someone in perfect health, without medication, unless their genes are set up that way. My LDL cholesterol was 124 (I just converted it) last time, and this is actually higher than the previous two tests, which would be fine except that I have diabetes. *sigh*
My endo gave up trying to get me to take statins... my cardiologist said my cholesterol is fine and I don't need them. I think below 70 is really crazy. I just don't believe the evidence that says that is good. Have you had a lipid panel that shows what type of cholesterol you have? If you don't have small density cholesterol you're at very low risk for cvd. I think most of the cholesterol drugs, especially statins aren't safe and my brother mentioned they lower or stop coq10 production which may cause cvd. I wouldn't take them unless my cholesterol were sky high and there was no other option, even then, not sure if I would since I don't want to get muscle and nerve damage.
I regularly have LDL's below 70.I usually run In the 50's or 60"s. In June 2013 LDL was 72, HDL was 108, total cholesterol was 176; Triglycerides were 41. As usual, Endo wanted me on statins because am African- American, middle aged and diabetic. As usual,I refused the statin(prevacil(sp?). Not surprising to me, the cardiologist I currently see for a multitude of proactive baseline heart function tests due to my family history of sudden death( my brother in March at 59); told me I had no need to take a statin. I do take 1 omega-3 fish oil capsule a day, God Bless
Brunetta
Statins come with some serious potentials for side effects. When I worked in family practice we made patients come in every 3 months for liver function, cbc, and your basic metabolism panels just because of the huge potential of side effects from them. Surprisingly lol there is no family hx of diabetes but I get that. but both my grandfather on my dad's side and my grandmother on my mom's had hypertension, and yet I'm not plauged by that at all, or cholesterol issues, and lol god knows I don't really overly limit what I eat. I don't really avoid foods, its more if I want something sweet, I'll find a happy alternative serving size for it to satisfy that craving. And due to a seriously messed up knee, I don't exercise much at all anymore, but my weight is decent. So I'm not complaining. Maybe for once something in my life works out well.
I take 8-10 fish oil gelcaps a day. There are two major tricks to taking them. First, keep them fresh, keep them in the fridge or freezer and never let them sit more than a month or so at room temperature. The fish oil goes rancid and that makes it smell and give you fish burps.
And the second trick. This is very important, so listen carefully. Don't chew them before swallowing. Trust me on this.
I take 2 capsules/day which equals about 1.4 grams of total EPA+DHA(the beneficial omega3 oils). Ive been taking them for a couple years and have never once tasted them when swallowing or had 'fish burps'. Like Brian said, I keep them in the refrigerator to maintain freshness. IMHO, everyone should take fish oil. especially with all the omega6 loaded food in the standard American diet. It works wonders on triglycerides...mine were 23 at my last test...and benefits pretty much every part of the body.
tempest, I went to the hospital for what I thought were chest pains on July 17. They found nothing abnormal at the ER; maybe a neurological-muscular inflammation around the left ribcage( my symptoms were pain there); as I had been gardening that morning and lifted a 40 lbs. bag of mulch (probably the wrong way.) Any way, I was told to by the staff, and the discharge papers urged me, to see a cardiologist. I made an appt.,saw him, and he wanted to rule out ANY risk factors that could cause heart disease/dysfunction; given my family history, ethnic background , and long-term diabetes. He frankly told me that he did not suspect I was in danger, but he wants to make sure. So this week I have had,on separate days, to :(1) Wear a 24 -hour holter which records heart rhythm and stores it on a little jump-drive sized monitor;(2) Myocardial perfusion study/Bruce protocol (3) Stress test on the treadmill; on tomorrow, a (4)CFD Echocardiogram. If the preauthorization floats with my insurance, I will also get a (5)Cardiac CTA with 11 Lead ECG within a week. I am just copying these names from the paper. I do not know, in detail,what they measure. I have to Google them up,
I will see another cardiologist next Friday who has abundant experience and knowledge, says my current cardio, about heart disease and dysfunction a among African-Americans and racial minorities. I am just trying to make sure that I am healthy. My insurance will pay most of it, because I am supposedly high on the risk factors and the cardiologist says I need them..
So that's it.
Funny thing...my LDL didn't go above 70 until I started taking statins. Yep...great right? The cholesterol medicine caused my LDL to go up. Needless to say I stopped taking it for a while....but it never did go back down. I have a low LDL and a super high HDL. No one knows if that's good or not. Either way I'm below the suggested 150 combined that my doctor wants. I hate taking statins, and think long term the damage they cause will end up killing me. Sometimes being a T1 really stinks. And for me this is one of those times.
