Great day to get this news - I have high cholesterol

[leftieNanner]

Finally got myself up early to go in for fasting blood work on Tuesday. Got the results in an email this morning. Cholesterol is 256! I've been borderline before, but this is awful.

Doctor wants to put me on drugs (probably a statin) and I'm reluctant - perhaps because this certifies that I am old if I have to take a pill every day.

Any cholesterol buddies out there in DU land? Any thoughts about increasing exercise and fixing diet being enough?

[Polly Hennessey]

1. I have been on Crestor for years.

My cholesterol has been perfect. Have never had any side effects. 😊

[leftieNanner]

2. Thank you for this.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[50 Shades Of Blue]

3. Welcome to the club!

Apparently I inherited mine so diet and exercise don't affect it at all. It's been a long struggle to find a medication that works for me and that I don't end up having to stop taking due to side effects. I hope your statin regimen is successful! I wish I could just take a pill every day for my high cholesterol -- I have to shoot myself up every two weeks with an injectable medication now.

[leftieNanner]

4. Thanks for your reply.

I guess we should be glad we're still here!

[50 Shades Of Blue]

8. I'm grateful anything works for me at this point!

[Dave in VA]

5. Lipitor here

Numbers look good every year and no side effects.

[leftieNanner]

6. Thanks Dave.

Wishing you good health!

[From The Ashes]

7. I'm not a doctor but...

My doctor suggested to me to take a fish oil supplement...plus the medication of course. You got this!

[leftieNanner]

9. I tried the fish oil once a while ago

But the fishy taste (and burps) were disgusting! Perhaps they have improved.

Thanks for your support.

[royable]

10. Improving diet, lowering weight (if overweight) and increasing exercise shouldn't hurt

Also consider the medication called ezetemibe (Zetia) instead of a statin drug. Statins do nasty things to my liver functions. Good luck!

[GP6971]

11. I'm on Atorvastatin....40mg.

One pill a day and works pretty well with no side effects.

[LastDemocratInSC]

12. Highest LDL for me was 230.

Lipitor got it down to about 190 consistently. Now on Crestor and Zetia; most recent LDL was 165.

No side effects.

[doc03]

13. My cholesterol is OK, I have been taking Pravastatin for years. But like you I got my

bloodwork last week and my A1C was 7.3 so now I have Type 2 diabetes and my PSA was 6.4. I had a visit with a nutritionist
and she tells me to lose 5 pounds and reduce my carbs and she thinks my A1C will be under 7 when I go back in three months,
if not another drug. Today I go to my niece's place for Thanksgiving dinner. She had turkey, dressing, creamed corn, candied yams,
macaroni and cheese, pecan and Pumpkin pie with whipped cream. I ate a good serving of turkey and just sampled a small amount of the other stuff. Now next week I have to go to a Urologist to see about the PSA. Good luck with the cholesterol. Getting old ain't for sissies.

[Warpy]

14. 265 is getting up there.

There are worse things than taking a pill a day, like stroking out, losing your ability to speak and walk.

I can say a lot of my friends are still alive and in their 70s whose parents died in their 30s and 40s from heart attacks and strokes. When the statin drugs came out, people in their ethnic groups started to live longer.

Diet won't do it. 90% of the stuff is made by your liver, not eaten as food.

You might have heard abitt red yeast ruce syookments. That;s stukk tajubg a ouk evert dat and likely isn't as good, here's the scoop on those: https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-red-yeast-rice/art-20363074

The best udea us ti takj to your doctor about the danger level versus the "it might be a good idea" level and decide from there.

[Elessar Zappa]

15. Don't be afraid to take medication.

It truly can be a lifesaver, cholesterol drugs are pretty effective.