triglycerides over 1500

[witzkeyman]

I thought I was over this problem since surgery. I had problems with elevated liver numbers with Lipitor including joint pain. I really thought I was over this especially after not eating any foods with cholesterol. cardio says that my body creates its own cholesterol. bummed. starting taking tricor as of today. cholesterol is 460.

[njean]

OMG!

You better do something about this & fast! Take care & best of luck to you!

[Wise]

I''m not an expert on Triglycerides, but oh my is that high. I also took Tricor to lower mine, which weren't anywhere near that level. I don't take Tricor now; in fact I don't even take Zocor, as of last March. I have my blood drawn for testing in the morning. I'm hoping to stay free of the medicines. Anyway, if you're anything like me, the Tricor will definitely make a difference. I do hope however you don't get the nasty side effects. Best wishes.

I worked with lady whose Triglycerides were genetically high, she was told. She made every change you could make, in conjunction with medicines, it wouldn't budge. I hope this isn't the case for you.

[ALCapshaw2]

How much Sugar and Simple Carbohydrates do you eat?

You may want to discuss DIET (i.e. what you eat) with your PCP or a nutritionist.

Have you had an A1C test lately (tests long term Blood Sugar Levels). Are you Diabetic?

Read "The New Sugar Busters! - Cut Sugar to Trim Fat"
for a better understanding of how your digestive system works, what foods to avoid/minimize (sugar and simple carbohydrates), and what foods to eat (complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, meat, nuts, etc.)

My PCP recommends this book to All his Patients, especially patients with Diabetes and/or Heart issues.

[Lisa in Katy]

I may have said this before, but I'm going to risk repeating myself.

I'm really not a believer in the dangers of high triglycerides and cholesterol. Wasn't there a study recently that showed that people who are considered "heart healthy" aren't necessarily less likely to have a heart attack? My cholesterol has been borderline or high since it was first tested when I was in my late teens and weighed about 110. When I had my cath 10 years ago, about 20 years after I found out I had borderline high cholesterol, my arteries were completely clean. My grandmothers were both raised on country diets - lots of meat (beef, pork and chicken), eggs, gravy, butter, Crisco, homemade bread, etc. They ate vegetables, but usually covered in butter. One lived to be 85 and died mostly because she was ready. The other will be 100 in a few months. I have a male friend who weighs close to 400 and obviously eats a bad diet. His cholesterol is perfect!

I do not and will not take cholesterol medication. I think it's a fad! But then, I'm a little crazy!

[Duff Man]

Witz, with all due respect to the previous posters, there's numerous studies that prove mortality is linked to the amount of lipids in the blood stream, and to a certain extent, lowering lipids usually increases life span. Some people may get lucky because they can eat three big macs a day and live to be 100, others will die young from that kind of diet. There are some people who also can get away with smoking cigarettes for 75 years without issue, and others that develop lung or heart disease and meet an early demise. I think you're the kind of guy that would die, to be blunt.

I think this is an issue that needs to be approached with medication, diet and exercise and it needs to be addressed with haste.

[ALCapshaw2]

I may have said this before, but I'm going to risk repeating myself.

I'm really not a believer in the dangers of high triglycerides and cholesterol. Wasn't there a study recently that showed that people who are considered "heart healthy" aren't necessarily less likely to have a heart attack? My cholesterol has been borderline or high since it was first tested when I was in my late teens and weighed about 110. When I had my cath 10 years ago, about 20 years after I found out I had borderline high cholesterol, my arteries were completely clean. My grandmothers were both raised on country diets - lots of meat (beef, pork and chicken), eggs, gravy, butter, Crisco, homemade bread, etc. They ate vegetables, but usually covered in butter. One lived to be 85 and died mostly because she was ready. The other will be 100 in a few months. I have a male friend who weighs close to 400 and obviously eats a bad diet. His cholesterol is perfect!

I do not and will not take cholesterol medication. I think it's a fad! But then, I'm a little crazy!

Lisa,

Do you know your HDL (Good Cholesterol) number?

High HDL numbers (40 to 60) are GOOD (and usually a result of good Genetics). HDL helps to neutralize LDL (Bad Cholesterol). People with High HDL numbers can eat Horribly Fat Diets with seeming 'immunity' to ill effects.

People with LOW HDL (and High LDL) become 'poster people' for the Bad Effects of Cholesterol.

--------

FYI, the Formula for Total Cholesterol is as follows:

Total Cholesterol = HDL + LDL + (Triglicerides / 5)

Recommendations for Cholesterol Levels are:

HDL > 35
LDL < 100 for normal people, <75 for Heart Patients
Triglicerides <150

'AL Capshaw'

[Dina]

How much Sugar and Simple Carbohydrates do you eat?
You may want to discuss DIET (i.e. what you eat) with your PCP or a nutritionist.

Read "The New Sugar Busters! - Cut Sugar to Trim Fat"
for a better understanding of how your digestive system works, what foods to avoid/minimize (sugar and simple carbohydrates), and what foods to eat (complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, meat, nuts,

Listen to Al(and Aaron) . This is what I have read from studies;the greatest
source of increased cholesterol is from simple sugars and refined carbs.
Also 80% of your body's cholesterol comes from the liver and 20% comes
from the foods that you eat.
I agree with Lisa in that I don't much care for the cholesterol lowering drugs.
There are alot of good ways to manage it with diet /herbs/exercise--BUT
yours is abnormally high and this type of management is slow with results.
And you need immediate results so it's probably best for you to go with
the meds for now AND find what is causing these high numbers (diet,genetic,
liver).
My best--Dina

[Debster]

Hi! We have a family friend with triglycerides like that-his cardio put him on high amounts of niacin and it really helped him. Really brought his numbers down. I have heard that face flushing can be a side effect from this-but that it goes away. Anyone else heard of this treatment? Deb

[hensylee]

I thought I was over this problem since surgery. I had problems with elevated liver numbers with Lipitor including joint pain. I really thought I was over this especially after not eating any foods with cholesterol. cardio says that my body creates its own cholesterol. bummed. starting taking tricor as of today. cholesterol is 460.

wishing you well with your new med.

I got a call from my dr last week saying that my cholesterol is either 279 or 179 (can't remember exactly) and that she has some samples for a new med that is out and for me to pick up and start taking. They are not statins because I can't take those (muscle problems developed) but I will pick them up and try. well, I will study them via net first and then decide.

I took Zetia for yrs and when my pcp said they don't really show any evidence of helping anybody's cholesterol, I (on my own) decided to stop if they weren't doing any good. Well, cholesterol numbers are up so maybe Zetia is a good med after all. I began taking them again soon as I got that message.

She was afraid that my triglycerides were going to be high enough to say I have diabetes II, but those numbers were ok. Think you might want to do something to bring those triglycerides down.

Wishing you all the best.

[Dina]

Hi! We have a family friend with triglycerides like that-his cardio put him on high amounts of niacin and it really helped him. Really brought his numbers down. I have heard that face flushing can be a side effect from this-but that it goes away. Anyone else heard of this treatment? Deb

Facial flushing can be a result of what...niacin or high triglycerides?
just curious since I get facial flushing but don't have high serum chol/tri.
Sorry don't mean to intrude on the thread
Dina

[Jkm7]

There are always exceptions to the 'usual'. Some people can smoke two packs a day and not die from lung cancer. We all can point to a heavy, life long smoker who lived to 90 and was hardly sick a day during their lives. They are certainly the exception.

Most of us need to control our cholesterol levels.

[Lisa in Katy]

Well, Al, back when my cholesterol was first found to be borderline high, the total was about 205. They didn't break it into good, bad, and ugly because that was in the mid-1980's and it all was considered bad. We've learned so much since then, or maybe not. Last time I had it checked the total was about 228 and the good was around 35. My doctor told me to exercise more to convert bad to good, but didn't recommend any drugs. If I hadn't had a clean cath after 20 years of "high" cholesterol I might be more worried. Maybe the cath is giving me a false sense of security, but frankly I figure if I have to die of something, I'd rather it be chicken fried steak!

Witzkeyman, when you had your cath, what did they say about blockage?

Ann, I would guess 279 since anything below 200 is normal and wouldn't require treatment.

[Lisa in Katy]

By the way, for people under 85, cancer is the number 1 cause of death, heart disease is number 2 (mostly sudden death by heart attack), and the number 3 cause of death is estimated to be.......death by doctor. There is a possibility that the 3rd cause is actually higher because not all deaths caused by doctor errors are reported as such.

[cday]

Facial flushing can be a result of what...niacin or high triglycerides?
just curious since I get facial flushing but don't have high serum chol/tri.
Sorry don't mean to intrude on the thread
Dina

Flushing is a result of the niacin therapy. My husband takes the prescrip version, and takes the niacin at bedtime and can sleep through the flushing.
As I have mentioned before, there is a thorough plan of using OTC niacin in the book The 8-week Cholesterol Cure, but it requires taking it many times a day.

Niacin is used to raise your HDL only. If you don't have low HDL you wouldn't take it. My husband has been taking this since his surgery, blood testing soon, so we will see if it helped much.

Dina, flushing is also a symptom of pre-menopause.

witzkeyman

Another diet I would suggest is the South Beach Diet (invented by a cardio doc to lower cholesterol levels), because it is basically a plan that tries to emphasize foods that are natural and do not cause the quick blood spikes from simple carbs. I find it easy to follow -- and it uses snacks to keep your blood sugar levels more even thus keeping you from feeling like you are "on a diet".

[hensylee]

Facial flushing can be a result of what...niacin or high triglycerides?
just curious since I get facial flushing but don't have high serum chol/tri.
Sorry don't mean to intrude on the thread
Dina

niacin can make your face blushed - but you can get the kind that doesn't do this.

[hensylee]

wishing you well with your new med.

I got a call from my dr last week saying that my cholesterol is either 279 or 179 (can't remember exactly) and that she has some samples for a new med that is out and for me to pick up and start taking. They are not statins because I can't take those (muscle problems developed) but I will pick them up and try. well, I will study them via net first and then decide.

I picked up the medicine this morning. It is called Lovaza and says it is 1 gram omega-3-acid ethyl esters. It is a prescription drug. I am already taking over the counter omega 3 fish oil twice daily and it says it is 1000 mg fish oil and total omega 3 fatty acids is 300 mg. wonder what the difference is besides the strength! They forgot to tell me how many per day. Probly just one. 1 gram sounds like a lot.

Any comments? Anybody?

[Lisa in Katy]

Ann, I'm no expert, but I've heard the words omega and fish oil, always used in a positive manner. According to http://dr-razavi.blogspot.com/2006/0...-capsules.html they can lower triglycerides and are of benefit to people recovering from a heart attack. Side effects are as follows: "There has been some concern that they may trigger abnormal heart rhythyms in patients with chronic coronary disease. Other side effects include burping and indigestion, and a bad after taste. In large doses, bleeding time may be prolonged, but this has not shown to be of any clinical significance." I would think if someone is on Warfarin, they would need to monitor the INR carefully until figuring out how the two drugs will interact.

RDA is 1200 mg

I can help you with the math:

1 gram is the same as 1000 mg.

[ALCapshaw2]

I picked up the medicine this morning. It is called Lovaza and says it is 1 gram omega-3-acid ethyl esters. It is a prescription drug. I am already taking over the counter omega 3 fish oil twice daily and it says it is 1000 mg fish oil and total omega 3 fatty acids is 300 mg. wonder what the difference is besides the strength! They forgot to tell me how many per day. Probly just one. 1 gram sounds like a lot.

Any comments? Anybody?

1 gram = 1000 mg (milligrams)

Ann - Do your Doctors know you are taking 2000 mg of Omega 3 fatty fish oil. Adding 1 gram (1000 mg) of prescription omega 3 acids may result in 'too much'. I recommend double checking with the Doctor who gave your the prescription, being sure to inform him of your fish oil intake as well.

'AL Capshaw'

[ALCapshaw2]

Witzkeyman -

I researched High Triglycerides and found the following recommendations to Reduce Triglyceride Levels:

Minimize SUGAR intake
Minimize Saturated Fat intake

Take Omega 3 Fatty Fish Oil supplements (1000 iu) once or twice a day.

INCREASE EXERCISE

Your Doctor may also recommend medication for your high level.

'AL Capshaw'

[witzkeyman]

Al, here are my stats

Cholesterol, Total 460
Triglycerides-1580
HDL cholesterol-34

[witzkeyman]

I have been eating a lot of candy lately. thanks Al.

[Dina]

Flushing is a result of the niacin therapy. My husband takes the prescrip version, and takes the niacin at bedtime and can sleep through the flushing.
As I have mentioned before, there is a thorough plan of using OTC niacin in the book The 8-week Cholesterol Cure, but it requires taking it many times a day.

Niacin is used to raise your HDL only. If you don't have low HDL you wouldn't take it. My husband has been taking this since his surgery, blood testing soon, so we will see if it helped much.

Dina, flushing is also a symptom of pre-menopause.

witzkeyman

Another diet I would suggest is the South Beach Diet (invented by a cardio doc to lower cholesterol levels), because it is basically a plan that tries to emphasize foods that are natural and do not cause the quick blood spikes from simple carbs. I find it easy to follow -- and it uses snacks to keep your blood sugar levels more even thus keeping you from feeling like you are "on a diet".

Thanks cday, I don't have a cholesterol problem like witzeyman(mine is
only 220,but I'm hypothyroid)and my HDL's are good.
-Dina

[hensylee]

Lisa & Al - my dr is the one who told me to take omega 3 fish oil in the first place but it's over the counter. This new stuff is by prescription only. Wonder what could be the difference except perhaps the words 'Rx only' on the sample bottle. Got to be the same stuff. She told me to take 2 capsules of the over the counter kind. Think I will just say no thanks to her next week at my appt. odd, don't you think.

I still haven't looked up this lovaza on the net yet; if it says anything different from otc fish oil, I will put it here in VR.

[Superbob]

As Aaron said, the big three of diet, exercise, and appropriate medication is probably needed here. Those numbers are awfully high. (Except for the "good" cholesterol -- the HDL -- which is actually lower than it should be.)

One caution about niacin: My doc tried that with me, and it spiked my blood sugar. If you a diabetic, you don't want that to happen. He switched me to simvastatin and that seems to be working.

Good luck with getting these under better control. It IS important to your health.