High cholesterol conundrum

[rosarugosa]

Has anyone succeeded in substantially reducing LDL cholesterol without statins? I've been resistant to taking statins, but I finally agreed to start on my MD's recommendation with 10 mg. atorvastatin. Unfortunately, I'm finding the GI side effects pretty intolerable, and I'm not eager to have a longer and healthier life spent exclusively in the bathroom. I lasted about a week and a half with the meds, then discontinued.
My HDL, triglycerides and ratio have always been good and continue to be good, but my LDL has steadily inched upward to 173 (should be under 130), and my total cholesterol is 278 (should be under 200).
I've been googling alternative meds and I've found a couple that might be better (cholestyramine, pravastatin) although they both list possible GI side effects.
I'm under the impression that diet and lifestyle changes can help, but might not move the needle too much.
Maybe it's just a matter of halfhearted efforts giving unimpressive results.
Wondering if you guys have any wisdom to share. Thanks in advance.

[Yppej]

It is my understanding that the body produces some cholesterol on its own - you don't have to worry about levels ever getting too low - and if you eliminate all dietary cholesterol by going vegan you can lower your numbers.

[iris lilies]

I have 0 advice to give about reducing cholesterol via diet. You don’t strike me as someone who eats much fatty stuff.

You can always work with your dr to try other statin drugs *if* it is important to you to lower the numbers. I would probably try another one before giving up.

But I wouldn’t live with GI disruption, so if it were that or no statin I would choose the “ no statin” route.

[Rogar]

I resisted statins for some time, but finally after some gnashing of teeth I said uncle. I'm basically vegetarian, within my advised weight range (although the upper side), and exercise regularly. My cholesterol was not as high as yours and when I've cracked down ever further with life style adjustments I could nudge my total down maybe 10 or 15 points. What my doctor claimed is that a person with poor lifestyle habits, i.e., overweight, fatty diet, no exercise, etc. can make a big dent in cholesterol. But as we get older, genetics plays an important role and there are some people genetically predisposed to high cholesterol and others who have no issues. Both my parents were on cholesterol medications and both died of cardio vascular related disease, so I'm not fooling around with more lowering attempts.

I've had no adverse reactions to the medications. Doctor says some people have to try a few different statin medications to find one that works and is compatible. I remember having some discussions with Jane who claimed cholesterol medications are an invention of big pharma to generate profits or something like that. That's certainly not mainstream accepted medical science, but I don't think the doctors know everything. There are people who say statins can lower cholesterol, but ultimately do not lower the risk of heart disease (if I have that right). I remember Steve in MN eventually fought the battle to have his cholesterol analyzed by particle size distribution and determined he was not at risk in spite of overall high cholesterol values. I think he was probably onto something, but that requires some research and some help from doctors.

[rosarugosa]

Jeppy: I am not willing to go vegan. I'm not a huge meat eater, but I really love my seafood, for one example, and I believe seafood is actually good for me. Also, this may be TMI, but I have IBS, so I would struggle to get enough protein on a vegan diet and there are so many veggies I cannot eat. I would pretty much be living on nuts and berries.

IL: I think my biggest unhealthy eating challenges are yummy fresh bakery bread and other starchy carbs like pasta and rice. Oh, and don't forget butter. I'm not immune to the siren call of sweets, but they aren't the biggest attraction for me. On Thanksgiving, for example, I ate the tiniest piece of pie imaginable, kind of a token gesture. When we go out to eat, I almost never eat dessert, although I'll sometimes accept a spoon so my dining partner feels more comfortable that we are "sharing" dessert. On the other hand, DH and I developed an unhealthy addiction for (lol) Healthy Choice frozen fudge pops this summer. They earn the name healthy by being only 100 calories, but if you eat the whole Costco-sized box, that's 1800 calories!

Rogar: I actually realized that Jane had a lot to do with my desire to avoid statins, and will all due respect to the late great Jane 2.0, I decided that I should probably weigh my MD's input more heavily. (I have a great MD and I have much confidence in him). I also researched to my satisfaction and found that while statins had not originally been tested on women, they have since been tested and found to be effective on both sexes. I only weigh 100 lbs and I'm pretty active, but I don't have an actual exercise program other than getting my 10,000 steps a day (come hell or high water). I think that's at the heart of my question, is whether it's worth the hard work of pursuing lifestyle changes, or do I focus my efforts on finding a better drug to go with my frozen fudge bars? My mother and sister are both on atorvastatin (DH too), so I think there is probably a hereditary component. They are also talking now about a correlation between cholesterol and dementia, so given Mom's AD, I don't want to be dismissive of that concern. Everyone has to die from something, but AD worries me a hell of a lot more than heart disease.

[iris lilies]

There are many voices here that are anti-statin besides our friend, Jane.

About cholesterol and heart disease and dementia: the trick is to have your heart disease take you out before your dementia kicks in at a debilitating level.

[catherine]

I don't have much/any advice either, because you seem to be a very healthy-living person to start with. I would guess genetics has a lot to do with your high LDL. Where does your LDL stand relative to your HDL? My LDL is borderline high, but I have very high HDL, so I figure it all nets out in my favor. My doctor must agree because I haven't been recommended statins.

[rosarugosa]

Catherine: My HDL is 96, my triglycerides are 47, and my ratio is 2.9. Apparently those are all very good, and when my LDL was lower, my MD wasn't too concerned about my total number being high, but now my LDL is higher.

IL: I fully agree, but figuring out how to make it happen is the tricky part.

[iris lilies]

IL: I fully agree, but figuring out how to make it happen is the tricky part.

While we’re at it, we will Die Broke. Living (and dying) the dream is to die suddenly of a heart attack or stroke, having spent my last dollar yesterday.

[catherine]

While we’re at it, we will Die Broke. Living (and dying) the dream is to die suddenly of a heart attack or stroke, having spent my last dollar yesterday.

Sounds good to me!