Non statin cholesterol reducing drugs

[Lavendermay]

Hi , I wonder if any one can help , I can’t take statins due to liver problems, I have a fib but under control, my problem is high cholesterol, I can start taking rapetha ,probably not spelt right, only I have read some reports of terrible side affects that last way after you stop taking muscle wasting, sever sickness and on going stomach problems, I’m always happy to take what’s drugs are prescribed , but I’m terrified of this one, it’s still under black triangle so no long term study yet. Does any one here take it or know of it . Sorry to be such a wimp, but I feel I can’t add anymore poison to my body. Any suggestion's please.

[CDreamer]

I took plant sterols as a supplement which helped but they aren’t drugs and weren’t prescribed.

I would be very hesitant to take anything without talking to your doctor.

[Lavendermay in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks for that, what plant sterols did you take, I would talk to my chemist first he is fantastic with drugs, seems to know more than the doctors.

[CDreamer in reply to Lavendermay]

This was some years ago and I know that they were discontinued. May I suggest that you visit the Cholesterol support forum? Lot’s of very knowledgeable people on there who will no doubt have have far more knowledge and experience. The forum is split roughly 50:50 for/against statins so you learn lots!

[secondtry]

You don't say what level your cholesterol is and the individual constituent levels which are particularly relevant, not just the total.

I am sceptical of medics putting millions onto statins and personally would only consider this if I had other accompanying comorbidities i.e. it is not cholesterol level itself but rather the company it keeps e.g. high blood pressure. My understanding is that around 80% of cholesterol is produced by the body for good reason and 20% or less comes from the food we eat.

My personal experience is I have recorded my cholesterol level for 40 years and averaged 6.5 total. The last 10 years I have eaten a lot of high quality organic and often raw dairy products and organic grass fed meat and my last test in 2021 showed the level had dropped to under 6 for the first time. On AF diagnosis in 2014, I had many tests including heart and carotid arteries and all were clear.

So in short do you need to take anything?

[Lavendermay in reply to secondtry]

Hi , thanks for your help, my cholesterol is an eye watering 8 ( please don’t faint). It’s always been high due to genes, but I was on 80 mg of statins a day, which led to liver problems, as agreed by my consultant, so no more statins, I could try the new statin free drug but it is still being tested, and Cary’s a black triangle mark, so many bad reviews for already, so I’m to scared to try, I’m not overweight slim side of normal, and neither smoke or drink , just peed off

[secondtry in reply to Lavendermay]

Find the best Naturopath you can, who may recommend other Alternative Practitioners. Maybe consider consulting drannaforbes.com . It is all costly but the greatest wealth is health.

[Auriculaire]

Hi Lavendermay- how high exactly is your cholesterol? And are we talking about total cholesterol or has the blood test been broken down into LDL and HDL ? Large population studies done in Scandinavia have shown no benefit whatsover to cholesterol reduction in older women. Indeed what they did show was that women who had what is deemed " high cholesterol" by current standards ( formulated to get as many people as possibke on statins and thus up drug company profits) were the healthiest and most long lived! As we age we need our cholesterol more and more. It is protective -especially against infections.

[Lavendermay in reply to Auriculaire]

Hi thanks for replying, the bad is 8 , I know I know, don’t know the good, it’s hereditary had test done, just drew the short straw, I do all I can to keep it down ,don’t smoke , don’t drink , walk a lot but nothing helps, I was on 80 mg statins for about ten years which has caused my liver problem, so no statins again,they want to start me on a new drug that not fully tested, still black triangle , it already has some horrific reviews, I’m caught between the devil and the deep blue sea , I have taken a great deal of comfort from your post. Thanks again

[mishugenah]

I'm not "prescribing" for you and I'm sure no one will, but read a book called "The 8 Week Cholesterol Cure" by Kowalkski - I read this been and applied some of his techniques, and tweaked them over the course of the last 3 decades. Include also a good quality Omega oil capsule in the morning, and read read read about supplements geared towards cholesterol, including citrus bergamot

[sleeksheep in reply to mishugenah]

I use citrus bergamot and have found it very efficient in lowering my Cholesterol.

It is very popular at the moment and has because of this increased in price ( over 50% ) and the quality of some sellers needs to be questioned.

In other words buyer beware!

Look for high polyphenols and capsules with no filler / all tablets have fillers.

There are numerous articles on its efficacy

tandfonline.com/doi/full/10...

lifestylematrix.com/blog/us...

[RoyMacDonald]

Diet is a good place to start. Oats are a known reducer of cholesterol. I always have porridge for breakfast. Don't eat meat very much, mostly fish. Never eat convenience food. My cholesterol level is 2.7. I'm 78, on Apixaban and 5 mg of Rosuvastatin 3 times a week. No statin side effects yet. Oh, and I exercise a lot.

All the best.

Roy

[Lavendermay in reply to RoyMacDonald]

Thanks for your reply, I will read the book , just ordered it on Amazon,

[needlestone]

My doctor suggested red yeast rice as an alternative. I also take a garlic supplement as I read that it is helpful in reducing cholesterol.

[Lavendermay in reply to needlestone]

Hi thanks for replying,, will try what you have said, my doctor has dismissed any diet or food as useless, feel a bit let down wouldn’t even discuss it,

[needlestone]

I see a functional medicine doctor that always has alternative suggestions for natural meds, other types of doctors only push what drug reps tell them to.

[Flutterbird]

I was advised to go on statins last year as my cholesterol had risen to 7 and both my parents had heart disease but I have low blood pressure and no coronary heart disease and did not want to take statins. I started phytosterols by solgar one a day, they recommend two a day, and my cholesterol came down to 5.5 so it seems you can get it down without taking statins. I did not want to use benecol because I prefer to eat organic dairy products without added sugar.