Anybody have any thoughts on this alternative to a statin? So far, after doing a little research, it seems even worse than the statin? Narrows the arteries, interacts badly with statins if the two are taken together. Seems to have a negative impact on the liver.
BTW, it has the same stuff they use in Benecol.
It's difficult to know where to start with this:
Ezetimibe aka Ezetrol is not an alternative to a statin. It works by inhibiting cholesterol absorption, so it's closer to the bile sequestrants which we used to take, although ezetimibe inhibits the process chemically while sequestrants compete to absorb cholesterol.
Ezetimibe is often prescribed alongside a low-dose statin after someone's suffered side-effects with higher doses. There can be some interactions, so it's usually done carefully. Do you have a link to details of the artery-narrowing?
Benecol contains plant stanol ester. It does not contain ezetimibe. It's claimed to work by competing with cholesterol, so the body absorbs stanol instead of some cholesterol. benecol.com/healthcare-prof...
Replying to myself - a review at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl... draws some interesting conclusions but basically concludes in favour of careful use where we've no better option. The articles that cite it aren't very encouraging for FH patients, though. It seems ezetimibe may be treating a symptom (hypercholesterolaemia) rather than helping the outcome (premature CVD).
Yeah, I've read quite a bit now and I'm not impressed, in fact I'm very dubious about the drug. I'm investigating the Niacin connection tho...
niacin b3 it works use the right type and right amount its the only thing to lower your lpa bloods go and do proper research on it read up on Dr abram hoffer ive tried all the statins horrible drug had the by pass operation i read storys on here about statins dont have side effects to many people BUT they do in the long term i really wish more people looked into niacin b3 why did my cardiac consultant and lipid consultant tell me to try niacin b3 because they both know it works even the drug companys no it works but they just run it down all the time they done there so called research on niacin BUT the wrong type of niacin good luck god bless
Is doctoryourself.com/hoffer_n... an accurate summary, in your opinion?
go and read his book take care now
Thanks - that's almost no help. You know he's the author of 30 books, none of which mention FH or similar in the title?
I've ordered some and will conduct a test. I've not been on statins since March and although I've got a month's worth, I'm not taking the Ezitimibe (why they give em these names?). My ch is around 7.1 and it's the same as it was seven years ago. On 10mg of atorvastatin, it was 4.2.
do your research on niacin b3 take the right type of niacin and you have take high amounts for it to work but take it in small amounts and increase over time if your serious about it tho you must get his book and read it it will blow you away
1gram of Niacin upping to 3gms a day! No way. I took 200mg this am as a test and it left me feeling decidedly strange. A weird sensation across my skin akin to a hot flush and had an unpleasant effect on my tummy. God knows what a 1000 or 3000mg would do! I'll use the 100mg tabs I have and see how it goes.
the side effects go away the more you use it but you have to start slowly and increase over time im upto 2500mg a day and im fine my brother only takes 1500mg a day without any problems it works and its better than any statin drug good luck
Thanks, good advice, I'll up it slowly. My gp is aware of my 'experiment' and knows that there is no way I'll go back to statins and tends to be very supportive would you believe.
The other issue is cost. 90 100mg tabs cost me about 6 quid, so if I'm eventually to take a much larger dose, I need to find the cheapest source.
im in the uk my lipid and cardiac consultants both told me to try niacin and me and my brother get it free on NHS prescription if you go to health monthly website you can get niacin from there 100mg 250 tabs for £3.29 but you do need to take high amounts of niacin for you to see results in your blood tests my best advice is to buy the book niacin the real storey by Dr Abram Hoffer it will open your eyes and tell you all the benefits it will do for you take care
BTW, do you have figures on the the levels of ch after treatment?
I took it for a couple of years,due to intolerance of a variety of Statins, stopped due to a gradual build up of stomach and muscle discomfort. Now I try to manage by diet alone,,so far so good
I think I'm going to check out the niacin assuming I can identify the right product.
I think the key thing is it does nothing to prevent heart disease from most trials. There was one study that showed it had a very small effect in conjunction with a statin, but only one.
That's because statins work by being anti inflammatory and anti coagulant. The cholesterol lowering is irrelevant.
It seems that very large doses of Niacin work best, 1000, 2000 even 3000 mg per day can lower 'bad' cholesterol by as much as 25%.
There have been various studies of niacin. Which one are you referring to?
One I found ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/239... claims it's only useful if you can't take statins, which seems like the exact opposite conclusion!
If the cholesterol lowering is irrelevant, would low-dose statin work better (more advantages per drawback) than the current maximal LDL-level-halving dosing approach?
Benecol has stanols = plant sterols. There is a strict limit to how much you can take and it helps but does not completely change the game.
My daughter has FH. Can niacin work for FH?
Thank you!
I seem able to drink Benecol but Flora ones gave me messy side-effects.
Stanols are not the same as sterols. There's a very small molecular difference shown in the first diagram in jn.nutrition.org/content/12... but I don't understand why this would produce different side-effects, so it may be something else in the Flora that's not in Benecol... or the article does say that stanols are "virtually unabsorbable", unlike sterols.
Good question on niacin and FH. I didn't find many recent journal articles on niacin and none on FH in general (but a couple about homozygous FH). I guess one of the problems is that the "flushing" effect of niacin makes it pretty obvious if you're being treated or taking a placebo unless you're completely uninformed about it... and then that wouldn't be informed consent of trial participants, would it? So most trials seem to have been of extended-release or related forms like inositol hexaniacinate or nicotinamide.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/366... is about FH and concludes "Colestipol, lovastatin, and niacin are mutually complementary in treating hypercholesterolemia. This regimen produces reductions in serum cholesterol levels similar to those associated with regression of atheromatous plaques in animal studies" but that's from 1987, which I guess explains the earlier statin, and colestipol rather than ezetimibe. The full article is behind a paywall that I can't even see the cost for!
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl... has a back-and-forth of letters between doctors that I feel summarises the situation that we're caught in the crossfire of!
As you say... We're caught in a crossfire of dogmas and big egos...
Statins are from a time where compliance rules didn't exist as today in the Pharma industry. There is a big controversy of their real effectiveness at extending life and improving quality of life and as a mum I'm terrified of making the wrong decision for my child. Anti Pcsk9 sound like a much better option but at the price they're at we won't have them soon in the UK...
Thank you anyway :)u
Hi all, I'd be cautious about taking high dose niacin, there are some studies which show it increases mortality.
Weren't the mortality-increasing studies using derivative products like extended release niacin (branded Tredaptive) and so on? There seem few adverse findings about simple niacin. There are some, but statins are hardly harmless either!
Statin affecting my Liver function. 
To take or not take Statins?
psychological support
Anyone know anything about Bergamot for lowering chol?
statins and muscular pains.
