First of all, I have not picked up my overall blood work papers from the doctor yet (will tomorrow), but was surprised she called me in a statin prescription before I saw the paperwork. I've been on depression meds for 2 decades and just am changing from Pristiq to Trintelix, so if I decide to take the statin, I need to wait at least a couple weeks to start the ROSUVASTATIN (CRESTOR) 5mg. I am hesitant about taking a new drug! But 151 LDL is very high and don't want heart attack or stroke. My HDL level is very good. I have been on Red Yeast Rice for a couple years, but it's evidently not helping. Prescribing Dr. of Crestor said I need to come off the Red Yeast Rice. I wonder if the cheap brand is responsible for it not lowering my cholesterol? Recently joined a gym and starting to get more exercise. Eating healthier, but in perimenopause, so I am awake often at night and that is when I eat the high cholesterol foods, which I crave. ANY ADVICE? THANK YOU ALL!
Learned LDL Cholesterol is Elevated to... - Cholesterol Support
Learned LDL Cholesterol is Elevated to 151 (USA) or 1.7 in Europe & Prescribed Statin Drug Crestor 5mg!
Here is cholesterol evel in USA numbers:
"Cholesterol levels for adults
Total cholesterol levels less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) are considered desirable for adults.
A reading between 200 and 239 mg/dL is considered borderline high and a reading of 240 mg/dL and above is considered high.
LDL cholesterol levels should be less than 100 mg/dL. Levels of 100 to 129 mg/dL are acceptable for people with no health issues but may be of more concern for those with heart disease or heart disease risk factors. A reading of 130 to 159 mg/dL is borderline high and 160 to 189 mg/dL is high. A reading of 190 mg/dL or higher is considered very high.
HDL levels should be kept higher. A reading of less than 40 mg/dL is considered a major risk factor for heart disease. A reading from 41 mg/dL to 59 mg/dL is considered borderline low. The optimal reading for HDL levels is of 60 mg/dL or higher."
What made you think 151 is high? May be you can give us all the cholesterol numbers and units?
Hi SandyBrown! Thank you for correcting me; even before I saw your response, I had changed my wording to LDL is 151 (1.7). Thank you for helping me out here! 
Please ask your doctor to do a QRISK or JBS 3 risk analysis and fully explain the risk numbers and to offer life style change option first an may be later on medication.
It appears that the conversion gives me 1.7 LDL, SandyBrown. I have not yet been back to my doctor to go over the paper work, so YES, I WILL INDEED ASK FOR THESE ADDITIONAL TESTS IF SHE DID NOT ALREADY DO THEM, and I will post the numbers on here. Thanks!
Elevated LDL-C or cholesterol in general is a symptom of a sub-optimal diet and lifestyle. Treating the symptom (statins) is typical of today's modern pharmaceutical-centric medical systems. We should instead be treating the cause - diet and lifestyle.
The Mediterranean Diet which can be otherwise described as a plant-based, whole foods diet, has proven to be most efficacious in bringing the body's biochemistry into balance. In today's fast-paced, dopamine-seeking society which requires instant reward, there has developed an over-reliance on fast food. The flaw with this is that fast food is characterized by excessive processing which among other things removes the fiber that is essential for disposal of excess LDL-C and for a balanced gut-bacteria.
A healthy gut microbiome provides the signals to the brain for healthy hormonal functioning.
When the master-gland - the pituitary - which runs our endocrine system is not functioning correctly, the resulting hormonal imbalance disrupts the biological efficiency our body and mind requires for good health. Yes mental health is likely related to hormonal imbalances caused by diet and lifestyle.
This is how you get people, most often women, who end up with hypothyroid conditions. It is also why many people are living with some degree of anxiety.
While a small percentage of these people can point to genetic causes, most thyroid dysfunction and anxiety occur due to a poor diet and lifestyle.
One need look no further than the fact that people with a variety of mental health conditions including schizophrenia, seizures, depression, and anxiety are finding significant symptom mitigation through the use of the ketogenic diet. The ketogenic diet is one that changes a person's fuel source from simple carbohydrates to healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, grass-fed butters, and avocados among others).
medium.com/@drstephanie/how...
Fast-food, whether in the form of quick-serve restaurants like McDonalds and their peer group, or in the form of processed packaged foods in the supermarket, are often overloaded with sugar, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (these are bad), sodium, chemical preservatives, and too little fiber.
Sugar and simple carbohydrates are toxic to the body over the long-term due to their inflammatory effects on the human body and the resulting insulin response required to regulate elevated blood glucose.
Watch this 13 minute video:
A diet that is reliant upon processed foods and fast foods, is a diet that will inevitably lead to early cardiovascular disease, among many other chronic illnesses such as diabetes, renal failure, fatty-liver, cancer, and arthritis to name the most obvious.
Sleep is also essential to the efficient regulation and functioning of our body's biochemistry.
Getting 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep on a nightly basis should be everyone's target. If your sleep is sub-optimal, it might be another reason why you might be experiencing sub-optimal bio-markers.
Watch this 8 minute video on sleep by Dr. Matthew Walker:
Stress increases the production of cortisol which increases blood-sugar. Elevated blood sugar results in arterial inflammation which begins the cascade of immunological responses that ultimately results in arterial plaque accumulation (cardio-vascular disease).
We haven't even touched upon smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
Good luck.
Sos007, thank you for responding! Info and videos so helpful!
My pleasure.
The CORRECT tests for the Thyroid are TSH - FT4 - FT3 & Anti-bodies TPO & Tg.
Low Thyroid = Slow Metabolism = Raised Cholesterol.
Always good to rule out conditions that could be the root cause of raised cholesterol ... 😊
Thank you, Marz. It appears my thyroid is normal. I have been working on diet improvement the last few months and will be seeing my Dr within the next week. I will let you know if there is improvement in my numbers. Thanks for responding!
Am not sure what you mean by normal ? Normal is an opinion and not a result. When we are told normal/fine/ok it means the results are in range but it is where you are in the range that is key. I listed the tests above for you - so what were those results ?
You can click onto my username above to check me out - Posts/Replies /Bio etc !
Always keep records of results and ranges. Many Hypo people find their cholesterol levels normalise once optimally treating the thyroid. Always good to explore every avenue ...
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