New Problem of High Cholesterol. Need tips to get it down

[HealthyChik]

Hello,

I have a new problem of high cholesterol, especially my triglycerides. Within 6 months I have gone from 200 to 300 on chol, and 100 to 400 on triglycerides, HDL has dropped from 70 to 40. LDL is obviously out of range too. I already have a lowfat diet and exercise regularly and even stepped it up a bit over the last 2 months. My BMI is in normal range. No blood pressure issues. I also am not a big fan of sweets and don't drink alcohol which are the biggest culprits of elevated triglycerides. I've had an autoimmune liver disease, Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) since 2018 and take a maintenance drug called ursodiol. According to my tests, I have no fibrosis or liver damage so far and no physical symptoms either. I’m really trying to avoid a statin but have an appointment with a cardiologist in a few weeks. Has anyone experienced this and what did you do to get it down? I know high cholesterol can be common in PBC patients but I don't know the physiology behind it. I don't believe it's common to be as high as mine so I'm not sure that's even related at all, but suppose it could be. Does anyone have high lipids along with liver disease? How have your doctors explained this? I don't see my hepatologist for a few months. I know inflammation plays a role🤷🏻‍♀️

Any insight appreciated😊💕

[oopsnoname]

I avoided statins for years but eventually gave in when I was told my reading was over 9. When they put me on statins, the number didn't come down much so they carried out genetic testing and I prooved positive for something called FH (familial hypercholesterolemia) which means my body is unable to get rid of the bad (LDL cholesterol - diet and exercise have no effect on it. Is it worth you asking for genetic testing? At least it would be something that could be ruled out.

[HealthyChik in reply to oopsnoname]

Do you mind sharing how old you were when you were diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia? I'm in my late 50s and my primary doctor seemed to think I would have likely learned of a familial condition at an earlier age. My cholesterol has always been normal until about 2 years ago when it started gradually creeping up but my HDL was high so my risk ratio was still low. Now my numbers have just exploded😬

[oopsnoname in reply to HealthyChik]

I was 68. When you consider that FH is something you are born with that's a long time before diagnosis but I do take personal responsibility for that, should never listen to the conspiracy theorists about statins. I'm only on 5mg daily of rosuvastatin, along with ezetimibe and a click pen jab every fortnight. I was/am also unaware of my family medical history, if you know yours and it's clear of FH then unlikely you would have it. Best of luck.

[HealthyChik in reply to oopsnoname]

Thanks for the information. My father passed away in his 80s, but I do remember him having very high cholesterol but not 100% it was a familial type. I vaguely remember conversations about that many years ago. However, he never had cardiovascular disease such as blockage, heart attacks, or stroke and I’m not sure if he took medication for it. It’s definitely worth me getting checked. I’m not completely opposed to a statin, but would like to avoid more medication if possible. The urso that I’m currently taking for my liver problem is known to lower cholesterol, but apparently not in my case

[oopsnoname in reply to HealthyChik]

I'm not sure that FH was widely known or tested for in our parents day. Most probably never even had a cholesterol test. It's worth getting tested if you can.

[Swa1]

I have had pbc since 2014 and have been on urso since then. I also take a statin for high cholesterol and had no side effects.

[HealthyChik in reply to Swa1]

Thank you for your reply. After doing some research on PBC and cholesterol, it sounds like a bezafibrate might be a good option for me. It's often used in conjunction with urso to improve liver enzyme levels, especially alkaline phosphatase, but it's labeled as a hypolipidemic agent that lowers cholesterol and triglycerides. Will definitely be a question for the cardiologist

[Batty1]

You should have your thyroid levels checked or could it be your medication causing the cholesterol levels to rise.

[HealthyChik in reply to Batty1]

Hashimotos thyroid disease is common in people with PBC. I’ve had my thyroid checked and it’s usually just barely out of range. TSH has been 4.5, 4.7, 4.8, which is slightly high. However, just a few weeks ago it was 0.8. I don’t really know what to make of those numbers. I have a lot of the symptoms but they also overlap with my liver issue as well as menopause 🥴…brain fog, dry skin and nails, cold intolerance, fatigue 🤷🏻‍♀️My primary doesn’t seem concerned, but I have a friend that insists that I should find a doctor that will consider further testing. She had similar numbers and was treated with a low dose of thyroid medication and feels much better. I’ve also considered HRT. Health sure can get complicated