Hi All. my first encounter with the dreaded high triglyceride reading was due to a dumb thing on my part.

I plead 'Not Guilty' by reason of Ignorance. Ok, so I didn't eat for 14 hours before routine bloodwork as part of a physical. But I embibed. I didn't know it mattered.

The readings were astronomical. It even scared me. Lots of questions from my PCP and when she struck on the beer nerve, I fessed up.

I had a new test, sans alcohol. Readings were at 900. She prescribed Tricor 150mg. 1 per day.

I began to cut down on all embibing and got real religious about garbage stuff.
Fast Food, snacks, anything non-edible.

The readings started going down....700/500/300 etc.... THEN she (my PCP prescribed Zocor in 'addition' not instead of Tricor.

I am balking and will continue to balk at statin drugs. Bad juju. Not good stuff.

My question is: How healthy do I have to be? I mean 300 is considered high, but I have no high blood pressure or heart problems or diabetes. (yes, I had that double checked, and will triple check it)

I'm a little annoyed at having labrat meds thrown at me. From what i have read, there is in fact NO scientific link between dietary and serum cholesterol levels.

Am I being too stubborn? Any feedback is appreciated. But, obviously, I'm going to lean towards other embibers or former embibers for the basis of my
studies

Thanks!

Bill

that's ok. it was going over like a lead baloon anyway.

Hi Bill,

First of all, congratulations on dropping your trigs from 900 to 300.
I also think you are very wise to baulk at statins. I have read that the only evidence of elevated trigs causing health problems were in people who had other risk factors for cardiac disease such as hypertension etc. You don't seem to have much in the way of risk factors, and are only a little overweight. So yes, as I see it there is no great need to medically treat your elevated triglycerides.

How long exactly have you been low carbing? Because, as you may know, triglycerides are affected by both sugar and alcohol, so the longer you eat low carb, the more likely it is that your trigs will drop to a healthy level.

As for the alcohol, how about stopping at least until your trigs are better? Or if that is not acceptable, have a look at some plans that allow alcohol. Protein Power allows a glass or two of red wine daily from memory. So it may depend on what and how much you drink.

Cheers,

Rosebud

bilyum: Your apprehension of cholesterol drugs is justified; you are not being stubborn at all. I do not take them and never will. There are other options for lowering lipids. Significantly reducing the amount of sugars and starches (i.e., high glycemic foods) should bring those Triglycerides (TG) down to normal, unless high TG is familial. Do other family members you know struggle with high TG? If so, you may try taking Niacin (a B vitamin) with your meals (about 50-100 mg per meal). Hyperlipidemia runs in my family and Niacin brought my TG from 406 to 136 in one month, and currently it is 90 and dropping slowly. But, I also, in conjunction with Niacin, started cutting back even more on starchy carbohydrates, including low-carb alternative products. I have tried to stick with whole foods (meat, dairy, low-glycemic vegetables, some berries, etc.) with the occasional indulgence. My lipid profile looks better than it has ever looked in years. However, if you should decide to take Niacin, take ordinary Niacin, not the time release, not the no-flush variety. The time release is more taxing on the liver and the no-flush variety is not very effective for many. Furthermore, Niacin is looked at favorably even by the medical establishment for treating lipid disorders. Your doctor may agree to try Niacin therapy for you if the cholesterol drugs do not "seem" to be working.
More important than lipid numbers is your family history. How prevalant is heart disease in your family? What age(s) is the onset? If you do not have a strong family history of heart disease, then you really do not have much to worry about. If you are still concerned, you can have tests done on your heart (EKG, stress, echocardiogram, calcium, etc.). I have had most of these tests and they all proved that my heart is in very good shape, despite hyperlipidemia.
As far as imbibing is concerned, regular beer is definitely out. You might try light beer or low-carb beer and see if that affects your TG. Different types of sugar-free alcoholic beverages are fair game, as well as wine. Of course, you still have to limit how much you drink. Eventually, you will find your threshold and what your body can tolerate.
A few other suggestions I leave you. If you are not already exercising regulary, then I would recommend it. Also, be careful about sugar substitutes called "sugar alcohols" such as maltitol, sorbitol, etc. Some people are sensitive to these sugar substituties. Consume plenty of proteins and fats (including saturated fats) along with healthy portions of low-glycemic vegetables.
It sounds like you will get your TG below 150 and get the doctor off your back. Trust me, my doctor bothers me all the time about my lipids, insisting that if I do not get my Total Chol. below 200, I'm doomed to heart disease, despite the fact that everyone in my family has a Total Chol. around 350 and just about everyone lives into their 80's and 90's. Heart disease is rare in my family. Every blood test and heart test I have undergone over the years says I am in good shape. I didn't and do not expect any other result.

Hang in there.

Have you tried taking any supplements? I take fish oil, borage seed oil, and organic flax seed oil. Exercise is a huge help to trig's. Cardio 20 min/day and some occasional weight training would help. If you haven't started, start slow but make sure you visit the exercise forum here, plenty of helpful hints/suggestions.

I wish I would have had my blood done before Atkins. Now, my cholesterol is still a bit high...LDL = 190, HDL = 69 but my trig's are 30.

I attribute that to the supplements, exercise, and of course, Low Carb.

Veggies loaded with fiber (Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, lettuce, etc.) will also help

Rob

Hi! And thanks for your post. As for stopping alcohol at least until my trigs are better, Good idea! and indeed, why start again?

Every Man or Woman wrestles with the demon alcohol in his/her own way. Provided it is an issue that is. 2 glasses of wine is not my thing.

Perhaps I should start drinking that fizzy apple cider stuff instead of wine...for dinner I mean.

it's the bourbon on the rocks that I need to eliminate. like I said, each to their own demons. I think my first step was just now typing that it was a 'demon' .

Is it ever!!!!! anyway, only have low carbing on the agenda. And this is a bad time of year for everyone, foodwise. Particularly folks who like goodies!

I myself would prefer seconds on the turkey and mashed taters than the pumpkin pie with whipped cream. no sweet tooth, but defineately have some carb issues.

thanks for your nice post!

hey there. yes, I do all those things. BUT, obviously not as religiously as I should.

and the embibing needs to be curbed considerably. LCKozzy mentioned 'sugarless' alcohol beverages. I didn't think that was possible.

anyways, thanks for the support. I completely agree that diet and supplements are far superior to labrat meds.

Good Post. I like this Forum!

what sugar free alcoholic beverages are you referring to?

and btw, thanks for the warning(s) about sugar substitutes. I never touch the stuff. literally. yikes! people really should study up on that stuff before they
casually pour it on their corn flakes. it's amazing that NONE of the various 'sugar substitutes' have not been banned. go figure

I took Tricor (to lower triglycerides) and Lipitor (to lower LDL) for a few years with no noticeable problems. I was always nervous that my muscles would suddenly disolve!

I quit taking them after starting low-carbing. My levels on both triglycerides and LDL are as low or lower than with the drugs and my HDL has gone up a lot. I also feel a lot healthier and more energetic. It's also nice to not be spending money on drugs.

Yes. the money factor will worsen when my cobra runs out. maybe I'll have a job by then. I hope not, but it's likely inevitable

(Not drinking sounds like a better option for you.) Some sugarless/lowcarb alcoholic drinks are available, not many. For example, a product line called Baja Bob's drink mixes (sweetened with Splenda, however) is one. Mike's hard lemonade company sells their low-carb version (sweetened with Splenda, again). I have seen a few others; they do exist. I'm not a big drinker; I have something on special occasions.
As far as artificial sweeteners are concerned, I've read comments on both sides of the issue. Some people are sensitive to them; others are not. I honestly will use Splenda in my tea or occasional cup of coffee and in some others things. I do not worry too much about it. I figure I consume far, far more pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, etc. that are inherent in my store-bought meats, dairy, and vegetables.
Like artificial sweeteners (or anything for that matter [peanuts, for example]), some people are sensitive to statin drugs while others are not. Some people develop muscle and liver problems while others go unscathed. I've always been of the opinion that all natural options should be exhausted before resorting to the pharmaceutical. I also believe that many more studies need to be done on statins.

Ok. I guess I am being ignorant because I don't understand why they would give you statins for high triglycerides. I thought that was for high cholesterol????

Anyway, another way to lower your triglyerides is to walk two miles a day. When my mother's got above 200, this is what the doctor prescribed. She is 76, but she did it anyway and by the time she went back three months later, they had dropped 60 points. Just from the walk...she did nothing else.

Low carb will definitely drop them anyway.

I would stay away from the meds, keep low carbing, add something physical and then stand back and take another look.

Good luck!

Hi. I never drink any sort of sugary stuff. I don't use sugar or any substitutes in coffee. I was under the Impression that alcohol by it's very nature was actually loaded with hidden sugar. Even non-sweet stuff like bourbon or vodka.

The hard liquors do not have sugars, they have alcohol. Alcohol has 7 calories/gram. The body processes alcohol before any other macro-nutrient, so drinking will stop weight loss as burning of carbs or fat for energy will stop. Alcohol by itself will raise triglycerides. Alcohol also interferes with calcium absorption.

Please excuse the ignorance...I thought alcohol was a derivative of sugar...no sugar, no alcohol...what's up? Cath