Sept 16 last year I had knee arthroscopy and Sept 25 I had a blood clot block a minor branch in back of my heart last year. At the time my Cholesterol was 134 HDL was 40. I was placed on Toprol and Lipitor. completed Cardiac Rehab. Discontinued the Toprol six months ago and the lipitor was cut in half to 10mg in June 2006 when my cholesterol had dropped to 103 (BUT my hdl is down to 28). I want off the lipitor when I go back for my next cardiac appt 10/4. I know I will get resistance...cardiologist didn't want to make either med change....I insisted on the Toprol due to the dizziness and my personal doc insisted on the lipitor reduction due to the low cholesterol. Oh and to fit the forum I lost 83 pounds on low carb three years before the clot. Due to the meds, activity change and increased carbs I have regained 20 pounds that I need to get off.

Questions:
1. How low is too low for cholesterol? (I know my new HDL count is NOT good and was just ok at the time of the clot but overall numbers?

2. Has anyone used Fish Oil and/or Flax Seed oil and what interactions with the lipitor?

3. If your insurance pays for blood tests every three months is this sufficient to monitor the cholesterol as I eliminate the lipitor and increase the supplements?

Any comments appreciated.

Mark

Are you taking blood thinners for the clot? I think that fish oil may further thin the blood. Better check with your doctor.

Also for a minority of people (myself included) fish oil actually raises LDL cholesterol. It doesn't mean anything bad is happening, since it's likely the lesss harmful type of LDL that's increasing.

You really need to get that HDL elevated. it has some important protective factors. Protecting against inflammation which cause plaque build up is one of those. Exercise and like nancy said, take fish oils to thin the blood out. I think garlic or ginger also helps (can't remember).

About the cholesterol being low. It might increase risk of anxiety or depression. And there is lots of different answers around here about why high and why low cholesterol is good. The only thing that is very much confirmed is that having low cholesterol, it's a very good idea to keep your blood pressure low or you can be at higher risk of cerebral hemorrhage.

Other people think you would be at higher risk of cancer, but there isn't that much to support that because its hard to find which causes what. cancer causes low cholesterol or low cholesterol causes cancer. When looking at data on the longest lived people (or used to be) on planet earth, they had cholesterol around 150mg and only 2/3 of the death rate from cancer.

but i've got no time to debate all this anymore (gone over it so many times already), so people will tell you low cholesterol is dangerous, believe it or not, your choice

one year folllow up with the cardiologist today and after a 15 minute discussion and over his objections we are off the lipitor. We agreed to continue fish oil and flax seed oil (2000 mg each per day taken in the morning) and check cholesterol in 2 months. If my HDL does not go up by then he wants to try niaspan? At least he FINALLY agreed to discontinue the lipitor.

What would you say about a niacin supplement? (which appears to be what the niaspan is in controlled release form.) How much and what is the flusing I see as a side effect.

Also for the first time since the clot last year I have started to drop weight...only 3 pounds but given that I stay between 30-40 carbs per day I am happy to see it start back down. (I put on 20 after the attack a year ago.)

Mark,

I have a history of blood clots. I supplement with fish oil and take a baby aspirin to prevent further clots. I do not worry about my total cholesterol. I do want the HDL part to be high and the triglycerides to be low.

Eating low carb keeps the triglycerides low and eating saturated fats raises the HDL.

Thanks for the reply. I started the fish oil in July and added flax seed oil in September... of course i do take the low dose aspirin every day.

Do you exercise? That also helps raise HDL. My HDL went from 45 to 82 from exercising and eating low-carb.

Exercise? Why would I do that?/What is that?

Seriously, I walk 1-3 miles per day, try to bike 5+ miles a couple of times a week...but I have fallen off the swimming (used to do that 3X per week) and the stationary bike/treadmill of Cardiac Rehab. Thanks for the reminder I will try to get back into more on a regular basis.

You can get no-flush niacin in drugstores (or Target, which is where I get mine), without a prescription and the price is low. This is what I take, 500mg twice a day. I think I started out taking 500mg only once a day.

HDL of 28 is very low, I would assume

HDL of 28 is VERY low. It should be no less than 40.

Well it was one month ago today that I discontinued the Lipitor. The Doctor said it would be six weeks before it would be out of my system and another blood test could establish a baseline. He wanted to prescribe Niaspan in 3 mos....I started taking niacin on my own at 1000 mg am and 1000 mg pm when the lipitor bit the dust.

My energy levels are WAY up. AND I have lost 5 of the 20 pounds I put back on after the acs/clot with no change in my low carb diet. (Given my low cholesterol numbers and the 80 pounds I lost and kept off 3 years prior the cardiologist APPROVED my low carb, high protein, high fat diet! About the only thing we agreed on last year!)

Does Lipitor decrease energy? Does it inhibit weight loss? I have had three migraines in the last month...niacin a trigger? Anyone's experiences?

Thanks for your responses....and yes I have SLIGHTLY increased activity which may account for the energy and weight loss too!

had another test a week ago and my cholesterol is supposedly up to 160. I had to call the nurse three times to get this useless report as it was "great" UNTIL I pointed out tha was 30 points higher than when I had the attack! Then she decided I needed to come in and see the doc....and still no break down of hdl/ldl let alone the vldl....so off to the doc next week.

I guess the 1000mg niacin am and 1000mg pm with 2000 mg fish oil did not help.