Cholesterol & Lipid Profile Supplement Log

[srch4info]

My original post regarding this topic was actually a response to someone else who had questions reagrding cholesterol and TRT:

TRT and cholesterol

But since I too have a very poor lipid profile (which my last two blood tests have confirmed) I have decided to address the issue with a more aggressive supplement program and some slight dietary changes.

I will maintain a log of my information and progress for all to see and comments and suggestions are welcome.

STATS:

47y/o, 5'8", 162#'s, 22% BF

PRESCRIPTIONS: started Feb 23, 06

Androgel 1% - 5 grams daily

SUPPLEMENTS: started April 23, 06

Niacin(no-flush)(Vitamin Shoppe) - 1 gram daily
Red Yeast Rice(Vitamin Shoppe) - 2400mg daily
Policosanol(LEF) - 20mg daily
Garlic(GarliMax) - 550mg daily - 7000mcg Allicin, 15,000mcg Alliin
CoQ10(LEF) - 100mg daily
Super EPA/DHA(LEF) - 4/day - 1.4g EPA, 1g DHA
CLA(Vitamin Shoppe) - 3000mg daily
FiberSmart(RenewLife) - 1 scoop/day - 3 grams fiber
Danon Activia - 1/day
DanActive - 1/day

LAB WORK:

12/22/05

Triglycerides: 53
Total cholesterol: 219
HDL: 57
LDL: 151
Chol/HDLC ratio: 3.8
C-Reactive Protein: <0.1
Homocysteine: 8.1
CoQ10 Serum: 5.1

NMR Lipoprofile

LDL-P: 2208
SLDL-P: 1803
LDL-C: 192
HDL-C: 66
LDL Size: 20.2
LHDL-P: 11.4
LVLDL-P: 0.2

4/7/06

Triglycerides: 77
Total cholesterol: 256
HDL: 52
LDL: 189
Chol/HDLC ratio: 4.9

[srch4info]

Weather... I am bumping this up so we can talk about this further....

[Weatherlite]

Ok, found it!

[Weatherlite]

ummmm....ok, so what was it ye wanted to discuss exactly? I don't know where to start!

[jboldman]

i am reposting my post to your other thread weather. cholesterol, arterial depositon and reverse cholesterol transport have become a current project with me as i believe it should be for most aas users since as a group i belive hat we suffer from hyperlipidemia with potential ongoing very negative results.
,,reposted from WL's Thread>>
i see you are taking niaspan or niacin er presription used primarily for raising hdl levels. you are also taking red yeast rice for lowering hdl. is high ldl/cholesterol the issue here? if so, since you are taking one prescription drug, why not switch to lovatstatin which is the same thing on script and available in stronger fda dosages? If you realy want to max out you could go for vytorin which is a combination prescription drug of simvastatin(twice as potent as lovastatin) and zetia(ezetimibe) which increases the effectiveness by reducing the absorbtion of cholesterol.

I would add silymarin for liver protection into the mix as well as polycosinol for increasing hdl. If you are trying to keep the copays down there are other interesting approaches as well including replacing the niaspan with time realease niacin otc. I am currently taking the otc time release niacin at 1500mg/night. working up to 2g/night.

jb

ADMIN CuttingEdgeMuscle

[Weatherlite]

I'm lucky and my insurance covers 100% of my medical and prescription (I'm military) so the niaspan is 100% covered. I'm working my way up as well. Doc is gonna check my levels in about 3 weeks and see if I need to move up to 1.5g. We're taking a slow approach with this cause my levels weren't horrible....I think 220 total. My BIGGEST need is to bump up my HDL. Holy shit is that LOW!!!! I've NEVER been able to get it into the normal range either, even when taking 10g of fish oil a day. So, I'm hoping a combo will at least get me down in total which will help the ratio. THEN we'll see what I can do to raise HDL...yes I know HDL is the "scrubber" but if I can't elevate it it doesn't matter much does it?

[jboldman]

niaspan is the way to go for raisng hdl along with polycosinol. i am currently at 1500mg of time release niacin a day and will go to 2g/day on sunday. the studies report that 2g/day is the "sweet spot" for hdl increases. i would still switch to vytori which is a combination drug of ezetimibe and simvastatin, there are studies that show not only will i tlower your ldl but raise your hdl. since your meds are paid for, why bother with the red yeast rice when you can use simvastatin in fda controlled doses. and do ot forget that silymarin, all this stuff puts a significant load on the liver.

jb

[Weatherlite]

Personally, I prefer to stay as natural as possible and keep the chemicals out....ie the statins. Besides, I was put on a statin once (for the life of me I can't remember which) and I ended up with such severe muscle weakness that there were times I couldn't hold myself up....not even able to stand up from a seated position sometimes. BAD shit there. My father lost three days of his life to that shit due to memory loss. I'm not goin there. Nope.

[jboldman]

you do understand that red yeast rice IS a statin, lovastatin i believe and you are taking 600mg of it. It just so happens that after much legal wrangling in the courts, the fda was required to allow its sale OTC even though it was a statin since it has been used for centuries as a nutritional supplement.

The side effect you mention is a fairly rare side called rhabdomyolysis, usually as a result of too high a dose of statin. Lipitor has a bad rep of possible memory loss side effects. the key is to take low doses necessary to meet your goals. btw, if you do not already you should be taking CoQ10 to help prevent side effets due to your statin (red yeast rice) intake.

jb

[Weatherlite]

lol!! Didn't know that about red yeast rice! I do take the CoQ10...100mg/day as per Dr.s orders....though I woulda been takin it anyway.

Yeah, the Lipitor is what they gave my dad. Nasty stuff.

[jboldman]

i agree, they prescribed it for me and i switched.

jb

[Weatherlite]

Hey, I forgot to add that the red yeast rice supp I take also has garlic and policosanol in it. I don't know what the recommended doses of those are so I have no idea if I'm getting enough.