POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: mikeyb39 on October 22, 2012, 12:45:52 pm
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Hi all
i got my wellness physical results back today, actually dr called me while i was at work so i cant recall the actual number except he says its 20 points higher than it should be. He said he isnt going to put me in cholesterol drugs just yet to see if i can lower it naturally
he told me to try and lose 5 pounds or so and do more ecercise and eat better. Can anyone give any words of wisdom on this such ad possibly taking fiber supplements and/or fish oil? which fish oil is best that dont give that after taste
thanks in advance for any advise
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Nature Made has fish oil capsules that are lemon flavored. I find it much nicer to burp up lemons than tuna.
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Is it safe to assume that previous to this your numbers were always within, or close, to normal range? If so this could always be a one-off fluke, then again maybe not. You obviously won't know until the next reading.
But yes, I would start to take fish oil supplements. Perhaps begin with two once a day. Mine are 1200mg each. Mine are not anything fancy, just Equaline brand that I get at the supermarket. They don't upset my stomach but then I've taken them for 5-6 years. They may have done something to me for the first couple of weeks, but it was too long ago to clearly recall.
As far as fiber, maybe you should try getting in the habit of eating oatmeal for breakfast most mornings. And while on that subject you may want to keep a diary of your meals for a couple of weeks and then evaluate what it is that you eat regularly, then make some change. What has your food intake been like? How do you plan to lose 5 lbs? Really that's not much so my guess is that you aren't particularly overweight.
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I also take 2 (1200 Mg) per day. When I first began on HIV meds my cholesterol and triglycerides steadily climbed. I think the fish oil helped.
I was not aware of the lemon flavored....must try. I have always used the ones that say burpless or odorless. I think they may cost a bit more. The regular ones do sometimes give you unpleasant breath. I usually just grab the huge containers at any drugstore that has them 2 for one. I think Costco/Walmart may have the best deals.
Best luck with getting your numbers down.
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Thanks all for the suggestions
@Miss P. Im not particularlly overweight but have put on a few pounds since i started having feet issues and my gym routine suffered. I plan on getting back on track with that. My cholesyerol has been borferline for a while maybe little high, but i guess this last numbers are higher still. I gotta go back in a month or two for my hiv numbers and he will check again
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What did you guys make of the study about a month ago, saying fish oil didn't help much at all? If I remember correctly, it was a fairly large study?
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My doctor just prescribed Crestor for me. My LDL is too high, and he said since I'm diabetic I have a higher chance at heart disease. Of course I know the right diet to eat to try to get this more under control. When I came off Kaletra, the cholesterol came down considerably.
I've never used fish oil, but maybe I should begin.
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he told me to try and lose 5 pounds or so and do more ecercise and eat better.
That sounds like a excellant start !! I would follow his advise, and get tested in a couple of months. It's important to keep the weight in check !
Hopefully you'll be able to get this under control through, exercise, weight reduction, and better diet, and won't need a statin.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/reduce-cholesterol/CL00012
Good luck---Ray
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My doctor just prescribed Crestor for me. My LDL is too high, and he said since I'm diabetic I have a higher chance at heart disease. Of course I know the right diet to eat to try to get this more under control. When I came off Kaletra, the cholesterol came down considerably.
I've never used fish oil, but maybe I should begin.
I take Crestor as well. My doc suggested I take Fish Oil in combination with it.
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I am also on Crestor. Probably worth mentioning that Lipitor lost it's patent.
It is now priced like a generic. All of those cholesterol/statins/can be take a toll on your wallet. Might be worth investigating with your doc as an alternative....as I think they are quite similar.
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Phytosterols and pectin work for me.
In my case, too much omega-3 made my LDL go up, although triglycerides went own.
It's difficult for me to bring both LDL and triglycerides down. LDL is much more important/significant number for arteriosclerosis than triglycerides. I'm controlling triglycerides with a low carb diet.
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I Have been on Atripla for over 4 years now and have been able to keep my cholesterol in check. I'm 5 years old and lost about 15 pounds after my diagnosis withe exercise. I visit the gym 5x a week and use the eliptical machine for 45 minutes. I take 1 fish 1200 mg fish oil and 1 niacin.
My last cholesterol was 164 with HDL at 60 and triglycerides at 64.
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I'd suggest changing your diet rather than relying on supplements. Cut out potatoes, pasta, rice and bread and replace with beans, lentils and quinoa. Oats are good too as are nuts. Eat as many vegetables as you can. Limit your intake of dairy. Make these changes permanent and both your weight and your cholesterol levels will drop.
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I agree with Zohar. :)