Zetia and heart disease
Common Questions and Answers about Zetia and heart disease
zetia
I am also producing blood clots because of heart rates of 150 and higher as well as irregular beats and moderate to severe angina. Only blockage I have is my right carotid artery is partially blocked. I am 51 years old my brother had a massive heart attack at 34 and died both my mother and father had several heart attacks that eventually took their lives. I have an Older brother who had 2 heart attacks and 3 strokes he is in poor health.
Vytorin does a remarkable job of reducing your Cholesterol, much better than Zocor (Simvastatin) alone. However, Zetia doesn't seem to add anything to the picture as far as preventing heart disease is concened. But read this about Zocor:
-"Zocor Users Not Warned of Risks:
The FDA's June 2011 safety alert is the most serious of many warnings regarding Zocor and associated risks of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis. Zocor manufacturer Merck & Co.
The only way to avoid this is to have no fat and die. If you want any hope of preventing heart disease you have to aim at the cause and not one of the byproducts. The cause is inflammation and damage to the lining of the arteries. This can be through a few causes, such as high blood pressure or infection or genetics. So avoiding stress, avoiding high blood pressure and eating the correct nutrients to keep arteries healthy in my book is the best approach.
I’m a active 68 yr. old women, that has tried 3 different statins. Everyone gave me muscle problems. Then my GP put me on Zetia. Said it would be different. After two months on it, it was worst than the statins. Woke up one morning, couldn’t close my hand. My fingers were so swollen and my both thumb joints would not bend. When I tried to bend them they clicked and was very painful.
Ever since I started taking Zetia and Fenofibrate together as recommended by my DR, I have put on pounds, am more bloated around the belly,a nd have persistent chest pains. I noticed this has occurred ever since I have been on cholesterol lowering meds, but is more noticeable in the past year with the new combination of drugs. I mentioned this to my DR and he said I need the drugs because of my High Cholesterol. What do you think?
Since I felt great I thought reading on ejection fraction had to be wrong, went for second opinion at Mayo Clinic, did cardiac mri, showed major damage to heart muscle on left and bottom of heart that was through entire depth of muscle, right and top of heart seemed to be unaffected.Estimated ejection fraction was 25. Now am scheduled for ICD implant, and aggressive coreg/lisinopril combo with previous meds. scared to death any opinion on prognosis & treatment?
Statins work in the liver and every commercial I have seen advises not to take if you have liver problems. Zetia works in the intestines.
Was the Zetia working?
If my memory serves me correctly, MikeS is taking statins and he had a TP. He is far more knowledgeable on the subject than I am and hopefully he will see this post and give his input.
Zetia is part of a class of drugs called cholesterol absorption inhibitors.
AST on upper end of normal at 40. The doctor said to stop the Lipitor...but stay on the Zetia...... and retest in 1-1/2 weeks which he did this past Sept. 30th. His ALP came down to normal at 91, his ALT stayed the same at 79, his AST stayed relatively the same at 42, but his GGTP went quite high at 240. The doctor's office called and told him to come in next week.
Recently, I have been getting very lightheaded and experiencing pain in my upper arms. My doctor refered me to a cardiologist who performed the heart ultrasound and the holter which came back normal. The stress test however was abnormal- 1 millimeter st segment depression. My cardiologist would like to a heart cathetrization and possibly insert stents. Is this appropriate for a 1 millimeter difference?
However I have had a hard time controlling my LDL level. I reacted to Lipitor and have had some luck with zetia but now I am using red yeast rice which had kept my levels around 100 when I was clean in my diet, which is hard to do in Mx. I am 56 and in very good shape with a body fat of about 17%. I just had a lipid panel done and here are my numbers: HDL 113, LDL 131, Trg 36. My HDLs have always been very high, but never this high. I don't smoke, my BP runs 115/70 on average.
I have no family members with any obvious heart disease. I had a CIMT Carotid Artery Ultrasound test and found R) Artery normal for my age and the L) Artery at norms for 65 year old.
I am currently taking 750mg of Niaspan er, Omega 3 fish oil and Vitamin D3 2000mg daily (it was at 29).
What are my risks for atherosclerosis causing MI, stroke etc. What else is helpful for my situation?
Should I have a heart scan?
The Benefits Outweigh The Risks
Although side effects are associated with statin use, these side effects are relatively uncommon when compared to the reduction in cholesterol and lowered risk of heart disease that can be gained in many individuals with statin therapy.
Again, I am very happy with my decsion to use statins, you need to weigh the risks against the benefits to decide for yourself. Ask your doctor about your options.
High cholesterol runs in my family so even with diet and exercise my numbers are still a little high. I started getting heart palpitations a few years ago and after a lot of testing was told they were harmless PVC's/PAC's. Well, I stoped taking my Tricor and Zocor for a few months and my heart palps were gone. The problem is that my cholesterol numbers went back up. I started back on the statins and low and behold the palps returned.
Early January after EKG change 1 bms placed into 70% blocked branch off lcx. 3 days later it closed with a clot and balloon angioplasty was performed on branch and lcx. Pressure intensified after that even though on heparin drip and nitro drip and enzymes went up. 2 Taxus 2 stents placed after that to lcx across the branch closing the branch off.
Do you eat lots of vegetables fresh and foods rich in omega 3? Omega 3 is great for the heart and keeps it healthy and slippery. I would check the Zocor studies or Vytorin studies and if you do not find any information there, check the Lipitor studies. Try not to worry as that will not help and it sounds like it is very minimal. Stress is not good for the heart. Take care.
said ejection fraction was 25 and half my heart was scar tissue. Further he said my meds were BS and placed me on coreg, lisinopril, continued lipitor, plavix, zetia, asprin, stair stepping lisinopril and coreg up to max doses each week, going higher after blood work to check potassium and creatinine levels. New cardiologist wants me to workout and said there is no enlargement of heart and that we need to focus on making heart stronger with excersice and med therapy.
t find the right medicine...Lipitor caused severe muscle weakness, Zetia caused all kind of digestive problems and Pravachol zapped my energy...my count actually went up 30 points while taking WelChol! My doctor is telling me that I have no other choices of medicine to lower my count (total 285, HDL 106 VLDL 21, LDL 188, Triglycerids 106.) My sister is having the same problem so I guess this problem is a family thing. I am really troubled by my doctor's lack of concern.
Recommended
