High Cholesterol Symptoms – Do You Know What They Are?
There is good cholesterol and there is bad cholesterol. Most people are unaware when they have high levels of bad cholesterol in their system. The reason why this is so, is high cholesterol symptoms usually manifest into other problems such as heart disease, stroke or vascular disease.
Although we may be unaware of the high levels of bad cholesterol in our bodies we are aware of some of the choices that we make that can lead to these high levels.
If you are a person who lives a sedentary lifestyle and are overweight you could very well be a candidate of high cholesterol symptoms. This does not mean that if you are active and maintain a proper weight that you can totally escape symptoms of high cholesterol.
Your chances of avoiding high cholesterol problems are much better though than the inactive overweight individual.
Since high cholesterol symptoms are very subtle and are often indications of other illnesses many people believe that there really are no symptoms of high cholesterol.
One high cholesterol symptom could be leg soreness when you are walking. The pain could be caused by poor blood circulation which could be caused by a buildup of cholesterol in the blood vessels.
Another high cholesterol symptom can be chest pains, shortness of breath and heart palpitation. When we suffer with these symptoms though we do not think of them as high cholesterol symptoms we think of them as symptoms of heart disease and other illnesses.
So as you can see many of the symptoms associated with high cholesterol we definitely associate with more serious diseases.
Knowing that high cholesterol or should we say high levels of bad cholesterol can lead to these more serious health issues how can we truly know what are level of cholesterol is.
The only way to truly tell if you have high levels of bad cholesterol is to visit your doctor and have him run a blood test. The test is called a lipid profile check and this test will give you your cholesterol numbers. Remember your numbers will also include the levels of good cholesterol also. It is important that these numbers are high while the levels of bad cholesterol are low.
This test will let you know if you are at risk when it comes to coronary heart disease due to cholesterol.
Whether you are a man or a woman, high levels of cholesterol do not discriminate. Either gender can feel healthy and be leading a normal life all the while not knowing that they have high cholesterol.
It is important to know that not all cholesterol is bad.
Our body actually needs cholesterol to produce bile in the liver as well as help in the production of cell membrane in the body.
If you believe that you are at risk of having high levels of bad cholesterol you should visit your doctor and get your cholesterol levels checked. If your levels are high this does not mean you can’t do anything about it.
A person can often times lower their bad levels of cholesterol through lifestyle changes and diet changes. It may be a bit of a challenge at first but it is a challenge that you should try your hardest to accomplish. Just think of the consequences of having high cholesterol.
You are almost like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. Although it won’t be a bomb going off it could possibly be your heart giving out.
So before you develop any serious health issues have your cholesterol checked and do what needs to be done to increase your longevity. Just remember that high cholesterol symptoms are very subtle and usually manifest into something very serious health wise.
Grapefruit and Lipitor
As a lover of grapefruit I was really glad that I do not take lipitor after I found out the following. Grapefruit is known to affect a number of statin drugs. It is important that if you are taking any of the statin drugs such as lipitor that you talk to your doctor about this.
If you are taking Crestor you can continue to enjoy grapefruit as for some reason it does not have any effect on Crestor like it does on other statin drugs.
Grapefruit interferes with the enzyme the body uses to break down the affected statins causing the statins to stay in the body longer than they should. Studies done showed levels of lipitor increased by 83% when a person drank grapefruit juice four times a day compared to a person who just drank water. Studies done with people taking Zocor, another statin drug showed levels increased 12 fold when a person drank a large quantity of grapefruit.
Although we use these drugs to reduce our cholesterol when too much of the statin remains in your blood than you are more at risk to develop serious muscle problems(myopathy or rhabdomyolysis). This can then lead to kidney failure and other complications which can be life threatening.
So if you do like to drink a lot of grapefruit check with your doctor when it comes to taking a statin drug to reduce your cholesterol.
Crestor vs Lipitor – Which is Better For Lowering Your Cholesterol
Most people are familiar with the medications Crestor and Lipitor. Also most people know that they are both used to fight cholesterol. Which to choose though?
CrestorvsLipitor
– What are the pros and cons of each of them?
First though we should look at what cholesterol actually is?
When we hear the word cholesterol we automatically think about something bad. However cholesterol is necessary for our bodies to function properly. Cholesterol actually is a building block for our body. It helps in producing hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. It also helps our bodies to produce bile acid and vitamin D. Cholesterol actually exists in the outer layer of every cell in our body. The good cholesterol can also help prevent atherosclerosis (fancy term for hardening of the arteries).
So overall the good cholesterol (HDL) can help promote a healthy body.
Now when we refer to LDL(low density lipoprotein) we are talking about the bad cholesterol. High levels of LDL have been linked to arteries and cardiovascular disease. When too much LDL(bad cholesterol) is present in our body then plaque can form in the arteries thus narrowing the space for our blood to flow to the heart. Over time this can lead to heart disease.
Factors that can affect the levels of bad cholesterol in our blood can include our diet, body weight, age, gender, diabetes and other medical conditions. Also smoking and lack of exercise can play a part in your cholesterol the effects that bad cholesterol can have on our bodies – what can we do about it? We can make some changes in our lifestyle such as quit smoking, eat better and maybe exercise more. We also made need the help of medication. There are several medications on the market but they are not the same. One may be better for you than another. Also most medications unfortunately have side effects.
I think before I pop a pill for something I would want to know what side effects there are when taking this medication.
As mentioned earlier Crestor and Lipitor are two popular medications a person can take for their cholesterol. When comparing Crestor vs Lipitor maybe we should look at the different dosages needed to be taken by each.
Also another comparison when examining Crestor vs Lipitor should be side effects that each have if any.
Lipitor and The Potential of Lipitor Side Effects
Lipitor is also called atorvastatin calcium. It is a medication that doctors may prescribe to help a person lower their bad cholesterol. It can be prescribed to adults and children over ten years old.
It belongs to a group of drugs called statins and the active ingredient in Lipitor is atorvastatin.
Crestor also belongs to this group.
Lipitor is normally taken in tablet form. It comes in 10mg, 20mg, 50mg and 60mg dosage. It is taken once a day with or without food. By taking Lipitor a person can lower the risk of a heart attack, stroke or other heart related problems. It can do this by lowering a persons’ bad cholesterol. As effective as Lipitor can be in lowering one’s bad cholesterol which in turns lowers one’s risk of stroke, heart attack or other heart problems in people with type 2 diabetes, it cannot do it on its own.
To effectively lower one’s bad cholesterol, a person needs to make some diet changes as well. By still eating a high cholesterol diet you kind of defeat the purpose of taking Lipitor. By combining a low fat diet with Lipitor studies have shown that LDL or the bad cholesterol can be lowered by 39% – 60%.
When a person starts to take Lipitor, if they experience any of the following side effects, they should contact their doctor immediately. Possible Lipitor side effects are:
* Muscle problems – weakness, pain or tenderness
* Swelling of face, lips, tongue or throat
* Nausea and vomiting
* Brown or dark coloured urine
* More tired than usual
* Yellowing of the skin
* Yellowing of the whites of your eyes
* Stomach pain
* Allergic skin reaction
* Diarrhea
* Joint pain
* Alterations in some lab tests
* Tendon problems
Lipitor should not be taken by nursing mothers as it can be passed on to the baby through the breast milk and harm the baby. Also if you are allergic to atorvastatin you should not take Lipitor.
Lipitor should not be taken by people with liver problems or women who are pregnant or who may possibly get pregnant. Another one of Lipitor side effects can cause birth defects in an unborn child. Also women who are nursing should not take Lipitor as it can be passed on to the baby through the breast milk and harm the baby.
Regular checkups by your doctor will allow him to keep an eye on any harmful Lipitor side effects on your body.
