Supplements: The Proof is in the Pudding

Two doctors and three different blood pressure medicines later, I finally landed on 40mg of Benicar daily. The noticeable side effects have been nil, but I went in to the doctor last week and had some blood drawn to see if this massive dose of meds is playing havoc with my insides. I’m hoping that everything will be fine and I won’t have to switch meds again.

At the same time that I was prescribed the Benicar, my doctor also attempted to start me on a low dose of Lovastaton because my cholesterol was “borderline.” I resisted taking it from the start, but after a lot of encouragement from my doctor, I finally got the prescription filled. After a week of taking it, however, I was experiencing burning muscle pain in my legs… and not the kind of pain that you feel while exercising, no this was like someone pouring burning hot lava on my thighs. Needless to say, I stopped taking it. Instead, I started on a supplement regiment that included a “heart healthy” multivitamin, an Omega 3 fish oil supplement, a garlic pill and, because I am a woman nearing 40, a calcium supplement. (I’ve also been doing the whole oatmeal every day thing, but that’s another story).

Anyway, tomorrow, I go back to the doctor to get the results of the blood work and I am keeping my fingers crossed that my cholesterol has come down a enough that I won’t be pressured to start a statin. The older I get the more cynical I’ve become about most things, and medication is certainly no exception. As an American, I feel I live in a society of over eaters that are both over stimulated and over medicated. Drug companies, like most corporations, are simply out of control. Don’t get me wrong, if I have an infection, I take an antibiotic, but frankly, I don’t think people really understand the long term effects of being put on these medications for years and years on end. Yes. I am taking the Benicar as treatment for the out of control blood pressure, but that’s simply because I don’t care to have a stroke while I’m trying to lose all of this weight. Once the weight is off, I’m planning to give Benicar the boot. And until then, I certainly don’t want to add another medication to my regiment if I don’t have to.

Of course, I’ve read mixed things about supplements… but I’m much more keen on reducing my cholesterol (and blood pressure) naturally rather than chemically. I guess I am just keeping my fingers crossed that a combination of a better diet, (which has included a number of cholesterol lowering foods like fish, oatmeal, blueberries, apples, walnuts, etc), and these supplements will do the trick.

The truth is, I’m scared to death.

If my cholesterol has not come down, I know that I will be pressured to go back on some other drug to lower it. Right now, I can say unequivocally that I won’t do that… but once I’m in the office and my doctor is telling me what happens when an artery clogs with plaque from cholesterol, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stick to my guns, or even if I should. My husband joked recently that knowing my luck, I will have spent the last three months busting my ass to lower my cholesterol only to have it rise. He’s got good reason to make such a crack. We’ve been together for nearly 20 years and he knows that if a bad, bizarre, completely unlikely thing can happen, it will and to me.

*sigh*

So… tomorrow is D-day.
I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed.