Numbers Come Back to *Their* Normal

Well, the numbers I managed to score while being on Crestor+Praluent+Zetia did not stick around! (See this entry for a reminder of those numbers: https://livingwithfh.blogspot.com/2016/07/amazing-numbers-and-more.html).

Although Crestor seems to work better for me, for cholesterol values, I have a lot more side effects while on it (pronounced fatigue and skin rash, mostly) and my liver values were up in July, also: the Alanine Aminotrasferase (or ALT) was 98 (normal between 7-52), and the Asparate Aminotrasferase (or AST) was 48 (normal between 13-39).

I knew the culprit had to have been the Crestor, because it was the only thing that changed, so I asked my cardiologist to switch it to Lipitor, which I have been on for 16+ years with no liver side effects or otherwise. Now, the the Alanine Aminotrasferase (or ALT) is 39 and the Asparate Aminotrasferase (or AST) is 31. Both of them within normal ranges.

The cholesterol numbers are up, again, though, with the exception of the HDL which is down (also bad for me to be this low):

Of course that every little bit helps, but I am seriously bummed that the numbers are not, still, under normal range, after 4 months now on Praluent (+Zetia+Statin).

I am glad, though, that I am not hurting my liver more that it’s necessary while trying to fix my numbers. I have found that the liver checks are helpful to tell about the condition of your liver, although some doctors (nowadays, most) don’t recommend them as a requirement. I feel like all the drugs I take are going through the liver, and they are all very potent, so close watch is needed. As I understand it, liver damage is irreversible, so early detection of any liver problems is key.

The next step is to continue with the current regimen (as captured here: https://livingwithfh.blogspot.com/2016/07/my-current-drug-regimen-and-diet.html), and I guess just move the blood tests to every 3 months again, as before Praluent was in the picture.

At this point, I am on all that the medicine market has to offer, short of changing out the PCSK9 drug to Repatha instead of Praluent, maybe?! But that option has not been given to me yet.

Much health to everyone trying to stabilize their numbers, and I hope you’re finding what works the best for you all, with minimum invasive side effects.

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https://livingwithfh.blogspot.com/2016/09/numbers-come-back-to-their-normal.html

Blog Post by A.W.

In this blog I will follow my everyday journey of living with familial hypercholesterolemia (or FH). I am sharing my own experience with this inherited disorder, and how I manage it daily – from what literature I read on the topic and what my doctors say to how I live my life (what I eat, what medicine I take, how I exercise, etc). This is solely a personal account that might or might not offer some insight on what to expect when diagnosed with this condition. This blog does not offer advice, in any way, to anyone suffering from this disease.