topic Re: Red Yeast Rice, Once More in Wellness

Red Yeast Rice, Once More

Forrest3 — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 13:10:00 GMT

I know this was discussed in the past, but would love an update on how people are doing. I used to take Lipitor but the muscle aching finally made me stop that, so Dr put me on Welchol for cholesterol. I have had really severe constipation, and I mean severe. So my pharmacist, who is very much a holistic, recommended Thorne Choloeast, RYR. I did a lot of research on this and am going to give it a try. My last lipid ratio wad 3.12. Would love to hear how those taking this are doing? Thanks a lot Forrest

Re: Red Yeast Rice, Once More

violann — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 13:22:50 GMT

Works for me, and also for my husband.

Re: Red Yeast Rice, Once More

Shelbelle — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 13:49:16 GMT

Just keep in mind that RYR is also a form of a statin, just milder.

Re: Red Yeast Rice, Once More

Pook — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 13:56:14 GMT

While it is a natural form of statin, it is not known to cause the harmful side effects of manufactured statins. It did work for me also. You still use take a coQ10 supplement. You might also try plant sterols.

Re: Red Yeast Rice, Once More

Shelbelle — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 14:15:27 GMT

You can try taking at least 2 grams of plant sterols daily, I have been taking them for 10 years now. I use Puritans Pride Cholestwise and Puritans Pride Phytosterol Complex.

Re: Red Yeast Rice, Once More

Teacups — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 18:33:04 GMT

On 3/26/2014 Shelbelle said:
You can try taking at least 2 grams of plant sterols daily, I have been taking them for 10 years now. I use Puritans Pride Cholestwise and Puritans Pride Phytosterol Complex.

Plant sterols helped me a lot.....

Re: Red Yeast Rice, Once More

gazelle77 — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 18:37:17 GMT

I give my husband 1000 mgs of red Yeast rice, 1000 mgs of flush free niacin and 200 mgs of coQ10 daily for his cholestrol. No side effects at all. He also gets plant sterols.

Re: Red Yeast Rice, Once More

patticakes — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 20:02:19 GMT

I am curious as to the opinions of your doctors regarding taking these natural products to control your cholesterol and also what kind of results are possible? I am going back to my doctor next week and would like to discuss this rather than the drugs she wants to put me on.

Re: Red Yeast Rice, Once More

Shelbelle — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 20:06:50 GMT

My chol is borderline high, my good is very good, my doc knows I have been taking plant sterols for 10 years, and have no interest in trying statins, she goes along with my decision.

Re: Red Yeast Rice, Once More

sfnative — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 20:17:46 GMT

Hi Forrest,

About 4 years ago, I chose to discontinue the statin I was taking. No, I didn't have any side effects that I knew of, just felt that being diligent with my diet, etc., I could get my numbers better. The internist that had put me on a statin in 1999 did so because my total cholesterol was 272 - out of the blue. He said an inherited gene must have kicked in, because my total C had previously been OK.

Anyway, fast forward to coming across talk about this red yeast rice "stuff." I had never heard about it, so at my next internist visit (we had move across country, so had a new, super internist - very in tune with naturopathic, holistic, eastern medicine), I asked him about taking red yeast rice. He said, "Absolutely. Do it, but get a good, known brand and call my office 3 months after you've been taking it, so we can do a lipid panel to see how you're doing."

I ended up purchasing NOW Food Red Yeast Rice, 600mg with CoQ10, 30mg, Milk Thistle & Alpha Lipoic Acid, 120 capsules per bottle on auto delivery from Amazon.

Taking two Red Yeast Rice caps with breakfast and two with dinner, I lowered my total C to 238, which my internist said he could live with. Additionally, paying great attention to diet, I raised my good cholesterol. If I could exercise, my total C would be lower. (I'm having a total knee in May and 10 months later recon surgery of my left foot, so am looking forward to rapid walking on a daily basis at that time - Yea!)

There is a "however" to this. I have 2.5 kidney failure and had recent lab work which indicated that my serum uric acid level is just a point away from 73, the "high" of the low-high range. This means that I must additionally modify my food plan and one of the things that is very, very high in uric acid is yeast or any yeast product. So...I can no long take red yeast rice. I am so bumbed about this.

But, I urge you to do three things if it is agreeable to your physician, as we do not know your cardiac/stroke risks: (1) stop the statin; (2) start taking a quality red yeast rice; and, (3) learn about the kinds of fat that you intake daily and aim to more than moderately lower the saturated fat and cholesterol intake from food.

Remember: One's body already makes cholesterol, so it is imperative to watch one's intake of cholesterol in food. The only way this can be done is to do some investigation. The web has made that so much easier!

Good luck in your quest to get off the statin. ~R

Re: Red Yeast Rice, Once More

patticakes — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 12:18:15 GMT

Unfortunately, mine is not borderline, it's high and I know this time she'll want to do meds. Are these natural formulas capable of reducing your cholesterol drastically or do they just reduce it by a couple of points?

Re: Red Yeast Rice, Once More

Forrest3 — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 12:32:51 GMT

Hey, thanks for all your responses! I will see my endo dr in early May and will have a lipid panel done then. I'm taking the Thorne Choloeast brand, one in am and one in pm. This includes 60 mg of coq10, but I also take additional coq10. Not only was the Welchol giving me terrible constipation, but in one 3 month refill it used a good portion of my allotment from my Medicare allowance and I will consequently hit the donut hole much earlier this year!