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Question:
I take Lopid (gemfibrozil) to lower my blood triglyceride and cholesterol levels, but I am concerned about the side effects. Is there anything natural that I can take instead?
Answer:
There is a number of different natural products that can lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. My first recommendation is for you to take 100 mg of CoQ10 daily as you work with your doctor in weaning yourself off the Lopid over the next two months. Cholesterol-lowering drugs like Lopid as well as statin drugs like Lipitor, Mevacor, Pravachol, and Zocor block the manufacture of CoQ10. Supplementing CoQ10 will help replenish depleted stores.
My next recommendation is to take pantethine - the active form of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5). Pantethine, but not pantothenic acid, exerts significant cholesterol and triglyceride lowering activity. Pantethine has been shown to significantly reduce serum triglyceride (-32%), total cholesterol (-19%), and LDL-cholesterol (-21%) levels while increasing HDL-cholesterol (+23%) levels in several clinical trials. These effects are most impressive when its safety is compared to conventional lipid lowering drugs. There appear to be no toxicity or side effects from to pantethine. Its mechanism of action is due to inhibiting cholesterol manufacture and accelerating the utilization of fat as an energy source. The typical dosage is 300 mg three times daily.
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