My doctor said I had high cholesterol and put me on Zocor. I don't know how bad it is? Details inside?

I went to the doctors today and he told me my cholesterol was high. . But he didn't give me a number. I didn't even know there were numbers until my mom told me on the phone a couple minutes ago. He put me on Zocor and then told me I needed to go to a nutritionist about dieting. He said to watch what I eat for 4 weeks and then when I went in for my next appointment he would put me on Adipex. I heard that you can't have real high cholesterol and be on diet pills. Does that just mean I need to watch what I eat (cut down on red meat) and take my pills? I can't go on the diet of brown rice, egg white substitutes and tofu. It's not possible. Was anyone at where I am right now? I know that I could just wait till the morning and call them and they will tell me my number. I just figure that if he is talking about putting me on Adipex (diet pill) that it must not be borderline diabetic, right? Please explain to me what you know and things I can do to lower my cholesterol? Please Help!!! I really need it. I am going nuts

When I was 10 I went to the doctor and they found that I had dangerously high cholesterol (I was on a horrible diet). Since then I've completely changed my eating patterns and now my cholesterol is pretty normal, around 160 with no medication.

I would try to cut back on foods high in cholesterol (egg yolks, shrimp) as well as saturated and trans fats (red meat, cream, butter, cheese, etc). That doesn't mean you should never eat them again, I love a good filet mignon from time to time, but try to replace some of those foods with other items that are lower in saturated fats and cholesterol (and that you enjoy! that's the important part!). There's a lot of foods out there that have been shown to help lower cholesterol like oats and foods high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon and some nuts.

Bayer has a pill with aspirin and a cholesterol reducer,Zocor will cause you to lose your muscle tone,Adipex has bad side affects you have to weigh you problem with those bad side affects and decide if you should take it.

Whoa! Just a minute! You are going off half-****** here... calm down! You didn't get like this over night so you are not going to fix it over night either.

You do not want to over simplify this or make it into an overwhelming complex mess. It is more than just numbers. It is a whole group of risk factors and variables that have to be addressed. The doctor and/or his staff will help you understand this. The big question is... are you really going to commit yourself to addressing this...or are you going to build excuses and minimize all this? Start off with basic changes and master them... then add on more as your doctor directs you. He knows the whole picture and all the risk factors that pertain to you alone. It is individualized for each person. So don't start thinking you can get online and follow every Tom, Dick and Harry's advice. Follow your doctor's advice... he will guide you to adjust and modify according to your individualized response.

Time to do some soul searching... you will need to do some behavior modification. It separates the real women from the emotional immature babies. Just think what a hot sexy babe you will be if you max out on this! No cheese balls or egg nog for you this Christmas!
Get cracking!

Nicole, First relax. You need to wait and see what your cholesterol numbers were.
The doctor probably did a lipid panel, which gives the total chol, LDL (bad type), HDL (good type), triglycerides, and a total chol/HDL ratio. This is the minimum information you need. I would also insist on a Cardio CRP blood test. It is the best blood marker for predicting heart disease in the future.

Once you know these and your average blood pressure number, you can make an informed decision on whether to take the Zocor or the Adipex P. I am an internal medicine practitioner and never put patients on Adipex P who have high blood pressure. That is risky.

If you would like, you may email me the numbers you receive and a little about your family history. I will then counsel you the best I can on this medium.

Good Luck and I hope this has helped.

Total normal levels of cholesterol should be under 200. Then, 200 to 239 is borderline high; and 240 and higher is considered high. Ideally, you should be shown your lab results which shows your present cholesterol levels. Any pertinent findings should be explained to you fully.

One cannot expect to change your diet drastically, but you can at least gradually change it and be more conscious of what food you should avoid.