Q. Is it harmful to take Crestor and red yeast rice together? My doctor prescribed Crestor, but I have also been taking red yeast rice.
I would like to get my cholesterol level low enough so I would not need to take the Crestor.
A. This is not a good idea. Red yeast rice contains some natural statins that work in the same way as rosuvastatin (Crestor) to lower cholesterol.
Increasing the dose of statins could lead to side effects such as muscle pain, headache, fatigue, stomachache, nausea and joint pain. Long-term use of high doses of statins could lead to cataracts, diabetes and nerve damage.
Getting Cholesterol Down Without Drugs
There are effective ways to lower cholesterol without drugs. You can read about them in our book, Best Choices From The People’s Pharmacy. Be sure to read Laura Effel’s account of how she lowered her LDL cholesterol 44 points in five weeks without drugs.
You will need to consult with your doctor before you switch to other cholesterol-lowering approaches. But you can change your diet as Laura Effel did even before your consultation.
Here are some other readers’ reports on how they lowered their cholesterol. One reader relied on oatmeal:
“Since August I have eaten 40 pounds of oatmeal. (I consumed a half cup per day with Splenda and walnuts.) My cholesterol dropped 70 points.”
Another did the job with magnesium supplements:
“I’ve always had high cholesterol and I’ve been taking pravastatin for a couple of years. I couldn’t get my cholesterol down until I added 250 mg of magnesium daily. My last test results showed total cholesterol of 183, HDL 54, LDL 99 and triglycerides at 151.”
Drinking green tea can be helpful, as can putting cinnamon in food every day.
Joe gives advice on natural approaches to lowering cholesterol in this video.
