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pills and high cholesterol medication

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
a friend of mine wants to try pills for the first time but is on medication for having high cholesterol and i was wondering if it would be ok for him to still take pills? im not sure of the name of the medication but i'l find out.

thanks

Comments

  • JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    It would help if you could find out the name of the medication badboy4life.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I wouldnt think that they would interact, but I'm not really sure how those types of drugs work.

    There is also the issue that if he/she is on the drug because they are a heart attack risk then they shouldnt be using stimulants at all.
  • JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    Originally posted by bongbudda
    There is also the issue that if he/she is on the drug because they are a heart attack risk then they shouldnt be using stimulants at all.

    :yes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    No one ever knows how their body will react when taking ecstasy - especially for the first time. Mixing drugs is never really a good idea, so if your friend wants to stay 100% safe the best option is not to take it. However, if he is determined to he should read up on the facts and put some rules into place (such as only taking a small amount, not drinking and making sure he is with someone he trusts) to at least try and make it safer:

    Ecstasy factsheet

    Can ecstasy kill?

    MIxing drugs

    Reducing the risks
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Is Spanner the new Susie?

    (interesting pages though)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    There'll never be a new Susie - she was a one and only!
    But yes, I am moderating the drugs boards with the loverly LadyJade from now on so you may see a bit more of me around these parts...
    :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oh, ok.

    It does seem to be mostly self-moderating though. I cant remember the last time anyone got told off from this section. Though I have a very poor memory.
  • JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    I seem to remember about someone being one click away from oblivion if he didn't pull his head in after returning from holidays.....
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Was that me?

    Pull my head in?!

    I am always the picture of modesty and I'm never annoyingly picky when it comes to your excellent information pages.
  • JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    Originally posted by bongbudda
    Was that me?

    Pull my head in?!

    I am always the picture of modesty and I'm never annoyingly picky when it comes to your excellent information pages.

    Never picky? :eek2:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I am helping, just gently helping you towards having good information pages.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thanks for the replies, the tablets are called 'atorvastain calcium'
  • JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    I had a quick search and found some information on this page. It suggests there is a danger of heart disease for it to be prescribed, and that there is a risk of liver damage form taking it,

    Merely as a health issue rather than because of any specific interaction between the drugs, I would highly recommend your friend abstains. Your liver works hard to get rid of toxins after taking pills and from what I can gather from here some of the enzymes in your liver may be inhibited by the medication, making it harder to break down the ingredients in the pills, so your whole system works harder- bad news for someone with a heart condition.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    LadyJade; That second link doesnt work for me.

    Though I think your advice is sound and I wouldnt think mixing the two is all that wise.
  • JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    Bollocks. It is from the Physicians Research Network. Beware the long and technical quoting in the rest of this post then........

    It is from an article entitled 'Polypharmacy Problems: Drug Interactions in the Multidrug Therapy of HIV Infection'; from my brief research it seems as though the most extensive research into drug interactions has been done in relation to HIV therapy. I have pulled out the most relevant paragraph, but it is proper geek-speak....
    Drugs interact in two major ways: pharmacokinetically and pharmacodynamically. A pharmacokinetic drug interaction occurs when one drug causes a change in another drug's serum concentration by altering its absorption, distribution, metabolism, or elimination. A pharmacodynamic drug interaction occurs when the clinical effect is altered by administering the two drugs concomitantly, such as those yielding synergistic or antagonistic therapeutic effects and those yielding overlapping or additive toxicities.
    Most medications used to treat a variety of diseases are cleared from the body by way of biotransformation in the liver. The primary goal of hepatic metabolism is to convert lipophilic compounds into polar metabolites, which are then excreted in urine or feces.

    Most medications used to treat a variety of diseases are cleared from the body by way of biotransformation in the liver. The primary goal of hepatic metabolism is to convert lipophilic compounds into polar metabolites, which are then excreted in urine or feces.

    There are two ways in which the liver does this. The first involves cytochrome P450 enzymes, which are responsible for the oxidative metabolism of many compounds. These are known as Phase I reactions. Phase II reactions involve conjugation enzymes, which link one chemical to another.........
    HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (“statins”), which are frequently prescribed to manage lipid abnormalities associated with HAART, should also be used with caution (see Table 1). Simvastatin (Zocor) is generally contraindicated in patients receiving protease inhibitors. Atorvastatin (Lipitor) is a possibility, though the starting dose should be reduced and then titrated, if necessary, to achieve the desired cholesterol-lowering effect. Conversely, standard doses of pravastatin (Procor) are generally considered safe for HIV-positive individuals being treated with a CYP3A4-inhibiting protease inhibitor or NNRTI, although a pravastatin dose increase might also be necessary if the desired effect is not achieved. “Regardless of which ‘statin’ is used,” Dr. Pau cautioned, “it is important for health-care providers to monitor LFTs and CPK levels in their patients who are taking these drugs along with a protease inhibitor.”
    Dangerous Liaisons: Interactions with MDMA and GHB
    Dangerous Liaisons: Interactions with MDMA and GHB
    Some drug interactions can neither be foreseen nor prevented with a prescription pad. There will always be HIV-positive individuals—probably a large number of them—who take pharmacology into their own hands in the form of recreational drug use. In and of themselves, numerous recreational drugs are associated with a vast number of deleterious effects. When they are combined with certain prescribed medications, any of the life-endangering risks and caveats tied to illicit drugs can—and often do—increase significantly (see Table 2).

    MDMA
    At the top of Dr. Pau’s list of potentially dangerous interactions is 3,4-methylenedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA)—ecstasy. This synthetic, psychoactive analogue of methamphetamine has both stimulant and hallucinogenic effects and is both readily accessible and immensely popular as a recreational drug. While intense exhilaration and euphoria are often the desired effects of the drug, agitation and panic are usually not far behind. High doses can lead to angina, cardiovascular collapse, convulsions, renal compromise, hepatic failure, and cerebral hemorrhage. Death is also possible with high levels, because of rupture or collapse of blood vessels in the brain, acute cardiac failure, or hyperthermia.

    MDMA—like other amphetamines—is metabolized by way of the CYP2D6 isoenzyme. While this renders ecstasy and other forms of methamphetamine (e.g., “crystal meth”) free of any immediate interactions with most of the protease inhibitors and NNRTIs, trouble remains a possibility with ritonavir, an inhibitor of this P450 enzyme.
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