Which are the most recommended drugs/supplements to try?
The paper recommends lifestyle first: quitting smoking, cutting junk food, exercise, healthy weight etc. I know you have that covered 
After that, colchicine, which I believe you already take!
And if hsCRP is still persistently high, it recommends to take more aggressive lipid-lowering actions than you would have otherwise
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A+ for your excellent memory!!
I’m happy to report my crp is .5!!!
My husband is the one with 3.5… and this is low for him!!!
He has lifestyle covered too… well, aside from tortilla chips!!
Looks like I should be spiking his salsa with colchicine!
I didn’t know lowering lipids would help his crp, so this is great info to present to him… thx!
I take organic grape seed extract (Pure Synergy) twice daily for general anti-inflammatory benefits. It’s also proven to lower hs-CRP specifically:
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Sorry Beth, just to clarify, lowering lipids will not directly help lower CRP.
The overall purpose is to reduce cardiovascular risk. That risk is made up from a bunch of factors, including lipids and inflammation. So the paper is saying that if you can’t control the inflammation (i.e. CRP won’t go down), you can be more aggressive with the lipids to reduce the overall risk.
These numbers are made up, but for example; maybe CRP of 3.5 and LDL-C of 30mg/dl is equal to CRP of 0.5 and LDL-C of 80mg/dl in terms of overall cardiac risk.
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Beth - check out this new study… they are talking about SS-31 as a possible solution: Redefining "Inflammageing": Cardiovascular Inflammation is a Symptom of Unresolved Molecular Entropy, Not the Root Cause
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I cannot tolerate statins repatha inclisiran bempedoic. severe glute pain. Cannot walk or sleep. CAC 166 and LDL 5.5 / Anyone have this problem and have had relief with a medication/supplement? Someone suggested to try tadalafil, then try rapa, then try ss31. Any strategies?
Thank you for this!!! Good ol’ SS-31 strikes again!!
Btw… you asked if it was giving me extra energy and I was non committal.
After skipping a couple doses, today I gave myself a double dose (aprox 9mg) …coincidence or not, I had more energy and motivation today than I’ve had in forever. My husband even said what has gotten into you. Too soon to be sure it’s related, but days like today pretty much don’t happen.
@Satchel so sorry to hear this and hope someone has some good ideas for you!
EDIT: I skipped a dose and then tried a double dose again of SS-31. Lighting did not strike twice, so unfortunately it seems SS-31 was not the cause of my jackrabbit energy that day.
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Just to be clear - you’ve tried all those medications and they all have the same side effect on you - severe glute pain?
You may want to look at Ezetimibe (Zetia) - another cholesterol-lowering medication.
You mentioned your LDL is 5.5. , Is that a typo, or your actual LDL-C measure in mmol/L? If its real - you must be outside the USA, which is fine, I just wanted to make sure.
I have read that: According to the 2019 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines, optimal, lower-risk ranges are <3.0 mmol/L, while for very-high-risk patients, the target is reduced to <1.4 mmol/L ( <55 mg/dL)
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It could be placebo / nocebo, which is a real effect
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Dr. Rhonda Patrick
Having your last meal at least 3 hours before bed improves blood pressure, heart health, and even blood glucose regulation. Participants who stopped eating 3+ hours before sleep (extending their overnight fast to 13-16 hours) improved overnight diastolic blood pressure dipping by 3.5% and overnight heart rate by 5%. They also had a higher (better) HRV, lower cortisol, and improved insulin sensitivity. That was without changing what or how much they ate! This is one strategy I’ve advocated for years, so it’s promising to see further support from a controlled study on “sleep-aligned” eating patterns. What you eat matters. But so does when.
Title: Sleep-Aligned Extended Overnight Fasting Improves Nighttime and Daytime Cardiometabolic Function
Authors: Daniela Grimaldi, Kathryn J. Reid, Sabra M. Abbott, Kristen L. Knutson, and Phyllis C. Zee
Journal: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB)
Publication Date: February 12, 2026
DOI: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.125.323355
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I didn’t know that Repatha lowers Lp(a). Mine is already 9. I’m afraid it’ll disappear at all on Repatha.
Only maybe 20% to 30% – not enough to significantly lower risk in those of us with high Lp(a) and therefore not approved or even being investigated as a treatment. The upcoming drugs lower it approx 90% or more.
Because of my low Lp(a), should I be concerned about Repatha?
Low Lp(a)? Consider yourself lucky!
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From Gemini Pro:
Clinically low levels of Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]—typically defined as <10 mg/dL or <25 nmol/L—are overwhelmingly established as cardioprotective and beneficial for human longevity due to a drastically reduced risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and aortic stenosis,
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That statement from Gemini Pro is kind of confusing – makes it sound like having some (very low level) is cardioprotective when I think it means to say that the absence of Lp(a) is what is beneficial.
Actually I think there is some small protective benefit of Lp(a) as a protection against infection but over around 30mg/dl it is bad --causes inflammation in the blood vessels.
My Lp(a) was 40 mg/dl before I started Repatha. It went down to 27.
My Lp (a) is 9. Will Repatha make it even lower? And if it’s that low why it didn’t protect me from having a high calcium score? I suspect that either my Lp (a) or CAS were calculated incorrectly.
Having a low Lp(a) doesn’t guarantee a low calcium score if your LDL particles have been elevated much or most of your life and/or if you’ve had some chronic low grade inflammation. Things would likely be considerably worse if you also had high Lp(a).
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