Re: Cholestyramine question

[Guest guest]

Hi, .

There is no chemical similarity between cholestyramine and

tyramine. The former name is a contraction of " chole, " which means

bile, " styr, " which refers to the styrene " backbone " of the resin,

and " amine, " which refers to the part of the structure that is

derived from ammonia. Tyramine is formed by decarboxylation of

tyrosine, and tyrosine's name came from the Greek name for cheese

( " tyros " ), from which it was first isolated.

So I don't think it would exacerbate migraines. It isn't actually

absorbed into the body, by the way. It just passes through the gut

and into the stools.

There are some side effects of cholestyramine. There is of course

the constipation as well as bloating, but adding fiber can take care

of these. Cholestyramine should not be used by people who have

diverticulitis. Occasionally people report heartburn or diarrhea

(yes, the opposite of constipation!). In people with pre-existing

bowel disease or no bile flow, it can cause fat to be passed in the

stools. Rarely, it interferes with vitamin K absorption from the

gut, and that can cause a problem with proper blood clotting.

Rarely, there is malabsorption of folic acid. There can also be

dry, flaking skin and interference with absorption of some drugs

from the gut.

Rich

>

> > Dr. Shoemaker first used cholestyramine on a female patient who

had a

> > terrible case of secretory diarrhea as well as some other

symptoms,

> > because it was the most constipating drug he knew of. It

stopped her

> > diarrhea, and also stopped her other symptoms.

>

>

> This made my ears perk right up!

>

> I have a terrible ongoing problem with diarrhea, and wonder if

this

> might be a good drug for me to try. But I am concerned about the

> " tyramine " in the name, as I am very sensitive to tyramines in

food

> (they give me migraines).

>

> Rich or anyone else - do you know if cholestyramine acts like

tyramine

> w.r.t. migraines?

>

> " adTHANKSvance " ,

>

>

> --

>

>

>

> el (andreafrankel at sbcglobal dot net)

>

> " wake now! Discover that YOU are the song that the morning

brings... "

>

[Guest guest]

Does Cholestyramine have to be taken four times a day? I am having a

tough time getting it in 4 times, but will try harder if it's really

necessary. I have been taking it an hour after breakfast, lunch, and

dinner. Also, I weigh under 100 pounds; does that make a difference?

thanks,

Beth

[Guest guest]

Sue, do you think an hour after meals like she is taking it is okay?

It would seem even if you take medicine with your meals, it would be

absorbed and in your system and not get absorbed by CSM so seems like

it would work.

>

>

> Hi Beth, I got very sick the fall of 2003 and began taking CSM in

Dec. I

> took it 4 times a day

[Guest guest]

Re: taken CSM on empty stomach

I wonder why. That would be way to take it to lower cholesterol,

taking it before the meal, and absorbing cholesterol a half hour later

or so, but I have low cholesterol and need my fat and fat soluable

vitamins, so seems it would be good for me to eat a meal first, just

like he recommends taking medicine before the CSM. It was an

additional reason I wasn't really very compliant on taking the

medicine. I also had trouble keeping it down, so stopped entirely,

then later started to take small amount every day. Lately I have been

able to tolerate it and alot of other things I used to not tolerate

and not 'rashing' anymore.

I still am and was concerned about absorbing nutrients from my meals.

I declined traditional cancer protocol in favor of alternatives but

alternatives are all about ADDING healthy things which is too

extensive to go into here so it was at odds with long list of things I

was told to ADD**, in attempt to be healthier, pump up my immune

system, etc. I guess this would be a question I should have posed to

Dr Shoemaker at the time. Perhaps he recommends that since for most

people lower their cholersterol is good thing. Maybe for me he would

have said it is okay to take after meals. I didn't voice concern to

him as I didn't think about it until I got home, and I find it hard to

get his office on phone since I work mornings and they are usually

gone in the afternoon, so I would have had to write him question.

However I still take it only when I feel something maybe going on that

is toxic related and only once a day due to concern to get nutrition

into me. What concerned me was that instructions said to take

medicine 6 hours away from CSM which sounds like CSM is pretty

powerful absorption ability, but food is most important MEDICINE.

Doctors seem so concerned that you get your MEDICINE and never mention

things that are really more important to your health, like nutrition,

and other things are your main root to good health....not medicine.

Not Dr Shoe but all doctors. I've had a few that mention nutrition to

me but almost always alternative doctors, not doctors that practice

traditional, meaning insurance guideline and malpractice guideline

medicine. Why take medicine 6 HOURS before CSM...seems VERY, VERY

concerned that CSM could affect medicine but MEAL...OH WELL take those

right afterwards...who cares about FOOD!

Doctors are not trained in the basics of good health, at least

anymore.

This is something I really did not " get " about the CSM protocol so

Beth saying she took it an hour after meals sounded like good idea and

thought perhaps a different doctor had advised this or Dr Shoe had

suggested differently to her based on her health needs.

Another thing I don't get about taking it, is why on as empty a

stomach. It doesn't seem like a good time for other reasons.

If purpose of CSM is to bind with bile. If that is purpose, and bile

is only secreted in presence of fats, it wouldn't cause bile to

secrete anything until a half hour later when you eat a small meal or

snack containing fats. You'd think then meal would have to catch up

with CSM powder, otherwise powder would just pass without any bile.

It seems you would take CSM with a meal if you have high cholesterol

or if not, with a small meal or snack if to absorb toxins out of bile

liver, separate from meal. BUT I know I know very little, so...

Maybe bile is excreted to digest things that contain no fat too but I

thought not, or perhaps CSM has some fatty acids in it. In that case

you wouldn't think you would need to eat anything at all, or to

enhanse bile excretion, you would take fatty snack or meal along with

the CSM. OH WELL. I just don't get it. Then I didn't do extensive

studies into CSM as I assume has been done, so just explaining that my

concept of how it works seems at odds with how it is used.

Just seems like one medicine maker, -of CSM-, telling you to take

another medicine maker's product as FAR AWAY FROM CSM AS POSSIBLE and

you know they don't consider your HEALTH at all..pharmacy product

makers, that is....or YOU for that matter. Just lawsuits, that CSM

may absorb your heart medicine for example and then lawsuit. Then you

probably have just so many tablets, whereas you can eat more food

theoretically, but if you take CSM 4X a day, it is hard to keep it 6

hours away, and it doesn't say to.

Oh well, just complaining about not understanding it still. If I ever

go back to him, I will pose the question to him.

--- In , LiveSimply <quackadillian@...>

wrote:

>

> Dr. Shoemaker suggests that cholestyramine be taken on as empty a

stomach as possible, BEFORE eating.

>

[Guest guest]

I think I have an answer to my own 'conundrum' concerning CSM

protocol. Since I use food as my medicine, I think I will take CSM

one hour after *my* medicine, which is a meal, wait one hour or more

until stomach is empty, take the CSM, wait a half hour and have a

small fat containing snack, like light dessert. That should work I

would think.

--- In , LiveSimply <quackadillian@...>

wrote:

>

> Dr. Shoemaker suggests that cholestyramine be taken on as empty a

stomach as

> possible, BEFORE eating.

>

[Guest guest]

Sue, Thanks for the info. I know we have talked about it before.

Sorry to be repeating some things. However if you take your meds and

supplements w meals and meal is 1/2 to 1 hour after CSM, isn't that

different than protocol says. I thought he say to take meds an hour

before CSM so that CSM doesn't interfer with meds, or maybe that is

what CSM directions say for other treatment uses.

>

> I can only tell you that I have always followed Dr. Shoemaker's

directions

[Guest guest]

How are they different?

--- In , LiveSimply <quackadillian@...>

wrote:

>

> Medications and food are not the same thing.

>

[Guest guest]

My instructions from Dr. Shoemaker say that you can eat first and wait

at least 60 minutes before taking CSM.

Medications are discussed in the context of taking them after CSM,

which is OK after 30 minutes, but when taking " thyroxine, digitalis,

theophylline, coumadin and others " you need to wait at least 2 hours.

[Guest guest]

Initially from Beth.

--- In , LiveSimply <quackadillian@...>

wrote:

>

> Barb, where did you get that idea - to take the cholestyramine AFTER

eating?