Re: Pancreatitis and tricor to Jim

[Guest guest]

Wolfe wrote: I was

diagnosed with pancreatitis due to high triglicerides in

september. I have since been put on tricor and protonix. I seem

to have every adverse side effect possible to the tricor and have

tried altacor also with the same results. With diet alone I can

keep the triglicerides at about 300-350. Are there any " natural "

alternatives to these types of meds?

I have refrained from alcohol since then but is it o.k. to have an

O'douls or similar non alcoholic beer once in a while?

Jim

Dear Jim,

This is a letter that I posted last month:

Date:  Thu Oct 24, 2002 

Subject:  High Triglycerides - and other

Friends,

I'm one of those people that think our diets have a huge affect on

our health, especially when our diet is compromised like ours

needs to be. So I'm often reading nutritional literature to get a

better understanding of what improvements can be made to

meet the nutritional needs of people with our condition. I know

many of you have problems with high triglycerides and I wanted

to share some information I found that might be of interest to

you.

This article in a health magazine stated that fat is a nutrient that

is critical for good health, yet it's important to eat the right fats.

With our restricted fat intake, we are losing out on this source of

energy, so it makes sense to try to eat the right fat, that which we

obtain the best benefits from when we do eat fat. It is said that

the omega-3 fats are the best for us, and they are the ones that

lower the risk of heart disease and cancer. The article further

stated that the omega-3 fats found in TUNA, SALMON,

MACKEREL and FLAX OIL are the most beneficial.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

showed that giving men fish oil supplements that contain the

omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA made arteries more flexible,

lowered blood pressure and effectively DROPPED

TRIGLYCERIDE levels.

I love fish and eat a lot of it, mainly because I know it is a good

source of pancreatitis friendly antioxidants, but I have heard

many people here say that they weren't that fond of fish. So if you

have a high triglyceride problem and aren't fond of tuna, salmon

or mackerel, the fish oil supplements containing the omega-3

fatty acids EPA and DHA might be something you may be

interested in.....

Jim, the information above is just a suggestion that may interest

you particularly. I'm sorry I don't have any knowledge about the

tricor. In regard to the non-alcoholic beers like O'douls, etc., they

do contain 5% alcohol. Many cough medicines and sleep aids

like Nyquil also contain alcohol. My GI has advised me that even

this small amount could be enough to endanger my pancreatic

health, so I stay away from that risk.

With hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

Southeastern Representative

Pancreatitis Association, Intl.