Designs for Health Plant Sterols and Stanols - Foresterol Stanol Sterol Supplement with Beta-Sitosterol from Coniferous Pine - Designed to Help Maintain Healthy Cholesterol Levels (90 Softgels)

I too started taking this product to reduce bad cholesterol. I just had a physical a week ago and my cholesterol had dropped, but not enough to satisfy my Primary Care Physician (PCP), so now she’s trying to convince me to go back on statins. However, years ago, I was put on a well-known statin, which plummeted my cholesterol levels to the delight of my PCP; however, the side effects were sudden and very upsetting, which my PCP kept brushing off because they weren’t listed in the literature. I highly suspected that she wasn’t reporting them to the FDA either and also suspected that she was getting some type of financial remuneration for pushing them so hard. Statins had just come on the market and were being hailed as this great new cardiac wonder drug; therefore, doctors to the delight of the pharmaceutical industry were really pushing them – their new billion-dollar cash cow. Bad side effects showed up within the first 24 hours, none of which I had before taking the drug, which I refused to take again so my PCP lowered the dose, but it didn’t change the side effects: severe leg cramps (Charlie horses and shin splints) where I'd wake up screaming during the night; joint pain, brain fog, rapid unexplained weight gain, and bad water retention all within a short period of time (3 months). My PCPs response was to try a different brand, but it didn’t stop the side effects because the weight gain caused me to suddenly go up 3 bra sizes within 3 months and I couldn't lose any weight even with exercising hard for :50 minutes/day on a low calorie, low fat diet. Before the statins, I didn't have a weight problem, but now suddenly, I did. My PCP refused to research any other reason for my symptoms. Things got progressively worse when my PCP tried bullying and shaming me into Weight Watchers then bypass surgery. I don’t take kindly to any type of bulling, so I fired her and tried another PCP, who ended up getting fired too because he was unhappy that he couldn’t make as much money off Medicare patients as he could with regular patients. A third PCP was also fired, because of her crappy attitude toward elderly patients. She wouldn’t listen and always talked down to me with a dismissive, superior patronizing tone as if I were too stupid to understand anything. Granted, I didn’t have her years of medical school and training, but I’m by no means stupid earning a double Master’s Degree and teaching college at the graduate and undergraduate levels plus being a corporate trainer while working a full-time job. Moreover, being in the Customer Service Industry for 43 years and even teaching corporate programs in it, this is one doctor who needs to go back to medical school for a refresher course to improve her bedside manner. I even tried a food supplied diet program, but flunked that despite following the program religiously, because the weight kept creeping up instead of going down. Every time I looked in the mirror, I would just cry because nothing fit right making me feel very depressed and frustrated because all these doctors kept dismissing my complaints. Therefore, I began diligently researching far and wide looking for answers from the US to Europe to Australia. I felt in my gut that a more natural route would have less side effects; moreover, I know that doctors get very little if any nutritional training in medical school; therefore, they all firmly resisted the idea because to them the quick and easy solution to solving the problem was by writing another script. This product may not totally solve the problem to my current PCPs satisfaction, but it’s worth a try since it has already shown some progress. What seems to complicate things more is that I have one of these weird bodies where things seem to work in the beginning, but then suddenly it stops; however, I’m reordering this product again to give it even more of a chance to work.

Has gotten my cholesterol down! Much safer than pharmaceuticals!

Back in Sept. 2020 my Cholesterol was not so good at 223 total with very high LDL, triglycerides, and VLDL. I started taking this and one other OTC Cholesterol reducer supplement immediately but I still wasn't feeling well enough to exercise or work on a better diet following a bout with the illness of this maddening pandemic in July. From my September test until mid January, I made modest alterations to my diet but continued gaining weight. Then in mid January I made major dietary changes to reduce bad fats and increase good fats and began a dedicated and rigorous exercise routine. As a result, I lost 20 pounds over the final 60 days before my Statin Panel. Here's the results with numbers in ( ) representing the change + or - from 9/15/20 to 3/15/21: Cholesterol total: 162 (-61). HDL: 45 (+3). LDL: 107 (-49). Triglycerides: 48 (-87). Diet, exercise, and beginning the Forresteral much earlier before making major lifestyle changes worked quite well. Forresteral had to have jump started my Cholesterol reduction before the lifestyle changes which occurred with only 2 months remaining before my mid-March Statin Panel. A little research revealed that while it's possible to modestly improve Cholesterol over a couple of months, it's unlikely to improve very much with lifestyle changes only (Dr. Nieca Goldberg, medical director of the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women’s Health at the NYU Langone Medical Center, says it can take between three to six months to see lower LDL numbers through just diet and exercise). Every resource I could find says it should take up to a full year and possibly much longer to make a 30%-40% reduction in Total Cholesterol with lifestyle changes only. A level I achieved, for all intents and purposes, in 2 months with my triglycerides reducing by 75%. The only way to have known for certain that the supplements alone were responsible for the added reductions would have been to continue with no lifestyle changes throughout the 6 month test period. But based on all the evidence I am certain beyond any reasonable doubt that this supplement made a big difference in my numbers and I will continue taking it regularly.

Not meant for everyone, I took one pill three times a day and after 24 hours I had such terrible stomach pains that I had to lay down for majority of the day. I stopped taking and all problems resolved. Talked to my health care provider, and said no one other than me had stomach irritation with taking. Always consult with your provider before taking pills!

Ease to take seems to be helping with my health. it is a large pill but easy for me to swallow

I’ve been taking this for almost a year and eating a healthy diet, and my cholesterol went up. This doesn’t seem to be the supplement for me.

Loved my vitamins!! Packaged nicely too!!

My order was not delivered in a kindly manner,, the top on the bottle was in pieces, and the meds that were in the bottle were not protected either,, the seal in the top was also opened ,,this has never happened to me, & I’m very upset

Professional pharmaceutical grade, with no side effect! Does it help to lower Cholesterol, don't know yet

The bottom of the bottle was smashed. Even though it was wrapped in bubble wrap. Expense fail!!