Living with high calcium score

@leslyb I don't know about vitamin D but calcium supplements will increase it. Get it through food instead

I wonder if I’m taking too much vitamin D, which is over the normal amount on the chart that I have for vitamin D. I think I take it twice a day, but maybe I should cut down on one of them.

@itasarah
Here is what Mayo Clinic says about Vitamin D. It does address typical dosages and recommends talking to your doctor to determine what your needs are. Also, you will find a list of possible serious side effects of taking too much may cause.

-Mayo Clinic Vitamin D Overview
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-vitamin-d/art-20363792
Have you had your blood tested to check your vitamin D level?

I have a high CT Calcium score of 1146. It freaked me out until I learned that this does not translate directly into a plaque burden obstructing my arteries. This could be measuring stabilized plaque or it could reflect “soft plaque” that could break away and clog blood flow (ie heart attack).
My blood pressure, triglycerides and inflammatory markers are now all well-controlled. Going to Rosuvastatin 20 mg and Ezetimbe (Zetia) should get my LDL’s down from 72 into the 50’s. Huge risk reduction as a result. Check for ApoB and Lp(a) lipoprotein particles. They are the scary ones.

I thought about getting a CT angiogram to map the soft plaque but since I am free of symptoms cardiologists seem to prefer using the PET myocardial perfusion test which I will ask for soon.

I exercise 200 minutes a week. I hike, sea kayak and engage in judo classes 1x/week. I have no intention of avoiding wilderness out of fear of a heart attack.

Map out your whole profile, watch your numbers, and don’t worry yourself into cardiac stress.

So, I am a 77 year old active male. Go to gym almost every day. Normal no and not diabetic. Weight ok. Recently developed chest pain which I believe is due to my chronic gerd. Went to er and they ruled out heart attack. Saw my cardiologist who prescribed an apo a blood test and ct for cardiac calcium. Apo a test showed low genetic risk, but calcium score was 1158! I don’t do well with statins (ldl is about 130). Anyone like me who has started Repatha or a similar drug with no painful side effects? Having undergone a back surgery 9 years ago and still have some lingering back pain I will not accept a treatment to causes or increases body pain. I believe quality of life at my age trumps almost everything. That being said, I am willing to try Repatha is side effects are minimal to none.

Hello
I do not have experience with Repatha but I do take CoQ-10 to mitigate statin side effects and it may be helping because I am tolerating Rosuvastatin 20 mg well and just started Zetia (Ezetimbe) today to knock my LDL’s down into the 40-50’s. Best of luck to you.

@manchild
original test scores of 200 cholesterol, 115 ldl, and 435 in my main artery and 0 in the 3 smaller arteries on the calcium score test. Started 20 mgs of Rousuvastatin then my cardio upped the dosage to 40 mgs. After 5 weeks of statins, strict diet(no red meat, non-fat dairy, loads of fruit, whole grains and vegetables, especially cruciferous, fish, lean turkey and chicken, my latest numbers are 130 cholesterol, and 55 ldl. Initially I had joint pain from the statin, but after about 6 weeks, all seems to be good. If my numbers remain low until my next testing, I'll request to reduce back to 20 mgs of the statin. I hope you find the right mix of meds that help you without the dreaded side effects.

@itasarah have your vitamin D level checked and they will then tell you what dose you may need. It can be bad if you get too much

@itasarah It's highly dependent on the individual. I have to take 3000 IU/day just to keep it stable. I have over two years' experience in fiddling around with the amount and getting blood tests. 🙂

The result of a coronary calcium scan shouldn't be used as a single sign of your overall health and risk of heart disease. The information from the scan should be reviewed with other health information. That is copied and pasted from the Mayo Site explaining the Calcium CT test the results. It is true. I have list my mom and all of her siblings to sudden cardiac death. It is caused by a multitude of conditions, depending on the family genetics, but it’s no less scary knowing my calcium score placed me in the 99th percentile for a coronary event within the next decade. That was 11 years ago. Calcium scores remember don’t change what was there before you knew, and calcium is permanent. Only stints balloons and bypasses can “change” the artery function. Knowing what the score is can help guide your choices going forward but it still must be correlated with the rest of you, your lifestyle, symptomology or lack thereof, cholesterol and many other factors. So before any drastic changes are made talk at length with the ordering physician.