[Ruth Cuadra]

Mary, high cholesterol is a common side effect of immunosuppressants. I had very high cholesterol when I was taking cyclosporine after ATG treatment for aplastic anemia and when taking tacrolimus after my BMT. In both cases, my hematologist/transplant doctor was not at all concerned and assured me that my numbers would go down as the dosages were reduced. In fact, my cholesterol returned to normal very quickly once immunosuppressants were discontinued. I'm not surprised that your husband's internal med doctor would be alarmed, but the numbers have to be understood in the context of his treatment. You are right to be concerned about stressing his liver with statins right now. If he has to be on an immunosuppressant for a very long time (years), then some treatment for the cholesterol issue might be warranted. In the short term, watching diet and exercising is always a good idea and may help a bit, but since the numbers are inflated by medication he may not see much change.

Hope this helps.
Ruth