Anonymous
Post 07/12/2025 11:45     Subject: Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
Anonymous wrote:Also get your cardiac calcium score.


And if it's low, you should start a statin to keep it low. If it's high, you should be taking a statin.
Anonymous
Post 07/12/2025 11:27     Subject: Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
Anonymous wrote:I started Lipitor a few months ago despite good cholesterol, bc doctors discovered (a bit by accident) that I have an extra flap of tissue between two chambers of my heart. It’s not a big deal under most circumstance but it could allow a clot to evade the usual filtering process, making a stroke more likely. So they want my LDL at 80 or below. I also started taking a daily baby aspirin.

Initially my dose was 40 mg. That was WAY too high for me. I noticed within days that my legs felt weak and I was a lot more tired. We dropped dose to 20 mg, which felt a LOT better. LDL dropped to 80 at this dose very quickly.

I do notice that I sleep harder and I am less of a morning person than I used to be. I love the hard sleep, but also I love waking early. I’ve found taking Lipitor earlier in the evening (rather than at bedtime) helps quite a bit. But we are also testing a dose of 10 mg. If LDL starts creeping back up, we’ll try 15.

Please don’t listen to internet randos over your doctor. But do work with your doctor to experiment with dose if you notice side effects. Good luck.


Very informative. Thanks for this.
Anonymous
Post 07/12/2025 10:27     Subject: Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
I started Lipitor a few months ago despite good cholesterol, bc doctors discovered (a bit by accident) that I have an extra flap of tissue between two chambers of my heart. It’s not a big deal under most circumstance but it could allow a clot to evade the usual filtering process, making a stroke more likely. So they want my LDL at 80 or below. I also started taking a daily baby aspirin.

Initially my dose was 40 mg. That was WAY too high for me. I noticed within days that my legs felt weak and I was a lot more tired. We dropped dose to 20 mg, which felt a LOT better. LDL dropped to 80 at this dose very quickly.

I do notice that I sleep harder and I am less of a morning person than I used to be. I love the hard sleep, but also I love waking early. I’ve found taking Lipitor earlier in the evening (rather than at bedtime) helps quite a bit. But we are also testing a dose of 10 mg. If LDL starts creeping back up, we’ll try 15.

Please don’t listen to internet randos over your doctor. But do work with your doctor to experiment with dose if you notice side effects. Good luck.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 23:25     Subject: Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
Anonymous wrote:I sounded like you once too. I had a heart attack and now I fume at the anti-statin rhetoric. If your doctor wants you in a stain, take it.


+1

My 70yo brother, a doctor, had a heart attack last year and said that he wishes he had been on statins ten years ago.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 23:05     Subject: Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
Also get your cardiac calcium score.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 23:02     Subject: Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You really don’t need a statin. My cholesterol and triglycerides were high and Dr prescribed Wegovy because of fear of statin side effects. It’s worked very well in just 3 months!


That sounds like the nuttiest thing I’ve ever heard.


I’m not sure why you call this nutty?

Because losing weight and ldl, hdl, and triglycerides are completely separate issues. Wegovy does not treat high cholesterol.

Losing weight helps lower cholesterol.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4987606/


Not always. I’ve exercised for years and never been close to overweight and my cholesterol remained high.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 23:01     Subject: Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
I’ve been on them for 20 years…no side effects.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 23:00     Subject: Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You really don’t need a statin. My cholesterol and triglycerides were high and Dr prescribed Wegovy because of fear of statin side effects. It’s worked very well in just 3 months!


That sounds like the nuttiest thing I’ve ever heard.


I’m not sure why you call this nutty?

Because losing weight and ldl, hdl, and triglycerides are completely separate issues. Wegovy does not treat high cholesterol.

Losing weight helps lower cholesterol.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4987606/
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 22:59     Subject: Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
Anonymous wrote:Even though my cholesterol is normal in every way, except mildly elevated LDL (100), my doctor wants me on a statin because of family history. My overall number is 178. I’m afraid to take one. I’ve read that cholesterol is being wrongly vilified. I’ve also read that statins are a big pharma scam. Please share your knowledge. Would you take them?

What did your doctor say when you raised these concerns?
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 22:22     Subject: Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
Anonymous wrote:You really don’t need a statin. My cholesterol and triglycerides were high and Dr prescribed Wegovy because of fear of statin side effects. It’s worked very well in just 3 months!

Wegovy has side effects I would never take any of those things.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 22:07     Subject: Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You really don’t need a statin. My cholesterol and triglycerides were high and Dr prescribed Wegovy because of fear of statin side effects. It’s worked very well in just 3 months!


That sounds like the nuttiest thing I’ve ever heard.


I’m not sure why you call this nutty?

Because losing weight and ldl, hdl, and triglycerides are completely separate issues. Wegovy does not treat high cholesterol.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 22:05     Subject: Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
Statins save millions of lives. Millions. The stuff you are concerned about it interent rubbish. You have a chance of not having a heart attack. Do it.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 21:30     Subject: Re:Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:NP. Just got my cholesterol results - LDL and triglycerides skyrocketed since my last doctor's visit 2 years ago. And I haven't changed my diet or my exercise routine. Going back to the doctor next week, so we'll see what she says. Total cholesterol is 278 - and I fasted for 12 hours before my appointment.

I don't have anything to add, just good luck to you, OP, and I'll check back in with this thread once I've seen my doctor for the follow-up.


could be menopause/peri if you are female. same thing happened to me and then started on estrogen and it went down about 50% of the hike.


Menopause might be the culprit. I was already on HRT.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 20:44     Subject: Re:Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
Anonymous wrote:NP. Just got my cholesterol results - LDL and triglycerides skyrocketed since my last doctor's visit 2 years ago. And I haven't changed my diet or my exercise routine. Going back to the doctor next week, so we'll see what she says. Total cholesterol is 278 - and I fasted for 12 hours before my appointment.

I don't have anything to add, just good luck to you, OP, and I'll check back in with this thread once I've seen my doctor for the follow-up.


could be menopause/peri if you are female. same thing happened to me and then started on estrogen and it went down about 50% of the hike.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 20:38     Subject: Very nervous about taking a statin, please educate me
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You really don’t need a statin. My cholesterol and triglycerides were high and Dr prescribed Wegovy because of fear of statin side effects. It’s worked very well in just 3 months!


That sounds like the nuttiest thing I’ve ever heard.


I’m not sure why you call this nutty?