Anonymous wrote:My LDL cholesterol has been creeping up with meno, now at 112 (my HDL and total cholesterol is fine). I got a calcium score and they found some plaque so my cardiologist suggested 10mg of Crestor to get my LDL levels below 100. If you are on a statin, do you experience side effects? Just wondering what to expect.

My mom and husband experienced memory issues after starting statins.
These are not friendly medications. It’s better to implement major lifestyle improvements than to take them.

Husband also experienced big problems with his temperament during his time on statin, anger and depression

If you are pre-diabetic or close to, statins can push you into full diabetes. It's documented and it happened to my mother.

I'm on 80 MG. I don't think I have any side effects. I have brain fog but I always thought that was just getting old/menopause.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My LDL cholesterol has been creeping up with meno, now at 112 (my HDL and total cholesterol is fine). I got a calcium score and they found some plaque so my cardiologist suggested 10mg of Crestor to get my LDL levels below 100. If you are on a statin, do you experience side effects? Just wondering what to expect.

OP I'm a registered dietitian and I regularly read these lipid panels. I would need to see your total profile, but I would not go on a statin for a 112 LDL, especially if your HDL is WNL. Have you tried addressing this with diet and exercise?

These drugs are no joke and IMO are prescribed too frequently as a first-line intervention.

If OP already has a positive calcium score, LDL needs to be much lower than 112. It should probably be around 70. Recent research on HDL shows it's not necessarily so protective with increased LDL levels (or lp(a). If she didn't have a positive calcium score then yes, 112 may be ok to monitor and try to get lower with diet and exercise.

+1 and I think with elevated Lp(a) they want ldl below 70.

OP, I started 5 mg of Crestor and got my LDL down from 100 to 75 -- and started eating a bit less restrictively too. No side effects.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My LDL cholesterol has been creeping up with meno, now at 112 (my HDL and total cholesterol is fine). I got a calcium score and they found some plaque so my cardiologist suggested 10mg of Crestor to get my LDL levels below 100. If you are on a statin, do you experience side effects? Just wondering what to expect.

OP I'm a registered dietitian and I regularly read these lipid panels. I would need to see your total profile, but I would not go on a statin for a 112 LDL, especially if your HDL is WNL. Have you tried addressing this with diet and exercise?

These drugs are no joke and IMO are prescribed too frequently as a first-line intervention.

If OP already has a positive calcium score, LDL needs to be much lower than 112. It should probably be around 70. Recent research on HDL shows it's not necessarily so protective with increased LDL levels (or lp(a). If she didn't have a positive calcium score then yes, 112 may be ok to monitor and try to get lower with diet and exercise.

Many people have no issues. And they definitely work at reducing cardiovascular issues. I switched to a statin from niacin bc studies of niacin didn't show same benefit even though it lowers cholesterol. I haven't had issues with statins.

Muscle soreness can be a side effect. If you do have that, it would typically show up in a couple weeks and you shouldn't continue statins if you have that side effect (its a sign of potentially significant problems). Talk to a doc, of course, but you can often test to see if its the statins if it's not clear, by stopping and restarting to see if there is a clear connection. My father an aunt both have that side effect.

There is another class of drugs (PCSK9 inhibitors) that work very well, too, but they're signifiantly more expensive (i.e., insurance won't cover it unless statins really don't work) and are currently only offered as injectibles. I think an oral version is on its way to market.

I am a 58 year old female and have been taking 20mg Crestor daily for 4 years. No side effects for me.

Anonymous wrote:With elevated lp(a) you want to keep LDL as low as you can. 10 mg is a very low dose, you will probably not have side effects. But if you do you can cut the pill and try 5 or even 2.5.

Thanks. I am OP, not the Wegovy poster FYI. I'm very thin, with a family history of breast cancer, so neither GLPs nor HRT are a good solution for me. Hopefully the 10mg won't cause side effects.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP, I took a statin for years with no problem and then developed brain fog. It went away when I stopped the simvastatin but then recurred every time they prescribed a different one. Now my cholesterol numbers are elevated which makes me nervous with my family history of MI and stroke.

I’m trying many other approaches, but nothing works like the statins, also with stabilizing plaque that has already accumulated.

Our bodies make cholesterol and that is something that can’t be controlled.

I’m not on any other meds so that narrowed down what was causing the brain fog

I am jealous of those who can tolerate the statin!

I couldn’t either. My doctor put me on Wegovy instead, and it’s lowered the cholesterol levels considerably.

I am that poster and thanks for mentioning this! I had wondered if dramatic weight loss might bring it down. My BMI is 27.

I won’t see my PCP again until next year but have an appointment coming up with a cardiologist. Will ask them about it.

Thanks again!

Take along a prior authorization form for them to fill out. Even without weight loss, it’s Rx for cholesterol control. But the bmi will help get it approved.

With elevated lp(a) you want to keep LDL as low as you can. 10 mg is a very low dose, you will probably not have side effects. But if you do you can cut the pill and try 5 or even 2.5.

^ oh and NP not the one you were responding to. Not a medical professional

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My LDL cholesterol has been creeping up with meno, now at 112 (my HDL and total cholesterol is fine). I got a calcium score and they found some plaque so my cardiologist suggested 10mg of Crestor to get my LDL levels below 100. If you are on a statin, do you experience side effects? Just wondering what to expect.

OP I'm a registered dietitian and I regularly read these lipid panels. I would need to see your total profile, but I would not go on a statin for a 112 LDL, especially if your HDL is WNL. Have you tried addressing this with diet and exercise?

These drugs are no joke and IMO are prescribed too frequently as a first-line intervention.

OP: Total cholesterol 188, HDL 71, LDL 112. I have high LipA which is 100% genetic as you likely know. The CT coronary calcium score was 14. My cardiologist initially did not suggest a statin but changed her mind when I got the calcium score.

I run 3 - 4x/week, eat mostly vegetarian, almost no fried food (rarely eat out), and eat very little sugar. I'm not sure there's much more I can do diet and exercise-wise.

This is a recent article in a preeminent medical journal that compares statins to hrt in women for prevention of heart disease.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35594469/

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP, I took a statin for years with no problem and then developed brain fog. It went away when I stopped the simvastatin but then recurred every time they prescribed a different one. Now my cholesterol numbers are elevated which makes me nervous with my family history of MI and stroke.

I’m trying many other approaches, but nothing works like the statins, also with stabilizing plaque that has already accumulated.

Our bodies make cholesterol and that is something that can’t be controlled.

I’m not on any other meds so that narrowed down what was causing the brain fog

I am jealous of those who can tolerate the statin!

I couldn’t either. My doctor put me on Wegovy instead, and it’s lowered the cholesterol levels considerably.

I am that poster and thanks for mentioning this! I had wondered if dramatic weight loss might bring it down. My BMI is 27.

I won’t see my PCP again until next year but have an appointment coming up with a cardiologist. Will ask them about it.

Thanks again!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My LDL cholesterol has been creeping up with meno, now at 112 (my HDL and total cholesterol is fine). I got a calcium score and they found some plaque so my cardiologist suggested 10mg of Crestor to get my LDL levels below 100. If you are on a statin, do you experience side effects? Just wondering what to expect.

OP I'm a registered dietitian and I regularly read these lipid panels. I would need to see your total profile, but I would not go on a statin for a 112 LDL, especially if your HDL is WNL. Have you tried addressing this with diet and exercise?

These drugs are no joke and IMO are prescribed too frequently as a first-line intervention.

OP: Total cholesterol 188, HDL 71, LDL 112. I have high LipA which is 100% genetic as you likely know. The CT coronary calcium score was 14. My cardiologist initially did not suggest a statin but changed her mind when I got the calcium score.

I run 3 - 4x/week, eat mostly vegetarian, almost no fried food (rarely eat out), and eat very little sugar. I'm not sure there's much more I can do diet and exercise-wise.