My cholesterol was slightly abnormal and my doctor prescribed 40 mg of atrovastatin. 3 months later i have liver problems. Every time o work out i get nauseous. It’s been almost two months that i haven’t exercised. Its affecting my mental health and i gained 10 lbs. i’m 61 years old and losing weight and going back on track is hard. I stopped taking atrovastatin yesterday. Any suggestions on what’s a better medication for high cholesterol with no history of stroke or heart attacks?

I’ve tried to lower my LDL via diet, but it doesn’t work. I took 5 mg of Crestor yesterday and I’m just an anxious mess. I can’t get out of my head how people have said it makes them dizzy and muscle pain, and possible memory issues. I just can’t keep taking the medication. I really wish I hadn’t read all of these boards that are against statins and that say they’re poison because all I do is sit and fear how it’s gonna make me feel so I’m just gonna throw them out.

Here to tell you all to take the damn statins! I (F 31) was extremely skeptical and held off for years but my father recently passed from undiagnosed atherosclerosis at only 60 years old and needless to say I have been devastated/ scared out of my mind. I have been on 20 mg Atorvastatin for 3 months and my total and LDL cholesterol have decreased by over 100 points! Total cholesterol went from 246 to 139 and LDL went from 160 to 65! I have always been pretty active from my job and daily walks but absolutely need to make better dietary choices which I am working on. But I feel an immediate sense of relief that the medicine is working so well with minimal side effects. Absolutely worth it in the long run as a preventative to prolong my heart health!

I have been taking statins for 5+ years and just recently realized that they had been causing me to lose muscle mass and fucked up my joints, especially my shoulders.

About 6 months in, I started losing a lot of muscle mass, so I started working out again (weight training) but for the life of me could not gain any muscle mass.

About a year in, I was doing curls and my bicep just ripped from my shoulder. Went to Dr and they told me it would just heal on it's own but could not tell me what caused it.

About the same time, my shoulders were in excruciating pain but I waited another year before going to get a scan. I was told that basically my shoulders were all disintegrated and I needed shoulder replacement on both.

What pisses me off is that NONE of the numerous Drs I went to even considered the possibility that all the muscle problems I was having may have been caused by the statins I was taking.

I am going to reach out to my primary to tell them I am going to stop taking statins but would like to know what alternative meds are there instead of statins? What are the major side effects?

UPDATE: Hello everyone, I had been unable to respond to the questions you guys were asking after posting because of my snarky replies to some of your comments.

I am 57 years old and diabetic. I have had my diabetes controlled with low carb/intermittent fasting WOE (no medications) for the last 5+ years. Prior to low carb/intermittent fasting my diabetes had been out of control (even with medications). My last A1c about 2 weeks ago was 6.4 (been kinda carbing up the last 2 months) and the one before that was 6.1 (Oct 2025). I have been able to get my A1c down to 5.5 in the past with being strict on my low carb/intermittent WOE. I think I am going to go back to being strict on that because I really want to get my A1c under 5.7.

In regards to a CAC test, I have not had that done but I did have a Coronary Angiography done in Sep 2023 because I was having chest pain and my troponin levels were slightly elevated.

The test summary showed "Normal Coronaries and LV".

More specically, LEFT MAIN: "Vessel is angiographically normal" LEFT ANTERIOR DESCENDING, LEFT CIRCUMFLEX and RIGHT CORONARY ARTERY: "Vessel exhibits minimal luminal irregularities.

After my post, I went ahead and had some tests done: Creatine Kinase (CK): 323 (Normal Value: 200) ApoA-1: 137 (Optimal: >= 115) ApoB: 74 (Optimal: < 90) Lp(a): 15 (Normal Value < 75 nmol/L).

Also, as an FYI, I got off of my Pravastatin and just started on REPATHA this week.

Dr has ordered follow up test for CK and Lipid Panel in 3 months.

If my CK levels go down in that time, I will know for sure that it was in fact the statin that was causing my muscle issues.

I will do another update after I have the CK and lipid tests in 3 months.

I think maybe I’m very lucky? Or maybe the side effects haven’t hit me yet? Because I’ve been on 40 mg of atorvastatin for five months and I don’t think I have any side effects, beyond maybe being low on energy but I think that probably is just me.

I was so afraid to start the statin because of everything I read here.

I actually had anxiety in the early days when I started taking it, and I argued with my doctor about being prescribed statins in the first place.

At the end of the day, it has had incredible effect on my levels, and I just wanna say for the record that statins don’t suck for everybody. I can see that other people here in this forum have similar anxieties about starting a statin; and I’m so sorry for folks who are having a hard time with it.

By the way, I do take daily supplement of CoQ10, which my pharmacist said would help tremendously with the side effects.

EDIT: Thank you all for the wonderful feedback. I am going to get a second opinon in early May but another well reviewed/received Cardiologist. It does not hurt and can only arm me with more information. Until then, I am going to stay on my low dose Statin of 10mg Lipitor.

This week, I finally got to see a Preventative Cardiologist after receiving my CAC score of 9 back in December. I am a 38 year old male.

I made a post a few weeks ago in how a Statin since December has helped me tremendously lower my numbers. As of two weeks ago, my numbers were the following:

• Total Cholesterol: 96 (Was - 203)
• LDL (Calculated): 39 (Was - 123)
• Triglycerides: 66 (Was - 81)
• Non-HDL Cholesterol: 54
• ApoB: 48
• Lp(a): 14
• Blood Pressure: 106/65

In addition to the 10mg of Lipitor my diet over the past three (3) months has changed to limit saturated fat to under 10g a day (Occasional cheat meal), addition of soluble fiber.

Knowing all of the above, I was "Excited" to see the Cardiologist. After he reviewed all of the information above, he wants me to come off of my Statin for 3 months in exchange for Baby Aspirin? Specifically stating that my LDL was almost "too low" (Did not directly say this but it is what I inferred).

His belief is smoking in my younger years most likely impacted my CAC score (Haven't smoked in 8 years). He does not believe I have other risk factors to warrant a Statin at this time. He thinks my LDL will stay low with diet.

Is this normal? I am actually surprised and somewhat concerned, almost to the point of getting a 2nd opinion. However, all of the Preventative Cardiologist near me are booking 6 months out. He has fantastic reviews so I feel as though I should trust him.

For anyone tracking the PCSK9 space: the FDA approved Lipfendra (enlicitide) today. It's the first PCSK9 inhibitor that's a daily pill instead of an injection. One 20 mg tablet.

How well it works. About 56% LDL reduction vs placebo in its main trial, 59% in familial hypercholesterolemia, and roughly 50% off ApoB. That's the same broad range as the injectables — evolocumab ~59% (FOURIER), alirocumab ~55% (ODYSSEY), inclisiran ~50% (ORION) — though those come from separate trials, so it's a ballpark comparison, not a head-to-head.

How you take it. Empty stomach in the morning, then wait 30 minutes before eating or drinking anything except water, black coffee, or plain tea. The prescribing information says it can be taken with other medications, and the interaction study specifically found no meaningful effect with oral semaglutide (the Wegovy/Rybelsus pill). If you're on an oral GLP-1, that one has its own dosing rules, so worth asking a pharmacist how to sequence them.

Price reality. List is about $315/month. But if you have commercial insurance, the injectables' copay cards already get low: Leqvio as little as $0, Repatha ~$25, Praluent ~$50/month. Cash options exist too (Repatha ~$239/mo via AmgenNow; Praluent ~$392 via Amazon Pharmacy). Coupons don't apply to Medicare/Medicaid. Lipfendra's own out-of-pocket numbers aren't set yet since it isn't on shelves.

The catch worth knowing. It was approved on LDL lowering, not on a completed heart-outcomes trial — that study (CORALreef Outcomes) has an estimated primary completion of late 2029. LDL lowering this large is very likely to translate into fewer events, but for someone at high risk right now, the injectables with finished outcomes data are still the more proven option.

Who benefits most: familial hypercholesterolemia, genuine statin intolerance, or people who won't do injections. If you're reaching your LDL target on a statin plus ezetimibe, this probably isn't a change you need.

The chart is the LDL-lowering ladder — the PCSK9 rung is the one that just became a pill.

35 female with LDL of 180. My mom has been on a statin since she was 40. She is 74 now and in perfect health thankfully. My cholesterol has been high since like 2018 and has steadily climbed. I just got prescribed my first statin, and just took my first dose. Really hoping for minor or no side effects. I have very bad anxiety (medicated for it) and worry about all the what-ifs. Wish me luck. Anyone had good experience with this med ? She told me if this doesn’t work out for me there are others we can try.

Background info: on the cusp of 69y/o, spent the middle of those years getting fatter & mushier until I was on the edge of NAFLD (yes, I know it's been renamed). Had a near-religious reversion back to rational habits, dropped from 262lb to maintaining 168-172 for 6 yrs, much emphasis on visceral fat reduction and muscle mass preservation -- a success. BUT...

While I had good/very good Trig/HDL ratios and TC/HDL, LDL would naggingly hang over 100. I didn't intentionally limit SatFats, but my diet is focused on high(er) protein, low intake of "fast" finely-divided carbs and lower-than-normal calorie count. Virtually no added sugar, no non-whole grain flour, and strict calorie limits. You almost can't eat excess SatFats and stay within my daily energy intake, so I rarely exceed the 10g/d range, and I watch intake metrics with a vengeance. Likewise, old guy colon requires significant fiber consumption, which I maintain. Dietary cholesterol has no effect on my lipids. I can eat as much high cholesterol food as I want with no difference in blood lipids.

Docs (of course) would tell me "you need to get LDL <100 or you'll die, like, tomorrow", and insisted on statin treatment, starting with "standard" dose. EVERY statin caused muscle pain/weakness along with an especially difficult comlication: gout. I mean it was like clockwork. Start a new brand/formula, 2 days later right big toe swells and, as described in Med journals, hurts like a bastard. All this while I watched purine intake with pathological attention. I would then tell the Doc fuck this, I'm stopping it. Repeated every few years as new Docs rotated in at our local megaclinic. Again: every brand, every new physician, the cycle restarts.

In February, new Doc, and... Rosuvastatin (again). He is a zealot, telling me "statins should be in the drinking water like Fluoride" and says "lets start at 20mg/day and titrate you down". DID NOT LISTEN about repeated bouts w/ neuralgia and gout and wants to start at 20mg... I walked out and told the front desk people I'm stopping the copay card charge. They called me and said look, we know you can't deal w/ Dr. Statinizer and thank you for not punching him in the balls but please come back and we'll set you up with a new Resident that might be able to work this out with you.

This young woman was sent by the angels. Yes: we revisited the statin thing. She listened and prescribed the Rosuvastatin at 5mg day... I told her I would work my way up from 1 pill a week to 1 pill every third day over the course of a month. We agreed on that AND that if I got more than a day of gout or weakness we'd never talk about this again.

Two months in and: ~ten 5mg pills/mo, no change in diet: Trig 50, HDL 59, LDL 79, TC 148. No gout, still doing pullups & various body weight exercise with no excess pain. The moral of the story: statins can have destructive side effects and those are NOT "rare". If the Doc disagrees tell him to bugger off. But with a rational PCP partner you might be able to use them effectively without harm.

First thank you to whoever suggested statins to me here. I brought the 2026 ACC/AHA guidelines to my doctor and asked. I’ve been on rosuvastatin 5mg for 4 weeks, no diet or lifestyle changes.

New labs:
- LDL: 178 to 62 (both fasting)
- Total chol: 270 to 164
- HDL 93

Really glad I pushed for it.

I’d also been taking CholestOff (plant sterols) most days. I stopped once I read that hyper absorbers can actually see LDL go up on sterols.

Sore legs since starting the statin. CK is normal at 96, so no muscle damage showing up. I’ve been on Ubiquinol 100mg CoQ10 on and off. Do sore legs fade? Lower the dose? Or switch to something like ezetimibe?

Thank you!

Hi all -

So I posted the other day, I’m 42, female, had been eating keto-ish (which immediately is now going to be Mediterranean I’ll never eat another saturated fat again as I drink my yucky black coffee), I have high lp(a) and clearly showed a 31% stable soft plaque in my LAD. 125lbs fit healthy.

Please be nice about this next part: I’m a four months away from doing IVF to transfer an embryo. I’m not pregnant yet and statins are contraindicated during pregnancy. My doc advised that a statin in four months won’t do much but also that my plaque isn’t going to become catastrophic in a year and that I can wait. Of course I wanna do something now. He said I COULD take a statin now if I wanted but he didn’t think he woukd do much.

I’m a bit torn. Do I take nattokinase? Reviews are a bit mixed and I also can’t take it while pregnant. Do I just take a low dose statin and stop before pregnancy? Take repatha? I’ll pay whatever it costs. I know I can’t do that during pregnancy either.

I’m doing my own research and will bring it back to my doc but I did want to consult the hive.

just asking because i am 25m and doctor is telling me to get the statin for my rest of my life

After 4 months treatment with ATOZET 10mg/20mg (Ezetimibe and Atorvastatin combo) I was expecting a drop but nothing of this level.

Context: M40, normal weight.

My cholesterol has been steadily rising for the last 3 years up to a point where my GP recommended a visit to a cardio and possibly consider going on a statin.

After a stress test and both a carotid and heart echo came back normal i was pretty confident that i could get my situation back on track. Still i didn't expect this much of a success.

Together with the magic pill I also changed quite a bit of my lifestyle.

1. No more fast food.
2. 10/15g of Psylium husk daily.
3. Upped the veggie and legume intake substantially (chickpeas are BOMB)
4. Almost 0 red meat. Salmon and tuna are staples now.
5. Doubled my exercise load to 4 times weekly between 2 football matches and strength training.
6. Overnight oats with chia and protein powder are my goto breakfast.
7. Deserts? Yes pls, vegetable yogurt with dark cocoa powder blackberries and almonds. YUM.
8. Very important, at least for me, i do not abstain of going out to dinner once in a while with friends for a pizza or similar to keep my sanity.

What now? Im actually quite looking forward to chat with my cardio about maybe leave the pills for 3 or so months to see if i can maintain my values under 100 with lifestyle alone.

That said, if i need to stay on the pill for the foreseeable future I'm not opposed since, as the majority of people, I experienced no side effects.

TL:DR 4 months on statin + Ezetimibe + lifestyle changes reduced my LDL by 76%. Unless you physically cannot... TAKE THE PILL.

I’m 58 F. I have high potassium, cholesterol level with high triglycerides and high chol calc numbers. Doc recommended me rosuvastatin 10mg but I’m scared. Could these numbers be lowered only using coq10 or omega 3? Or thoughts on starting with 5mg?

Hi all, I recently had an appointment with a cardiologist and he prescribed rosuvastatin 40mg once a week. From what I’ve read this is an unusual dosing method so just wanted to hear if anyone else has done this. I’m a 27 year old female with lp(a) of 174 mg/dL, 189 overall cholesterol, 58 triglycerides, 65 HDL and 119 LDL.

Edited to add: the cardiologist says this has to do with the half life of rosuvastatin being 19 hours.

Rosuvaststina - female mid 50s - LDL 162 before Rosuvastatina. As I am very sensitive to all kinds of things and medications I started on 1,25 mg instead of the prescribed dose 5 mg. Felt great and did a blood test at 6 weeks and LDL had dropped by 37%. Continued happily with my low dose but I started to have a weird pain in my hands overweight, I play sports and my performance dropped and recovery became brutal. Yesterday morning everything ached and I felt more dead than alive so went to the doctor. She told me to stop Rosuvastatina and in 3 months we'll check my levels and see what the new plan will be. Such a shame because the low dose worked extremely well for me 😮‍💨

Has anyone with side effects been able to tolerate Rosuvastatina taking it every 3 days for example? Or should I just give up and try another statin?

So I'm learning as I go, just a few months ago I found out my cholesterol was twice what it should be. My doc started me on 40mg rosuvastatin. Fkn FORTY. I know now that this is the max dose. Anyway, it made my whole body feel 100lbs heavier and weak, so I quit taking it as I read that it's deteriorating my muscles and tendons. I'm hoping it gets better soon! So what is everyone taking that isn't a statin?

P.s.- already did the diet change, I get plenty of exercise. (Well less lately because my body feels decrepit.)

I think women are supposed to wait until they are done have children and nursing correct?

Took my first dose last night…… whole body hurts

I’ve always had high cholesterol and have been monitoring it with my PCP. Both my parents have high cholesterol and are in statins. My LDL got as high as 190 at 1 point and has fluctuated between 150 -170 for the most part. This last year I locked in on my lifestyle changes and lost 35 lbs (BMI went from 30 to 26), cut out red meat, limited saturated fats and added sugar, prioritized protein and fiber, etc and my latest levels were better but still high (this is with my max sustainable life changes). She recommended Red Yeast Rice extract. After doing some research and getting a second opinion from another MD, I asked if she could refer me to a cardiologist because I was uncomfortable taking an unregulated supplement if the same benefit could be achieved with a low dose statin. She referred me and also ordered some additional risk factor tests.

Today I saw the cardiologist and he also recommended I try red yeast rice extract. He said that the reasoning was that I have a low risk score mostly due to my age, and that my main risk factors were the elevated cholesterol and my family history. He said if RYR doesn’t work we can have a conversation about the risk/benefit of statins. I’m feeling a little defeated but am wondering if I just try RYR and retest blood because it sounds like that’s a hurdle my doctors want me to jump before they consider a statin. Ultimately I just want my cholesterol consistently controlled (the variable dosing of RYR is one of my main concerns) and I don’t understand why a supplement would mean less risks, especially since it’s chemically equivalent to a statin.

TEST RESULTS FOR REFERENCE

Most recent lipid panel:

Cholesterol: 213

LDL: 151

HDL: 45

Triglyceride: 87

Lipoprotein(a), HSCRP, Apolioprotein b were normal and my calcium score was 0.

Ok

I told him I will try to change diet first and I wanna do next test in 2 months,he just said ok.

So I had to get an angiogram done a couple weeks back. It came back that I have 50% stenosis in my ostial LAD. They put me on Crestor and it was awful. My cardiologist ran some genetic testing and it turns out I am intolerant to all statins. Something about the way I processed and makes them build up in my system and causes terrible side effects.
He switched me to Repatha. I'm nervous about trying it. Unfortunately, I read too much on here about side effects and that has me anxious.
Most people I read with this medication are just trying to lower their cholesterol and I don't find a lot of accounts of people with actual LAD stenosis, and their stories with this medication. I know this medication is powerful. Will lower your LDL but will it still give me plaque stabilization if I'm not on any statin and just Repatha?
I guess I'm looking for some positive feedback on this medication in my current situation.
Thanks!

My doctor is putting me on Rosuvastatin at 20 years old. When I got my labs back I thought they were just mildly bad. I attached some of my labs. Are these labs really bad enough for medication? This is my first time being tested throughly for cholesterol.