My husband has high cholesterol and his mother did also. Instead of taking statins, every 5 years he gets a heart scan which checks if his arteries are clogged or not (pays out of pocket not covered). So far they are good, so no statins for him. Despite her high cholesterol my mother in law did not have any heart conditions.
One of his doctors is anti-statin and says doctors are prescribing them like candy.
Add me to the list of takers. I was on 10 mg for 15 years, and I just got the suggestion to up the dose, so I did. I have had no side effects or issues. Have a close friend who is “anti-statin,” but my doctors strongly disagree.
Seems like the experiences of others that matter are the experiences of your genetic relatives. It does mean that if your genetic relatives tend to have the unwanted effects, you may want to inform your physician about them, so that you and your physician can consider any extra cautions.
I would prefer for the thread not to take a turn to be about medical providers who are anti-statin.
I’ve been on 20mg Atorvastatin for several years, no issues, no CoQ10. I do miss grapefruit juice, though.
If people are saying their doc is anti-statin, it would be good to know the actual reasons and whether it is an individual-specific recommendation or a blanket one.
I’m on 20mg and have been for about 3 years. I had muscle cramps in my legs, especially at night (took my dose at night, before bed). I started HRT 4 months ago and my leg cramps have disappeared.
Sometimes high cholesterol is genetic. My son-in-law just had to go on it and he is young, active & fit and eats very clean. Turns out his family has a history he never knew about.
I have genetic incredibly high cholesterol across all types, despite doing all the “right” things. MY doctor put me on 20mg avo. When I turned 60; she said there was zero chance of controlling it other ways and enough was enough. It did raise my A1C a teeny bit so I asked to try just 10mg and that is working fine.
No muscle pain or other side effects. MY numbers were cut almost in half but I still have to watch what I eat, it’s not a magic eraser, after all.
I started taking Rosuvostatin a few years ago. Took myself off a few months ago and noticed my body was no longer achy. I fessed up at my doctors visit last week. She suggested either splitting my pills ( they are 10mg) or taking every other day. So far the every other day is working for me, but it’s only been a bit more than a week. I have not heard of the coenzyme.
FTR, my diet is 90% vegetarian by choice (just don’t really like meat) — the other 10% is seafood — and I still have high cholesterol. I honestly do not remember the last time I had beef or pork. I usually take a couple of bites of turkey at Thanksgiving. But I have no side effects with Atorvastatin at all so I am glad to take it. Heart disease (usu stroke) is what got my parents and all my grandparents (all over 60, most over 80).
My doctor put me on it for 5MG few months ago. My combined cholesterols were fine, but my bad cholesterol was higher than it should be. I just had a blood work done and my numbers were “perfect” according to my doctor. I don’t have any noticeable side effects. I eat fairly healthy, fresh food, no junk food or sweets, eat fish and chicken most of the time, and a lot of veggies.
Been on Rosuvostatin for a few years now, only need bloodwork once a year, minor aches and pains. Doctor said not to even THINK about going off it– one of my super healthy, fit, exercises constantly, no animal fat diet siblings has had high cholesterol for decades, and one side of the family all died young of heart attack or stroke.
I miss grapefruit but I am a year away from when one of my grandparents died (missed graduations, weddings, holidays, etc. with the grandkids) so I’m grateful for every advance medical science brings.
I did two things for the minor aches and pains (doctors orders). Upgraded my home office chair (the el cheapo one from Overstocks was not helping my neck, back, thighs) and bought a new mattress and high quality bed pillows. MASSIVE improvement. The “two for $20” pillows from Bed Bath are fine for an occasional guest (according to my doctor) but are not designed for nightly use. And I won’t admit to how old the mattress was….
So before anyone decides to take themselves off a prescription due to aches and pains- walk around your house and identify the non-supporting stuff holding up your spine!
The only thing good about taking medications (most don’t do well with grapefruit/juice) is that I hate grapefruit and now have an excuse to turn it down (including my sister who always buys sparkling water with grapefruit and I know it is not enough to react but I like the excuse).
I’m surprised at how little people are using (5 mg?) and it is still working. I started on 20mg, moved me to 40mg and a cardiologist said I could reduce back to 20mg (or stop if I wanted to). My brother was on 80! but he never took it (he’s terrible about taking drugs, which is probably why he needed 80mg).
I was on so many drugs that I couldn’t tell what was causing the dizziness or aches. I told my doctor I was no longer going to take Jardiance (mostly due to cost but I suspected it was causing the side effects) and asked the oncologist to drop anastrozole and she agreed. Those two eliminations have helped a lot with the side effects.
I’m now on the ‘less is better’ bandwagon. I appreciate modern medicine, but I was over-medicated. Anastrozole didn’t just cause current day issues (aches, hot flashes, dizziness) but long term ones too (bone loss) and I just found out that it may have caused my ‘trigger finger’ that I’ll now have to have surgery for. Sure, it may extend my life by 5 years, but I didn’t want to live that way. I’ll take quality over quantity.
High cholesterol can cause heart issues, but many people with high cholesterol never have any heart issues. Before starting a drug like statin, I suggest getting a heart calcium screen to see if your high cholesterol is actually affecting your heart. If not, then hold off on the drugs for a few years.
Two anecdotal stories. My mother in law, a very long time vegetarian, had very high cholesterol. Lived into her 80s without any medicine for it and did not have any heart issues.
A friend (early 70s) recently had a major heart issue, needed several bypasses. His heart calcium scan was in the thousands. He was checked regularly, and never had high cholesterol numbers.
My doctor is not anti-statin, and she does prescribe it when she feels it’s appropriate. In my case, my cholesterol is high (not ridiculously high, but higher than “normal”) due to my HDL being high. Cholesterol is based on HDL, LDL & triglycerides. My HDL is high & my triglycerides are on target - my LDL is borderline. My doctor doesn’t feel that my situation would benefit from statins. OTOH, my H has very low HDL and his cholesterol is high, so he is on statins (pravastatin + niacin). Like every medical decision, it’s based on the individual’s particular needs.
To be clear I’m also NOT using this thread for medical advice - I def subscribe to “doc + myself knows best”. This is just something new for me and I am trying to be a little educated and get a view of the cholesterol meds playing field. 
I DO appreciate hearing other personal stories - thank you for sharing those.
I mentioned about not wanting hear about anti-meds docs because while I absolutely recognize and appreciate “meds are not good for this person in particular” stories - I am NOT on board with anti-meds docs without explanation. So yes, if there was a circumstance that you want to share of why you AREN’T taking or prescribed cholesterol meds feel free to share if you like.
I did reach out to my sibs. 2 of 3 are on meds including my youngest brother who is several years younger than me. Neither have had issues with their meds - one is on the same that I will start with but at a higher dosage (he also mentioned his doc is very aggressive with cholesterol meds + other supporting tests) and one takes something different but a lower dosage and has had no issues. Good to know and thanks for suggesting to reach out to them.
I also messaged my doc and asked some questions about the Coq10 supplement. Hopefully she will give me more feedback if it’s necessary or just suggested to avoid muscle aches, etc.
I have very high cholesterol (genetic variant affecting the receptors) but my cardiac calcium score is excellent! 0 at age 50 and only 7 at age 60.
I have high cholesterol but a calcium score of 0, and in that case statins are not recommended.
My son’s doctor had him take coQ 10 for migraines (it worked!) and my cat with heart failure took coQ10 on my veterinarian’s recommendation. It seems to have many beneficial effects, so much so that I’ve wondered if more people shouldn’t be taking it (though I never was curious enough to research it).
Mine wants me on a med of some sort anyway. Currently on an injectable (Repatha) but sadly am not great with compliance.
I have genetically high cholesterol. My mother refused prescription medications of any type but did take red yeast rice which seemed to be effective for her. Initially I was prescribed atorvastatin and had significant muscular pains, so I just stopped taking it. When I was first seen by cardiology, they suggested trying a different statin, so I started rosuvastatin which I have taken for 6+ years with no ill effects. Rosuvastatin can be more effective at lower doses than atorvastatin. I take 20 mg daily.
I asked my cardiologist about the Coq10. It is contraindicated in my case as I am also diabetic and hypertensive. Coq10 can interfere with the medications I take for those conditions, so best to talk with your physician about adding any supplements if they haven’t been recommended.
For many years I watched my diet obsessively and exercised daily, including lengthy cardiovascular workouts. In some cases, that simply does not matter. If you have genetic issues that predispose you to certain medical issues, it may just be a matter of time.