I am a 42 year old male just prescribed 40mg of Lipitor. I haven't started taking it yet, and after reading some of the posts here, I'm somewhat afraid to start. I will, however take it if the life-extending ability outweighs the side effects.

Last year my overall cholesterol was 253 HDL-50, LDL 190, TRi-69. I lost 10% of my body weight and my overall dropped to 226, HDL 41, LDL 170 and tri-75.

I could probably lose another 10% of body weight, but I'm not sure it will affect the numbers that much.

So...should I start Lipitor?

welcome super,

easy answer is no... that fact is that statins aside lower cholesterol numbers mean shorter lifespan for a whole litiny of reasons read the following:

http://www.spacedoc.net/malcolm_kendrick_cholesterol

this is just one example, there are many more that I'm sure will be cited by other responders.

David

Super,

on the home page of this site in the upper left is a set of menus,
look down the list and find cholesterol under the health heading...there is much info there about the benifits of cholesterol. If my first post didn't convince you not to start any cholesterol lowering regime those should.

David

Only you of course in consultation with your physician can answer that question but it is worth researching whether cholesterol is really the problem it has been made out to be.

Here are some articles by doctors who think it is not:

http://www.spacedoc.net/cholesterol_articles
.

Answer: No.

Don't even think about it.

Read Dr. Graveline's new book on what you will be doing to yourself.

Short and concise.

Go about heart health in a responsible way: Science not mythology.

Biologist

Super: Have your C Reactive Protein levels tested. This tells the Dr. if you have internal inflammation which may be a precursor to CVD and a is better barometer than elevated TC. Your numbers are not that bad and 40MG of any Statin is simply reckless and unconscionable. If Statins were suggested, they should have begun at 10Mg, or 20 Mg; NOT 40! I just posted a link under the "Cholesterol - What is normal" category of the forum menu page. Read it.

In your case, I would not take statins, but I am NOT a Dr. and can only offer you the advice of a (severe) statin side effects suffer. Some people NEVER recover from Statin damage. If you want to try a lower dose - its up to you, but monitor your body closely for signs of trouble.

40Mg. to start! - I can't believe it!! That's like finding algae in your pool and dumping a full truck-load of chlorine in the water to fix the problem.

Best of luck, and welcome to the forum.

Brooks

Supercell:

I am your age buddy. Do NOT take this poison. I was put on 10 mg. lipitor two years ago for tc of 207. I stayed on for 7 months until I took myself off because of all of the side effects. For most, the side effects creep up on you until it's too late; damage done. I still suffer many side effects including brain fog, breathing problems, bowel problems and muscle problems.

Doctors prescribe this crap almost like a nervous tick. Don't be fooled. Your cholesterol numbers are NOT high. Try this before you take the drug: ask your doctor about the side effects of lipitor. I bet you will get the pfizer company line of "generally well tolerated." What on earth does this mean? Ask any of us here and you'll get the same answer: it means BUYER BEWARE! The drug companies have a very eloborate ponzy scheme to over-preserbe statins. Oh, and when the real harsh side effects hit, good luck finding a doctor who will believe you, let alone truly understand the nature of statin side effects or how to treat them.

I implore you to consider all the information on this site, and consider yourself very wise for doing your research BEFORE yopu took this drug. I will guarantee that EVERYONE on this board wishes he/she had the foresight to research the side effects of statins prior to taking these meds. Kudos to you.

Now, go have a great life without this nonsense. To the extent you're even concerned about your cholesterol, your common sense, a little excercise and a healthy diet will carry you well into a ripe old age.

Ed

I fully concur with what Ed is telling you.

"Those that have ears to hear, let them hear."


Brian.

Hi there Supercell,

all these replies to your question are from genuine folk who wish they had never trusted their doctors wisdom and believed that this drug was the answer to keeping them alive and safe. It turns out that many a doctor is still in denial when it comes to the harm that statins are doing to the very people they are writing the prescriptions for.

The decision is ultimately yours to make when it comes to using this drug or throwing the prescription in the trash where it belongs. I do hope that the responses so far will keep you statin free thus giving you a chance to keep your quality of life (it tends to get destroyed with statins).

Like Brian said (I fully concur with what Ed is telling you.), that is pretty much spot on, please save yourself from this poison, while you have the choice.

All the best,
Allen.

Welcome to the forum.

Please heed the information of all of the previous replies; do NOT take statins.

Having taken different types of statins, including lipitor, in just small doses, the side effects linger even after stopping altogether. The pain and suffering is just not worth it.

I agree, have your CRP tested and keep your triglycerides low.

Thank you for all the responses. I've researched this relentlessly. It seems that there's a good 25% chance of side effects with lipitor. I decided to give it a shot and started taking it in December. The first side effect showed up less than an hour later in the form of neck pain. The pain lasted two weeks. After two weeks, the pain subsided and has not returned since. I have not experienced any other side effects. My numbers have improved substantially-150 overall 47 HDL 82 LDL 107 tri. To be honest, I'm still concerned about taking it, even with the lack of side effects and good results. I guess I will just monitor carefully for any side effects that may creep up, hoping it's not too late.