Anyone Here on a Statin For Their Cholesterol?

Why do they do this without any bloodwork or tests. One doctor put me on Rosuvastatin a couple of years ago, low dose 5 mg and said it was just for prevention.

Now the other doctor who took over the practice upped the dose to 10 mg for the same reason. Still no bloodwork, I have not had tests for probably over 5 years.

But I take it when I think about it. Usually every couple of days.
 

It doesn't make sense to me personally either, @Lee
for a doctor to not pre-test, and to prescribe (any med)
only if there's a clear and significant need for it.

And in my view, they also should test again, at some regular intervals, in order to see if a med is doing any good, or needs the dose changed up or down, or dropped. Or a different one substituted.

Even if there's a strong family history of a need for it, or general percentages of people, I think they should check the specific person.

But I think many doctors do believe, that the likely benefit, outweighs the risks.
Nor would they want a very serious, preventable problem to occur, and then, to have family members take legal action against them, for NOT having prescribed it.

One thing though, is that your 5 mg dose, was indeed very low; that's lower than the usual minimum of 10 mg, which is still low.
That 10mg is likely the lowest dose that new doctor of yours (and many doctors) ever orders. It's (10mg tabs) the lowest dose available for at least some of these meds. (To take lower, you'd take it every 2 days, instead of daily, which they usually prescribe it)

However, without testing,
you can't know if you didn't need it at all,
or if you actually need a different type, or a larger dose.
o_O:rolleyes:
 
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For myself, if I was unable to go to a lab or to have any blood test, for some reason;

then, I might consider, taking the lowest dose, every other day, as a sort of preventative, as your doctor had said, @Lee

Heart attacks and strokes are very common, so perhaps that's why a doctor might do, what you described.

But I can't comprehend why he didn't want the simple blood test anyway. (for reasons in my previous post above)
 

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Kaila, mostly I think it is because I don't have a family doctor and use a clinic They don't have the time to fuss with tests. Just ask how you are and if no problem then they stick with a preventative

Not to mention that if they order a script....cha ching
 
Personally I wouldn’t consider a statin for many reasons. They can cause cognitive decline. The studies were done on men and not women.

When I went on Pub Med to read the studies they actually harm more people than they helped. It appears that they are only helpful for men with previous heart attacks.
 
My cholesterol is higher than it should be, although not super high. My doctor suggested Red Yeast Rice capsules. I take them daily. I haven't been for a checkup since taking them, but they are supposed to be a homeopathic remedy for high cholesterol.
 
Just got all of my bloodwork results back this morning...everything is tickety-boo.

The only issue is my cholesterol is still a bit out of whack and my doctor has bumped me up to 80mg of Pravastatin per day. Also told me to take one vitamin b12 per day as well.

All things considered, I'm quite pleased with how it all turned out.
 
My doc today asked if I was taking it, have not used a 'statin
in 5 yrs or more...he groaned and said but why...I 'splained to
him that cholesterol is governed by my genes/dna, not by
human meds....statins didn't work prior to my heart attack
in 2014, so why bother!?!?!?!
 
Family history of heart attacks and strokes so GP ordered blood tests and later a MRI scan
Cholesterol was creeping up, as was BP, and the MRI found some plaque in a blood vessel near the heart.

It was recommended that I should undertake aggressive measures to lower cholesterol because it tends to cluster on plaque and can cause it to break free. The result is then a cardiac occlusion - sudden heart attack. That is probably what killed my dad at 59.

At first I was prescribed Crestor but I found it a problem because it caused coughing fits when I lay down to sleep. GP changed the script to Enzalo Composite pack - ezetimbe 10 mg and rosuvastatin 5 mg. I also take Candesartan Cilexetil 16mg to control BP. No problems with either medication.

I have been taking these meds for a very long time now and every 6 months the GP orders a full assessment of my blood as part of my health care plan, for which I am charged not one cent.
 
hawkdon said:
My doc today asked if I was taking it, have not used a 'statin
in 5 yrs or more...he groaned and said but why...I 'splained to
him that cholesterol is governed by my genes/dna, not by
human meds....statins didn't work prior to my heart attack
in 2014, so why bother!?!?!?!
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I have the same, familial hypercholesteremia. but cannot tolerate statins.
 
LadyEmeraude said:
I take Zetia/Ezetimibe for about 7 years now, I am compatible with this med
so far. I take my med in the pm.
Click to expand...
Me too. I took a number of the Statins mentioned in this thread, but invariably after a few months I would start to get muscle aches. My doctor finally hit on the Ezetimibe as being right for me with no side effects. My problem is not high LDL levels, but low HDL levels which my doctor says is genetic.
 
Last summer hubs had a few episodes of slurred speech and weakness misdiagnosed as Mini stroke. They put him on lipitor. Almost immediately he had memory issues. Couldn't remember what he did 2 hours before, the day before. It was dramatic. I insisted he stop taking it. Docs disagree but he stopped anyway. Within 2 days he was fine...memory back. Docs quoted studies saying Lipitor does not cause memory loss. Drug companies do ANNUAL studies all concluding that. So why study it over and over? Because patients keep complaining!! FYI his cholesterol, BP, and blood sugar are all low. No need for any medication. They prescribed it as a "do something" fix. Turns out they were not mini strokes. Had they bothered to read the CT and MRI they would have seen a huge subdural hematoma. And they weren't mini strokes they were seizures! Correctly diagnosed by a brain surgeon who saw the Lipitor on his chart and said...."Stop taking that! If you need something for cholesterol take something else." FYI, a few years back my Mom died of dementia. She took Lipitor for years.
 
Kaila said:
Thanks for the thread on this topic.
It is interesting for sure, to hear what people's experiences are, with these very commonly prescribed meds.
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Yes, too common. Everything has side-effects, which may not be obvious. Cure one problem and create another.
 
My feeling is if you're compatible and not suffering side effects w a statin take as large a dose as possible to drive total cholesterol and LDL as low as possible. This strategy can reduce plaque build up in the blood vessels.

I also eat ground flaxseed meal and psyllium husk daily both of which have a multitude of positive effects on overall health and minimizing cholesterol levels.
 
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Prior to being put on statins, my doc tried the “diet and exercise” route with me. I dieted until I wasn’t eating anything I liked, and exercised until I was having overuse problems while my cholesterol remained high. I was put on Lipitor, but after a short while felt like I chronically had the flu. I was switched to Simvastatin, which after a time caused muscle pain; even my feet hurt! Crestor worked best for me with fewest side effects, but as there was no generic for some time, my insurance refused to pay for it. Finally there is generic availability, and on Rosuvastatin I just have some soreness and fatigue, but it beats being underground…
 

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