My attitude is simple: A doctor can prescribe, but I decide if I'm going to take it or not. I also don't believe that it is possible to get something for nothing. Medications always
have some price, besides the cash you yak up at the pharmacy.

That aside, my cholesterol is slightly elevated. But, my PCP says that I am not overweight, not a smoker, very light drinker, and Blood pressure is most excellent. His prescription: Cut down on the red meat, cut WAY DOWN on the ice cream (problem for a New Englander, but I'm managing) and plenty of fruit and veggies. Cutting down on the red meat has not been a problem at all.

I endorse this message.

My personal opinion is that good health begins with your lifestyle, including diet and exercise, rather than in the doctor's office. There are just too many financial and legal incentives for doctors to over-prescribe and over-treat, so be sure you educate yourself enough to provide informed consent before agreeing to anything elective and non-emergency.

My doctor at the outset said those very things. He makes the recommendations and I make the choice. Statins are now on my "no thanx" list.

Why don't you take the argument to someone who feels passionately about the use of statins? Go visit Dr. John Mandrola's site and see if you can last five minutes with him. I doubt anyone here could. But if you do, please let us know. I could use the entertainment, and Lord knows John savors the attention.

Why?

1st Amendment.

An LDL measurement of 100 - 129 is considered ideal and even then, it does not take into consideration the types of LDL, LDL is made of large and smaller particles, the larger LDL is benign and the small ones are what cause issues.

If your trigylcerides are low and HDL is high then the odds are the LDL you have is mostly benign... you can be tested for the different types of LDL.

The cholesterol theory is just that, just as many people with high cholesterol die from heart attacks as do people who have low cholesterol.

Our physician will only prescribe statins for people who have hypercholesterolemia / hyperlipidosis.

My LDL number would be considered borderline but my trigylcerides are exceptionally low and HDL is maxed out... our diet is such that it does cause a small increase in LDL but based on the paper, this is going to be benign.

Because the poster is a member of the medical community. It is in his interest to defend the pharma industry and to persuade you to do so, too.

I've been down this road with him before, with his take being that statistics tell the story.

Unfortunately, the statistics on this forum indicate the incidence of side effects is greater than the officials ones. But that may be because the results are skewed by people who can detect measurable effects on their performance.

My cardiac specialist late last year said my cholesterol was slightly high and that I might benefit from statins. I said no, I will change my lifestyle choices (which I did). He didn't quibble on little bit. My reaction was based on taking a statin some 20 years ago and the side-effects which put me off it after just a month.

I've taken Simvastatin for years with no side effects. My statin is generic and I doubt anyone makes much $ from it. However, it's clear that the drug companies have too much influence in our current medical system. Unfortunately, most of us are incapable of making a truly informed decision. We can read snippets and "studies" on the internet but we don't have biology degrees or understand the methodology of the studies, etc. I understand that people are healthier in most other "advanced" countries. It would be interesting to know how statins are used in Canada and England, for example.

what about it?

Gotcha, thanx. I hadnt heard of the man until now. There is the old saying that certainly applies, "the man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument".

So I've heard that taking Excedrin everyday might prevent headaches. But why take them when not needed?

I am not going to get into the statins debate. My doctor told me to use them and I do. I lead a healthy lifestyle, but after 4 stents I am not going to take chances. Maybe I am one of the fortunate ones who tolerates statins w/o adverse side effects.

On a related note, I visited Dr. Mandrola's blog. You all have to see his link to the "Dear Motorist" video. That's some powerful stuff.

Go ride...ride safely...be well!

I began taking statins MANY years ago, too far back to remember when they started me on them.

I began having muscle problems, and went back to the doc - and was told they aren't the problem, and continued.

Problem got worse, and I went back, and still was told they aren't the problem. But doc questioned mfr, and was told they have no knowledge of this problem. It got so bad that I couldn't hold a ketchup bottle without it sliding out of my hand.

Since then, I have had several friends have the same problem - told them my story, they stopped the statins, and immediately improved.

On my own, I determined that the only thing I was doing differently if the past few years were the statins, so stopped them on my own. IMMEDIATELY, I started to improve, and kept improving over time. But never got it all back. At least I'm still functional

Went back to the doc, and they put statins on my allergy list............. at least they believed me, and now it's a known problem. I'm also guessing it's much worse than big pharma admits.

At least doctors now understand when someone doesn't want statins.

I can only make my conclusions on my first hand knowledge, you may find differently.

MHO, is still that statins are a bad drug/ and always will be.

Since the Warren Court, commercial speech is protected under the 1st Amendment, so Congress and State Legislatures aren't given a free hand in regulating it, and can't ban it altogether. It's also the reason you see all the ambulance chaser ads on TV nowadays.

So it was ruled to be your "fault", supposedly an allergic reaction. Now that is a world class CYA.

Pretty much the same with me. Unfortunately, my doctor had prescribed them even though I had no cardiac conditions and normal cholesterol. The good old paid to prescribe theory for this "miracle drug".

Besides the muscle pain, I also had very high liver and pancreatic enzymes and developed a nasty wheeze. Fortunately, all symptoms went away when I stopped the drug.

There are limits to the medical value of on-line discussions. Bikeforums is for cycling content, please.