# Stay on Statins? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 9, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-on-statins/739981 "2015-12-09T19:43:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-on-statins/739981/1 "2015-12-09T19:43:52Z")
I just got the results from my lipid panel back, and like they were last time, the numbers are very low. Total: 133 HDL: 59 LDL: 57 vLDL: 17 Triglycerides: 87 My understanding is that Statins typically move the numbers around 20 points, so even if I stopped taking them, my numbers would still be considered “good.” So, is the potential risks due to statins (I’m taking Simvastatin) worth the incremental lowering of my Cholesterol? ETA: Should I ask my Dr. if I can try a year without the drugs to see what happens? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-on-statins/739981/2 "2015-12-09T20:00:27Z")
Standard advice around here is, yes, you should ask your doctor. He or she knows you better than we do. ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-on-statins/739981/3 "2015-12-09T20:03:17Z")
You know, doctors go to medical school for many years to learn to answer exactly this type of question… What are the side effects of the drug(s)? Did you already have one or more heart attacks? Are you at significantly elevated risk of having them? AFAIK, statins are rarely indicated for people who haven’t experienced a myocardial infarction. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-on-statins/739981/4 "2015-12-09T20:06:36Z")
> [@iljitsch](#): > > AFAIK, statins are rarely indicated for people who haven’t experienced a myocardial infarction. That is not my experience. Statins are used preventatively to lower blood lipids in people at risk (such as family history, genetics, past medical history) of cardiovascular disease. I’ve been on them since my 20s because of family history and a genetic mutation that causes high blood lipids. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-on-statins/739981/5 "2015-12-09T20:21:16Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > That is not my experience. Statins are used preventatively to lower blood lipids in people at risk (such as family history, genetics, past medical history) of cardiovascular disease. I’ve been on them since my 20s because of family history and a genetic mutation that causes high blood lipids. Ditto. I’m on lovastatin, and have been for several years, due to genetically high cholesterol. I’ve never had a heart attack, although I came close the first time my lovely and talented wife, **Aries28** , let me see her naked. For what it’s worth, my total cholesterol levels before going on statin-type drugs hovered around 230 or 240. With lovastatin, the level is typically in the 140 to 150 range, so the drug has improved my level around 80 to 100 points. Different people react differently to drugs, obviously, but I would strongly recommend talking with your doctor. From what I know, the potential risks of statins (primarily liver damage) are worth the tradeoff for significantly lowered cholesterol levels. And liver function is a standard test my doctor runs each year when I get my bloodwork done, so until anything shows up there, I’m comfortable staying on the statin. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-on-statins/739981/6 "2015-12-09T20:52:00Z")
Statins appear to have _significant_ benefits in patients with or at risk for heart disease that do not necessarily correlate directly with their lipid-lowering effects. From [UpToDate.com](http://UpToDate.com): > [@](#): > > The mechanisms by which lipid-lowering therapy (particularly with statins) is beneficial are incompletely understood. While lowering of low density lipoprotein (LDL) concentration is associated with regression of atherosclerosis, the observed benefit of (particularly statin) therapy begins within months after its initiation, making regression an unlikely cause at this early stage. > > ●Other mechanisms thought to be involved include plaque stabilization, reduction of inflammation, reversal of endothelial dysfunction, and decreased thrombogenicity. (See ‘Reduced inflammation’ above and ‘Reversal of endothelial dysfunction’ above and ‘Decreased thrombogenicity’ above and ‘Plaque stabilization’ above.) > > ●Reduction in monocyte adhesion to the endothelium, reduced oxidative modification of LDL, and increases in mobilization and differentiation of endothelial progenitor cells have also been considered as potential benefits from lipid lowering. So it’s not all about the cholesterol numbers. If a patient is at high risk for heart disease (due to diabetes or other disease processes), the current recommendation is for ongoing statin treatment regardless of what the cholesterol levels are. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-on-statins/739981/7 "2015-12-09T20:53:28Z")
> [@iljitsch](#): > > AFAIK, statins are rarely indicated for people who haven’t experienced a myocardial infarction. Untrue, it’s now considered standard of care to use statins for patients who are diabetics. Along with a lot of other disease states. ---
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-on-statins/739981/8 "2015-12-10T18:07:29Z")
My father, just turned 69, didn’t take his BP meds and suffered a mini-stroke. He’s ok, but now has weakness in his left leg and tiredness. The doctor believes he will be fine after therapy and sticking to his meds. He now realizes he should have been more receptive to the doctor’s orders. So, please, follow the advice of your doctor, or at the very least discuss the options with him. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stay-on-statins/739981/9 "2015-12-10T18:42:05Z")
The wife has now discovered that she is sensitive to statins. So am I. At least my levels are only slightly elevated unmedicated. Her triglycerides are in the 4 digits. That tends to cause quite the reaction from the MD’s