Anyone take statins prophylactically?

[Pharmacy Kid]

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Just curious. I read that many cardiologists take statins even if they have no indications. It's really interesting b/c cholesterol doesn't seem to have a J-curve unlike hypertension. I was thinking of taking statins but two things popped up.

1. cost
2. my total cholesterol is <100, TG <45, HDL:48< LDL: n/a So no point in lowering my baselines

Do any of you take statins prophylactically and why?

 

[dragonfly99]

I know a young internist who takes a statin for primary prevention because he has a Fhx of high cholesterol and his was still high despite marathoning and eating healthy food, etc. Every time he goes off the statin his LDL goes high again. However, all drugs can have side effects and I wouldn't recommend that people routinely take them.

 

[Pharmacy Kid]

Found the online version of the article I read.

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/healing-heart.html

"Like almost every cardiologist I've talked to, he takes statins preventively, and his cholesterol count is a low 135."

 

[dragonfly99]

I know a lot of cardiologists who don't take statins. In fact, I don't know any young healthy ones who do.

If you don't have genetically bad/high cholesterol, are not overweight and don't have diabetes, the likelihood of having an OK cholesterol level (according to current treatment guidelines) without statins is actually pretty high.