Hi have a few questions. My cholesterol turned out to be really bad. Total: 295, HDL 46, LDL 212. Prior to this I have been experiencing chronic chest tightness and pressure. I have had tests done and recently saw a cardiologist who said after looking over my tests and symptoms that it was virtually impossible to be heart related. Well my Dr. of Internal medicine prescribed 20 mgs of lipitor. I have to say I have reduced my numbers some in the seven weeks of trying to eat right and exercise more. I tried calling the Dr. to ask him to change my prescription to 10mgs. of lipitor but the nurse keeps fielding my calls and just says if the Dr. wanted you on 10 he would have prescribed 10 mg. The cardiologist I saw from the Texas Heart Institute who works in the same clinic as my other Dr. said 10mg would be fine. In fact even before I told him my other Dr. prescribed lipitor he was just going to hand me some diet info. I asked how bad my cholesterol was and the cardiologist said it wasn't that horrible but I should start working on it so it isn't a problem in the future. I am 36. Now I am reading about all these horrible side effects of lipitor and really want to just try 10mg. I like to have a say in how I am going to be treated. Would it be foolish to just cut the 20 mg.'s in half and see how things go with my follow up? How much Q10 should I take? I am pretty angry that I can't even talk to the Dr. and tell him I would like to try 10mg and continue working on this through diet and exercise. It sounds like 10mg should work fine. When I had my cholesterol checked I asked for a homocysteine and c-reactive protein test too but they didn't do it. The dr. wrote in down but I don't know what happened. I asked the nurse and she said I should have requested it and I told her I did! I still wonder in the back of my mind if cholesterol is really as bad as they make it out to be.

There are people who have side effects with these meds, but keep in mind that those are more probably the people who will seek out these boards. I've been on lipitor for five years (10 mg). I started at 35 with numbers in the low 200's. I am a near vegie and work out-but have mild hypertension as well. My numbers have been great with lipitor and I also do some things with my diet that keep the good c numbers up. Look, I figure better living through chemistry. All of this is about probabilities-maybe we could all live healthy lives with high c numbers-but the odds don't indicate that. I think the thing to do is way the research that predicts problems stemming from high c vs the probability of side effects-particularly given that most are mild. It take the male mind a while to get around th idea of using drugs for health-is telling of our mortality-but if it can defeat my genetics, I'm on board.

Hi tony! Fellow Texan here! You are ultimatly in charge of your own health. In my opinion, cut those suckers in half! I went on 10mg and had muscle cramps. I stopped and havent seen the dr. since. My mother in law was on Baycol and can barely get up off the floor or out of a chair. She use to carry my husbands speakers when he D.J.ed. She didnt take it regular. Good thing, people died using that pill.
If I were you, I would find a dr who listens to you. I would be happy to show the dr's office my husbands pay stub to see how much is taken out each month for health insurance. It is your money, You are a consumer of their product. They are just a pompus arrgant group of professionals. By the way, I am not angry-yea right!

I would cut them in half. That should get your cholesterol about where it should be. You would save money too. I would also insist that the tests you wanted be done.

Tony,

I agree with Jacqueliine....cut the pills in half since the 10's cost almost the same price as the 20's. Don't tell your doctor and let him keep writing script for the 20's...poor dears must be shielded from the real world where not EVERYBODY is making a half million a year!
I once told a doctor...BUT THOSE PILLS ARE $8 A DAY!!! and he looked at me as if to say "SO?"

You'll know after the first blood test whether the 10's are doing the trick...study after study has shown to work as well with fewer side effects, so you're on solid ground!

I've been battling high cholesterol for a couple years now. Started out at 358 and triglycerides over 1000. Started on 10 mg Lipitor, then 20, 40, then 80 mg. Each change helped a little, but not much, then the doctor switched me to niacin, which helped a little too, but was still too high. Last fall, added 80 mg Lipitor back in along with 2000 mg niacin/day. Cholesterol dropped from 318 to 116 in 6 weeks! I was leary about the high dosage of Lipitor, so we cut the pills in half, so I take 40 mg (80's and 40's were the same price!). I'll get tested again later to see if it's still good...if it is, may cut Lipitor back more to see if a lower dose along with Niacin continues to help.

cowboy,

Make sure you test your liver enzymes SEVERAL times a year. That dosage of the two meds can be hepatically brutal!