So I'm at my Doc's for a checkup. Everything is good. Doc says that since I'm a 61 year old white male who smokes cigars, I should be on statins. I ask him about my cholesterol. He says my numbers are good. So I ask him, if my cholesterol is good, why the statins? He says to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Again I ask him, I do not have heart disease, my cholesterol is good and my blood pressure is low, so do I really need statins? He says that as long as I'm smoking cigars, he wants me on the statins. He prescribes me a low dose (20 mg) of Atorvastatin (generic of Lipitor).
I check the interwebs for side effects and they look nasty. I also read that statins destroy the body's supply of CoQ10, and you should be supplementing it when taking statins. Supposedly CoQ10 supplements prevent or lessen many of the side effects.
So, are there any old timers on here who are taking statins even though they don't have heart disease or high cholesterol? Have you experienced side effects? Are you supplementing with CoQ10? Thanks.
David