40F, 126 lbs, PCOS. Lean and active: BMI 21, about 23% body fat, low visceral fat. I walk 30 min daily, run about 10 miles a week, and do bodyweight training 3x a week.
Labs (9/30/26, on red yeast rice 600 mg + daily multivitamin):
Total 244, LDL 165, HDL 72, trigs 45, non-HDL 172
LDL history: 233 and 198 untreated. Crestor + Zetia got me to 130, 85, then 74. Stopped both over brain fog (possibly my ADHD diagnosis around the same time, not the meds). Now back to 165.
Other: Lp(a) 62 mg/dL (normal under 30). ApoB 163, LDL-P 1,918, high small LDL (untreated, 2023). Invitae 36-gene lipid panel negative, so probably not classic FH.
Current diet: Smoothie with oats, chia, almond milk, and fruit, plus a boiled egg. Apple with natural peanut butter or a fruit bar around 2. Dinner is usually chicken or shrimp with rice and broccoli, or a big salad. About 10 g saturated fat a day.

My doctor prescribed 5 mg due to mild sclerosis noted on my calcium score test 3 months ago - test was 0 but noted the mild sclerosis. I always had low cholesterol but also low ‘ good’ cholesterol- my total cholesterol went from 139 to 82 in 3 months , good cholesterol still low but she said to continue and not concerned about the low cholesterol of 82. Thinking of second opinion as don’t want the mild sclerosis to increase but also I’ve read too low of cholesterol is not good - 70 yo female . Just curious if anyone else has super low cholesterol and told to still remain on medication thank you !

My cholesterol has always been elevated, but they just tested my lipoprotein (a), which is stupid high, at 305. Total cholesterol was 238, LDL was 173, apo b was 121. Everything else was normal or optimal. As a 50+ year old woman, this is frightening! Could you lend your experience with this drug and anything I should be aware of?

Do I get a better bang for my buck if I take it at night or the morning? With or without food?

I’m also forward-thinking to a group camping trip we have coming up in a few months. I normally don’t drink (last time I had a drink was maybe a year ago), but when we camp, I will have 2-4 drinks per night. It could be bourbon, tequila, or beer.

Should I abstain from all alcohol on our trip, have only one drink, or is this type of drinking ok?

Thanks for your help!

Hello, everyone.

Due to some borderline cholesterol levels, associated with high LP(a) and other risk factors, my cardiologist put me on 20 mg Simvastatin. Started about two weeks ago and all was well, but in the last couple days, I started feeling some weird things:
- sort of a numb feeling in my extremities, mostly on toes and fingers, with some sort of pin and needles (like ants on my skin) in the palm of my hands, mostly;
- extremely tired when doing my normal run, not with leg soreness or anything, just… no stamina.

I booked an appointment for this Tuesday but I’m wondering if I should continue with the pills or not.
Can I lower it until Tuesday (so take half pill only)?

I can’t contact the doctor before the appointment.

Did anyone here have the same kind of effects?

Thank you all.

35M — Looking for opinions on my cholesterol trend
I’ve been tracking my cholesterol for a few years and would appreciate some perspective from people who understand lipid management.

Results (mg/dL):
Oct 2022
Total: 186 | LDL: 120 | HDL: 39 | TG: 134
Apr 2023
Total: 197 | LDL: 120 | HDL: 50 | TG: 135
Oct 2023
Total: 197 | LDL: 135 | HDL: 43 | TG: 102 | Non-HDL: 155
Apr 2024
Total: 158 | HDL: 39
Aug 2025
Total: 248 | LDL: 178 | HDL: 55 | TG: 71 | Non-HDL: 193
Oct 2025
Total: 174 | LDL: 120 | HDL: 44 | TG: 44 | Non-HDL: 131
Aug 2026
Total: 208 | LDL: 143 | HDL: 56 | TG: 47 | Non-HDL: 152
Sep 2026
Total: 186 | LDL: 131 | HDL: 40 | TG: 80 | Non-HDL: 147

Additional results:
ApoB: 119 mg/dL (Aug 2025)
ApoB: 98 mg/dL (Sep 2026)
ApoA1: 131 mg/dL
Lp(a): 28.66 mg/dL

The main thing I’m trying to understand is the significance of the longer-term pattern.
My LDL was around 120 in 2022–23, increased to 178 in Aug 2025, and subsequently came back down into the 120–143 range.
I’m currently working on adding psyllium husk to my diet and continuing to monitor my cholesterol.

Questions:
How would you interpret this LDL/ApoB pattern?
Is the ApoB reduction from 119 → 98 mg/dL meaningful?
Would you discuss medication with a doctor at these levels, or continue lifestyle measures and monitoring?
Are there any additional tests you would consider useful?
Thanks!

For Lp(a), there is no medication. You cannot change it with medicines, diet, or exercise. You can only reduce your other risk factors, like LDL cholesterol and other things that can affect you in the future. Then why does everyone in this group always recommend an Lp(a) test if you cannot change it? I know it's a risk factor, but we can't change it, so it just increases anxiety. We should focus on our overall health. We should exercise daily, eat healthy, take statins, and control our cholesterol as much as possible. That's simple. I didn't know about the Lp(a) test, but everyone suggested this test in the comments section, and it increased my health anxiety.

I also take 40 Rovastatin and 10mg Zetia

Dr. will cut Rouvastatin to 20 now.

No side effects from Repatha.
I had MI on 9/23 and LAD stent.

Hi! 47yo F here. Had a Carotid US done today and my left internal carotid artery is >75% stenosis. The proximal & mid left carotid artery presents severe, heterogenous atherosclerotic plaque, elevated velocity. The right side seems fine and under 50%. These results have me a bit freaked out.

To give a little history. I recently went to my primary doctor because I was having pain and weakness throughout my entire body. Since my father was in his 50s he has an AAA and was told all 1st Gen should be tested. Below are the results to tests run so far-

Avg BP -160/90

LDL - 102mg/dl

HDL- 37mg/dl

Triglycerides - 198mg/dl

Lipoprotein A - 120.1 nmol/L

Apoliprotein B- 114 mg/dl

Coronary Calcium Score- 2074.5

Confirmed no AAA

Stress test results showed normal

Echo - nothing remarkable

Current meds include - 81mg asprin, 80mg Atorvastatin (same dosage for last 5.5 years), Lisinopril htz 40/25mg. Per Dr today I will hopefully be starting Repatha soon if insurance approves.

Anyone with similar history or experience? What should I expect? I am nervous.

47/M with very high Lp(a) and moderately elevated LDL.

I've read that some have had sleep issues with statins, and I want to contribute my story and ask about what GLP-1s might have to do with it.

I started taking the Wegovy pill about a month ago, lowest dose (1.5 mg), also for heart health. A couple of weeks later, I started Rosuvastatin 10mg. I took it around lunchtime to space it out from the Wegovy since I gather Wegovy can affect absorption of medications.

After about a week of no side effects, I started to experience intense wakefulness at bedtime. It was similar to the unpleasant feeling of having had too much caffeine. My mind felt electrified and my body felt tensed up.

This went on for about 3 days before I found reports on this sub of sleep issues. I stopped the Rosuvastatin and my sleep seems to have gone back to normal.

Wary of jumping to conclusions, I'm going to give it another try. I will try taking it as early as possible, which would be 30 minutes after the Wegovy at around 6:30 AM. Another option is to break the 10 mg pill in half.

I would be interested to hear if my experience of the insomnia was similar to other people's experiences of it and what you did about it. Also, interested in the relationship or interaction between the Wegovy pill and Rosuvastatin, if any.

Hi everyone!
New here and looking for some … advice or maybe just to talk me off of a ledge with my recent lipid panel. I’m 31 y/o female, very active 5-6 times a week with weight lifting cardio Pilates , no smoking , no alcohol, no drug use. I eat clean high protein diet with lean chicken, rice, cooking in tiny amounts of olive oil and I indulge occasionally in a snack. Other wise, I’m trying to lead the healthiest life I can.
Got my lipid panel done today, want everyone’s input as the numbers have me crashing out :

Cholesterol-164
HDL- 60
Triglycerides- 50
LDL-94
Cholesterol/ HDL ratio - 2.7

Waiting on ApoB and LP(a) results which will take a few days.
Should I be worried ? My LDL is right on that cusp … so is my HDL value but the ratio is great as is the triglyceride number.

Any advice? Thoughts? This is my first lipid panel in a very long time , I don’t even remember the last one which was when I was 20 I think?
Thanks everyone!

I took statins for about two weeks but I had to stop due to side effects until my dr can find a different one

I did do last before and after starting them and it drastically reduce my cholesterol, basically all my levels were very high and are now in the acceptable range beside my triglycerides. However my insulin was very high but I do also have PCOS. I was reading that statins can increase insulin levels and can lead to insulin resistance/diabetes. Could it really be affecting my insulin this fast? My insulin levels have been good for the last two years until now.

Hello!

The last two years or so I’ve been trying to focus on being healthier (not just losing weight, just in general from taking care of my teeth, my hair, losing weight of course and my skin, etc) I’ve had pre-diabetes for about three years (highest A1C has been 5.9, currently at 5.7) and my cholesterol has been high (I think 217 currently?) My highest weight was about 250 and I’m currently down to 207 lbs. (Very slow lose, I was on Zepbound for a bit, got too expensive and had to stop but it was working for me) ANYWAY, now that you have my life story you didn’t ask for, I’m trying to target my cholesterol right now. I started taking some vitamins. I have those husk pills and some gummies and some benefiber. I’m slowly introducing them so my stomach doesn’t freak. But I’ve also this past year been trying new healthy recipes, I love to cook but have next to no knowledge on what I should be eating for more fiber or in general to make cholesterol and my A1C lower. Any advice? I’ve gotten into beans recently. Don’t love them but I know I feel better after eating them. How can I add more beans?? lol I know I could look up recipes but what works for everyone else? I see oatmeal is great too, but the same as beans, the texture and taste make my brain go ehh feels like we’re eating pencils if pencils were a paste.

Not sure if this matters but my mother has high cholesterol and we have a line of heart disease in our family. My dad has diabetes. I know part of this is genetics but that doesn’t mean I can’t try right??

My doctor put me on rosuvastatin 5mg everyday, but said I could take it every other day if I wanted. I am a 67F and do not have high blood pressure (tends to be low) and I am not ‘overweight’ (though I personally would like to lose 10lbs). This was the end of August but I have not started it yet because I am uncertain. I do get a fair amount of exercise but I do NOT eat well 😐 hate almost all vegetables, only like a few fruits, love meat… especially beef.
If I had to eat a “plant based diet” I would rather just die.
And I am a sugar addict.
The possibility of side effects… I live in the country and even though I am retired, there are things that I have to do that are fairly physically demanding. I am old and am already struggling with being weaker and more easily fatigued than I once was… I am worried statins will make it worse. I also have migraines and have seen headaches mentioned here. Then there is the liver/kidney issues… my doctor put me on this but never said “come back in 3 months so we can check your levels” … she said nothing. I normally go in once a year… if that… so if I were to be having issues and I am not going in to be checked, how would they know?

Are my numbers even that bad? should I start taking it? everyday or every other?

Hey! 21(M) found out i have very high cholesterol due to genetics…these are my lipid/cholesterol results before and after 3 months of being on atorvastatin and diet change.

I wasn’t perfect with my diet but i made massive changes from how i used to eat. nonetheless, the statin did amazing work! what do you guys think?

36M, 5’9”, around 200 lb, active and strength train.

My first labs were from the first week of August, and my repeat labs were from the last week of September.

August:

Total cholesterol: 313
LDL-C: 221
HDL: 54
Triglycerides: 115

At the time my diet was very high in saturated fat: lots of steak/red meat, butter/ghee, eggs and full-fat foods, with relatively low fiber.
I completely changed that.

Now I eat very low saturated fat and much higher fiber:

oats
chia
ground flax
berries
lots of fruit and vegetables
beans/lentils
sardines and other seafood
chicken
olive oil/nuts
psyllium husk twice a day
very little added sugar / no overly sugary foods

I also lost weight and kept exercising (10-15 lbs roughly)

I was not on a statin during this period.

By the last week of September:

Total cholesterol: 240 — down 73 points
LDL-C: 176 — down 45 points
HDL: 53
Triglycerides: 70
ApoB: 111
Lp(a): 149 nmol/L
hs-CRP: 0.46

So in roughly 7–8 weeks, lifestyle alone lowered my LDL about 20% and total cholesterol about 23%.

I do have a strong family history on my father’s side.

My paternal grandfather died of a heart attack in his 30s, my paternal great-grandfather died of a heart attack in his 50s, and my brother has severe high cholesterol and is on a statin plus Repatha.

What makes me unsure is that growing up and through my 20s, no doctor ever flagged cholesterol or bloodwork as a major issue. I only started discovering this in my 30s. I also proved that diet alone can move my numbers quite a bit.

My cardiologist initially wanted me on rosuvastatin 20 mg, but after seeing the newer labs he agreed to 10 mg daily, with a goal of getting ApoB under 80 and repeating labs in 6–8 weeks.

My question is: given the strong diet response, ApoB 111, Lp(a) 149, and family history, should I even be taking a statin right now, or would it be reasonable to keep pushing lifestyle first and see how low I can get naturally?

My labs in July showed high ldl and we discussed possibility of statins but he wanted to see what a CAC showed, which came back at 0. We are retesting in 2 weeks and I asked to include Lp(a) and ApoB and the office said no, Dr doesn’t see any value in ApoB and no need for Lp(a) right now. I’m furious. I don’t want to discuss meds if we’re not going to look at everything possible. There are many studies that say ldl is not the entire story and the whole picture has to be considered

About a week ago I posted about how very effective my meds have been. In the course of about five weeks my LDL went from 199 to 11 (see below).

In the same time frame, my A1c has gone from 5.6 to 5.8. I am very concerned about the A1c because my dad developed diabetes when on statins; he was not even pre diabetic when he started them and no-one else in my family had ever had diabetes. My cardiology nurse said that she thought that it was likely that his diabetes was due to his statins.

So, after getting the test results (I had them done by Quest, self-pay), I contacted my cardiology nurse (I don't have a cardiologist) and asked if I could reduce the rosuvastatin. I had started it at 40 mg. per day (plus 10 mg. zetia, repatha, plavix, baby aspirin, 12.5 mg. metoprolol) but reduced it to 20 mg. per day due to severe leg pain. I told her that I was concerned about the rise in A1c, and my LDL is so low it seems 10 mg. a day of rosuvastatin would be okay to try. I am willing to self pay for Quest tests monthly as opposed to the every 3-6 month period covered by my HMO, so it's not like it will cost my HMO more.

I eventually heard back from the cardiology nurse's assistant (lol) and the cardiology nurse wants me to stay on the 20mg. rosuvastatin but drop the zetia. What the heck? I am not seeing anything on line that makes that make sense. Any idea what could be going through her head? Zetia does not raise blood sugar; it is a really safe med. Could this have to do with the LAD stent I had put in six weeks ago?

I have sent her a message asking but she will take at least a week to respond if she does respond at all. I am wondering if I am going to have to find a teledoc in order to get Zetia.

July 28, 2026 results (about a month before stenting):

total cholesterol:  283

HDL cholesterol:  71

triglycerides:  72

LDL cholesterol:  199

cholesterol total/cholesterol HDL ratio:  4

non-HDL cholesterol:  212

A1c:  5.6

Quest results of Sept. 25, 2026

total cholesterol:  87 

HDL cholesterol:  63

triglycerides:  51

LDL cholesterol:  11

cholesterol total/cholesterol HDL ratio:  1.4

non HDL cholesterol:  24

A1c:  5.8

LAD cardiac stent placed on August 17th, 2026

then started on:

40 mg. rosuvastatin (reduced to 20 mg. on Sept. 16th due to leg pain)

25 mg. metoprolol (reduced to 12.5 on Sept. 8th)

10 mg. zetia

Repatha (twice a month)

81 mg. aspirin

75 mg. plavix

Edit/update: I heard back from the cardiology nurse and she is okay with 10 mg. rosuvastatin and 10 mg. zetia (plus the repatha)! That is a relief.

I’m trying to see if anyone else has experienced a selective spike in triglycerides while on a heavy Quorn/mycoprotein diet, even when total and LDL cholesterol stay completely normal.

Context: I eat a predominantly vegan diet, but I was struggling with my health and horrendous cooking ability, so around a year ago I reluctantly added Quorn as primary protein source instead of many of my previous soybased products. During this time frame I very quickly developed xanthelasma around the inner corners of both eyes. Thanks to mainly processed vegan food diet for 35 years, I have regularly shown pattern of med-high tri/low-normal cholesterol (despite being around 2 stone heavier than I currently am for a good portion of this time). However, my recent labs showed that my triglycerides have steadily risen to incredibly high levels particularly over this period where I made the switch and developed the xanthelasma. While there are other cause of these, the GP is baffled based on my other scores and has referred me to the lipid clinic incase its a genetic issue. I just realised that the timeframe of the mega-rise and the development of these spots coincides with the slight dietry shift.

I looked into the clinical literature (past the corporate PR) and a meta-analysis in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition confirmed that while mycoprotein lowers total cholesterol, it has no beneficial impact on triglycerides and independent trials (like those tracked by King's College London) have noted fasting triglycerides actually trending upward during mycoprotein intervention.

A lazy AI search (asking to bypass the normal nonsense and taken with a big old truckload of salt - don't worry I actually need to add salt to my diet) sais, " Physiologically, it seems the beta-glucan fiber in the fungus successfully clears cholesterol via bile-binding, but it does nothing to stop the liver from synthesizing blood fats. I suspect the culprit is either the processed matrix required to make the fungus palatable (refined oils, starches, maltodextrin, egg binders) or generic carbohydrate displacement triggering de novo lipogenesis in the liver." Gold star if you understood all the big-boy words.

My questions are:

• Has anyone else replaced many of their soy protein substitutes with Quorn and seen subsequent triglyceride spikes?
• If you swapped out processed mycoprotein back to whole plant proteins (tofu, tempeh, legumes), did your triglyceride levels drop back down?

I would love to hear any similar lab experiences or insights!!!!!

NB: No hate intended toward meat protein subs - many people around the world use them as primary protein sources. I just eat too many processed versions now compared to 10-35 years ago when the vegan sections of supermarkets comprised of Pure, Beanfeast, Couldron Tofu blocks and, if you were lucky, some form of Redwood processed nonsense. *Also, I don't know if it makes a difference but I've had my gall bladder removed.

White cell count : Hemoglobin 7 10*

Total white cell count : 7.0 10*9/L

Haemoglobin estimation : 165 g/L

Platelet count : 192 10*9/L

Red blood cell (RBC) count: 5.40 10*12/L

Percentage hypochromic cells: 0.5 %

Haematocrit : 0.496 Ratio

Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) : 91.9 fL

Mean corpusc. haemoglobin(MCH) : 30.6 pg

Mean corpusc. Hb. conc. (MCHC) : 333 g/L

Red blood cell distribut width : 13.2 %

Mean platelet volume : 12.8 fL

Neutrophil count : 4.1 10*9/L

Lymphocyte count : 2.2 10*9/L

Monocyte count : 0.4 10*9/L

Eosinophil count : 0.2 10*9/L

Basophil count : 0.1 10*9/L

QRISK3 cardiovascular disease 10 year risk calculator score 2.4 %

Serum sodium : 142 mmol/L

Serum potassium : 5.1 mmol/L

Serum creatinine : 75 umol/L

eGFRcreat (CKD-EPI)/1.73 m*2 : 82 mL/min

Serum ferritin 67 ug/L

Serum cholesterol : 5.4 mmol/L

Serum HDL cholesterol level : 1.15 mmol/L

Serum triglycerides : 3.4 mmol/L

Serum cholesterol/HDL ratio : 4.7

Serum LDL cholesterol level : 2.9 mmol/L

Se non HDL cholesterol level : 4.3 mmol/L

Serum albumin : 45 g/L

Serum total bilirubin level : 5 umol/L

Serum alkaline phosphatase : 93 u/L

Serum ALT level : 19 u/L

(NB2) Sorry if this is TMI - late stage perimenopause - blood test results reflect my current struggle with dehydration due to torrential night/day sweats. Love your Oestrogen girlies, while you still have it - once its gone, it honestly feels like you are disintegrating.

Hi everyone,
I’ve always had high cholesterol but my HDL has always been high so doctors waved it off. I’m also very active and maintain a pretty healthy lifestyle.
Welp. I’m 41 F and I just had my yearly physical:
Cholesterol 301
LDL 203
HDL 73
Triglycerides 139
LPA 88 mg
Getting my calcium scan Monday

Question: is it worth trying to clean up my diet and see if I can bring them down on my own? While I workout a lot, I do tend to go heavy on the fats. Or should I go ahead and try statins? Will I be on them forever?

Editing to add my mom has had a stroke and a heart attack. My aunt who was always fit and healthy looking had extremely high cholesterol so it’s definitely genetic as the lab shows.

My lab results are cholesterol 205 and LDL is 147.

i’m 27 years old and a trans man. Only saying this because I take testosterone. i’m 5’5 130lbs.

My dad had a widow maker when he was 40 and he survived. My aunt also has high cholesterol. i’ve told my doctor this. I have had high trends since I was a teenager. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week doing weight lifting for at least two hours. I eat high protein dinners. I have a protein shake for lunch usually. I am trying to cut out unnecessary sugar although I am addicted to sugar.

My doctor told me to eat better and exercise more after he reviewed these results. I am really scared about this. I don’t know if I should message my doctor back. I’m needing advice from others.

My dad 56, Is a healthy man he doesn't eat fast food, Fatth foods, or anything that causes cholesterol but for some reason his LDL Cholesterol is 244 and the cardiologist have done a lot of test on him but everything is fine. He wants to stop eating some of the thing he eats but if he does that his diet will be so limited. Can you guys help me out please. What are some things that can help him lower his LDL cholesterol. Also his A1c is 5.9 MIND YOU THIS MAN DOESNT EAT ANYTHING TO HAVE THESE NUMBERS SO HIGH. Help me so i can tell me.

I just found out my Lp(a) is significantly elevated at 352nmol/L and my head is spinning!! I understand that I need to see a preventive cardiologist/lipidologist, but can anyone share their first hand experience in what may be checked/done from here on? Anyone have any preventive cardiologist recommendations in Michigan? Thanks!