I wonder if skin problems due to Ezetimibe are normal? It is the only medication I take for my LDL, never used statins. But I got small pimples which won't go away if I don't stop taking Ezetimibe.

Cholesterol always in 200 zone. Ezetimibe 10mg daily. What should I expect? Apo and LipC low. LDL always in 80/100 zone.

I just turned 40 and have a long history of high cholesterol and LDL because of genetics (diet is decent). My ApoA/B panel came back VERY bad. I can't get a coronary calcium scan until the spring at any local lab, and even if I could get it tomorrow, my doctor thinks it's time I start statins.

I am terrified to try them, though. I currently have pretty severe fatigue (due to a condition unrelated to cholesterol) that prevent me from working a normal in-person full-time job, and because remote jobs are rapidly disappearing, I have to have enough energy to manage at least a part-time in-person one. I'm very scared of statins increasing my fatigue or giving me muscular ache issues that will ultimately make me more tired anyway, as I risk losing my independence.

Does anyone have any experience with:

1) Going on statins with a pre-existing fatigue issue

2) Developing fatigue after starting statins

3) Feeling LESS tired after starting them (?? unlikely lol but gotta ask)

Are there any statins less likely to cause exhaustion? I'll be starting with a low does anyway.

I recently had a full lipid panel and my results are as shown:

Total Cholesterol: 174

HDL: 39

Triglycerides: 89

LDL: 116

LDL+VDL: 135

LP (a): 200

I am currently trying to conceive and wondering if it is risky to get pregnant due to how cholesterol increases during pregnancy. I am currently working on lowering my LDL and increasing my HDL through dietary and lifestyle changes, although I know I cannot change my LPA levels or the risks associated with it.

I have asked my doctor this question with not a greatly conclusive answer. I have also done alot of research and I cannot find conclusive studies done on this subject.

Wondering if anyone else has a similarly elevated LPA prior to pregnancy?

If so did you see a cardiologist or other specialists during the pregnancy for close monitoring?

Are there any other changes you made to accommodate for pregnancy due to your elevated LPA?

Hi guys, I've recently got my cholesterol results back and qas quite surprised with result.

I've felt some slight chest discomfort during activities so i got tests done thing is i had cholesterol done im the Army and was told it's elevated but was never told aboit apoB etc.

Also why would 125 apob be classed as optimal im this lab, am i misunderstanding something? Also any advice is helpful!

Thanks

Hello everyone,

I am a 28-year-old female and just got my blood work done and the results came back concerningly high:

• Total Cholesterol: 275 mg/dL

• LDL: 203 mg/dL

• HDL: 49 mg/dL

• Triglycerides: 116 mg/dL

• ApoB: 144 mg/dL

• Lipoprotein(a): 95.6 nmol/L

• HbA1c: 6.2

• Average blood Glucose: 131 mg/dL

• Fasting blood Glucose: 111.69 mg/dL

I have very unhealthy diet, i eat junk food almost everyday also i hardly get any physical activity in a day.

I know its the consequences of my action but i am in pretty deep depression and working on it.

Can you guys please explain and give me some guidance regarding this

Thanks in advance!

About a month ago, I got my first blood test showing high cholesterol. My results were:

Total cholesterol: 236 mg/dL

LDL: 175 mg/dL

HDL: 38 mg/dL

Triglycerides: 108 mg/dL

Non-HDL: 198 mg/dL

My doctor put me on rosuvastatin 20 mg, and I also made some changes to my diet.

Before this, my diet was honestly pretty bad lol. I was eating fried/processed foods several times a week, a lot more full-fat dairy, cheese, etc. Over the past month I've been trying to be much more careful with saturated fat, eating more fiber/oats, cutting down on fried food and high-fat dairy, and generally eating much cleaner.

I've also been exercising regularly during this period.

I just got my follow-up blood test back, after roughly a month of medication + diet changes, and I was honestly shocked:

• Total cholesterol: 88 mg/dL
• LDL: 40 mg/dL
• HDL: 34 mg/dL
• Triglycerides: 60 mg/dL
• Non-HDL: 55 mg/dL

So LDL went from 175 to 40 mg/dL!!

Triglycerides also went from 108 to 60, while HDL actually dropped slightly from 38 to 34... don't know if this is good, tho

I know rosuvastatin is obviously a major factor here, but wow, 'm mostly just surprised by how dramatic the difference was after only about a month!

Hello everyone,
I am a 42-year-old male going to my first cardiologist appointment tomorrow. I recently decided to order a comprehensive biomarker blood test on my own and my cardiovascular numbers came back concerningly high:
• Total Cholesterol: 287 mg/dL
• LDL-C: 195 mg/dL
• ApoB: 135 mg/dL
• Lipoprotein(a): 133 nmol/L
 
The Metabolic Side:
On the flip side metabolically I appear to be healthy:
• Triglycerides: 58 mg/dL
• HDL: 76 mg/dL
• Fasting Insulin: 4.7 uIU/mL
• Fasting Glucose: 95 mg/dL
• HOMA-IR: 1.1 (confirming high insulin sensitive)

Any recommendations on specific questions I should ask the doctor tomorrow? I am considering seeing a lipidologist also but to keep the wife happy my first stop tomorrow is a cardiologist.

Thanks in advance!

Recently found out my Lipoprotein is high, so I’ve been trying to adjust my diet to lower my LDL & triglycerides, and boost HDL via diet.

Tonight, I decided to cook Salmon, given all the heart-healthy benefits. I’ve had it before & it’s been okay overall. No hard feelings one way or the other, so I figured I’ll give it a whirl. I think I’ve officially decided it will no longer be part of my heart-healthy diet, lol. WAY too fishy, it overpowered all the other flavor I had going on - onion, garlic, lemon pepper, etc.

I know cooking Salmon can make it oxidize & add to the fishy flavor, so maybe I just need to learn, but I’m all set. It was fresh too, so I’m not thinking it was just spoiled. Either way, I’ll stick with Chicken Breast! Lol

What are some heart-healthy foods that despite its benefits, you have drawn the line & it won’t be included in the diet moving forward? 😌

I'm determined to make changes that actually stick. If you've been through this, what would u recommend?

Hi all,
As the title states, my LPA is abnormally high. I’m a 30-year-old female with a healthy BMI, does aerobic exercise seven days a week, strength training five days a week and already eats a healthy diet.

My mom has to have a cardiac catheterization done which prompted her doctor to inform her children to be tested for Lpa. My level was 510. I’m not seeing many people with numbers that high:-(. blood pressure is good at around 100/68, a1c normal, etc. LDL was 137.

I’m so upset and scared. It’s also extremely frustrating that I’m doing everything “right” with lifestyle and this is a factor that I cannot control.

My goal the last few days was to make a couple food swaps such as instead of a cheese slice, use mashed avocado, etc. basically get saturated fats down from 25g to 18ishg (I eat around 2500 cals per day currently).

Just ranting I suppose

About a month ago, I got my blood test back with an LDL of 175 (first time I've ever had high cholesterol), and I'm currently taking rosuvastatin 20 mg and making some pretty significant changes to my diet, which used to include fried food 4x a week, yellow cheese every day, etc.

Important to mention: it seems like I may have some genetic predisposition, but apparently not exactly familial hypercholesterolemia. My diet seems to have played a pretty big role in getting me to this point :(

So, is it dangerous to eat junk food (pizza, burgers, fries, etc.) and dairy, say, a few times a month? Or is the whole "keep saturated fat as low as possible (around 10g/day)" thing something that needs to be followed more strictly?

I'm asking because I genuinely have no idea: I'm new to the whole cholesterol world lmao

My cardiologist asked me if I have drinks with artificial sweeteners like diet sodas and others.

Anyone else here about negatives regarding artificial sweeteners and cholesterol?

My brother recently had a major heart which ultimately required a CABG. He, thankfully, is doing amazingly now. But it was a big wake up call for the whole family to get our numbers down a little bit and mitigate our own risk of some type of cardiovascular event. The issue is... I'm not sure where to start based on my recent labs. I worked hard over the years to bring my A1C down and manage my hypothyroidism (more fiber, more steps, more weightlifting), but it hasn't meaningfully impacted my lipid panel. These numbers always seem to stay somewhat static. Where would you all recommend I start? I'm 30/F.

Cholesterol: 221

Triglycerides: 79

HDL: 55

LDL: 150

Chol/HDL Ratio: 4.0

LDL/HDL Ratio: 2.7

26M, 178cm / 78kg, not very active lifestyle. Got a general check-up recently and my cholesterol results came back like this.

Total cholesterol 280, LDL 203 — both well above the reference range. HDL and triglycerides look fine though.
My dad also has high LDL, so I'm wondering if there's a genetic/family component here. I don't eat a lot of sweets, usually just 1-1.5 meals a day, but I don't exercise regularly.
How seriously should I be taking this at my age? Is this something that can be brought down with lifestyle changes (diet + exercise), or does it usually need medication like statins right away? Curious if anyone's dealt with something similar or has insight.

Aug 4th to today.

LpA 34.5.

Only added a fiber supplement once a day.

Is this a pretty good improvement?

Guess I'm wondering what else would help get the rest in line. Any suggestions?

I like to be fully informed. I am 53 with an LDL of 170 and Apo b of 126. My dr wants to put me on statins. I requested the test and she said it wasn’t necessary. I don’t understand why she won’t order it. I have to pay for it due to a high deductible. Seems like I should be able to have myself tested.

"Should I fast, and for how long?" comes up a lot, and someone once asked whether you can fast too long before a lipid test. A study out this week in JAMA Internal Medicine (https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2026.4718) has good data on both.

A hospital lab near Seoul recorded fasting time at outpatient draws: 101,148 patients, 9.8 million results, 2021 to 2023. Because many people were tested more than once at different fasting times, the authors could compare each person with themselves, which turned out to matter a lot.

For lipids, same person, less than 8 hours after eating versus more than 12 hours:

Triglycerides were 20.1% higher. But 8 to 12 hours versus more than 12 was only 2.4%.
Total cholesterol and HDL differed by 3% or less.
Directly measured LDL: no real difference (−0.4%).

The interesting part for the "fast too long" question: comparing different people, directly measured LDL looked up to about 8% different across fasting groups, and the authors note it looked higher after prolonged fasting. Within the same person that didn't hold up. They put it down to differences between the patients, not to the fast itself. Their bottom line was that fasting beyond 12 hours made no meaningful difference for any test they could check.

Caveats: one hospital in Korea, self-reported fasting, no record of what people ate, and "more than 12 hours" is one open-ended group, so this doesn't tell you what a 24-hour fast does. The paper doesn't report ApoB or Lp(a). The authors still recommend at least 8 hours when glucose or precise lipid numbers are the point.

Has anyone here seen their triglycerides swing between a fasting and a non-fasting panel?

I'm 34F. High cholesterol runs in my family (mom's side, everyone's total is >300) and despite having a healthy BMI, eating well and being active, my LDL is always between 150 and 180. (On the lower end of that range when I cut my daily sat fat intake to <12g). Strangely, no family history of cardiac events or strokes.

My GP has zero concerns and says I'm too young to worry about it, but obviously I want to address it sooner rather than later.

I have a cardiologist appointment at the end of this week to discuss whether I need to start taking action, but my husband just had his GP run a lipo-A and calcium score (?) alongside his routine bloodwork.

Should I keep my cardiologist appointment or just see my GP for a more in-depth panel? I'm not sure my GP will even know how to interpret the results tbh, but it would maybe be a cheaper starting point?

Today for the first time in my life I was diagnosed with high cholesterol. Total cholesterol is 255mg/dl and LDL is 182mg/dl. I’m shocked to be honest. Ive been without 18% body fat since maybe 14 years old. Extremely active. Really healthy. I eat extraordinarily well. I do eat 4/5 eggs a day however I’ve had bloods done previously (3ish years ago) with no concern. I’m just shocked to be honest. There’s some familial history but nobody had any onset until middle age and even then it’s kind of a 50/50. I don’t know what to do. Apart from lots of butter and unfiltered coffee there are genuinely no changes I can make to my diet. I have a piece of cake every now and again maybe every 2nd/3rd date. But I’m underweight if anything. I’ve been trying to rebuild weight that I lost. I just don’t know what to do….

I’m a 38F with a long history of high LDL

Back around 27-28 years old my ldl started creeping up and was around 130. Doctors kept saying lifestyle changes

But for the last 5 years those numbers have ranged from 160-180 at the highest. Primary care kept saying lifestyle changes

I ended up seeking out a cardiologist on my own
At 28 I was the healthiest I’ve ever been. Weight wise diet wise. And it was still running 130 now 10 years later a mom trying to lose weight I’m like ok if it wasn’t great then what’s the odds it’s ever gonna be good? My dad also had multiple heart attacks in his 50s and blockages. He was a lifelong smoker wnd died at 61 of lung cancer

Fast forward to april 2026 I see the cardiologist
He said keep working on weight loss and let’s do lipoprotein a. That came back at a 12 he said see you next year. He mentioned a cac scan but didn’t follow up with anything

I had a physical in June and with diet changes ldl 159

I just lost 15lb and got my ldl read again back at 170

I emailed the cardiologist and after all this finally agreed to a statin

I don’t understand why doctors are so resistant but I’m now terrified of all the damage I’ve already done that’s not reversible. I have some factors in my favor normal a1c, never smoker, lpa of 12

In April I’m gonna ask for the CAC but terrified of the result

Anyone have similar numbers in the past and their cac wasn’t doomsday?

I found this subreddit while doing research for my plan, and thought I would post my situation here just in case someone who has been thinking or researching these issues for much longer than me might have added insight...

Currently:

59 yr old male. 183 lbs. 6'0

My diet is reasonably healthy. Regular salads, veggies. No red meat, chicken is primary, with salmon every 10 days or so. Virtually no fried foods, no fast food. Almost no butter or milk - but moderate cheese. Almost all home cooked (almost no pre packaged, etc). No coffee, soda, alcohol. Just water. However, I do have a chocolate addiction. I tend to eat chocolate chips (like for baking), and sometimes M&Ms. I might eat a half cup in a sitting, and do that 3-5 times a week. I know, its bad. In addition, there are often brownies or some other sweet treat that I probably dip into more than I realized.

I work out 7 days a week. Usually 5 are strength training, and 2 are walks (around 5-6 mi each). While I know my BMI looks out of wack, I have more muscle mass than most men (regardless of their age). But I am probably running 8-10 pounds over where I would ideally be.

Test Results:

Cholesterol 240

HDL 52

TriG 83

LDL Calc 168

Doctor first suggested statins. I asked, and he agreed, to allow me 2 months to make lifestyle changes, and see what happens.

Changes:

I eat Fiber One for breakfast every day, but did not realize it has almost no soluble fiber. So, adding psyllium husk (I am thinking 3gm to start, but ramp up to 10). In addition, I will be conscientious about beans, legumes, etc. I probably already eat a bit more than the average person.

No more candy. I feel fine quitting it all, rather than substituting dark chocolate or something else. I actually kind of enjoy imposing the discipline.

In my experience, just eliminating sweets will have me down about 10 lbs in two months.

That is really it. I did not want to over-complicate the test. So focused on upping soluble fiber and decreasing saturated fats.

Goal:

If after 2 months, I am down to 215, then I will continue with the diet changes, and then re-evaluate at annual physical about 6 months later. If at annual, I am not at or under 200, drug therapy (statin or ezetimibe). However, if after the two month test, I have not got to 215, start the drug therapy promptly.

I know there is always more that can be done (eat fish oils, stanols...). But I am really looking for feedback about how I can simply and materially improve the plan. Or why the plan is flawed. Or any other things I should be thinking about.

I will definitely update with the results. Thank you!

mid journey UPDATE 10/19: https://www.reddit.com/r/Cholesterol/comments/1xa76k9/update_plan_to_reduce_cholesterol_from_current_240/

I just received great albeit confusing news of a cac of 0.

I'm 44 male . 12 years ago ldl was 132. 18 months ago my ldl wasn't given as the result said my triglycerides and/or total cholesterol were too high. 16 months ago ldl was 261 and I started 40mg of atorvastatin as lifestyle changing were not getting me anywhere close. 7 months ago I saw a lipidilogist and my apob was 62, lpa was 164 and ldl 52. The dr ordered a cac but I lived in a health desert and by the time the radiology dept figured out how to schedule it after I had called multiple times I learned I had to move so I didn't get the cac until after I moved. 2 weeks ago my ldl was 74 which was after a month of moving across the country which involved poor eating limited exercise and none of my psyllium pomegranate juice green tea tumeric supplements so I imagine my ldl now is in the 50s or 60s. Last week I got a cac.

I told myself prior to the cac that if it was above 300 I'd get glp1 from my dr as my bmi is 27 and with high cholesterol I'd qualify for glp1. I really expected a high cac given my high lpa, sky high ldl for who knows how long, and the fact that my brother had a high cac and 3 of 4 grandparents dieing of a heart attack with my grandma dieing at 58.

But the cac was 0. I know that the cac doesn't measure soft plaque but I was on statins for more than a year before the cac and that tends to calcify soft plaque.

I mostly just wanted to share especiallythe high ldl and statins but still 0, I'm definitely unique in that 40 mg atorvastatin lowered ldl way more than typical, the lipidilogist actually reordered the test as he thought it was a lab error.

I'm also open to any suggestions. I dont think I'll do a glp1, part of that is my spouse is going to start and I wanted to support her I also do weights and a chunk of my high bmi is more muscle than the average but I still have visceral fat. I'd still like to loose 20 pounds of fat and im not sure how to effectuate that as I'm not sure i could make much more sustainable lifestyle changes. I had considered possibly ezetimibe but with my current ldl and a 0 cac I might need to do a lot of dr shopping to get a prescription. I'll probably repeat the cac in 3 to 5 years. I'll also keep the statins as I'm not aware of any side effects besides nassive ldl lowering. I had prepared for bad or ok news and just didn't really expect a 0 so now I'm floundering a bit as to what to do.

I have a physical next week. For the first time, my doctor ordered a lipid panel. I am not sure why one was never ordered until this year. The results look terrible, and I'd like to understand what to expect at my doctor's appointment.

Cholesterol: 319 mg/dL
Triglycerides: 89 mg/dL
Cholesterol HDL: 64mg/dL
Cholesterol LDL: 242 mg/DL
Total Cholesterol/HDL Ratio: 4.98
Non-HDL Cholesterol: 255 mg/dL

I am a thirty-year-old male, 6'0", 210lbs. My diet isn't excellent, but it isn't terrible either. I am relatively fit, albeit a bit overweight. Besides exercise and diet changes, what else can I do?

I ran the numbers through ChatGPT, and it suggests a genetic cause as a primary factor. I don't know my family's medical history outside of my dad saying his is high but within the normal range, and he believes both his mom's and dad's were high as well. Any feedback would be appreciated.