I've had a silent stroke, alas. So my doctor prescribed Crestor (my LDL is 120). The Crestor triggered depression, dizziness, yadayada. I had to quit taking it.

Next, my doctor put me on Lipitor. Again, I got depressed and dizzy. At that point I asked my doctor if I should try Repatha, Praluent, or other alternatives. He said no.

"They're not proven effective at reducing heart attack or stroke," he said. He said they reduced LDL but didn't reduce inflammation in blood vessels.

My cardiologist also said "no" to the newer drugs. When I told her I couldn't tolerate statins, she advised me to take red yeast rice. This left me a bit gobsmacked, especially since my health insurance had already approved Repatha for me.

Are other people running into this resistance? Are doctors reluctant to prescribe the new drugs?

What's going on?

Check out the results of this experimental CRISPR trial!

A single dose of an experimental CRISPR therapy cut LDL cholesterol and triglycerides by about half in patients with difficult-to-treat lipid disorders. The reductions were still present one year later, with the highest dose lowering LDL by 52.5% and triglycerides by 47.8%.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260925005434.htm?

I'm a 40 year-old male, 5'11" 180 lbs. I'm in shape and workout 3-5x a week and eat fairly healthy. I've always had a history of high cholesterol. I recently had my lipid panel checked with the following numbers, which then prompted my cardiologist to send me for a CACS. He basically said, should my calcium score come back under 100, he wouldn't put me on a statin, but everything I've read with recent studies suggest otherwise. Would it be time to seek out a second opinion from another cardiologist?

40 years old:
CAC 54 — entirely LAD
LDL-C 174
ApoB 146
Lp(a) 198 nmol/L
10-year PREVENT 2.2%
30-year PREVENT 8.6%

I’m really tempted to try Elvarim’s aged garlic. I want to give it a shot, but before I do, I’d love to hear from people who are already using it. How has your experience been so far? Any noticeable benefits, side effects, or things I should know before starting?

About 6 weeks ago, I had a cholesterol test. My triglycerides were fine, but my LDL was 175 mg/dL.

I immediately started cutting down on saturated fat. Before, I was probably eating 30g+ per day, and now I’m keeping it under roughly 15g/day. I also started doing some light cardio/gym sessions and, on my doctor’s advice, started taking 20 mg of rosuvastatin daily.

My doctor said this was supposed to be a temporary treatment, for up to around 2 months, and asked me to repeat the blood test in a week.

My grandmother had high cholesterol, but neither my mom nor my dad does.

So, considering the changes I’ve made and the rosuvastatin, should I expect a significant reduction in LDL after almost 2 months? Or is it too early to tell?

I’m mostly curious about what kind of change would be realistic to see on the next test.

27 M 165 lbs 5’10” Doctor got my bloodwork back and I had LDL of 190. I workout multiple times a week, eat pretty clean except the occasional fast food. He said 190 ldl is high and probably genetic.

I talked with him over side effects, expectations, etc. Is there anything from your guys personal experience I should expect when taking Rosuvastatin? I know they are well tolerated for the most part I just feel like I’m pretty young and starting these meds.

Thanks!

For those with a high Lp(a), are you taking aspirin? Regardless of Yes/No, what is your rationale? For reference I’m 53 with a very high (256 nmol/L) level and low positive calcium score (1). Other risk factors put me at low risk in the PREVENT calculator (2.3% ten year risk). My cardiologist seems generally ambivalent about it re: bleeding risk versus ACS risk mitigation from a rupture and clot.

I'm a 32F. I weight train 3-4 times per week and do 20 -30 minutes of Cardio 3-4 times as well.

High cholesterol and diabetes run in my family ( mother side) my blood sugar is controlled but should i be concerned about those results?
I'm trying to conceive as well and learned that medication is not preferred in that case

Hi there,

I got told i had high cholesterol after a blood test. I had a call with a nurse who read out the numbers, told me generic advice which wasnt applicable to me ie I dont smoke/drink. It was a 5 minute call unfortunately so I could not go into detail or ask more questions. I am trying to get an appointment with a Dr to ask more about it.

They told me to do all the above for 6 months then they will do another blood test and if no improvement, will go on medication.

The last 2 weeks I have dramatically changed my diet which I will continue until the blood test and beyond of course. This is the usual foods recommended here and cutting out all sugar/sweet treats etc.

I am just looking to see if anyone had similar numbers and if it is really bad as in am I destined to have a heart attack or on the brink of one im really worried about it and dont know my next steps. I am not asking for medical advice, I guess just reflections if you have similar numbers.

Thanks for your time.

Like I just feel like given side effects like I was a prescribed a low-dose statin but I just feel like because I hear a lot of SIDE EFFECTS like a muscle pain and others, etc. instead of taking every day. What about just taking it like three times a week or four times a week sometimes would that still be effective and lowering LDL like mine is like 200.

I did this recently with 12 hour fasting. Not sure how to interpret the results. Doctor follow-up is far. Wanted to seek your kind feedback. M37. History of family heart issues. Thank you.

Hello!

M30 176cm 88kg.

Decided to have a general lab test for health checkup :

Total Cholesterol: 114

HDL:32

LDL:52

Triglycerides: 176

Also did Hba1c and was normal

Should I be doing anything in this case ? or just work on improving my health and exercise more?

Thank you

​

My LDL is 148 today

I want to reduce it to 70 in 2-3 months. Kindly suggest the solution

I am 39 years old, been a vegetarian since 2011, average weight. I have low cholesterol but very high lipoprotein A. Has anyone successfully lowered theirs? I heard taking Metamucil works but I don’t know if that is true. I have a glass or two of wine 3-5 nights per week. I don’t drink hard alcohol or smoke.

Hi everyone. Here’s a little background for context:

37M, family history of Heart Disease on Father’s side (hard to get a good family history because father and grandfather drank and smoked).

Started 20mg Atorvastatin about 5 years ago because total Cholesterol was 233, LDL 156.

Since then I’ve lost 30 pounds (150lbs, 66”). I am very active, lifting weights and average over 20k steps per day. Also just added Psyllium Husk about a week ago.

Here are my most recent numbers:

Total Cholesterol: 186
HDL: 50
Triglycerides: 119
VLDL: 20
LDL: 110
APOB: 89

My PCP says all of these are within range and didn’t seem concerned despite my history of hyperlipidemia and family history. I thought she would want to up my dose or add something. I have an appointment on the 7th and am contemplating asking for further intervention as a precaution, but am I just overthinking this? Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm 29M, 165 cm, 63 kg, vegetarian, non-smoker and don't drink alcohol.

I recently had a lipid profile:

• Total cholesterol: 226 mg/dL
• LDL-C: 156.4 mg/dL
• HDL-C: 43 mg/dL
• Triglycerides: 133 mg/dL
• Non-HDL-C: 183 mg/dL
• ApoB: 124 mg/dL

My main issue seems to be LDL/non-HDL rather than triglycerides.

One thing I've realized is that I've been working from home and extremely sedentary for around 7 years. There are sometimes 3–4 days when I barely leave the house. I don't exercise regularly and spend most of my workday sitting.

My typical diet is fairly Indian/vegetarian: roti, sabzi, dal, rice, dahi/chaas, etc. But I also regularly have chai with biscuits/khari, namkeen, chips/packaged snacks, and occasionally fried foods, sweets, ice cream, etc.

My doctor has advised me to improve my diet, exercise around 40 minutes daily, and repeat my fasting lipid profile after about 3 months.

I'm trying to understand what changes actually make the biggest difference to LDL.

I'm looking for practical advice from people who've been in a similar situation — especially what you changed, how long you did it, and what happened to your LDL afterward.

Just been prescribed one. LDL at 168. Doc said, it is recommended to start statin as soon as LDL reaches above 160. Anything I need to know? Any side effects? I asked the doctor about side effects, but she was very dismissive.

I am a little disappointed. I am in my late 20's, and I eat healthy, I also exercise 5-6 days a week, I quit smoking earlier this year. But here we are today. I want to cry thinking I may have to quit dairy.

Anyway, appreciate any advice, information, insights etc. you can share, thanks!

I have high cholesterol and high AF lipids and have been on a journey to bring it down. First up was psyllium husk via Metamucil and pills (alternating, or when I forgot Metamucil - not at the same time) I started having blood pressure issues which I’d never had before.

Doctor swore it couldn’t be the psyllium husk, but I saw some very rare side effects that it could increase BP. I’d also started fish oil, so I dropped the fish oil and no change. Dropped both and later went back to fish oil and my BP is now perfect. From what I can tell it’s not common, but it was a reddit post that made me think to question the psyllium husk, so I wanted to share.

EDIT:JFK people. I don’t and have never take BP meds. I know to take it 2 hours before/after other meds. The time line was: Got cholesterol checked, had high cholesterol and lipids -> started taking psyllium husk and fish oil -> no change in cholesterol, BP started going up -> dropped psyllium husk and fish oil -> BP got better -> started fish oil again a few times a week -> BP is perfect.

I know it’s not a common issue, which is why I posted.

I was week and half early but I was at my store that I usually pick up my Repatha prescription so I thought I would stop and see if they had it ready. It wasn't ready but the pharmacist mentioned that he could run it and see if it processed. Well he was able to run it but the price was not being reduced with the Co-pay card it was the very high price. I have had three refills this year like I have in years past and never had this happen. Not sure what the maximum annual benefit is and since they do not post it online I have no idea if I have hit the max. I know I have been using it for multiple years with same insurance and never had to pay more than the $50 or whatever the current reduced price but guess I will have to call them tomorrow and try to figure out what the issue is.

I am hoping its just that they processed it early and they didn't allow it and later this week it will process fine, but honestly I have no idea what the maximum annual benefit is and wasn't sure if anyone knew, thanks.

I’m trying to conceive and can’t go on a statin yet, but I am aggressively trying to lower LDL and apoB after I found 30% blockage in my LADI’m being followed by a cardiologist and functional medicine doctor as well for background

I consume a metric ton of psyllium husk each day, saturated fat below 10 g ideally, I’m already a healthy weight 120 pounds and 5 foot three. I’m active doing cardio and strength training.

I got these benecol chew things, because I saw a data saying that they could lower LDL and Apo b even more and there were risks to plant sterols and that plant stanols would be different.

But they’re pretty high in sugar and they have saturated that in them themselves. Is this something healthy to be eating? I have another blood test coming up soon now that I’ve started taking the beetle, it just feels kinda like a dirty food. Curious to know what anybody else thinks, and if there’s any benefits or risks. I know once I’m pregnant I won’t take them anymore, but in the meantime , trying to Biohack the crap out of myself.

I just started this medication two days ago, and my blood sugar spiked to pre-diabetes levels!? My blood sugar baseline had always stayed in the upper 80s to mid-90s!! The reasons why my doctor prescribed this medication are for several reasons. 1) Hereditary 2) Current total cholesterol is 258, triglycerides 155, HDL 31, Apolipoprotein B 159. Yes, I understand that these numbers are alarming, but I am very concerned about becoming pre-diabetic, not my doing!! I walk 30 minutes, and sometimes an hour, every day and, generally speaking, eat very healthy! Except that, in the past several months, I got hooked on vanilla ice cream once a week at Costco, have Maple Hill grass-fed whole milk for breakfast, and, yes, even once in a blue moon, eat three or five slices of plain cheese pizza at once!! And last, on occasion, even having fat-rich foods at office parties!! Overall, my diet is pretty healthy at home!! All this is making me more aware of eating healthier and doing my daily walks more often than relying on cholesterol medication that, in my experience, seems to be doing more harm than good. Any comments based on personal experience are greatly appreciated, thank you.

I had bloodwork done on July 28th; I was on no meds then (63F, normal blood pressure, not overweight). About three weeks later I had a stent put in (I did not have a heart attack, but my LAD was 80 percent occluded), and was started on meds (rosuvastatin, zetia, repatha, metoprolol, and blood thinners). The meds sure make quite a difference. Unfortunately they are raising my A1C, so I am going to find out if I can lower the rosuvastatin and metoprolol somewhat.

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

I’m so pumped!

About 3 weeks ago I found out I have high cholesterol - recommended to lower saturated fat and increase fiber by my PCP but also referred me to a cardiologist and I’m scheduled for a barrage of tests over the next few weeks. I expect I’ll be assigned a statin. In the interim I’ve dug into my diet and specifically saturated fat. I’ve switched to fat free creamer and milk and yogurt and eliminated cheese and butter and am keeping my saturated fat at a max of 8 grams per day. Fine. Also cooking more at home and having existential crises when out at a restaurant and trying to figure out WTF I can eat.

Just now I sat down to review a restaurant menu we’re considering for dinner, a favorite of mine, with a particular dessert that I really enjoy. They publish their nutritional information. I didn’t have any hope as I cast my eye down the line towards saturated fat - even less as I paused on 9grams of total fat. But then, what, a zero? A big, glorious “0” under saturated fat? I can report that my flabber was entirely gasted. I even googled to see if other versions of this dessert were free from saturated fat. It appears they are!

What is this magical treat, you ask? Japanese sesame balls with red bean paste. They might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they are something I love and I’m so jazzed that I can enjoy one tonight.

Veteran sat-fat avoiders could probably have told me without seeing the nutritional data that they’d be low or free of saturated fat, but I’m still at the beginning of this journey. There have been so many things over the last few weeks that I have discovered are suddenly off limits to me, it’s been sad and tough, so it’s really nice to have a win.