The fact that the whole cholesterol shebang was CREATED from faulty data, and then massaged and twisted to look good, when there is little truth, well, that bothers me alot.

So yesterday, my doctor shootches up to me to do the blood pressure...
this is when she usually delivers her coup... putting my arm against her side and sliding on the cuff... She says " I take Lipitor you know, and it works" ...just like when she wanted me on HRT a few years ago.

So I say, good for you...if you like that then go for it. I will try Zetia, and when the new Merck non flush Niacin extended release comes out, I'll try that. But no statins for ME.

This is a personal choice...and we all it appears, will have to make it.
Dan...you should read The Cholesterol Myths on how the data has been massaged mathematically from the start. The benefits are just not there.
And if you have no serious sequelae then you are lucky. When Lipitor goes off patent we will start to see the negative studies more often, and not have to hunt for them the way I do now.(but they already exist) As I see it, liver damage, heart muscle damage from low CoQ-10 levels, memory loss similar to Alzheimer's, increased hostility and aggression, liver cancer and PN are just too much risk for a drug with little behind it.

You know I have a friend who had a massive right sided stroke, at work. She is 47. Has no risk factors. Normal blood pressure, low cholesterol, not overweight, nada. She did have history of migraines. Well while she was in intensive care, after her dramatic pTA treatment which dissolved the clot...
one of her doctors automatically put her on Lipitor. She consulted with her neuro, and he agreed...she didn't need it. Since her miraculous recovery, she has not had one headache. (the thought was she dissected her carotid artery lifting heavy stuff helping her mother move. This triggered a blood clot which blocked her internal carotid.) Her carotid healed and she is now back to normal, and NOT taking Lipitor. It is just an example of a prescription reflex with no throught as to the quality of life for the patient. Just because the drug company is persuasive.

If you have massively high cholesterol... a genetic familial thing...then yes, consider aggressive treatment. These patients however are not common. If the drug companies had their way ALL of us would be on statins. In fact about 3 yrs ago Time and Newsweek had articles to that effect.