Are statins really bad for you?

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]Patient asked me today if she should stop taking her statins because her friend told her statins are poisonous.

[00:00:05]And I get why that worries people because when someone says something so confidently, it can make you second-guess a medication you've been taking for years. What I did not say was, "Your friend was wrong." What I did say was, "Let's look at why you were put on statins in the first place." Because statins are not prescribed because your cholesterol number looked bad on paper.

[00:00:25]They are prescribed to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients whose risk is high enough that the benefit makes sense. That risk depends on more than one lab. It depends on your LDL, your age, your blood pressure, your family history, your diabetes history, your smoking history, and sometimes whether you already have a plaque or heart disease. So, when someone says, "Just stop it," my question is, "Based on what?" Because they're not looking at your chart. They're not calculating your cardiovascular risk, and they're not responsible if that risk is ignored. My job is not to scare you into taking medications. It is also not to dismiss your concerns. My job is to help you understand your actual risks, your actual options, and what decisions make sense for your body. This is what informed consent sounds like. Save this if you've ever felt caught between your doctor's recommendations and everyone else's opinion about it. Comment statin if you want the breakdown I gave her.