My Mom has high cholesterol. Last year she took meds each day for a whole year (10mg) and this year they increased it to (20mg)

My Mom has "TERRIBLE HEART PROBLEMS" that are known right now (She's waiting to go to the cardiologist for some testing)

The cholesterol med she is taking right now is.. "lipitor 20mg atorvastatin calcium"

I am sooooooooooooooo worried for her, she seems to be getting weaker.

I need to ask you.. should she really take this med? Or should she find natural ways to decrease her high cholesterol? (Eating healthier etc..)

The med says that it has (heart palpitations) and that's terrible, my mom has enough heart problems.

Can you please tell me what are the downfalls of this med?

I am so worried! I've posted here before and I really appreciate you all for replying to me, it means so so much!

Thank you from the heart.

Jane

Quote from jane87:

My Mom has "TERRIBLE HEART PROBLEMS" that are known right now (She's waiting to go to the cardiologist for some testing)

Just what are the "terrible heart problems" that are known right now? Since you say she is waiting to go to the cardiologist, I would think that they really don't know exactly what the problems are.

[quote]The cholesterol med she is taking right now is.. "lipitor 20mg atorvastatin calcium"

I am sooooooooooooooo worried for her, she seems to be getting weaker.

I need to ask you.. should she really take this med? Or should she find natural ways to decrease her high cholesterol? (Eating healthier etc..)I am personally very conservative when it comes to taking medications, especially cholesterol meds. For most people who have high numbers but do not have heart disease, my opinion is that they would be better off to try lifestyle changes first, and only if that is unsuccessful, to consider cholesterol meds. It is a different story with someone with heart disease. Since the risk of doing nothing is greater, action needs to be taken sooner. There are many more questions about how much good the meds do for women than for middle-aged men, but I'd still recommend that she follow the doctor's orders, at least until the further tests are done and she knows exactly what she is dealing with regarding heart problems.

Read through the list of side effects which comes with the medicine. If there are any terms she or you are unfamiliar with, look them up, so you know what to look for. There are online medical dictionaries you can use. Notify the doctor immediately if you think she is having any serious side-effects. Please be aware that most of the side effects happen only rarely. So there is no need to get upset about the possibility, just plan to discontinue the med (if it is something serious like muscle pain) and notify the doctor if it happens.