This has me pretty wound up today. Driving along listening to the radio when I hear that there are new guidelines around proscribing statins for cholesterol lowering and that now it will include people who do not have high LDL levels, but also for a number of other reasons.
I still have homework to do on this BUT, now about 25% of the population is on these meds and the changes could raise this to 50%. Not a fan of statins to begin with, or the pharmaceutical industry in some instances, I'm giving this the hairy one-eyeball.
What about you? Are you taking statins already?
Do you see this changing as a result of the new parameters?
I am also wondering if we can find ourselves being labeled as 'uncooperative' patients if we opt to not take them under the new guidelines or as part of the new rules of healthcare in the USA?
Here are a couple of early articles for the public with different opinions about the way the numbers will play out. Both mainstream press.
Forbes:
When Should You Take A Statin? The Answer Just Changed.
NPR:
Shift In Cholesterol Advice Could Double Statin Use
Time to buy shares in Crestor?
One more item, here is a link to the
American Heart Association risk calculator
*At this moment it is overwhelmed, may have to try later*