I was put on 80 mg Lipitor after a heart attack 9/30/07.
My total cholesterol at the time was 197, an OK number for most folks.
Unfortunately for me, I was not "most" folks. I'm somewhat overweight, was a smoker, had a M.I., and had marginal high blood pressure. That's 4 strikes, too many to allow my cholesterol to remain where it was.
Three months later, my TC had dropped to 88. In these 3 months, I had basically given up all fat. The Dr switched me to 40 mg Lipitor. Another 3 months, and I was having major memory lapses & brain farts. Dr took me off Lipitor, put me on Crestor 10 mg, and my cognitive functions vastly improved pretty rapidly.
I'm doing everything I can to NEVER need that nasty Lipitor crap again.
I now exercise daily, eat lots of "good" fats, avoid all the tasty animal fats, and I'm feeling & looking much better. I've educated myself a lot, and firmly believe I will soon be off the Crestor.