Hello there, Thank you for your question. It would have helped to know your age, gender and levels of cholesterol. Use of statins (Lipitor) is based on risk stratification. If you fall in a particular risk category for heart diseases then it is ideal for you to be on statins. Every person s risk for heart disease is different based on family history of heart diseases, Blood pressure, Cholesterol levels, any other comorbidities like diabetes or kidney disease. The side effects of Statins are mainly 1) muscle pains and muscle damage. This is very rare and and seen in 1 in 10000 patients. 2) Liver enzyme abnormality. This is also rare and all you need to do is monitor liver functions once in 3 months. Statins are one of the most commonly used drugs and the benefits seen with them far outweigh the risk. So do discuss these things with your treating physician and find your risk and reason to be on Statins. I am sure your doctor will be able to justify use for you and allay your concerns. Goal LDL cholesterol for general population with no other problem is less than 130. But in diabetics or people with heart diseases or strong family history the targets are much lower. LDL cholesterol is the bad cholesterol and diet and exercise will reduce this cholesterol only marginally. Hope this helps. Take care.