Statins, like all medications, have side effects or the possibility of adverse reactions. You don t mention your cholesterol numbers, but in general unless you have risk factors for coronary artery disease [CAD] (male age 55, diabetes, smoker, high blood pressure, family history of CAD), you can use diet and exercise to keep your LDL (bad cholesterol) below 130mg/dL. It isn t until you develop heart disease that you need to target lower numbers-which usually requires medications. I would urge you to research ways to change your diet to lower your cholesterol and avoid medications for as long as you can.