Don t trust your doctor on this one! Both my husband and I have problems like that with statins and I also had muscle wasting with Zetia. These problems are not at all uncommon and most doctors these days are rushing to prescribe those drugs without thinking about it at all. They cause cardiac and skeletal muscle wasting in many people. You need to do the following and it will drop your cholesterol level: Eat oatmeal (whole or old fashioned rolled oats are best), salmon and other fish 3-4 times a week, chicked without the skin, garlic, lots of fruits and veggies. Make sure your diet is rich in antioxidants provided by the most colorful fruits and veggies- as fresh as possible. Sea legs are fine. Don t eat cheese, butter, ice cream or dairy products other than yogurt, kefir and lowfat milk. Get a good non-trans fat margarine and use high quality cold pressed oils (olive, canola, sunflower and safflower) as a substitute. Basically I wouldn t worry about any fish, even shellfish, which contains cholesterol - it s probably got good cholesterol. Avoid red meat (once a month is enough), fried foods, bread, potatoes, rice except for whole grained rice. Eat nuts. Almond butter helps with depression. If you smoke, get help to stop. Next, here is something that is not proven yet, but may very hlep peolpe who are trying to reduce cholesterol and calcium buildup on their arteries. It s called chelation therapy. Check out one form of it at the Website below.