You've done everything right — but your cholesterol is still too high
If you’re taking a statin like simvastatin, atorvastatin, or rosuvastatin and it’s not working as expected, you’re not alone. You might even be dealing with side effects like muscle aches, tiredness, or poor sleep. It’s frustrating — especially if your doctor increases your dose and nothing improves.
Many people ask:
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What is simvastatin used for?
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What are the bad side effects of atorvastatin?
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Should rosuvastatin be taken at night?
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Is rosuvastatin better than simvastatin?
Here’s the truth: sometimes, the problem isn’t the drug. It’s how your body processes it, and that’s often controlled by your DNA.
How your genes affect your response to statins
Your body is instructed by your genes to make and use proteins which move statins like rosuvastatin calcium from your bloodstream into the liver. If you carry a certain gene variant, the medicine may never get where it needs to go, meaning it won’t lower your cholesterol the way it should.
Other people break down statins too slowly, leading to a build-up in the body. That’s when side effects—like muscle pain, tiredness, or even changes in blood sugar—can happen.
What you can do
Instead of switching from simvastatin to atorvastatin and hoping for the best, there’s now a better approach: a pharmacogenomic test (PGx for short). It’s a simple cheek swab that helps doctors see how your genes affect your response to medication.
If your results show that you’re unlikely to benefit from statins—or that certain ones are more likely to cause side effects—your doctor can use this to explore alternatives.
That could mean trying a different statin, or it could mean being eligible for a different type of medication like evolocumab or alirocumab which are injections that powerfully lower cholesterol in people who’ve tried other treatments without success.
The bottom line
If you’ve taken simvastatin, atorvastatin, or rosuvastatin and still feel like you're not getting anywhere, your DNA might hold the answer.
PGx testing can help you and your doctor:
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Avoid unnecessary trial and error of different medications
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Reduce the risk of long-term side effects
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Access more effective treatments, faster
You’re not being difficult. You’re being different. And sometimes, that difference is in your genes.