As a diabetic, I have to say that I'm already being pressured by my doctor to go on statins despite the fact that my last A1C was 5.3. Yes, my cholesterol levels are slightly elevated (220) as is my LDL but I have yet to be convinced that the potential benefit of going on a statin drug outweighs the potential detriments. I had a thallium stress test 18 months ago that revealed absolutely no problems (although they should have a doctor present when they presesnt you with the bill for that! ) and all my kidney function tests to date have been well within normal limits. I have a dilated eye exam yearly..no sign of problems.
I have an appointment next week and I have a feeling that it's going to wind up slightly confrontational. Last month he put me on an antihypertensive even though my blood pressure was 118/84 (he wants my diastolic closer to 70 he says) and it wound up dropping my BP to 96/68 and I felt like cr**. Needless to say, I don't feel that it's benefitting me. My BP has been like this since I was a teenager...it's normal for me! I'm starting to develop the opinion that even if these drugs might (and there's certainly no guarantees) get me a few more years of life, I'd rather live a possibly slightly shorter life feeling good than a slightly longer one feeling terrible. So far, every drug he's put me on with the exception of Metformin has made me feel terrible.
Besides...the only thing that studies have shown conclusively to date is that those who have the most birthdays tend to live the longest.