Good Morning and Welcome to HealthcareMagic, Red Rice Yeast is effective to take in the place of a statin in lowering lipids. However, your liver enzymes need testing periodically just as if you were taking a statin to assure a safe treatment as it does have the potential for liver toxicity just the same as for statin drugs. Then there is the question of where you are getting your Red Yeast. In the US the active component that is similar to the statin drug has been mandated to be removed thus reducing any effect it used to have on reducing cholesterol levels. There are similar side-effects to Red Yeast as with statins as far as muscle problems go, so I am not sure this is an option you would like to take. Doctors do not look just at total cholesterol to determine risk but at an entire profile and assign a risk factor. For example, if your LDL is very high, even with a cholesterol of 182, more of that cholesterol will be carried on that LDL protein carrier to the walls of your artery where it drops it off for plaque formation than if you had a low LDL level. They also look at genetics, other cardiac factors such as blood pressure, weight, lifestyle habits, etc. Now, as for your age being 84, the trend on treating the older adults with statins for cholesterol reduction has changed and we tend to feel that trying to reverse or treat high cholesterol with statins is not as beneficial as once thought years ago and is not done as often anymore. The most common side effects of digoxin treatment are:nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite; fast, slow, or uneven heart rate; bloody or black, tarry stools; blurred vision, yellowed vision; or confusion, hallucinations, unusual thoughts or behavior. Serious side effects may be more likely in older adults and those who are ill or debilitated. nausea, diarrhea; feeling weak or dizzy; headache, weakness, anxiety, depression; enlarged breasts in men; or mild skin rash. I did not see fluid retention in legs and feet as a side-effect. In summary, I would not worry about your cholesterol levels, but maintain a good diet high in oats, fresh fruits, vegetables, and keep active as possible. Walk every day. Watch your sodium keeping it below 2300 mg (read labels, follow a low sodium diet), if legs and feet swell- sit down and raise your feet for awhile, keep hydrated at 8 glasses water per day and concentrate on maintaining the health you have. If the doctor took you off digoxin because of swelling and YOU feel you should be on it, cut your sodium down and see if you still have this problem, go back and tell your doctor you no longer have this problem( if it goes away) and ask to be re-evaluated for the digoxin treatment. Digoxin is not given for cholesterol, it is given for heart failure and atrial fibrillation so the two drugs are not comparable. I hope this clarifies your question. Regards, Kathryn Shattler, MS, RDN