Analysis of nearly 1.4 million Medicare beneficiaries revealed that inpatient admission for cerebral infarction increased the odds of atorvastatin initiation by 11.51-fold, while myocardial infarction increased odds by 5.32-fold. A white male with recent stroke had an 82% predicted probability of starting the cholesterol-lowering medication. This research addresses a critical methodological challenge in cardiovascular outcomes research: identifying the optimal "time zero" when analyzing real-world medication effects. The findings align with clinical guidelines recommending immediate statin therapy after acute cardiovascular events for secondary prevention. For longevity-focused adults, this reinforces the importance of aggressive lipid management following heart attack or stroke, when treatment benefits are most pronounced. However, the study's focus on post-event medication timing limits insights for primary prevention strategies. The Medicare population restricts generalizability to younger adults, and the observational design cannot establish causation between events and treatment decisions. As a preprint awaiting peer review, these methodological insights may undergo revision, but the core finding supports evidence-based cardiology practice for secondary prevention.