Statins: Good or Bad or Ugly
Statin & Cholesterol
High cholesterol treatment has made and continues to make huge differences in the lives of the majority people with high cholesterol levels, especially those hwo otherwise would not be able to control it. Statins when combined a physical activity regimen & a nutritional program can and do significantly lower bad cholesterol levels thus making the person healthier as a whole.
Statins: What Are They
Essentially a 'statin' is a type of medication used to lower high cholesterol levels when combined with lifestyle changes, when with diet & exercise alone just are not effective enough on their own.
Statins are really HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. Statins assist in increasing HDL cholesterol, high density lipoprotein also called "good" cholesterol, they lower LDL cholesterol, low density lipoprotein also known as "bad" cholesterol. Statins work well to abolish and or retardthe actual formation of plaque in your arteries thus preventing atherosclerosis ( hardening of the arteries). When plaque continues to build up in your arteries eventually they will clog thus inhibiting & blocking blood flow to vital parts of your body, such as your brain and your heart thus causing heart attack or stroke.
How Statins Do Their Job
Statins work by changing how your liver produces cholesterol. What statins do is block an enzyme that allows your liver to produce cholesterol thus preventing excess cholesterol from entering your bloodstream. Statins also are an active antioxidant that works by preventing LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and it is in this manner that statins help to reduce plaque formation in thw walls of your arteries.
Statins have well defined anti-inflammatory properties as well. This helps to prevent plaque in your arteries from rupturing and thus forming clots that can break free into your bloodstream and cause a stroke or heart attack.
Research has discovered that statin medications may even help people who have only moderately elevated cholesterol levels.
Statin Types
Your physician may prescribe any one of the following statins:
Trade Name Generic Name
* Lipitor - atorvastatin
* Lescol - fluvastatin
* Mevacor or Altoprev - lovastatin
* Pravachol - pravastatin
* Crestor - rosuvastatin
* Zocor - simvastatin
Statins are all essentially alike but they do come in different dose sizes and are used in varying amounts depending upon your need as determined by a range of criteria such as, weight, blood chemistry, other health conditions such as diabetes, cardio-vascular disease, physical condition, levels of physical exercise, etc.
It is recommended that you take your statin medication at night because your body manufactures more cholesterol overnight than during the day when you are more active.
You need to be aware of the fact that it will take several weeks, usually 2-5 weeks, to see any significant benefits from a regimen of statin therapy. Your doctor will check your cholesterol level after about 6-8 weeks to determine how well the statin is working and to see if you need a dosage change either up or down.
Side Effects of Statins
Statins keep your body from producing too much cholesterol. Common side effects of statins include:
1. Stomachache & gastric distress
2. Abdominal pain, flatulence & cramping
3. Constipation
4. Problems with the liver
5. Sore, weak & painful muscles
We will cover all of these symptoms in the following paragraphs.
Statins are safe for most people with high cholesterol. There are however, certain people who may react differently to this type of pharmaceutical. Work with your doctor to try a different statins if you have side effects from the first statin type that you try. Doctors already know that Zocor, Mevacor & Altoprev may interact negatively with other drugs so this is not something be concerned about. It is critically essential that you provide your physician with a complete list of all of your medications in cluding any and all over-the-counter vitamin, mineral & other detary supplements that you may take to help guide the decision on which statin is right for you to use.
Statins are safely taken by millions of people but need to know that there can be side effects. Serious side effects are uncommon, however. The most common side effects include bowel irregularity & mild abdominal discomfort caused by flatulence, usually these symptoms simply just fade away as your system adjusts to the statin medication. There are serious side effects that include:
1. Liver toxicity, even though a rarity, that can occur when taking statins. Your physician will regularly monitor your liver function if you have liver disease or ever have had a liver disease sucha s hepatitis.
2. Muscle aches or muscle tenderness can be a sign of a rare muscle condition called myositis. If you develop myositis, your physician will perform a blood test to determine muscle enzyme levels and thus keep tabs on the myositis. The 2 most common antibiotics, erythromycin & clarithromycin often and do increase your risk of statin-induced myositis ona temporary basis.
Even with the possibility of side effects, a recent study of some 230,000 people with high cholesterol found that those who faithfully took their statin medications were more likely to be alive in 4-5 years after starting therapy than those who did not take their medication with dedicated regularity. Actually a small per centage of people have these side effects, less than 3% total of those who take statins.
Causes of Statin Side Effects
Sometimes, rarely, statins may interact with other medications that you are taking they may also interact with foods, beverages like grapefruit juice even with vitamins & nutritional supplements. Interactions can make a medication more potent in your system thus resulting in side effects that range from having too much of the pharmaceutical in your system.
Before you commence taking any statin medication or if you begin to experience any of the side effects ask your physician
if there are any foods or drinks that you need to avoid with your medication. Usually they will tell you not imbibe grapefruit juice or grapefruit products. Also be sure to tell them about any other prescription or over-the-counter medications, vitamins, or alternative treatments that you take to manage side effects and interactions.
Treatment With Statins
For many people, lifestyle changes just are not enough to make a significant difference. The good news about statins is that statins are readily available in many forms including many inexpensive generics. The actual cost can be very minimal and the benefit of taking statins is great.
Currently statins are proven to be the most effective regiman of protecting hearts as well as saving lives, that works, is affordable & the safest to use. Statins require minimal cost & effort to use.
Only a physician can properly evaluate your risk and thus recommend a treatment regimen. If your cholesterol is high, medication may actually be the best way for you to protect your health & your heart. Even if you do not end up needing a statin medication you can benefit from sticking to a heart-healthy diet & participating in a regular exercise program
High cholesterol is often part of a package of health problems, perhaps with high blood pressure, heart disease, or even diabetes.
Many medications may be required to keep these conditions under control. Even if statin medications are the only meds you have to take are statins really worth the effort & expense? The answer is of course...YES!
Statins ahve changed the life, the quaility of life along with thelength of life for many people. They are not eveil medicationsa sdepicted by the unknowing & the ignorant. Statins are a helpful part of the health care system & regimens that can & do make better for those who take them.
Sources:
TRIUMPH OF THE HEART: The Story of Statins
Jie Jack Li, Oxford University Press, 2009
ISBN #: 9780195323573
What Everybody Ought to Know about Cholesterol and Statin Drugs
Innovative Healing Inc.
Liz Lipski, PhD, CCN
Audio-Book
http://www.LIPITOR.com
http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/cardiac/statcanc.html
http://arthritis-research.com/content/4/3/151
http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/S0306-9877%2805%2900318-X/abstract
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/292/5519/1160?ck=nck
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=163
Copyright © 2009 Donald R Houston, PhD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the author's consent.
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 7
There are so many ways to lower cholesterol with diet or herbs or exercise. Frankly, eating Cheerios every day for 6-8 weeks like it says on the box worked for me.
Did you know that the drug companies figure all adult Americans should be on statin drugs in the next 5-10 years. Why? It has not been proven that high cholesterol is even a problem.
The statements you are making are not rpoven, they are supposition.
No where did I mention that all people needed to use statins. It is a common fact that many people control their elevated LDL levels without resorting to statins and no physician worth the tile would prescribe statins for a patient with mildly elevated LDL levels or in most cases moderately elevated LLDL levels unless they we diabetic. Statins are not for everyone as the article points out but their use has kept many folks alive that otherwise would have died, has kept many people form becoming stroke-induced vegetables & has saved the lower limbs of many folks who suffered from atherosclerosis. Statins are not the answer to every peron's elevated LDL levels but they are an answer that works!
In trhe case of statins a blood test si performed to evaluate the ability of the patient to use statins. Once the patient is on the statins another etst is operfoemd 6-10 weeks later. As the article states it can take as long as 6-8 weeks for statins to begin working. Once that baseline has been established the patient is required to be tested every3-4 months. Ifa patient does not schedule & go for the lab appointment is not the fault of the medication or the physician.
I didn't say you wanted everyone on them, but the drug companies do.
I have about 6 or 7 books in my personal library about the false claims about cholesterol. Most of the studies done were funded by drug companies.
Thanks, Donald, for such an informative article. I've gotten positive cholesterol results from statins during the past year. However, Pravastatin caused "IQ leak", as I call it. I felt it was making me stupid and I was forgetting things. Crestor was good but not covered by my insurance and terribly expensive, so my doctor finally chose Lovastatin, which seems to cause less stupidity than Pravastatin and is affordable. He never mentioned taking it in the evening, so I've been taking it in the morning! Sounds like I'd better ask him about the evening thing!
He regularly demands my vials of blood (vampire man!) for tests that cover several things including regular cholesterol levels. Sometimes as often as once a month; he always reviews the results with me and works on figuring out and improving the areas where the test results aren't what he'd hoped. He is very concerned about side effects and does his best to balance health needs with possible effects.
He is definitely not the sort of person who over prescribes, and he talks about his concerns about too many drugs. He even talks about books he reads that criticize overprescription. I hope he is more typical than atypical of doctors, and certainly like to think so!
Yes, drug companies push their products, but ultimately, prescription laws and the good sense of our doctors protect us from drug companies and their aggressive advertising.