Cardiovascular Advisor
Statins
What are statins?
Statins are a group of medicines used to lower cholesterol levels. They include atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Altoprev, Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor), and simvastatin (Zocor).
How do they work?
Statins slow down the production of cholesterol. Cholesterol is a type of fat. Your body makes some cholesterol and gets the rest from foods such as meats, dairy products, and eggs.
Cholesterol has both good and bad effects on the body. Your body uses cholesterol to make hormones and to build and maintain nerve cells. When your body has too much cholesterol, deposits of fat called plaque form on the inside of blood vessel walls. The blood vessel walls get thicker and the open area inside the vessels gets narrower (a condition called atherosclerosis). When this happens, less blood flows through your blood vessels, increasing your risk of heart disease and possibly leading to a heart attack or stroke.
Statins lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. They slightly increase the amount of HDL (good) cholesterol. Statins also increase the liver's ability to remove LDL cholesterol from the blood.
When are they used?
Statins are used to:
- lower cholesterol levels
- reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other heart disease.
How can I take care of myself?
- Your healthcare provider will want to see you regularly to check on your progress and to change your dosage if necessary. You will have blood tests to see if the medicine is working. You may also have tests to see how the medicine may be affecting you. Keep all your appointments.
- Take all medicines exactly as prescribed. Do not take any other medicines, including nonprescription medicines, without letting your provider know.
- If you are overweight, ask your provider for help with weight control.
- Eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.
- Exercise regularly according to your provider's recommendations.
You should begin to see results from the statins after several weeks.
What should I watch out for?
Report any unusual muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness to your healthcare provider right away, especially if you have a fever or feel ill.
Other medicines can interact with statins. Always tell your provider about every medicine you are taking. The effects of some statins may be increased by grapefruit and grapefruit juice. Discuss this with your healthcare provider.
You may need to stop this medicine a few days before any surgery or other procedures. Talk with your provider about this.
When should I call my healthcare provider?
Report these side effects to your provider right away:
- severe muscle pain or muscle weakness
- unusual tiredness or weakness
- brown or dark urine
- pale stools
- yellow skin or eyes.
