Statins are prescription drugs that lower your level of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol that builds up in arteries. Statins work by keeping your liver from getting an enzyme it needs to make cholesterol. Most people can take statins without bad side effects. Your healthcare provider will look at your risks and decide if a statin is right for you.
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Cardiologist Tamanna Singh, MD, explains how statins lower cholesterol, protect arteries, reduce heart disease risk and what to know about side effects.
Statins are prescription medications that people take to bring their cholesterol down to normal levels. Statins decrease the “bad” cholesterol that builds up in your arteries: LDL (low-density lipoprotein). High levels of LDL in your bloodstream lead to a buildup of plaque in blood vessels. This can clog your blood vessels and make it harder for blood to flow.
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A heart attack or stroke occurs when plaque completely clogs an artery.
Statins also decrease your triglycerides and help your liver get rid of more cholesterol. They may increase your HDL (high-density lipoprotein or “good”) cholesterol. HDL brings cholesterol to your liver, which gets it out of your body.
Statin drugs are some of the most common prescriptions in the U.S. More than 92 million adults take them.
Statins get in the way when your liver is trying to make cholesterol. Like a good basketball player who doesn’t let an opponent get the ball, statins don’t let your liver have an enzyme (HMG-CoA reductase) it needs to create cholesterol. Your body makes most of your cholesterol, so helping it produce less can really drive your levels down. The rest of your body’s cholesterol comes from what you eat.
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Statins offer benefits like reducing your LDL “bad” cholesterol, causing existing plaque to regress and slow plaque progression.
Statin drugs lower your total and LDL cholesterol levels to make you less likely to have a heart attack or stroke. Your body uses cholesterol when it makes vitamin D, hormones and the acid you use to digest food. But if you have too much cholesterol in your blood, it can collect inside your arteries. This creates obstacles that make it harder for your blood to get through your blood vessels.
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If cholesterol keeps building up in your arteries, it can do more than just make them narrow. The plaque (obstacles) in your blood vessels can become unstable and break open, leading to a heart attack or stroke.
Your healthcare provider can prescribe different brands of this cholesterol medicine, as well as generic forms. Types include:
You can also get statins combined with another medicine in one pill, like:
Statins can help you if changing what you eat and getting more physical activity aren’t enough to bring your cholesterol into a normal range.
Your healthcare provider will look at your risk of heart and blood vessel disease when deciding if you should take a statin medication. They’ll consider these risk factors:
Statins decrease your risk of having a stroke or heart attack because they cut down the amount of LDL (low-density lipoprotein or “bad”) cholesterol in your blood. Some statins can decrease your LDL cholesterol by 50% or more. LDL cholesterol can narrow your arteries (atherosclerosis), making it hard for your blood to circulate and putting you at risk for a heart attack or stroke.
Statins also reduce inflammation and slow plaque progression.
Some people have an interaction with another medicine while taking statins. Whenever your provider considers prescribing medication for you, it’s important to tell them what else you’re taking. That includes other prescription drugs, medicines you buy without a prescription, vitamins, herbs, supplements and recreational drugs.
Most people don’t have side effects from statins and some side effects are rare. Some people have muscle aches or mild reversible abnormalities in liver function test results. Your provider will monitor your health carefully while you take a statin.
If one type of this cholesterol medicine causes side effects, ask your provider whether they can switch you to a different one.
When you take statin drugs, your body makes less LDL cholesterol. And that means less cholesterol buildup in your arteries and better blood flow.
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Your healthcare provider will prescribe the dose that’s right for you. It could range from 1 milligram (mg) to 80 mg.
Statin drugs are tablets or capsules that you swallow whole with or without food. You should take them at the same time each day, usually once a day.
The label on your medicine bottle will tell you if you need to take your statin medication at a certain time of day. Some statins stay in your system for a short time. They work best if you take them in the evening (before your body starts making cholesterol overnight). Other statin drugs stay in your system longer. They work just as well if you take them at other times of the day.
You get the most benefit from a statin by taking it for decades, so you’ll most likely need to keep taking statin drugs for the rest of your life.
Without significant changes in eating and physical activity habits, your cholesterol level will go back up if you stop taking statins.
While you’re taking statins, you should contact your provider if your muscles or joints hurt or if you feel weak, have a fever, have jaundice or if your urine is dark.
Some researchers think statins can contribute to trivial weight gain. Statin users may also eat more calories and fat because they have a false sense of security from good lipid panel results. It’s important to eat heart-healthy foods and be physically active, even if you’re taking a statin.
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You should avoid statins if you’re pregnant, nursing or have certain types of liver disease. Let your provider know if you have diabetes. If you’re already at risk for diabetes, statins can add slightly to your risk of getting it. But the benefit of statins greatly outweighs this risk.
Talk to your provider if you have concerns about taking a statin.
So, your cholesterol is up and won’t budge despite your best efforts to get more physical activity and eat healthier foods. This is more common than you might think. Sometimes, it takes a statin medication to bring cholesterol down. But even if you start taking a statin, remember that you’ll get the best results if you continue being active and eating healthy while taking the medicine. Ask your provider if you have questions about ways to keep your heart healthy.
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