“We found that statins lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and that the effect extends to patients with pre-hypertension, those with normal blood pressure and persons not on blood-pressure lowering medications,” said Golomb.
Abstract. Objective: As a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, statins have been reported to cause unexpected decrease in blood pressure (BP).
Indeed, a recent review has shown that statins lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) up to 8.0 mmHg in patients with dyslipidemia and normal BP; 6.0 mmHg in patients without dyslipidemia and with hypertension; and 13.7 mmHg in patients with dyslipidemia and hypertension [2].
Conclusion: Statins lower blood pressure by cholesterol-independent mechanisms, and the reduction is larger in individuals with higher blood pressure and those with low HDL-C. Statins may be beneficial in preventing hypertension and may contribute to better blood pressure control in hypertensive patients.
While statins are highly effective and safe for most people, they have been linked to muscle pain, digestive problems and mental fuzziness in some people who take them and may rarely cause liver damage.
The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association developed some prescription guidelines. Typically, if a person's LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) is 190 or higher, they're often advised to start a statin.
If you're taking a statin medication to lower your cholesterol, you will need to keep taking your prescription, or your cholesterol will likely go back up. Stopping your statin can put you at risk of having heart disease and other preventable health problems like stroke and heart attack from high cholesterol.
Researchers say prescribing statins along with blood pressure medications improves the survival odds for people with hypertension. The number of deaths from stroke and heart disease could significantly decrease if people are given statins in combination with medications that lower blood pressure.
Statins work by slowing your body's production of cholesterol, which affects plaque accumulation in your arteries. Lower cholesterol means lower blood pressure, resulting in reducing your risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Side effects can vary between different statins, but common side effects include: headache. dizziness.
Statins help lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, also known as “bad” cholesterol, in the blood. They draw cholesterol out of plaque and stabilize plaque, Blaha says.
Statins don't just lower cholesterol levels but also reduce the risk of fatty plaques breaking off from walls of your arteries, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Context: Heart failure (HF) is rapidly increasing in incidence and is often present in patients receiving long-term statin therapy.
High blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol are linked. Cholesterol plaque and calcium cause your arteries to become hard and narrow. So, your heart has to strain much harder to pump blood through them. As a result, your blood pressure becomes too high.
Rarely, however, statins can precipitate the onset of other serious conditions, including muscle damage and diabetes. The risk of such infrequent side effects pales in comparison with the very real risk of heart attack or stroke among those with established heart disease or history of stroke.
According to a research review people who take simvastatin (Zocor) or pravastatin (Pravachol) may experience fewer side effects.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
The most important thing your doctor will keep in mind when thinking about statin treatment is your long-term risk of a heart attack or stroke. If your risk is very low, you probably won't need a statin, unless your LDL is above 190 mg/dL (4.92 mmol/L).
Statins should be taken with caution if you're at an increased risk of developing a rare side effect called myopathy, which is where the tissues of your muscles become damaged and painful. Severe myopathy (rhabdomyolysis) can lead to kidney damage. Things that can increase this risk include: being over 70 years old.
Certain drugs can interact with atorvastatin (Lipitor) and increase its side effects. These include fibrates, niacin supplements, cyclosporine, clarithromycin, itraconazole, HIV protease inhibitors, oral contraceptives containing norethindrone or ethinyl estradiol, digoxin, rifampin, and colchicine.
After having their cholesterol tested, seniors should be given a number between 190 and 260. Healthy seniors should keep their total cholesterol below 200 and their LDL cholesterol around 100. If your elderly loved one's LDL cholesterol level is above 160, he or she must start making sweeping lifestyle changes.
It's possible for some people to stop taking statins safely, but it can be especially risky for others. For instance, if you have a history of heart attack or stroke, it's not recommended that you stop taking these drugs. This is because you're more likely to have another such problem when you discontinue statins.
Statin use is associated with increased calorie intake and consequent weight gain.