What is the best statin for the elderly?

Atorvastatin or fluvastatin are usually recommended because there is no need to adjust the dose according to the glomerular filtration rate [28]. In patients without diagnosed atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, it is indicated a moderate dose of statin, such as atorvastatin 20 mg daily [28].

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Should an 80 year old take statins?

Regardless of age, those who have suffered a heart attack or stroke will benefit from taking a statin.

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What is the most gentle statin?

Serious adverse events are very rare. Among the individual medications, studies have shown that simvastatin (Zocor®) and pravastatin (Pravachol®) seem to be safer and better tolerated than the other statins.

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Should people older than 75 take statins?

“So everyone over 75 is at high risk.” On the other hand, older patients are more likely to be on multiple medications that can interact with statins. And there's some evidence that this age group may be more prone to statin side effects, such as muscle pain, an increased risk of diabetes, and liver problems.

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What is the new treatment instead of statins?

An alternative medication, bempedoic acid, significantly lowers cholesterol and the risk of heart attacks, as well as reducing the need for a procedure that unblocks clogged arteries, according to a large clinical trial presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology.

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Study Confirms What Many Patients Taking Statins Have Said for Years | NBC Nightly News

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What is the new cholesterol medication for 2023?

By Lauran Neergaard • Published March 6, 2023

shows the cholesterol-lowering drug Nexletol made by Esperion Therapeutics Inc. Drugs known as statins are the first-choice treatment for high cholesterol but millions of people who can't or won't take those pills because of side effects may have another option.

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What is the new cholesterol medication in Australia?

The new bempedoic acid drug – currently called Nexletol – is being developed by US-based Esperion Therapeutics and will go to the Therapeutics Goods Administration for approval for use in Australia.

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Why discontinue statins in elderly?

In a large population cohort study of patients aged 65 and older, investigators found that discontinuing statins, even while maintaining antihypertensives, antidiabetics, and antiplatelet medications, was associated with an increased risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular outcomes, cardiovascular hospital ...

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Can you stop taking statins after you start?

It's important to know that stopping statins cold turkey, or even gradually, can cause serious health problems and you should talk to your doctor before doing so. To understand more about your heart health, take a health risk assessment at Baptist Health.

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What are side effects of statins in the elderly?

However, statins can cause side effects in older adults including gait disturbances, which can lead to falls; increased blood glucose levels and incidence of diabetes mellitus; development of cataracts; liver toxicity; and muscle complications such as rhabdomyolysis, which is a potentially life-threatening condition.

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What is the best cholesterol medicine that is not a statin?

7 cholesterol-lowering alternatives to statins
  • Fibrates. Mostly used for lowering triglyceride levels in patients whose levels are very high and could cause pancreatitis. ...
  • Plant stanols and sterols. ...
  • Cholestyramine and other bile acid-binding resins. ...
  • Niacin. ...
  • Policosanol. ...
  • Red yeast rice extract (RYRE) ...
  • Natural products.

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Which statin has the least leg pain?

Even though all statins are similar chemically, they have some minor differences that could impact how likely they are to cause muscle pain. Simvastatin is the most likely to cause muscle pain, and fluvastatin is the least likely.

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Which statin is safest for kidneys?

We showed that fluvastatin 20 mg/ezetimibe 10 mg was the most efficacious treatment regarding both renal outcomes.

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What age is too late to start statin?

So current medical guidelines recommend statins for people in that no-heart-disease category, a strategy called primary prevention — but only for those up to age 75. Yet almost half of adults aged 75 and older take statins, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported.

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Do cardiologists recommend statins?

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.

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Can statins cause confusion in the elderly?

Neurological side effects

The FDA warns on statin labels that some people have developed memory loss or confusion while taking statins.

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Does cholesterol go back up after stopping statin?

Statins in particular can help lower your LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) by 30% to 50%, but their effects go away after you stop taking them.

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What happens if I don't take my statins for a week?

You usually have to continue taking statins for life because if you stop taking them, your cholesterol will return to a high level. If you forget to take your dose, do not take an extra one to make up for it.

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What foods should you avoid when taking statins?

Grapefruit juice is the only food or drink that has a direct interaction with statins. Statins do not directly interact with any food but people taking statins should moderate their intake of saturated fats to help lower their LDL cholesterol and overall risk of cardiovascular disease.

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Why should people over 70 not take atorvastatin?

Statins are medications designed to lower cholesterol to decrease your risk of cardiovascular issues, such as heart attacks. Recent research shows that people 75 and older who go off statins have an increased risk of hospitalization because of cardiovascular problems.

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What is the life expectancy of a person on statins?

Taking statins can enable you to live years longer. That's because for every millimole per liter you drop your bad LDL cholesterol, you may live three years longer––maybe even six years longer, depending on which study you're reading.

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What percentage of seniors take statins?

Currently, more than 60 percent of older people in the United States who, like me, have high cholesterol take a statin to help prevent a heart attack or stroke.

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What is the No 1 medicine for cholesterol?

Statins are the most common medicine for high cholesterol. They reduce the amount of cholesterol your body makes.

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What is the new treatment for high cholesterol?

A newer drug called Nexletol was approved in 2020 by the FDA to treat high cholesterol, but the new study published in NEJM shows that the drug also reduces the risk of heart disease. Researchers believe this data supports using Nexletol as a safe and effective alternative for many people who cannot take statins.

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