Statins work by reducing the amount of cholesterol made by the liver and helping the liver remove cholesterol that is already in the blood. Statins may also reduce inflammation in the artery walls. This can lead to blockages that damage organs such as the heart and brain.
Very rarely, statins can cause life-threatening muscle damage called rhabdomyolysis (rab-doe-my-OL-ih-sis). Rhabdomyolysis can cause severe muscle pain, liver damage, kidney failure and death. The risk of very serious side effects is extremely low, and calculated in a few cases per million people taking statins.
“The liver is responsible for the vast majority of cholesterol production in the body,” Dr. Jacoby explains. “Statins are inhibitors that block the function of the liver enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which is essential to cholesterol formation.”
In conclusion, statin use is associated with increased incidence of acute and chronic kidney disease. These findings are cautionary and suggest that long-term effects of statins in real-life patients may differ from shorter term effects in selected clinical trial populations.
It turns out that not only are significant side effects rare, but statin medications are likely beneficial for the liver. In fact, research has shown that for people with liver disease, statins are associated with a reduced risk of liver failure, liver cancer, and death (see this study, this study, and this study).
Fortunately, severe liver injury is uncommon with statin use and is generally reversible without any intervention other than offending statin cessation.
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.
Side effects can vary between different statins, but common side effects include: headache. dizziness.
Berns: In cases of severe rhabdomyolysis, where people might even need dialysis, the damage can be permanent. Although this study did not explore it, other studies have, and it has generally been reversible when the statin is discontinued.
Numerous studies have shown that statin drug-use depletes the body of CoQ10, a nutrient vital for heart health and muscle strength because it is involved in ATP production in the cell. The muscle pains that many patients experience while on statins are a result of the body being depleted of CoQ10.
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.
In total, a pooled analysis of 36 studies found that statins were associated with a decreased risk of dementia (OR 0.80 (CI 0.75-0.86). For Alzheimer's disease, the association with statins based on 21 studies, was also reduced (OR 0.68 (CI 0.56-0.81).
The risk of hepatic injury caused by statins is estimated to be about 1 percent, similar to that of patients taking a placebo. Patients with transaminase levels no more than three times the upper limit of normal can continue taking statins; often the elevations will resolve spontaneously.
Mari Egan, Department of Family Medicine, University of Chicago ; Contributor Information. Corresponding author. Although physicians often avoid prescribing statins for patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver, their use has been found to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality—and to lower liver enzymes.
Adverse Effects and Hepatotoxicity
Simvastatin, lovastatin, fluvastatin, and atorvastatin are metabolized by cytochrome P-450, while pravastatin, rosuvastatin, and pitavastatin remain almost unaffected by any hepatic metabolic processes.
According to a research review people who take simvastatin (Zocor) or pravastatin (Pravachol) may experience fewer side effects.
PCSK-9 inhibitors thus reduce cholesterol levels by maintaining higher levels of LDL receptors that remove cholesterol from the blood. Currently, PCSK-9 inhibitors are limited in use as they must be administered as shots. Further research into them could expand their use as an alternative to statins.
Statin use is associated with increased calorie intake and consequent weight gain.
Anyone who wants to stop taking a statin should talk to a doctor. In some cases, coming off these drugs can be dangerous. The doctor may suggest reducing the dosage, combining the statin with another cholesterol lowering drug, or switching to another drug entirely.
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.
As evident from periodic liver enzyme estimations, we can say that alternate-day statin therapy is at least as safe as daily treatment regime. While there was one instance of myalgia, on daily atorvastatin treatment, alternate-day dosage of the same was well tolerated.
Which cholesterol-lowering drug is the safest? Overall, statins are safe as a class of drugs. 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.
Oatmeal, oat bran and high-fiber foods
Soluble fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, apples and pears. Soluble fiber can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. Five to 10 grams or more of soluble fiber a day decreases your LDL cholesterol.
A person is considered at high risk for developing heart disease if their total cholesterol level is higher than 240 mg/dL, LDL levels are higher than 160 mg/dL (190 mg/dL is even higher risk), and if the HDL level is below 40 mg/dL.