In addition, rosuvastatin 5 mg effectively lowers triglycerides (-16%), total cholesterol (-30%), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C; -38%) and apolipoprotein (apo) B levels (-33%) and increases HDL-C (+8.2-13%) in a wide range of patients with hypercholesterolaemia, including the elderly, obese ...
Our study reported that both 5 mg and 10 mg rosuvastatin significantly decreases blood cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL levels.
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.
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).
According to a research review people who take simvastatin (Zocor) or pravastatin (Pravachol) may experience fewer side effects.
A low-dose statin like atorvastatin (Lipitor®) is safe for most patients, including those with mild liver enzyme abnormalities.
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.
Your health care team may prescribe medicine if: You have already had a heart attack or stroke or have peripheral arterial disease. Your LDL cholesterol level is 190 mg/dL or higher. You are 40–75 years old and have diabetes and an LDL cholesterol level of 70 mg/dL or higher.
The cholesterol-lowering action of alternate-day statins is as effective as daily dosing in many individuals. 6.
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.
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.
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.
Fifty patients met study criteria, and overall most (37/50; 74%) tolerated the once-a-week regimen (Table 1). Among those who experienced myalgias from previous statins, 71% (25/35) tolerated once-a-week rosuvastatin.
Adults—5 to 40 milligrams (mg) once a day. Children 10 to 17 years of age—5 to 20 mg per day. Children 8 to 9 years of age—5 to 10 mg per day. Children younger than 8 years of age—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
Now, if you are asking whether it is safe to split a tablet to get to the recommended dosage, the answer is yes. Lipitor does not have special coating or formulation that makes it a timed-release medication. Breaking the tablet in half will not alter its function or metabolism.
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.
Doctors have been prescribing statins for more than 30 years, and these medications are generally safe and effective with a low risk of serious side effects. Short-acting statins are most effective when a person takes them at night, but a person can take long-acting statins at any time of the day.
If your total cholesterol level is 200 to 239, you have a borderline level. The word “borderline” is used because levels of 200 to 239 are close to being high. A total cholesterol of 240 or above is a high level. If your LDL level is 130 to 159, you have a borderline level.
Making simple changes in your lifestyle is often enough to bring borderline cholesterol levels down to the normal range. Some people may also need to take medicine for it. And keep in mind that other things, like diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking, also affect your heart health; it's not just about cholesterol.
Conversely, pathological studies have documented statin-induced changes in plaque composition as early as 3 months after therapy initiation.
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.
Statin use is associated with increased calorie intake and consequent weight gain.
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.