Cholesterol-lowering medicines, statins 

Introduction 

Preventing and reducing high cholesterol

Too much cholesterol in the body causes coronary diseases such as angina, heart attack and stroke. Dr Jonathan Morrell explains who is at risk and the treatments that are available.

Types of statin

There are several different statins. Names include:

Healthy lifestyle

Statins can be effective in reducing cholesterol levels and preventing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) but they are not a ‘magic bullet’.

If you are being treated with statins, to keep your cholesterol levels at a healthy level it is likely  you will also need to make lifestyle changes such as:

Read more about preventing high cholesterol.

Eat less saturated fat

Eating too much saturated fat can cause raised cholesterol. Follow these practical tips on how to cut down

Statins are a group of medicines that can help lower rates of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (so called ‘bad cholesterol’) in the blood.

They do this by reducing the production of LDL cholesterol inside the liver.

Why do I need statins?

Having high-rates of LDL cholesterol is potentially dangerous as it can lead to hardening and narrowing of the arteries, which is known as atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis increases the risk of more serious, and possibly life-threatening, conditions, such as:

Statin therapy is usually recommended in the following groups of people:

  • people with pre-existing heart disease
  • people who are healthy but have a high risk of developing heart disease at a later date
  • people who have a high cholesterol level because of a faulty gene they have inherited from their parents – this is known as familial hypercholesterolaemia

Read more about who should take statins.

Side effects

Many people who take statins experience no or very few side effects.

Others do experience troublesome but usually minor side effects, such as an upset stomach, headache or problems sleeping (insomnia).

Cases that involve more serious side effects, such as kidney failure, tend to get a great deal of media coverage, but these cases are rare. The British Heart Foundation reports than only 1 in every 10,000 people who take statins will experience a potentially dangerous side effect.

Also the risks of any side effects have to be balanced against the benefits of preventing serious conditions such as heart attack and stroke.

It is estimated that statins save 7,000 lives a year in the UK.

Read more about the side effects of statins and things to consider when taking statins.

Interactions

Statins can sometimes interact with other medicines and cause unpleasant reactions such as muscle damage. Some types can also interact with grapefruit juice.

It is very important to read the information leaflet that comes with your medication to see if there are any interactions you need to be aware of.

If in doubt contact your GP or pharmacist for advice.

Read more about interactions with statins. 

Last reviewed: 16/04/2012

Next review due: 16/04/2014

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6 Comments

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Comments are personal views. Any information they give has not been checked and may not be accurate.

ailsa craig said on 12 September 2012

the jury is out on statins - and on cholesterol levels.
cholesterol is found in arterial wall deposits, thus, we've been led to believe, high cholesterol is to blame, but
arterial calcification could be linked to lack of vitamin d, rather than to high cholesterol levels.

i.e. the french population eats high amounts of animal fat and has higher cholesterol levels than the british population, but has far fewer incidents of cardiovascular disease.
a recent study claims that statins act on vitamin d receptors in the body, as they are or contain components that mimic vitamin d in the body.

the pharmaceutical industry, for obvious reasons, isn't happy regarding these findings.
vitamin d3 can't be patented so the industry and their shareholders won't be able to make any money.
but, if these findings turn ou to be correct, we could all take vitamin d3 supplements (no side effects), rather than statins.
food (low or high cholesterol) for thought?????

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MatthewMcKendree said on 08 May 2012

Statins are known currently to be by far the most effective medications for the lowering of high blood cholesterol levels. However this comes with a price. The usage of statins may be accompanied by statin side effects such as muscle damage, liver damage and gastrointestinal symptoms. The degree of damage, however is usually mild and reversible by discontinuation of the drug.<a href="http://www.aitkin.k12.mn.us/nurse/links.html">Blood Cholesterol</a>

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User626030 said on 19 December 2011

Having used statins for many years I finally gave up on them insofar as the side effects (very severe muscle aches) worked against the primary alternative treatment of taking vigorous exercise.
Since then I have noticed a massive increase in their use and frankly, left to their own devices, I believe the drug companies would have babes in arms on these dangerous drugs.
The prognosis to the story: Since dumping statins my exercise has increased dramatically - cholesterol down to within normal range - angina a thing of the past.

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vernon39 said on 20 January 2011

Doesn't yet note contents of Choice News item News 19/1/2011

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2011/01January/Pages/cholesterol-lowering-statin-drugs-examined.aspx

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brianfromenfield said on 01 December 2009

I am surprised that no reference is made to the risks of statins (I actually wanted to find out about these).

Also it is notable that Mr Parker (and most of the literature concerning cholesterol reducing foods/drugs/exercises) does not quantify the benefits - i.e. how much can I expect to reduce my cholesterol by doing various things? I believe I read once that diet can give a maximum reduction of only about half a micromole whereas my cholesterol needs reducing by several micromoles so special diets may well be an unpleasant waste of effort! But no one tells you.

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laryparker said on 01 October 2009

Some changes in your diet that may reduce your cholesterol. Oats, in the unprocessed form have been proven to reduce cholesterol. Using soy products such as soymilk can reduce your cholesterol. Exercise, as little as half an hour; thrice a a week, has been shown results of lower cholesterol. Ateronon, is a one a day food supplement, which contains 7mg of Lycopene.It is proven to reduce ‘bad cholesterol’ which causes fatty deposits and blocks arteries.

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