Contents:
- Medical Video: Statin Misinformation: Mayo Clinic Radio
- What are statins?
- What are the benefits of statins?
- What are the side effects of statins?
- Muscle damage and pain
- Liver damage
- Impact on the brain
- Increases the risk of type 2 diabetes
Medical Video: Statin Misinformation: Mayo Clinic Radio
Statins are known as cholesterol-lowering drugs. People with high cholesterol complaints may rely on statins to be able to control their cholesterol levels. However, being dependent on statins is certainly not good. This can cause you to experience statin side effects. Anything?
What are statins?
Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs. This drug works by blocking the work of enzymes that the body uses to produce cholesterol in the liver. You need to know that about 75% of body cholesterol is produced by the liver.
Many types of statin drugs that you can get, such as atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, and simvastatin. Generally, they work the same way and offer the same level of effectiveness in lowering cholesterol. However, some types of statin drugs may work better than other statin drugs.
What are the benefits of statins?
Generally, statins work well in helping to reduce levels of bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) in the blood. This certainly can reduce your risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.
Not only that, statins can also help you stabilize the lining of blood vessels and help relax blood vessels, so that a decrease in blood pressure can occur. Research also shows that statins can help reduce the risk of constriction of blood vessels and help fight inflammation in blood vessels.
What are the side effects of statins?
Although statins do benefit your health, statins can also cause side effects. Statin side effects may not be experienced by everyone taking statins, but your risk of experiencing statin side effects can increase if you take large amounts of statins, have kidney or liver disease, or have a small posture. Women and the elderly (over 65 years) also have a higher risk of experiencing side effects of statins.
Some of the side effects of statins that you can experience are:
Muscle damage and pain
Muscle pain may be common in those who use statins. This muscle pain can occur at a level that is mild to very severe to disrupt your activities. A study shows that people who use statins can develop muscle pain at the same level as people who use a placebo. Muscle pain may be lighter if you switch to a different type of statin. You may have to find the type of statin drug that suits you.
Statins can also cause muscle damage called rhabdomyolysis, if the use is combined with certain drugs or if you use statins in high doses. However, rhabdomyolysis due to statins is very rare. If it occurs, rhabdomyolysis can cause severe muscle pain, liver damage, kidney failure, and even death.
Liver damage
The use of statins can cause an increase in the level of enzymes that indicate liver inflammation. If the increase is still in a mild level, you can continue to use the statin. However, if you cause a severe increase, you might be able to try statins in different types. But, usually this rarely happens.
Impact on the brain
Some people report that they experience memory loss or confusion after taking statins. And, this effect diminishes after they stop drinking it. However, research to prove this is still limited. It's best to talk to your doctor if you experience confusion or memory loss after taking a statin.
Increases the risk of type 2 diabetes
Your blood sugar levels may increase when you use statins, so it can increase your risk for type 2 diabetes. However, another theory also says that statins can prevent heart attacks in diabetics. That is, the use of statins in diabetics is safe. Yes, the relationship between statins and type 2 diabetes is still unclear. The benefits of statins may still outweigh the effect of increasing blood sugar.
