We all know that there is a connection between the levels, either hight or low, of cholesterol in the blood and the chances of a heart failure and strokes. The higher the cholesterol, the higher the odds of the arteries in your body, especially those that supply the most important organs of your body like the heart and the brain, getting clogged up with plaques, leading to narrowing of the lumen and leading to the death of the organ supplied by those blood vessels due to low blood flow.
What is cholesterol and what are the problems that it makes?
This problems of high cholesterol in your blood, most of which is contributed to by synthesis of the substance in the liver (the balance being taken in through the diet as high cholesterol foods such as egg yolk, fatty meats and butter), is solved very well by the usage of potent chemical substances known collectively as statins. Statins function by inhibiting the enzyme HMG CoA reductase in the liver which is involved in the biosynthesis of cholesterol. As the production of cholesterol by the liver is a continual ongoing process, this results in the statin being recommended for continual long term use to lower high cholesterol.
The common satins in use and that are usually prescribed by doctors are: Mevacor (generic name lovastatin), Pravachol (generic name pravastatin), Zocor (generic name simvastatin), Lipitor or Lipator (generic name atorvastatin), and Crestor (rosuvastatin). Out of these drugs the most popular statin in use is Lipitor.
While these statins, cholesterol treatments, are extremely effective in the treatment of cholesterol levels, the problem arises of the statin’s side effects. The side effects of statins are common to statins as a group though, but can be more for certain members of the statin family, and less for others. The appearence of statin side effects also varies from person to person, and whether the statin is taken alone or in conjunction with other drugs. Statin side effects, aldhouhg they are minimal, can be sometimes disturb you and can be serious enough such that you will want to discontinue taking the drug.
So what are the common statins side effects?
Muscle pain – the most common side effect. This comes on as soreness, weakness or tiredness of your muscles. This may be so mild as to be a simple discomfort when walking or can be so severe that it causes pain when climbing stairs. Very rarely, the condition of rhabdomyolysis may occur, where there is severe muscle damage, leading to liver and kidney failure and death.
Liver Damage – statins can cause a rise in liver enzymes. If the increase is mild, it is said to be safe to continue the drug. Moderate rises usually can be reversed by discontinuing the drug. Because the effect is different in different people and in different statins, the doctor may recommend a different statin. Continued use of the drug in the face of a marked rise of liver enzymes may lead to liver damage. Liver damage may be totally asymptomatic. It is thus advisable for one to have liver function tests done about 6 week after starting a course of statins, and monitor these every 3 to 6 months or so.
Gastrointestinal Symptoms – this include nausea, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea or constipation. These statin side effects, although very common as a whole for all users of all medicines, are said to be rather rare with statin therapy. It is suggested that statins be taking in the evening or nights to reduce the incidence of these side effects.
Considering the upper side effects you might think: wouldn’t be better not to take them at all?
The answer to this question is NO. Currently statins are by far the best and most effective treatment for the lowering of the blood cholesterol to normal cholesterol levels, far more than any other measure. If one weighs the pros and cons of statin treatment, it will be obvious that the risks of getting heart attacks and strokes in an untreated high cholesterol patient far outweigh the risks of side effects of statin therapy. It is thus suggested that statins be recommended strongly still for the treatment of high cholesterol, but with the proviso that there be regular monitoring of blood for liver function tests as well as levels of creatine kinase, a rise of which indicates muscle damage. From thouse tests we found Lipator to have lesser side effects compared to other statins there for we recommend to take Lipitor into consideration if you are looking to lower your cholesterol with not too much worries.
To buy lipitor please acces our online shop at the cholesterol treatment category or by clicking here.
To your health,
The EremedyPhamra Team.