How to Decide If You Need Statin Therapy

Pick up a magazine and one of the first ads you might see is one touting the magical benefits of cholesterol lowering medications called statins. Statin medications such as Lipitor and Crestor are among the most widely prescribed in the world and for very good reasons. They have dramatically revolutionized the care of cardiovascular disease in the developed world and are very much responsible for the significant decrease in deaths due to stroke and heart disease. Yet for all the praise statin therapy receives many people are unaware that statin therapy has a dark side that the media and pharmaceutical companies frequently avoid talking about. There are very real medical side effects associated with statin therapy including liver inflammation, profound muscle aches and weakness, memory loss and gastrointestinal discomfort. In addition some common fruits can interact with statin therapy. Fortunately many of these symptoms resolve when the statin therapy is discontinued. So what are the criteria for deciding when to use statins? How do you decide if you need statin therapy?

Instructions

1. If you have coronary artery disease or suffered a heart attack then you need statin therapy for the rest of your life! Statin therapy helps to stabilize blocked coronary arteries and may even help to reverse the plaque formation.

2. If you've ever had a stroke or TIA (mini-stroke) then you need statin therapy! Statin therapy helps to reduce blood vessel inflammation and prevent the tiny blood vessels in the brain from clogging up.

3. If you have peripheral artery disease in your legs then you need statin therapy! You already have blocked arteries in your legs and you probably smoke as well. We know that the PAD will progress unless you continue statin therapy and change your lifestyle habits.

4. If you've got diabetes then you need statin therapy! High blood sugars don't typically kill diabetics but rather strokes and heart attacks. Nothing has been shown to be more effective at reducing these complications in diabetics than statin therapy.

5. If you have an elevated bad cholesterol level (LDL) but none of the above medical problems you still may need to be on statin therapy; however, many variables need to be factored into the complicated equation. For example how elevated is your bad cholesterol level? Do you have other major risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure or smoking? How old are you? Do you already have evidence for vascular disease such as having a blocked carotid artery in the neck or an abdominal aortic aneurysm? After considering each of these risk factors statin therapy can be started if your bad cholesterol is higher than the ideal target level based upon your overall 10 year risk for coronary hear disease.

Tips & Warnings

• Initiating statin therapy should be a mutual decision between you and your doctor. You should not begin taking a statin until all of your questions have been answered to your satisfaction.

• Therapeutic lifestyle changes such as exercise, weight loss and dietary modification should always be attempted for most individuals before statin therapy is considered.

• Follow your doctor's directions regarding statin therapy.

• If you experience any side effects which might be associated with statin therapy contact your doctor for further instructions.