What is the real truth about statins?
What is the real truth about statins?
The truth: Taking a statin can increase blood sugar levels. If you’re already pre-diabetic, that slight hike in blood sugar could push you into diabetes. Even so, research suggests that this risk of diabetes caused by statins is about 0.5-1%. So in that sense, the benefits of statin therapy greatly outweigh the risks.
Are statins worth the risk?
Research has shown that statins are highly effective in reducing the risk of fatal heart attack and stroke. But some people are reluctant to take these life-saving drugs. They worry about taking medicine every day for the rest of their life or have heard that statins have undesirable side effects.
Why you should never take a statin?
Very rarely, statins can cause life-threatening muscle damage called rhabdomyolysis (rab-doe-my-OL-ih-sis). Rhabdomyolysis can cause severe muscle pain, liver damage, kidney failure and death. The risk of very serious side effects is extremely low, and calculated in a few cases per million people taking statins.
What is the downside of taking statins?
According to the Mayo Clinic, the most common side effect of statins is muscle and joint aches and pains. The medication can also cause nausea and vomiting. More serious side effects include liver and kidney damage, an increase in blood sugar, and neurological side effects.
Can you get off statins Once you start?
Therefore, most people who begin taking a statin medication will likely take it for the rest of their lives. If you’ve been taking statins and would like to stop, you’ll need to do so with your doctor’s guidance. This is because it can be dangerous to stop taking statins.
Do statins shorten your life?
“The study showed that taking statins for 6 years reduced death from cardiovascular disease by 24 percent, and overall mortality by 23 percent.”
Why statins are different from other cholesterol drugs?
Statins differ in several ways. The most obvious difference is in their ability to reduce cholesterol. Currently, atorvastatin (Lipitor) and rosuvastatin (Crestor) are the most potent, and fluvastatin (Lescol) is the least potent. The statins also differ in how strongly they interact with other drugs.
Why are Statins bad for You?
Statins have been shown to increase your risk of diabetes via a number of different mechanisms. The most important one is that they increase insulin resistance, which can be extremely harmful to your health. Secondly, statins increase your diabetes risk by raising your blood sugar.
What do if statins don’t lower my cholesterol?
Alternatives to Statins for Lowering Cholesterol Statins. Statins are prescription drugs designed to lower cholesterol. Cholesterol absorption inhibitors. If statins are not an option or you experience side effects, your doctor can prescribe a different drug to treat high cholesterol. Sequestrants. PCSK9 inhibitors. Medications for high triglycerides. Lifestyle changes. Natural remedies. Takeaway.
What are the dangers of statins?
There are documented dangers of statin drugs that a lot of users experience. These include cramping or tingling in the legs, weakness and muscle aching, diarrhea, kidney failure, amnesia, mental clarity can be lost rapidly, homicidal impulses, hostility, short tempers and irritability and nausea.