What happens if you stop taking cholesterol medication?
Stopping your statin has been linked to increased risk for cardiovascular events (like heart attack) and death in patients with coronary artery disease. In a recent 8-year study, more than half of patients stopped their statin believing they were experiencing a side effect.
What is the safest anti cholesterol drug?
Still, all in all, the statins are the safest and best tolerated of all cholesterol-lowering medications.
Will I feel better if I take cholesterol medication?
High cholesterol doesn’t usually cause any symptoms. So, members who take medicine for it won’t necessarily feel better. Some may actually feel worse, if their medicine has side effects. Either way, they may stop taking their medicines without talking to their doctor first.
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.
What can I take instead of a statin?
7 cholesterol-lowering alternatives to statins
- Fibrates. Mostly used for lowering triglyceride levels in patients whose levels are very high and could cause pancreatitis.
- Plant stanols and sterols.
- Cholestyramine and other bile acid-binding resins.
- Niacin.
- Policosanol.
- Red yeast rice extract (RYRE)
- Natural products.
What medicines can lower cholesterol?
Several types of drugs can help reduce blood cholesterol levels. The most commonly prescribed by doctors are the statins, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, including: lovastatin (brand name Mevacor), simvastatin (brand name Zocor) and atorvastatin (brand name Lipitor).
Should you be taking cholesterol medication?
A healthy lifestyle is the first defense against high cholesterol. But sometimes diet and exercise aren’t enough, and you might need to take cholesterol medications. Cholesterol medications might help: Decrease your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol that increases the risk of heart disease
Does cholesterol medicine cause weight gain?
Read more about treating high cholesterol with statins in our free Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs report. Statins might also contribute to weight gain by causing muscle pain and weakness, which in turn can make you less physically active. Some experts estimate that as many as a third of people who take statins are affected.
Can you stop taking cholesterol meds?
Don’t suddenly stop taking cholesterol medication. Your numbers may quickly return to unhealthy levels. If you want to stop taking statins and other cholesterol-lowering medicine, you should do so gradually and under the supervision of your doctor.