At what age should you stop statins?

Adults age 75 and older may not need statins.

In fact, some studies show the opposite—that older people with the lowest cholesterol levels actually have the highest risk of death.

Should you stop taking statins after 75?

Mintz, director of cardiovascular health and lipidology at Northwell Health's Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, New York, says the study reinforces that older adults shouldn't stop taking their statin just because they reach the “magic age” of 75.

Should you take statins after age 70?

Statins should be taken with caution if you're at an increased risk of developing a rare side effect called myopathy, which is where the tissues of your muscles become damaged and painful. Severe myopathy (rhabdomyolysis) can lead to kidney damage. Things that can increase this risk include: being over 70 years old.

Should you take statins after age 80?

And he says older people at risk of heart attack who take the medication should consider staying on it. "Getting off the statins essentially puts people at risk for heart attacks because they lose the protection of what lowering the cholesterol gives or provides at that age," says Dr. Lopez-Jimenez.

Can you ever stop taking statins?

It's possible for some people to stop taking statins safely, but it can be especially risky for others. For instance, if you have a history of heart attack or stroke, it's not recommended that you stop taking these drugs. This is because you're more likely to have another such problem when you discontinue statins.

5 Years After Stopping My Statins

What can I take instead of statins to lower cholesterol?

Why are statins not recommended in the elderly?

Statins should be prescribed with caution in elderly individuals, who may present more frequent side effects of the treatment than younger people, because of the multiple associated comorbidities and drug interactions.

Why do doctors push statins?

Statins are the go-to treatment option for lowering cholesterol levels and risk of cardiovascular complications, like heart attack and stroke. Statins work by slowing down cholesterol production and enabling the liver to remove low-density lipoproteins (LDL), or “bad cholesterol,” from the bloodstream.

Do statins increase aging?

Researchers have found that statins, a class of drugs widely used for lowering cholesterol, may also slow down the process of human aging, according to a study published online in The FASEB Journal.

Is it OK to stop statins cold turkey?

"If you stop statins, it's a double whammy," Asselbergs tells WebMD. "Statin withdrawal leads to a rapid and significant increase in CRP, independent of the parallel LDL increase. "If you're on a statin, keep on your medication!" he says.

Is there a link between statins and dementia?

Our results showed that strong statins, such as rosuvastatin, atorvastatin, and simvastatin, were associated with a larger reduction of dementia, whereas standard statins, such as pravastatin, fluvastatin, and lovastatin, were not associated with a reduction of dementia.

Are statins worth the risk?

Research has shown that statins are highly effective in reducing the risk of fatal heart attack and stroke.

Is atorvastatin safe for the elderly?

Atorvastatin has been widely investigated among the older subjects and has the greatest magnitude of favorable effects on clinical outcomes of CHD. The pharmacokinetic properties of atorvastatin allow it to be used every other day, a factor which may decrease adverse events and be especially important in the elderly.

Does statin use cause memory decline in the elderly?

A new study reports that statins do not cause additional memory loss in older adults. Experts note that some people avoid statins because of concerns over dementia, muscle pain, and diabetes risk.

Is there a natural substitute for statins?

Natural alternatives to statins include soy products like tofu and edamame. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 35 million Americans have high LDL, also known as bad cholesterol. This greatly increases your risk for heart disease and stroke.

What is the best natural alternative to statins?

Some people do not tolerate statins or may want to try natural remedies to treat their high cholesterol. Statin alternatives include some prescription medications like ezetimibe and fibric acids. Natural remedies that some people use to help treat high cholesterol include omega-3 fatty acids and red yeast rice extract.

What is considered dangerously high cholesterol?

LDL Cholesterol An LDL of less than 100 mg/dL is the holy grail; a number 129 mg/dL or lower is also good. A range of 130 to 159 mg/dL is borderline high, 160 to 189 mg/dL is high, and above 189 mg/dL is in the danger zone, per the Cleveland Clinic.

Should all over 60s take statins?

Almost every older person should be taking statins, a new study has found. Millions of people in the UK are eligible for and would benefit from taking the cholesterol-lowering drugs, the research found. Almost all men over 60 and women over 75 should be taking the drugs, the research found.

What is a good cholesterol level for an 80 year old woman?

Normal - Less than 150 mg/dL. Borderline - 150-199 mg/dL. High - 200-499 mg/dL.

What are the warning signs of high cholesterol?

What is better than a statin?

Statins are a group of medications that lower a specific type of cholesterol level in your blood. The best alternatives to statins are PCSK9 inhibitors, fibric acid derivatives or fibrates, bile acid sequestrants, selective absorption inhibitors, nicotinic acid or niacin, and omega-3 fatty acids and fatty-acid esters.

How do you feel when you have high cholesterol?

High cholesterol has no symptoms. A blood test is the only way to detect if you have it.

What is normal cholesterol for a 70 year old?

40 – 49 mg/dL for men and 50 – 59 mg/dL for women is better. 60 mg/dL and higher is best.

What should a 65 year old woman cholesterol be?

According to Michos, an ideal LDL cholesterol level should be less than 70 mg/dl, and a woman's HDL cholesterol level ideally should be close to 50 mg/dl. Triglycerides should be less than 150 mg/dl. As Michos notes, total cholesterol levels well below 200 mg/dl are best.