Can I refuse to take statins?

Our goal is to decrease your risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. We know that for patients at high risk, statins can do this — and potentially save lives. Before you refuse to take a statin or stop taking a statin, consult your doctor.

What to do if you don't want to take statins?

What happens if you dont take prescribed statins?

Check with your doctor whether there's a particular time of day you should take your statin. You usually have to continue taking statins for life because if you stop taking them, your cholesterol will return to a high level within a few weeks. If you forget to take your dose, do not take an extra one to make up for it.

Who does not need statins?

Adults age 75 and older may not need statins.

Many older adults have high cholesterol. Their doctors usually prescribe statins to prevent heart disease. But for older people, there is no clear evidence that high cholesterol leads to heart disease or death.

Are statins really necessary?

If your risk is very low, you probably won't need a statin, unless your LDL is above 190 mg/dL (4.92 mmol/L). If your risk is very high — for example, you've had a heart attack in the past — a statin may be helpful even if you don't have high cholesterol.

5 Years After Stopping My Statins

How can I lower my cholesterol without taking statins?

Are statins worth the risk?

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

Can you get off statins Once you start?

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.

What level of cholesterol requires statins?

But the statin question changed a bit when the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) updated their guidelines. Now the only people who automatically get a statin based only on their LDL are those whose number is very high (190 mg/dL or higher).

What foods have natural statins?

Do cardiologists take statins?

What a Cardiologist Wants You to Know. About 35 million people take statins in the United States, but research says only 55% of those who are recommended to take a statin are taking one.

Can you lower cholesterol without medication?

You can begin to reduce your "bad" LDL cholesterol naturally by making a few simple changes in your diet. If your cholesterol is creeping upward, your doctor has probably told you that diet and exercise—the traditional cornerstones of heart health—could help to bring it down.

What is the best non statin drug for cholesterol?

There are many non-statin medications your doctor might prescribe: Bile acid-binding resins, like cholestyramine (Locholest, Prevalite, Questran), colesevelam (WelChol), and colestipol (Colestid) stick to cholesterol-rich bile acids in your intestines and lower your LDL levels.

What is considered dangerously high cholesterol?

A person is considered at high risk for developing heart disease if their total cholesterol level is higher than 240 mg/dL, LDL levels are higher than 160 mg/dL (190 mg/dL is even higher risk), and if the HDL level is below 40 mg/dL.

Is there a natural alternative to 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.

Do statins cause more harm than good?

While statins are highly effective and safe for most people, they have been linked to muscle pain, digestive problems and mental fuzziness in some people who take them and may rarely cause liver damage.

What is the most common side effect of statins?

Most people who take statin drugs tolerate them very well. But some people have side effects. The most common statin side effects include: Headache.

Why do doctors overprescribe statins?

For millions of people who take statins to prevent the onset of cardiovascular disease, the potential harms of the cholesterol-lowering medication may outweigh the benefits. Share on Pinterest Statins may be 'significantly overprescribed' for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, suggests a new study.

What percentage of the population take statins?

The use of statins increased from 18% to 26%. By 2011–2012, 93% of adults using a cholesterol-lowering medication used a statin. Cholesterol-lowering medication use increased with age, from 17% of adults aged 40–59 to 48% of adults aged 75 and over.

Are statins the best choice for me?

You should think carefully about taking a statin at the same time as starting those lifestyle changes. Statins are generally recommended for people who have CVD (such as people with angina or who have had a heart attack). But ultimately, the choice is yours.

What are the warning signs of high cholesterol?

Do statins cause weight gain?

As with many medications, statins may cause side effects, including digestive problems, muscle pain and weakness, and cognitive dysfunction. Another side effect that's been linked to statins is weight gain.

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.

Is there an alternative to statins NHS?

Ezetimibe. Ezetimibe is a tablet that lowers cholesterol. It may be prescribed if statins cannot be taken, or alongside a statin for extra cholesterol-lowering. It's a 'cholesterol absorption inhibitor' that limits the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine.

How I improved my cholesterol without taking meds?