What is the downside of statins?

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 are the pros and cons of taking statin drugs?

Statins are a group of drugs that can reduce high cholesterol, lowering the risk of atherosclerosis and heart problems. Statins typically cause mild side effects, if any, but these drugs can, rarely, cause significant, and even life threatening, adverse effects.

What can I take instead of statins to lower cholesterol?

Are statin drugs worth the risk?

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

Are statins harmful long term?

Their review found statins decrease energy and fitness, and increase fatigue and sleep problems. They also found that statins may increase the risk of muscle aches and pains, kidney and liver problems, bleeding in the brain, and type 2 diabetes.

Study Confirms What Many Patients Taking Statins Have Said for Years | NBC Nightly News

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 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.

What is the best natural alternative to statins?

Is there a natural substitute for statins?

For patients who can't tolerate cholesterol-lowering statins, natural remedies like bergamot, garlic and green tea may be a useful alternative, based on a recent statement published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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 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.

What are the warning signs of high cholesterol?

What is the first drug of choice for cholesterol?

Statins. What they are: These are usually the first type of drug that doctors prescribe to lower LDL. They also lower triglycerides, which are another type of blood fat, and mildly raise your "good" (HDL) cholesterol.

Can you stop taking 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 cause rapid aging?

Statins may slow human aging by protecting against telomere shortening: A feature of senescent cells. Summary: Not only do statins extend lives by lowering cholesterol levels and reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease, but new research suggests that they may extend lifespans as well.

Do statins make you gain weight?

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.

What is the fastest way to lower cholesterol without medication?

What is the fastest way to lower cholesterol naturally?

What foods are high in statins?

Fish oil. Fish — like salmon, tuna, sardines, and anchovies — are all rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These can help lower your triglyceride levels and provide protection against heart disease. If you don't get enough fish in your diet, you can take daily fish oil supplements.

Can I lower my 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.

Can coq10 replace statins?

ANSWER: Although a coenzyme Q10 supplement may be helpful for some people who take a statin medication, no research studies have confirmed that it has benefits for everyone who takes statins.

Can statins cause dementia?

Although this particular study found no link between statins and dementia, the research into statins and brain-related effects over all is best described as inconsistent, says Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Do I really need a statin?

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.

Do statins clear the arteries of plaque?

Statins help lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, also known as “bad” cholesterol, in the blood. They draw cholesterol out of plaque and stabilize plaque, Blaha says.

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.