Statin Side Effects: Weigh The Benefits And Risks
Statin side effects can be uncomfortable, making it seem like the risks outweigh the benefits of these powerful cholesterol-lowering medications. Doctors often prescribe statins for people with high cholesterol to lower their total cholesterol and reduce their risk of a heart attack or stroke. While statins are highly effective, they have been linked to muscle pain, digestive problems and mental fuzziness in some people and may rarely cause liver damage. Statins include atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Altoprev), pitavastatin (Livalo), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor). Having too much cholesterol in your blood increases your risk of heart attacks and strokes. Statins block a substance your liver needs to make cholesterol. This causes your liver to remove cholesterol from your blood. If you think you're experiencing side effects from statins, don't just stop taking the pills. Talk to your doctor to see if a change of dosage or even a different type of medication might be helpful. What are statin side effects? Muscle pain and damage One of the most common complaints of people taking statins is muscle pain. You may feel this pain as a soreness, tiredness or weakness in your muscles. The pain can be a mild discomfort, or it can be severe enough to make your daily activities difficult. Oddly enough, most randomized controlled studies of statins indicate that people taking statins develop muscle pain at the same rate as people taking placebo. But up to 29 percent of the people who start taking statins report muscle pain and many discontinue statins because of it. Many of these people do well when they are switched to a different variety of statin. Very rarely, statins can cause life-threatening muscle damage call Continue reading >>
Taking Statins Raises The Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes By Nearly A Third: Findings Reopens Debate About The Pills Benefits And Side Effects
Taking statins increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by nearly a third, researchers found. A decade-long study of more than 3,200 patients found those who took statins were 30 per cent more likely to develop the condition. Some six million Britons take statins every day to reduce their cholesterol and ward off heart disease. The pills are proven lifesavers, slashing the chance of a repeat attack, yet a scientific row over benefits and side effects has dragged on for years. Experts have long known there was a link between statins and diabetes – but doctors have always stressed that the advantages of the pills far outweigh the small chance of getting diabetes. Previous research had put the chance of developing type 2 diabetes at no more than 10 to 12 per cent greater than if someone did not take statins. The latest study, however, suggests the medication increases the risk by 30 per cent. The researchers, from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, think this may be because statins impair insulin production. In the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, they called for regular blood sugar tests of people taking statins. ‘Glucose status should be monitored and healthy lifestyle behaviours reinforced in high-risk patients who are prescribed statins for cardiovascular disease [prevention],’ they wrote. The scientists tracked overweight people already considered at risk of diabetes for ten years. At the start, 4 per cent took statins, but by the end roughly a third were taking the pills. No link was found between the potency of the statins used and diabetes risk. The researchers stressed that the additional risk of developing diabetes should be balanced against ‘the consistent and highly significant’ reduction in risk of heart attacks, strokes and deat Continue reading >>
Lipitor
What is Lipitor? Lipitor is a prescription drug manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and used to control high cholesterol levels. By lowering cholesterol, the drug aims to prevent dangerous blockages in blood flow and thereby reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Lipitor in 1996. The drug’s active ingredient is atorvastatin calcium. This class of medications is generally well-tolerated; however, it has been associated with multiple risks, including: Lipitor belongs to a popular class of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, which represent the most widely prescribed class of drugs in the U.S. Lipitor is the most popular of all statins. Patients take statins to lower levels of cholesterol and other fatty substances in the blood that, if left unchecked, can increase the risk for heart attack, stroke and other related health complications. The liver makes most of the cholesterol found in blood. Statins reduce the amount of cholesterol made by the liver and help the liver remove cholesterol that’s already in the blood. How Lipitor Works Cholesterol plays a crucial role in several bodily processes that are essential to our health, but unhealthy levels of cholesterol can lead to buildup (plaque) on the walls of arteries. This can block blood flow to the brain and heart and put people at higher risk for stroke and heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. Lipitor prevents heart attack and stroke by lowering cholesterol in the blood. It slows the production of cholesterol in the body therefore decreasing the amount of plaque buildup that may block the flow of blood to the heart and brain. Stat Continue reading >>
If You’re Like Bill And Have High Cholesterol And Type 2 Diabetes (t2d),
What is the most important information I should know and talk to my doctor about? Call your healthcare provider or get help right away if you experience any symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as rash, itching, or hives. Muscle problems may be an early sign of rare, serious conditions. Tell your doctor right away if you have any unexplained muscle pain, weakness, or tenderness, particularly if accompanied by malaise or fever, or if these muscle signs or symptoms persist after discontinuing LIVALO. Serious liver problems have been reported rarely in patients taking statins, including LIVALO. Your doctor should do liver tests before you start, and if you have symptoms of liver problems while you are taking LIVALO. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you feel more tired than usual, have a loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark-colored urine, or yellowing of the skin or eyes. Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications you take including nonprescription medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements. Increases in blood sugar levels have been reported with statins, including LIVALO. Tell your doctor about your alcohol use. What are the most common side effects of LIVALO? The most common side effects of LIVALO in clinical studies were: Back pain Constipation Diarrhea Muscle pain Pain in the legs or arms This is not a complete list of side effects. Talk to your healthcare provider for more information. How should I store and take LIVALO? Store LIVALO tablets at room temperature, in a dry place, and out of the reach of children. LIVALO can be taken at any time of day, with or without food. Swallow the tablet whole. Do not split, crush, dissolve, or chew. Other important information I should know about LIVALO. LIVALO has not been studied to evalua Continue reading >>
Do Statins Raise Odds For Type 2 Diabetes?
HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, Oct. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins may lower your risk of heart disease, but also might boost the odds you'll develop type 2 diabetes, new research suggests. "In a group of people at high risk of type 2 diabetes, statins do seem to increase the risk of developing diabetes by about 30 percent," said the study's lead author, Dr. Jill Crandall. She's a professor of medicine and director of the diabetes clinical trials unit at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. But, she added, that doesn't mean anyone should give up on statins. "The benefits of statins in terms of cardiovascular risk are so strong and so well established that our recommendation isn't that people should stop taking statins, but people should be monitored for the development of diabetes while on a statin," she explained. At least one other diabetes expert agreed that statins are still beneficial for those at risk of heart trouble. Dr. Daniel Donovan Jr. is professor of medicine and director of clinical research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Institute in New York City. "We still need to give statins when LDL (bad) cholesterol isn't under control. A statin intervention can lower the risk of a cardiovascular event by 40 percent, and it's possible the diabetes may have been destined to happen," he said. The new study is an analysis of data collected from another ongoing study. More than 3,200 adults were recruited from 27 diabetes centers across the United States for the study. The research goal was to prevent the progression of type 2 diabetes in people with a high risk of the disease, Crandall said. All of the study participants were overweight or obese. They also all Continue reading >>
Question & Answer
I read that taking rosuvastatin (Crestor) may increase the risk of getting Type 2 Diabetes. Is this true for other statins? I’m a 55-year-old woman who is taking a low dose of Lipitor. My last fasting blood sugar showed that I’m at a pre-diabetes stage. Answer: Gary Milechman, M.D. You are correct. There is concern that at least two of the statin drugs, Crestor and simvastation (Zocor), are associated with an increased risk of the development of Type 2 diabetes. A recent meta-analysis (pooled data from several studies) suggests there may be one additional case of diabetes for every 498 patients treated. However, statin therapy prevented one major cardiovascular event (stroke or heart attack) for every 155 patients treated. Every medicine that we take has potential benefit and potential risk. A reasoned and individual decision needs to be made between the health care provider and the patient regarding what is best. The risks of statins include a small incidence of liver and muscle problems which almost always resolve with stopping the medicine. Besides the recent link to Type 2 diabetes, there is also some work that indicates statins occasionally cause reversible memory problems. On the plus side, there is no doubt that statins decrease cholesterol build-up in the blood vessels that go the heart and the brain. They can even help "melt away" plaque build-up that is already there. When those vessels get clogged, heart attacks and strokes occur. In a study recently published, people on statins when their cancer was diagnosed (as compared to those not on statins) had better survival and less metastatic disease. Statin use has also been associated with less Parkinson's disease and less Alzheimer's disease (dementia). The higher your risk for cardiovascular events, the mor Continue reading >>
Statins Linked To Raised Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
HealthDay Reporter WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may significantly increase a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a new study from Finland suggests. Researchers found that statins were associated with an almost 50 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, even after adjusting for other factors. Statins appear to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes in several ways, the researchers said. One is that the drugs can increase a person's insulin resistance, and the other is that the cholesterol-lowering drugs seem to impair the ability of the pancreas to secrete insulin, according to the report. Commenting on the study, Dr. Ronald Goldberg, director of the Lipid Disorder Clinic and associate director of the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami, said the researchers "show evidence that statins increased insulin resistance, and that the people who developed diabetes appeared to have less ability to respond to the insulin resistance by making more insulin." The study authors noted, however, that their research only found an association between statin use and diabetes risk. And since the study was limited to white men, it's not clear if the findings would apply to women or other racial groups. More than 29 million people in the United States have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin, a hormone needed to process the sugars found in foods. To compensate, the body produces more insulin. Excess weight and a sedentary lifestyle are two important risk factors for type 2 diabetes, according to the ADA. Prior studies have indicated that statins may increase a person's risk of diabetes, the authors said in backgro Continue reading >>
Statins And Type 2 Diabetes . . . And Other Stories
Statins for all type 2 diabetes? It used to be so easy. The Quality and Outcomes Framework command was issued, and party commissars presented every patient with diabetes with a Mao suit made of a statin and a couple of other drugs. Disobedience was punished by fines and disgrace. But “type 2 diabetes” is a risk state that differs for each person, and an analysis of data from three statin trials with large numbers of people with type 2 diabetes has been used to create and validate an absolute risk reduction score that can be used for individual patients (Circoutcomes doi:10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.115.001980). Risk levels vary widely. Shared decision making needs to replace the one-Mao-suit-fits-all model. AUDAKUT stands for antenatal ultrasound diagnosed anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract. A study of more … Continue reading >>
Statin Use May Increase Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes, Study Finds
Patients susceptible to type 2 diabetes were at increased risk of developing the condition once they started using statins, a study has found. Statin use was associated with increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in patients already at increased risk, even when the results were controlled for the clinical criteria for treatment with these drugs. The study, conducted by researchers in the US and published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, looked at just over 3,000 patients with elevated BMIs and blood glucose levels who were taking part in a wider study to look at the effect of different interventions on preventing type 2 diabetes. The patients were randomised to receive an intensive lifestyle intervention, metformin or a placebo. Patients were followed up for an average of 10 years and researchers found that patients who had started taking statins during the follow-up period had a 36% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with those who had not. The risk of developing diabetes fell only slightly when the data were controlled for variables such as cholesterol levels and the use of antihypertensive medications that lead to the patient needing statin treatment in the first place, suggesting that these factors were not major contributors to diabetes risk. The researchers found no link between the potency of the statin and the risk of diabetes. The authors said in the paper: ‘For individual patients, a potential modest increase in diabetes risk clearly needs to be balanced against the consistent and highly significant reductions in myocardial infarction, stroke and cardiovascular death associated with statin treatment. Nonetheless, glucose status should be monitored and healthy lifestyle behaviours reinforced in high-risk patients who are prescrib Continue reading >>
Statins Raise Diabetes Risk: Experts Sound New Alarm Over Cholesterol Pill
Those on high doses of the cholesterol-busting pills are more prone to suffer dangerous spikes in blood sugar levels. Scientists say an unwanted by-product of the drug is a link to the chronic condition. Studies show those prescribed statins are less likely to develop heart disease but the downside is it appears to make them more vulnerable to Type 2 diabetes. Researchers found over-75s are a third more likely to be struck down if they are taking statins. But the risk increased to 50 per cent for those on higher doses of the tablets. Dr Mark Jones, who led the research, said: “We found almost 50 per cent of women in their late-70s and 80s in the study took statins and five per cent were diagnosed with new onset diabetes. What is most concerning was we found a ‘dose effect’ where the risk of diabetes increased as the dosage of statins increased. “Over the 10 years of the study most of the women progressed to higher doses of statins. GPs and their elderly female patients should be aware of the risks.” The study will reignite debate over the safety of a drug taken by millions of Britons each day. A large-scale British review last year showed statins were the safest and most effective way of preventing heart attack and stroke but they still remain highly controversial. Professor Alan Sinclair, director of the Foundation for Diabetes Research in Older People, said: “Statin use and increased diabetes risk is not new and clinicians must continue to minimise risk due to the adverse effects of these drugs by careful prescribing but at the same time recognise clear cardiovascular benefits from their use. We found almost 50 per cent of women in their late-70s and 80s in the study took statins “In older people, who are already at increased diabetes risk from other cau Continue reading >>
Statins Increase Type 2 Diabetes Risk
Is your cholesterol on the high side? Then, there is a great chance that your physician will want to place you on statins. “Statins”, known scientifically as HMG CoA inhibitors, are a class of drugs that reduce the concentration of cholesterol in the blood. Some examples of typical statins include Simvastatin (Zocor), Pitavastatin (Livalo), Rosuvastatin (Crestor), Atorvastatin (Lipitor), Fluvastatin (Lescol, Lescol XL), and Lovastatin (Mevacor, Altoprev). Cholesterol is produced by the liver but can also be obtained from animal product food sources. Plants do not contain cholesterol. High blood levels of cholesterol is associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke. The mechanism of action of statins involves inhibiting the activity of the liver enzyme hydroxyl-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase responsible for making cholesterol. When this enzyme is blocked, the liver can no longer manufacture cholesterol and serum concentrations of cholesterol will be drastically reduced. Statins have been shown to be effective in decreasing plasma concentrations of cholesterol. However like other drugs, they also come with potentially dangerous side effects, such as liver damage, memory loss, confusion, rashes, headache, and skeletal muscle damage. In addition, the results of many clinical trials and scientific studies provide evidence that statins may elevate blood sugar levels and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. The evidence against statins is so strong that the Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning on statin medication labels regarding the diabetes-promoting action of this cholesterol-lowering drug. The findings of a 2015 study published in Diabetologia Journal reveal that Statin therapy increases the risk of developing Continue reading >>
Cholesterol-lowering Drugs May Be Linked To Diabetes
You may have concerns about taking a cholesterol-lowering statin drug, such as atorvastatin (Lipitor and generic), rosuvastatin (Crestor), and simvastatin (Zocor and generic), after a recent study linked those drugs to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. But Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs experts say the heart-protective benefit of statins usually outweighs the risk of diabetes, so don’t skip a statin if you need one to lower your cholesterol. Diabetes isn’t a new side effect of statins. The Food and Drug Administration added it to the label of all statins in 2012 based on a review of studies that found a slightly elevated risk. For example, one study that reviewed 13 randomized, controlled clinical trials of statins found that 4.9 percent of people who took one of the drugs for 4 years developed diabetes compared with 4.5 percent of those who didn’t take a statin. Lower Cholesterol vs. Higher Blood Glucose The new study, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, raises questions about whether the diabetes risk is higher than previously thought. Researchers looked at medical data of nearly 7,000 men and women with an average age of 53. About 31 percent of those who took a statin for an average of 5.5 years developed diabetes compared with 19 percent of those who didn’t. But since the study was not a randomized, controlled study—the gold standard for determining whether a drug causes a particular side effect—it’s not known for sure that the increase in diabetes was entirely due to statins. The study participants might have had other factors that contributed to the development of diabetes. "All we can say," says Ishak Mansi, M.D., an internist at the Veteran's Hospital in North Texas and co-author of the study, "[is] that in the healthy popul Continue reading >>
If Statins Cause Diabetes, Why Should All Diabetics Take A Statin?
The guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology are crystal clear. People with diabetes (both type-1 and type-2) should all be on a statin-type cholesterol-lowering medicine! There are no exceptions to this recommendation. Any physician who strays from the path of prescribing a statin to his or her diabetic patients will presumably be practicing bad medicine. What makes this guideline so intriguing is the growing body of evidence suggesting that statins cause diabetes in a substantial number of people. So, the very drug that induces elevated blood sugars is required to treat the cardiovascular risks associated with the development of drug-induced type-2 diabetes. Does this seem as odd to you as it does to us? Do Statins Cause Diabetes? Do you doubt that statins cause* diabetes? Here is just the latest research on this connection (Dormuth et al, BMJ, online, May 29, 2014). Researchers analyzed data on nearly 140,000 patients in Canada, the UK and the U.S. All the individuals had been hospitalized either because of a heart attack, stent placement or some other serious cardiovascular procedure. Some were given low-potency statins while others were placed on high-potency statins such as rosuvastatin (Crestor) at a dose of 10 mg or greater, atorvastatin (Lipitor) at a dose of 20 mg or higher or simvastatin (Zocor) at a dose of 40 mg or higher. None of the people in the analysis had been diagnosed or treated for diabetes prior to being placed on a statin. Within two years of starting on the medicine 3,629 patients were diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. Those given high-potency statins were 15% more likely to end up with blood sugar elevations compared to patients prescribed lower-potency statins or lower doses. The lead author, Colin Do Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes And Statins Link: Do The Cholesterol-busting Drugs Increase Risk?
Scientists have linked the condition to taking statins, which are prescribed to lowers levels of high cholesterol. High cholesterol can increase the risk of heart attack or a stroke and even increase the risk of heart disease. Statins are one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the UK. There has been much controversy surrounding statins over the past few decades, with many experts questioning if the benefits of the drugs still outweigh any potential risks. However, a study has revealed taking statins can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The use of statins in people aged 60 and over increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by nine per cent, according to a new study. The researchers, from the University of Glasgow, stressed the risk is low, especially when compared with the beneficial effect that statins have on reducing heart problems. The study, which was published in The Lancet looked at more than 91,000 people prescibred the medication. Earlier this year, researchers from the University of Queensland found women over 75 face a 33 per cent higher chance of developing diabetes if they are taking statins. Experts said the risk also increase to over 50 per cent for women taking higher doses of statins. Dr Mark Jones, from the University of Queensland, said: “We found that almost 50 per cent of women in their late seventies and eighties in the study took statins and five per cent were diagnosed with new-onset diabetes.” He said: “Statins are highly prescribed in this age group but there are very few clinical trials looking at their effects on older women.” Researchers from UCL and the University of Oxford have since revealed that the slight increase in risk of developing type 2 diabetes during statin treatment could be a consequen Continue reading >>
Effect Of Different Doses Of Statins On The Development Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Patients With Myocardial Infarction
Accepted for publication 3 October 2017 Checked for plagiarism Yes Peer reviewer comments 3 1 Olga Barbarash1 1Federal State Budgetary Institution, Research Institute for Complex Issues of Cardiovascular Diseases, Kemerovo, Russia; 2State Budget Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education, Siberian State Medical University, Russian Federation Ministry of Health, Tomsk, Russia Background: Cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may have common developmental mechanisms associated with lipid metabolism disorders. Dyslipidemia and progression of atherosclerosis in people with T2DM are accompanied by an increase in cardiovascular mortality. This study examined the dose-dependent action of atorvastatin on carbohydrate metabolism and adipokine status in patients within 12 months after myocardial infarction (MI). Methods: A total of 156 male MI patients who had received atorvastatin 20 mg/day (78 patients) or 40 mg/day (78 patients) starting from day 1 of onset were enrolled. Glucose, insulin, C-peptide, resistin, adiponectin, and ghrelin levels were measured at baseline, day 12, and months 3 and 12. Patients were monitored for new incidences of T2DM for 12 months after MI. Results: For acute phase MI, patients had moderate insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, and hyperinsulinemia, high leptin and resistin levels, and low ghrelin and adiponectin levels. Atorvastatin 20 mg/day was more effective at correcting the imbalances. Patients taking atorvastatin 40 mg/day (group 2) following MI showed increases in levels of glucose, insulin, and C-peptide and insulin resistance progression after 12 months of therapy, as evidenced by increased quantitative insulin sensitivity check index scores and detection of new T2DM cases. Conclusion: Atorvastatin improv Continue reading >>
