Once you are diagnosed with high cholesterol, your physician
may suggest diet and lifestyle modifications to help you lower it. When
these measures are not enough, your physician will prescribe drugs that
will help control your cholesterol levels. There are several groups of
medications for this purpose; however, prescriptions from the statins
group are among the most widely prescribed. Just as with any
prescription drug, medications in the statin category may cause some
unpleasant side effects. The side effects vary, although they mainly
affect the digestive system. Cholesterol is produced in the body, but it’s also consumed through
dietary means. Cholesterol helps to build new cells, but having too much
cholesterol can cause heart disease because of the cholesterol building
up in your blood vessels. Once cholesterol enters your blood stream, it
attaches to protein and creates lipoprotein. There are three forms of
lipoproteins: high-density, low-density and very low-density. The two
your physician will be most concerned about are the high-density and
low-density lipoproteins. High-density lipoprotein is considered the
good cholesterol and should be a high number. Low-density lipoprotein is
the "bad" cholesterol and should have a low reading. High levels of LDL
or low levels of HDL can cause high cholesterol. Statins are prescribed to block the enzyme that makes cholesterol in
the body. This results in your body creating less cholesterol, which
causes the liver to send out receptors to attract LDL in your blood,
reducing your LDL level. Statins are prescribed under several brand
names, including Lescol, Lipitor, Zocor and Mevacor. Statins may cause side effects such as sleep problems, blurry
eyesight, muscle or joint pain, rash, headache and fatigue. However, the
majority of statin side effects affect the digestive system; they
include: diarrhea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, constipation
and stomach pain. The reason statins cause digestive discomfort is not known fully.
However, experts at the MayoClinic state that taking these medications
with food seem to reduce these uncomfortable side effects. Statin
medications are given in pill form, which can trigger heartburn in some
people. Swallowing pills with no water or swallowing large pills may
irritate the lining of the esophagus, triggering heartburn.
Statins also contain calcium, which according to University of Maryland
Medical Center has shown to be helpful in lowering cholesterol levels
slightly. Calcium is also known to cause nausea and constipation. The
Second-Opinion website states that statins may cause intestinal
inflammation. Intestinal inflammation can disrupt normal digestion,
causing diarrhea or constipation. Texas Heart states that many of these side effects are rare and most
people take these drugs with little to no side effects. If you develop
any of the listed side effects notify your physician right away.
However, you should not stop taking your medications unless your
physician tells you to.
Your physician may lower your dosage, even so, you may still develop
side effects. If this is the case, your doctor will consider putting you
on cholesterol lowering medications outside of the statin category.HIGH CHOLESTEROL
STATINS FOR TREATMENT
STATINS AND DIGESTIVE SIDE EFFECTS
CAUSES
CONSIDERATIONS
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