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- Cholesterol Levels: What You Need to Know
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- HDL: The “Good” Cholesterol
- High Cholesterol in Children and Teens
- How to Lower Cholesterol
- How to Lower Cholesterol with Diet
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- Malabsorption Syndromes
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- Rare Diseases
- Raynaud’s Disease
- Sciatica
- Speech and Communication Disorders
- Stuttering
Statins
Summary
Statins are drugs used to lower cholesterol. Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if you have too much in your blood, it can stick to the walls of your arteries and narrow or even block them.
If diet and exercise don’t reduce your cholesterol levels, you may need to take cholesterol medicine. Often, this medicine is a statin. Statins interfere with the production of cholesterol in your liver. They lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels. This can slow the formation of plaques in your arteries.
Statins are relatively safe for most people. But they are not recommended for pregnant patients or those with active or chronic liver disease. They can also cause serious muscle problems. Some statins also interact adversely with other drugs. You may have fewer side effects with one statin drug than another.
Researchers are also studying the use of statins for other conditions.
Food and Drug Administration
Find an Expert
- American Heart Association American Heart Association
- Food and Drug Administration Food and Drug Administration
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Patient Handouts
- Cholesterol – drug treatment Medical Encyclopedia
- How to take statins Medical Encyclopedia
Start Here
- Cholesterol and Statins Food and Drug Administration
- Statins: Are These Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Right for You? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors National Institutes of Health
Related Issues
- Controlling Cholesterol with Statins Food and Drug Administration
- Rhabdomyolysis from Statins: What’s the Risk? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Statin Side Effects: Weigh the Benefits and Risks Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Statins and Risk of New-Onset Diabetes Mellitus American Heart Association
- Statins: Do They Cause ALS? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Statistics and Research
- Could Taking Statins Prevent Dementia, Disability? National Institute on Aging
Diagnosis and Tests
- Pharmacogenetic Tests National Library of Medicine