For the vast majority of people this will be a problem free medication and will substantially reduce your risk of a heart attack or a stroke.
As well as the statin, we always keeping going with or moving to a healthy lifestyle.
- Stopping smoking if you do. This is the single most important thing you could ever do for your health. These people can help: https://oneyoueastsussex.org.uk/programmes/stop-smoking/
- Eating a healthy diet.
- https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/how-to-eat-a-balanced-diet/eating-a-balanced-diet
- Losing weight if you are overweight or obese. These people can help:
To move towards further treatment including the injections (when they are available) for weight loss or surgery, patients will not be accepted before trying the One You programme. This is because it can be very effective.
- Keeping alcohol within maximum recommended limits. 14 units for men and women.
- Exercise. Phenomenally good for physical and mental health. Lots of useful information here:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise
Do’s and don’ts of taking statins
Please do not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice if you are taking some statins. A chemical in grapefruit can increase the level of statin in the bloodstream, which can make side-effects from the statin more likely. This is only a problem with simvastatin, atorvastatin and lovastatin. Other statins, such as pravastatin, do not interact with grapefruit.
Various other medicines may interfere with statins – for example, some antibiotics and ciclosporin. The doses of either the statin or the other interacting medicine may need to be adjusted. So, if you are prescribed (or buy) another medicine, remind the doctor or pharmacist that you are on a statin in case an interaction is likely.
Risks:
As always, with any medication there can be risks. The most common risks of this are described on pages 5 and 6 of the link below:
NICE guidance – patient decision aid on should I take a statin
Other potential side effects include: headaches, pins and needles, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea, nausea, rash. You will see these side effects listed with most medications.
Should you develop new generalised aches and pains but are otherwise well, we suggest stopping the statin for a couple of weeks to see if the aches disappear. If they don’t then it was unlikely to be the statin causing the aches. If it does improve, it would be worth restarting the medication and, if the aches recur then stop and let us know.
If you develop unexpected, very unpleasant muscle pain, tenderness or weakness, please let us know.
Should you be pregnant or planning to get pregnant, please stop the statin.