Statins

About

Statins are a group of medicines that can help lower the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood. LDL cholesterol is often referred to as "bad cholesterol", and statins reduce the production of it inside the liver. Having a high level of LDL cholesterol is potentially dangerous, as it can lead to a hardening and narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is a general term that describes a disease of the heart or blood vessels. It's a very common cause of death in the UK. The main types of CVD are: coronary heart disease – when the blood supply to the heart becomes restricted angina – chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscles heart attacks – when the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked stroke – when the supply of blood to the brain becomes blocked A doctor may recommend taking statins if either: you have been diagnosed with a form of CVD your personal and family medical history suggests you're likely to develop CVD at some point over the next 10 years and lifestyle measures have not reduced this risk Find out more about when statins may be recommended. Statins come as tablets that are taken once a day. Your dose will depend on why you need the medicine, your cholesterol levels, and other medicines you're taking. Your GP may increase your statins to the maximum dose. This helps to manage your cholesterol levels and prevent cardiovascular disease. For some types of statin it does not matter what time of day you take it, as long as you stick to the same time. Some types of statin should be taken in the evening. Check with your doctor whether there's a particular time of day you should take your statin. You usually have to continue taking statins for life because if you stop taking them, your cholesterol will return to a high level. If you forget to take your dose, do not take an extra one to make up for it. Just take your next dose as usual the following day. If you accidental