Also called: Also called: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors
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, narrowing or even blocking them.
If diet and exercise don't reduce your cholesterol levels, you may need to take medicine. Often, this medicine is a statin. Statins interfere with the production of cholesterol in your liver. They lower bad cholesterol levels and raise good cholesterol levels and 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
- Statins: Are These Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Right for You?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/statins/CL00010/METHOD=print
- Controlling Cholesterol with Statins(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/statins051608.html
- Should You Take Statins?(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtPrint/WSIHW000/8775/23591.html?hide=t&k=basePrint
- Cholesterol Drugs May Help in Cardiac Emergency(05/01/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83690.html
- Statins Guard Against Prostate Cancer(04/27/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83421.html
- Many Who Should Use Statins Don't(04/25/2009, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_83411.html
- More News on Statins http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_s.html#statins
- Coenzyme Q10: Can It Prevent Statin Side Effects?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/coenzyme-q10/AN01541/METHOD=print
- Making Sense of Vytorin Concerns(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/vytorin071808.html
- Rhabdomyolysis from Statins: What's the Risk?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/rhabdomyolysis/AN01413/METHOD=print
- Statin Drugs: Can They Cause Memory Loss?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/statin-drugs/AN01116/METHOD=print
- Statin Side Effects: Weigh the Benefits and Risks(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/statin-side-effects/MY00205/METHOD=print
- Statins(Consumers Union of U.S.) - http://www.consumerreports.org/health/best-buy-drugs/statins.htm
- Statins and Bone Health(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00202
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Statins and Cancer Prevention
(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/statins
- Statins: Do They Cause ALS?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/statins/AN01360/METHOD=print
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA+Reductase+Inhibitors%22
- AHA Advisory on SEAS Trial of Cholesterol-Lowering Drug(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=474
- AHA Comment on SEAS Trial of Cholesterol-Lowering Drug(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=508
- Are "Statins" Beneficial or Harmful in Multiple Sclerosis?(American Academy of Neurology) - http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/full/71/18/e54
- Can Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Prevent Alzheimer's?(Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation) - http://www.alzinfo.org/newsarticle/templates/newstemplate.asp?articleid=264&zoneid=10
- Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Linked to Sleep Disruptions(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3050876
- Could Statins Prevent Cancer?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/NWS/content/NWS_1_1x_Could_Statins_Prevent_Cancer.asp
- Gene Variation May Be Why Some Don't Respond to Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=438
- New Analysis Estimates Numbers of Older U.S. Adults Who May Benefit from Statin Therapy(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=638
- Statin Reduces Heart Attack, Stroke Rates in Patients with Normal Cholesterol but Elevated C-Reactive Protein(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=579
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Can statins help healthy people? - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19370796&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Cardiovascular risk estimation and eligibility for statins in primary prevention... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19361595&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Seasonal variation in lipids in patients following acute coronary syndrome... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19361589&tool=MedlinePlus
- Statins -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=hydroxymethylglutaryl-coa+reductase+inhibitors[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(case+reports[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+letter[pt])&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- American Heart Association - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200000
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National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
- Cholesterol - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cholesterol.html
- Drug Therapy - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/drugtherapy.html