What Is the Cholesterol Medicine Statin?

Cholesterol is simply fat in your blood. Some fat is good but not when it is in high concentrations. If it is too high, it can lead to a heart attack. There are medicines you can take for high cholesterol, and one of these is statin.

• High in Cholesterol

What Are Statins?

• Your body makes cholesterol, and statin medications are a group of medicines that slow down the production of cholesterol.

Brand Names of Statins

• Altoprev, Crestor, Lipitor, Lescol, Livalo, Mevacor, Pravachol and Zocor are all brand names of cholesterol medicines.

Side Effects of Statins

• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, constipation, muscle pain and weakness are all common side effects of taking statin drugs. Rhabdomyolysis is a rare side effect that causes damage to your muscles, and statins can cause liver damage.

Cautions

• Take precautions if you are taking a statin medication. Lower your consumption of grapefruit or grapefruit juice because these can raise the statin levels in your body and might result in muscle damage. Do not take statin medication if you are pregnant, nursing or have liver disease. Use caution when using some heart medications, blood thinners or the anti-depressant called Serzone.

Warnings

• According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, call your doctor immediately if you have dark urine, a fever or unusual muscle pain or weakness because these symptoms may be a sign of a more serious health problem.