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Why Are Statins Taken in the Evening?

For years doctors have directed their patients to take HMG-CoA reductace inhibitors--or statins--at night. This evening dosage time is often inconvenient or physically unsettling for many who take the medication.

  1. Significance

    • Statins are the No. 1 line of treatment for patients with coronary issues and offer substantial reductions in mortality rates.

    Function

    • Statins are HMG-CoA reductace inhibitors and the most powerful drug available to lower LDL cholesterol.

    Theories/Speculation

    • LDL enzymes are higher at night while may statins have half-lives (some as low as six hours) of effectiveness. Taking them at night inhibits the enzyme during its most active phase and may be more effective in lowering cholesterol.

    Misconceptions

    • Not all statins have short pharmacodynamic properties and some may achieve equal LDL effects when taken in the morning.

    Prevention/Solution

    • Statins such as Rosuvastatin and Atorvastatin have signficantly longer half-lives (19 and 14 hours) and may not be hindered by morning administration.

    Considerations

    • Clinical studies done with simvastatin showed that evening administration resulted in a 21 percent reduction of LDL cholesterol while morning administration only garnered a 15 percent reduction.

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