Cholesterol Lowering Medications and Side Effects

Cholesterol lowering drugs raise your risk of liver damage and kidney problems, according to a recent study done at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.

Medications designed to reduce cholesterol in your body are known as statins. Doctors prescribe them for patients with hypercholesterolemia, or levels of cholesterol that are higher than normal. While the body produced cholesterol naturally, unhealthy levels are usually due to eating rich foods that contain a lot of fat. 

There are several kinds of cholesterol. One type, known as LDL or low density lipoproteins, tends to stick to artery walls. This results in a condition called artherosclerosis, or narrowing of the arteries. Atherosclerosis is one of the major causes of heart attacks and strokes.

High cholesterol also contributes to high blood pressure because your heart has to work harder to pump blood through your constricted blood vessels.

Statins inhibit an enzyme in your liver that helps produce cholesterol. But there's a downside according to Nottingham study. Long tem use can eventually have a negative effect, and even, in some cases, result in liver failure.

The Nottingham research also found that statins can contribute to a condition called myositis, or inflammation of the muscles. In addition to causing musclar pain, myositis also makes muscles weaker. As myositis progresses, it can eventually lead to a more serious condition known as rhabdomyolysis. When you have rhabdomyolysis, your muscle begins to muscle degrade, which produces a byproduct called myoglobin. Myoglobin passes through the kidneys and can trigger kidney problems.

According to the Nottingham study, extended statin use can also endanger eye health, causing cataractst to develop.

The research emphasized the importance of having regular liver function tests done if you're taking statins to reduce LDL cholesterol. Your blood should also be tested for ?any possibility of future kidney failure.

But there's also good news from the study. While it found that side effects can occur, it also determined that the overall risk was slight. When the possible sde effects of statins are compared to the risk of heart disease from high cholesterol and high blood pressure, taking statins makes sense when prescribed by your doctor.

In recent years, doctors have been prescribing statins more and more often because the number of patients with obesity, which is a major risk factor for high cholesterol and heart disease, has been growing at alarming rates.

Recently, computer programs have been developed to help doctors identify patients with the highest probability of experiencing side effects. Patients should be monitored closely if it's apprent that they need cholesterol lowering medications, but are also more likely to be affected by side effects.

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