May 25, 2012
Topics A-Z Cholesterol Management Medications for cholesterol management
Medications for cholesterol management |
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Dear Ask The Doctor: I have been taking pravastatin and my Dr. just changed it to simvastatin after blood work this week. I know the new drug is a "statin" and have heard horror stories about liver problems with statins. I had a AAA repair in Nov. of 2010 and don't need another issue. I am 20lbs. overweight (and 8lbs. more than my last visit to my GP.) Dear Paul: You are right about statins leading to liver issues. Statins rarely and over prolonged time of use lead to elavated liver enzymes. You have not mentioned why your doctor changed you from pravastatin to simvastatin however both are statins. While they may lead to lived enzymes defects this is only over using the medications over many many years and thus it is recommended to monitor liver enzymes every 6 months so as to pick up any change. Having said this it is important to remember that statins are highly effective in treating high cholesterol and having given your history of AAA would be highly recommended. While there are other modalities of treatment like fibrates , statins have been proven to be more efficacious .
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 07 March 2011 ) |
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