Conclusion: Once-weekly low-dose rosuvastatin is an effective and well-tolerated lipid-lowering therapy option for patients not at LDL goal and previously unable to tolerate statins because of a history of myalgias.
Discussion. Our analysis of current evidence suggests that intermittent statin administration is effective in lowering LDL levels in patients with dyslipidemia. All dosing regimens, including alternate days, 3 to 5 times a week, 2 to 3 times a week, and once a week, were shown to be effective.
Patients tolerating the once-a-week regimen experienced a 17% reduction in total cholesterol, 23% reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 12% reduction in triglycerides, and a 5% increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (all p <0.001), during a mean follow-up of 4 months +/- 2.
As evident from periodic liver enzyme estimations, we can say that alternate-day statin therapy is at least as safe as daily treatment regime. While there was one instance of myalgia, on daily atorvastatin treatment, alternate-day dosage of the same was well tolerated.
You usually have to continue taking statins for life because if you stop taking them, your cholesterol will return to a high level. If you forget to take your dose, do not take an extra one to make up for it. Just take your next dose as usual the following day.
It's possible for some people to stop taking statins safely, but it can be especially risky for others. For instance, if you have a history of heart attack or stroke, it's not recommended that you stop taking these drugs. This is because you're more likely to have another such problem when you discontinue statins.
by Drugs.com
It takes about 77 hours (3 days) for atorvastatin to be out of your system. The elimination half life of atorvastatin is approximately 14 hours. This is the time it takes for your body to reduce plasma drug levels by half.
Published data have demonstrated that instead of administering rosuvastatin on a daily basis, alternative dosing schedules (every other day, three times a week, and twice a week) for patients with previous adverse events, presumably secondary to statin therapy, have improved patient tolerability and at the same time ...
If you forget to take your dose, take it as soon as you remember. If you do not remember until the next day, skip the missed dose and take the next one at the usual time. If you often forget doses, it may help to set an alarm to remind you.
Now, if you are asking whether it is safe to split a tablet to get to the recommended dosage, the answer is yes. Lipitor does not have special coating or formulation that makes it a timed-release medication. Breaking the tablet in half will not alter its function or metabolism.
Dosing a statin (rosuvastatin) every other day (EOD) may provide significant lipoprotein changes while avoiding common adverse effects in this statin-intolerant population.
You should see major changes in your cholesterol levels within two to four weeks after starting treatment. When you take a statin, you do more than improve your cholesterol levels. They also reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and other heart problems.
Our study reported that both 5 mg and 10 mg rosuvastatin significantly decreases blood cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL levels.
If your risk is very low, you probably won't need a statin, unless your LDL is above 190 mg/dL (4.92 mmol/L). If your risk is very high — for example, you've had a heart attack in the past — a statin may be helpful even if you don't have high cholesterol.
Use of rosuvastatin 2.5 to 20 mg once a week has been shown to decrease LDL cholesterol by 25% and be tolerated by up to 70% of statin-intolerant patients.
Some 8.5% of them had a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, within four years – versus 7.6% of those who continued taking statins. And 6.6% of patients who stopped taking statins died of all causes, versus 5.4% of those who kept taking them.
Many statins work more effectively when they are taken at night. This is because the enzyme which makes the cholesterol is more active at night. Also, the half-life, or the amount of time it takes for half the dose to leave your body, of some statins is short.
If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses. Do not take 2 doses of this medicine if it has been more than 12 hours since you missed your last dose.
After starting a statin, it takes about six weeks for cholesterol levels to stabilise, so most doctors would re-check your cholesterol after about eight weeks.
Natural statins are dietary supplements that are considered helpful in lowering your cholesterol. There's some evidence that the following are effective when it comes to reducing cholesterol levels.
Atorvastatin is the most potent statin and has a long half-life. Therefore, atorvastatin given on alternate days may be reasonable and cost effective, particularly in hypercholesterolemia patients.
Fear of side effects and perceived side effects are the most common reasons for declining or discontinuing statin therapy. Willingness to take a statin is high, among both patients who have declined statin therapy and those who have never been offered one.
Among the individual medications, studies have shown that simvastatin (Zocor®) and pravastatin (Pravachol®) seem to be safer and better tolerated than the other statins.
Conclusion: Statins lower blood pressure by cholesterol-independent mechanisms, and the reduction is larger in individuals with higher blood pressure and those with low HDL-C. Statins may be beneficial in preventing hypertension and may contribute to better blood pressure control in hypertensive patients.