What should you avoid when taking statins?

Food and alcohol
Grapefruit juice can affect some statins and increase your risk of side effects. A doctor may advise you to avoid it completely or only consume small quantities. The doctor will also ask you how much alcohol you drink before prescribing statins.

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What drugs Cannot be taken with statins?

Cautions with other medicines
  • antibiotics such as erythromycin, clarithromycin, rifampicin or fusidic acid.
  • antifungals such as ketoconazole, voriconazole or fluconazole.
  • some HIV medicines.
  • some hepatitis C medicines.
  • warfarin, a medicine to help prevent blood clots.

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Can I drink coffee while taking statin?

Background: Adenosine receptor activation is essential for mediating the IS-limiting effects of statins. Caffeine is a nonspecific adenosine receptor blocker, and thus drinking CC may block the myocardial protective effects of statins.

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What not to do on statins?

Grapefruit juice can affect some statins and increase your risk of side effects. Your doctor may advise you to avoid it or to only consume it in small quantities. There are no known interactions between statins and alcohol.

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What drinks to avoid when taking statins?

If you're taking simvastatin or atorvastatin, avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice as they can increase your risk of side effects. If you take another type of statin, limit your intake of grapefruit juice to very small amounts or avoid it altogether.

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What to Avoid When Taking Statin Medications | How to Reduce Risk of Statin Side Effects

23 related questions found

What fruit to avoid with statins?

People who take statin medications are usually advised not to eat or drink grapefruit or grapefruit-type products. Pummelos have a similar profile to grapefruit and also should be avoided.

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Why should you only take statins at night?

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.

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What is the negative side of statins?

feeling sick. feeling unusually tired or physically weak. digestive system problems, such as constipation, diarrhoea, indigestion or farting. muscle pain.

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Do statins make you gain weight?

Statin use is associated with increased calorie intake and consequent weight gain. It is speculated that statin‐dependent improvements in lipid profile may undermine the perceived need to follow lipid‐lowering and other dietary recommendations leading consequently to increased calorie intake.

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Can you get off statins once you start?

It's important to know that stopping statins cold turkey, or even gradually, can cause serious health problems and you should talk to your doctor before doing so.

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Can you have a glass of wine while taking statins?

There is no manufacturer's warning against drinking while on any statin medication, including Lipitor, which is recommended to be taken after dinner or at bedtime. For patients who don't like to drink alcohol at all, I do not recommend them to do it just for the above potential effects.

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Is it best to take statins before bed?

Short-acting statins work better at night because the liver enzyme that produces cholesterol is more active at this time. Most short-acting statins have a half-life of 6 hours. A medication's half-life is the time that it takes for the body to process and remove half of the medication.

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What happens if you drink alcohol while taking statins?

Experts generally consider it safe to take statins and drink alcohol in moderation. However, taking statins alongside a high alcohol intake may increase the side effects of both. Possible complications include liver damage, muscle damage, and increased blood pressure in the brain.

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What do cardiologists say about statins?

Statins can stabilize cholesterol plaque already attached to artery walls, making it less likely to get worse or rupture, causing a heart attack or stroke. "Statins also help remove cholesterol from you blood by causing the liver to express more LDL cholesterol receptors that take cholesterol out of your blood," Dr.

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Can I take paracetamol with statins?

No interactions were found between atorvastatin and Paracetamol. However, this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.

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Why do patients not like statins?

Statins are effective, accessible, and affordable. However, well-known side effects like muscle pain keep some people from taking them.

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Do statins cause belly fat?

People who did take statins consumed more calories and fat over time, and gained more weight. The study also showed that statin users had a faster increase in body mass index (BMI) than those who didn't use statins.

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Do statins make you go to the toilet more?

The side effects of statins include diarrhoea and constipation, although no pathophysiological explanation is provided by the manufacturer. There are various mechanisms that have been postulated by which statins are thought to induce myotoxicity.

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Do statins make you pee more?

Statin Warning Signs

Excessive thirst or having to urinate frequently. Severe confusion or memory impairment. Unexplained significant joint or muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness. Unusual fatigue or weakness, loss of appetite, pain in your upper abdomen, dark-colored urine, or yellowing of your skin or eyes.

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What can I take instead of statins to lower cholesterol?

7 cholesterol-lowering alternatives to statins
  • Fibrates. Mostly used for lowering triglyceride levels in patients whose levels are very high and could cause pancreatitis. ...
  • Plant stanols and sterols. ...
  • Cholestyramine and other bile acid-binding resins. ...
  • Niacin. ...
  • Policosanol. ...
  • Red yeast rice extract (RYRE) ...
  • Natural products.

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Why are some doctors against statins?

While statins are highly effective and safe for most people, they have been linked to muscle pain, digestive problems and mental fuzziness in some people. Rarely, they may cause liver damage.

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Are statins worth the risk?

Although there are some potential side effects long-term for statins, in most cases, if your doctor has identified you as having high cholesterol and needing a statin, the benefits greatly outweigh the risks. Muscle aches are among the most common complaints.

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Do statins affect sleep?

Accumulating databases from the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) suggest that statin use is associated with an increased risk of sleep disturbances including insomnia [8]. In other studies hallucinations and nightmares during statin therapy were also observed [6, 7].

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How long does it take for statins to reduce plaque?

Initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of the aorta suggested that statin use might result in atherosclerotic plaque regression as early as 6 months after initiation of therapy [2].

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How do you stop fatigue from statins?

Some people taking statins may experience fatigue, especially when they exercise or move. Fatigue affects about 1% to 4% of people taking statins. A few tips to manage fatigue while on a statin include: Taking plenty of breaks during the day.

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