Since the NHS will be funding local chemists to undertake health checks, it makes sense to consider whether there are a broader range of medicines that patients could access conveniently and locally on the high street. From next month, they will start to develop and test an early detection service to identify people who may have undiagnosed high-risk conditions like high blood pressure for referral for further testing and treatment, with a view to rolling out to all community pharmacies in The NHS Long Term Plan , published earlier this year, said that local NHS teams will actively identify and support more people living with high cholesterol who could benefit from statins, rolling out care to as many as , more people, supported by nationwide primary care networks.
Answer health questions These questions cover your medical history, symptoms, current medicines, and allergies. Medical team review Depending upon state regulations, you may have a short video visit with one of our doctors or nurse practitioners immediately after paying. FREE delivery to your door day shipping. Labs If you need lab work it costs on top of the Lemonaid visit fee. Find a Quest Near You. Under 18 75 or older Kidney disease.
Liver problems Allergy to statins Want a different type of cholesterol treatment other than statins Pregnant or trying to get pregnant. Managing Your Overall Health Managing your cholesterol with statins is only one part of looking after your heart and overall wellness. Risks of Taking Statins Statins are generally safe but can cause rare and serious side effects including but not limited to profound muscle pain and weakness, severe allergic reaction, kidney failure, disability, and death.
Call us. What our patients are saying What our patients are saying. Many also fail to warn of the risks of taking the drugs in conjunction with other medicines, for example by people with additional medical conditions. They examined information on over websites from at least 17 different countries and found that the majority did not contain sufficient information about the most common or most serious side effects or contraindications and rarely did they quantify the risks to patients.
Under these conditions, statins are considered to have a satisfactory benefit to risk balance. Not listing all of the contraindications widens the number of patients who might think that they can use the medicine and creates the illusion that it is safer for them than it may actually be. In the UK and elsewhere there are strict rules on information that must be given to a patient before they take a medicine prescribed by their doctor. It is a legal requirement that the patient information leaflet contains comprehensive information written in terms the user will understand.
But anyone with an internet connection can access websites and purchase statins without recourse to a healthcare provider. Less than a third of the websites examined gave a complete list of contraindications and less than half informed the customer to consult their doctor if taking other medicines despite the British National Formulary listing over 20 classes of drugs with which the statins are known to interact. Only one-third of websites indicated how the medicine should be taken and less than half indicated that the medicine was for chronic use, where latent safety issues such as liver disease may emerge.
Information on how to take the medicine safely, drug interactions and side effects was generally poor with few appreciable differences between different statins. The research also highlighted a number of web sites offering free prescription medication with an order of statins , in many cases drugs for erectile dysfunction. Although drugs for erectile dysfunction are not contraindicated in individuals with high cholesterol, they should be used with caution in cardiovascular disease, to which these individuals are by definition predisposed.
Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form. For general feedback, use the public comments section below please adhere to guidelines. Your feedback is important to us. This can cause pain in your chest or arm known as angina during physical activity or when stressed.
Your lifestyle choices play a big role in whether you become at risk for developing high blood cholesterol, including:. People with high blood pressure hypertension and diabetes often have high cholesterol as well. Other medical conditions that can also cause cholesterol levels to increase include liver disease, kidney disease, and an underactive thyroid gland hypothyroidism.
These are factors that cannot be changed. They include:. If any or maybe several of the above-fixed risk factors apply to you, it is even more important to assess your lifestyle and evaluate any underlying conditions you may have. High cholesterol can only be correctly diagnosed through a blood test. Upon a diagnosis, your doctor will be able to determine an appropriate medication depending on your personal circumstances.
If at any time, you feel that the medication is not right for you, it is important to discuss it with your doctor so he can prescribe a more suitable treatment. Statins are one of the most widely reported medicines in the news and have acquired fairly bad reputation with the public.
Statins are one of the most widely used groups of medicines in the UK. It is generally considered that the risk of side effects is far outweighed by the benefits they offer in reducing cholesterol levels and therefore the risk of heart and circulatory problems.
As with any medicine, there will always be a minority of people who have a bad reaction or side effects from statins. It is important to read your information leaflet carefully when you start your treatment and be aware of any effects that may need to be reported to your doctor.
It is important to have blood tests monthly whilst taking statins to test their effectiveness and for any adverse effects. Statins are a type of medication prescribed to high cholesterol patients. Eventually, this will lower the total blood cholesterol level. The most common statin prescribed is Atorvastatin. Other statins include Simvastatin and Rosuvastatin.
Statins are safe to use, however, some people will find that they have an intolerance to this medication, which will then produce some side effects. Statins need to be taken for life, so they will only be prescribed to people who are at extremely high risk of heart disease.
As soon as a patient stops taking a statin, cholesterol levels will start to increase again. You will need to have a blood test to measure your cholesterol levels to check if your treatment is effective or not.
You will likely need to take statins on a long-term basis. There is a chance that you will be able to come off statins, or at least reduce your dose, if you make significant lifestyles changes to help reduce your cholesterol naturally. It takes several weeks of taking a statin before your doctor can see a change in your cholesterol levels. You will not notice any difference as your cholesterol lowers; it is important to continue to take your medicine and take steps to lower cholesterol anyway.
The body manufactures more cholesterol at night than during the day, taking statins in the evening meal or at night is usually allows them to be most effective. Lipitor atorvastatin , Crestor rosuvastatin and Lipostat pravastatin are longer acting statins and can be taken at anytime of the day. If a dose is missed, you can take it as soon as your remember if it is on the same day. Don't double up the next day; just take your usual dose as normal. If you do miss a dose of your statin, there is no need to worry.
Cholesterol levels are a long-term measure and will not drastically change with an occasional missed dose. That said, you should try to take your treatment regularly to keep your condition well managed and give you the best chance possible of achieving a healthy cholesterol level. Currently, five statins are available in the UK. Listed below are the five different types, with their brand names in brackets.
All these statins can be taken during any time of day, with the exception of Simvastatin , which is only recommended to be taken at night right before sleeping. Ezetimibe is another medication commonly prescribed for the treatment of high cholesterol. Usually, the cholesterol present in your intestines from food and bile juices will get absorbed into your blood.
Ezetimibe works by blocking this absorption of cholesterol. Generally, it is not as effective as statins, but it is less likely to cause side effects.
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