If you have certain risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), your physician will most likely discuss statins, a family of medications recommended for heart disease or stroke prevention.
In writing the new guidelines, experts from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology identified four groups of individuals who could benefit from using statins.
These include adults who have some clinical history of heart disease or stroke, such as unstable angina or peripheral artery disease. The second category includes adults those who have very high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
Statins are also recommended for adults, ages 40 to 75, with diabetes.
Adults ages 40 to 75 who don’t have cardiovascular disease but who have a 7.5 percent or greater risk for heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years should also consider statins.
Risk is based on race, gender, age, total cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol, blood pressure, use of blood pressure medication, having diabetes and/or smoking.
Before accepting a prescription, talk to your physician about potential side effects.
Memory loss, confusion, increased blood sugar levels and muscle damage have all been reported, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“I’m not a statin basher. There are side effects patients should know,” says Dr. Joel K. Kahn, author of the upcoming book, “The Holistic Heart Book: A Preventive Cardiologist’s Guide to Halt Heart Disease Now” (Reader’s Digest, 2014).
Dr. Kahn recommends taking the lowest statin dose possible for you to achieve good results.