What changes will occur in the body if statins are taken for a long time? What should we pay attention to?

A friend complained about Huazi, saying that he always talked about the effects of statins, but rarely mentioned adverse reactions. Shouldn't he also talk about whether long-term use of statins is good or bad for the body, and what should be paid attention to? Huazi said that this suggestion was very good. No matter what kind of medicine, it has two sides. On the one hand, it can exert its efficacy and prevent and treat diseases; on the other hand, it may also have side effects that are unrelated to the purpose of the medication, leading to adverse reactions.

1. Who needs to take statins? Statins can lower cholesterol levels, slow the progression of atherosclerosis, and reinforce existing atherosclerotic plaques, making them less likely to rupture, thereby preventing the surface of ruptured plaques from inducing platelet aggregation and forming thrombi. Statins can also increase plaque density and reduce volume, producing a plaque reversal effect.

Therefore, for people with hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction and other diseases, statins are very important "cornerstone" drugs. As long as there are no contraindications, they need to be taken to prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents such as cerebral infarction and myocardial infarction.

2. What will happen if you take statins for a long time? Atherosclerotic plaques are not formed overnight, but usually take more than ten years or even decades. The treatment of plaques will not be "instant" and requires a long-term treatment process. Taking statins usually takes more than 2 to 4 years to produce a significant effect of reversing plaques, which can reduce the incidence of cerebral infarction and myocardial infarction.

There are related trials that show that the longer you take statins, the greater the benefits you get from them. So now the medical consensus is that long-term use of statins can effectively stabilize plaques and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and the longer you take them, the better the effect.

However, when taking statins, it is important to keep the level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) at the target level in order to play a better role in preventing diseases. It is recommended to control LDL-C to below 1.8mmol/L. When LDL-C drops to this level, the free LDL-C that enters the arterial endothelium will be transferred back to the blood and sent back to the liver for decomposition.

If you have not suffered from cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease and other diseases, it is acceptable to control LDL-C at 2.6mmol/L. However, according to current research, the lower the LDL-C level, the better the effect of reversing plaques. For people with a high risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, the LDL-C level can be reduced to 1.4mmol/L.

3. Adverse reactions to watch out for when taking "statins" for a long time. No matter which statin drug you take, adverse reactions may occur. Common ones include digestive tract irritation, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea and other symptoms; they may also affect the central nervous system, causing dizziness and drowsiness. However, these symptoms are usually not serious, and they will gradually become tolerated, alleviated or disappear after continuous medication. Due to individual differences, different people have different sensitivities to different statins. If the symptoms are severe, you can consider switching to another statin.

Statins need to enter liver cells to work, so during medication, they may have a certain impact on liver function and cause elevated transaminases (ALT, AST). However, this effect on liver function is reversible and does not cause real damage to the liver, which will recover after stopping the medication. During medication, if the transaminase exceeds 3 times (120U/L), the medication needs to be stopped. After the transaminase returns to normal, you can continue taking the medication or switch to other statins.

Statins may cause muscle damage, and muscle soreness and fatigue may occur when taking the medicine. However, most people have mild symptoms and can tolerate them. It should be noted that if severe muscle pain and fatigue occur, beware of rhabdomyolysis (0.5% probability of occurrence). Creatine kinase (CK) levels need to be monitored. If it exceeds 5 times the normal value (1000U/L), the drug needs to be discontinued. After the CK value returns to normal, you can resume taking the drug or switch to other statins.

Statins may affect blood sugar metabolism and increase the probability of new-onset diabetes by 0.38%. During medication, blood sugar needs to be monitored and timely intervention is required if abnormalities are found. Compared with elevated blood sugar, the protective effect of statins on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases is more important. Hypoglycemic drugs can be added to control blood sugar, but discontinuation of statins is not recommended.

To sum up, when using statins for a long time, the most significant change in the body is the inhibition of plaque progression and the reduction of the probability of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Pay attention to monitoring adverse reactions during medication, but most adverse reactions are mild and reversible, and the probability of serious adverse reactions is very low. Be sure to take the medicine under the guidance of a doctor. If you find any problems during medication, consult a doctor or pharmacist in time. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.