My blood lipids are normal, so why does the doctor still ask me to take statins? When can I stop taking them?

An elderly friend asked Huazi that his blood lipids were normal, but his blood pressure was a little high. After taking antihypertensive drugs, his blood pressure could be controlled at around 130/60 mmHg. However, in addition to antihypertensive drugs, the doctor also asked him to take lipid-lowering drugs such as statins. He was a little confused. His blood lipids were normal, so why did the doctor still ask him to take lipid-lowering drugs? When should he stop taking them?

1. "Dangerous information" hidden in blood pressure values ​​The blood pressure value of this elderly friend hides a "dangerous information", that is, the difference between the high pressure and the low pressure is too large. The pulse pressure difference of a healthy person is usually between 30 and 40 mmHg, and the maximum does not exceed 60 mmHg. However, the high pressure of this elderly friend is 130 mmHg, and the low pressure is 60 mmHg. The difference in pulse pressure has reached 70 mmHg, which means that his large arteries have already had a certain degree of hardening.

Among arteriosclerosis, there is a type of hardening called atherosclerosis. The cause is that the intima of the artery is damaged, and the cholesterol in the blood enters the intima of the artery, forming atherosclerotic plaques. This atherosclerotic plaque will gradually grow over time, causing blood vessel stenosis and poor blood flow. In addition, the plaque itself is unstable and easily ruptures, activating platelet aggregation to form thrombi, which is the main cause of acute cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents.

2. "Remedies" for atherosclerosis When the body's blood pressure rises, the impact of blood on the arterial wall will increase, causing mechanical damage to the arterial lining and inducing atherosclerosis. Aging is also one of the factors that cause atherosclerosis. For elderly patients with hypertension, they will basically have a certain degree of atherosclerosis while suffering from hypertension.

After atherosclerosis occurs, "remediation" should be carried out according to the degree of danger to minimize the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

1. "Remove the firewood from under the cauldron": The first step to remedy the situation is to prevent the growth of atherosclerotic plaques, which requires removing the factors that damage the arterial lining. Common factors are high blood pressure, high blood lipids, high blood sugar, smoking, aging, and heredity. We have no way to deal with aging and heredity, but there are many ways to control the "three highs".

Therefore, it is necessary to use medication to target the "three highs" to lower blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar. Keeping the indicators stably within the normal range can produce the effect of "removing the fire from under the pot" and delay or stop the growth of plaques.

2. "Mending the fold after the sheep have been lost": The second step of remediation is to stabilize the atherosclerotic plaques that have already formed, and to "mend the fold after the sheep have been lost". It is not enough to just prevent the growth of the plaques, because the plaques still have the risk of rupture, so the plaques must be made more stable and less likely to rupture.

Once atherosclerotic plaques are formed, they cannot be completely eliminated. However, in addition to lowering blood lipids, statins can also improve the metabolism of the arterial lining, fight cholesterol oxidation, stress and inflammatory reactions, increase the density of the lipid core in the plaque, reduce its volume, and reverse the plaque, making it less likely to rupture.

3. How long should you take statins before you can stop taking them? After reading this, I believe you have understood that statins are not just lipid-lowering drugs. Another important function of statins is to be used for atherosclerosis, stabilize and reverse plaques, and prevent the occurrence of diseases such as cerebral infarction and myocardial infarction. Statins are very important preventive medications for people at high risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

So how long should you take statins?

1. Effectiveness of drugs: When using statins, in order to ensure the efficacy, the control indicators must be met. The indicator for testing the effectiveness of statins is low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). For people who have not had a related disease and are just preventing the disease from happening, the control standard for LDL-C is lower than 2.6mmol/L; for people who have already had a disease and are preventing the disease from recurring, the control standard for LDL-C is lower than 1.8mmol/L.

2. Time of taking the medicine: Regarding the time of taking statins, relevant research and experiments have shown that after 2 to 4 years of continuous use, it will have the effect of stabilizing and reversing atherosclerotic plaques. Moreover, the longer the medication is used, the lower the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and the greater the benefit to patients. Therefore, as long as there are no related contraindications or intolerable adverse reactions, statins are recommended for long-term use.

To sum up, if a person with normal blood lipids has atherosclerosis, the doctor will also let him take statins according to the degree of risk. The purpose of taking the medicine is not only to lower blood lipids, but also to stabilize atherosclerotic plaques and enhance the protection of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The medication must be continued for 2 to 4 years to achieve the initial therapeutic effect. If you find problems or have doubts when taking the medicine, please consult a doctor or pharmacist in time. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and let me be the pharmacist by your side.