The study found that if 255 patients take a statin for four years, the drugs will cause one extra case of diabetes. Atorvastatin belongs to a group of medicines called statins. What can we help you find? It’s the most common side effect of statins, but another way to look at it is that nine out of 10 patients don’t experience it at all. Another troubling problem linked to statin use is an increased risk of diabetes. And not all statins are the same. Nowhere is the failure of our medical system more evident than in the wholesale acceptance of cholesterol reduction as a way to prevent disease–have all these doctors forgotten what they learned in Biochemistry 101 about the many roles of cholesterol in the human biochemistry? 3) Statins have been shown to lower risk even in those with normal or low cholesterol numbers. When patients do have muscle pain: Actual muscle damage occurs in only 1 in 10,000 patients. Some studies suggest CRP plays a major role in the development of heart disease. It's used to lower … Consider this option after determining your personal risk with your doctor. However, Crestor is the only statin approved by the FDA for preventing first-time heart disease in people who do not have high cholesterol. Get the Facts: Are Statins Safe for Lowering Cholesterol? Is High Cholesterol Putting Your Health at Risk? Can a statin drug help such patients? Should you take a statin even if your cholesterol is normal? One controversial idea was to test a statin -- AstraZeneca's Crestor -- in people with normal cholesterol levels but high levels of CRP. Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes, Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats, Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts. However, this finding suggests that older patients taking statins should have their blood sugar levels checked regularly. Recovering from a serious fall can take a while. Can adopting a healthier diet help fight prostate cancer? © 2010 - 2020 Harvard University. ... New research shows more people can benefit from taking statins than previously believed, including people over 75 years old. An independent review panel stopped the trial after two years when it became apparent that patients receiving a placebo were having more heart attacks, strokes, angina (heart pain), and death from cardiovascular disease than those taking 20 milligrams of Crestor daily. The AstraZeneca-sponsored JUPITER clinical trial enrolled 17,802 such men over age 50 and women over age 60. But even if your cholesterol is not particularly high, it could still be smart to consider starting a statin. Statins available in the United States include atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Altoprev), pitavastatin (Livalo), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor). They work by inhibiting an enzyme in the liver called HMG-CoA reductase. Statins are linked to a number of minor side effects. The JUPITER trial isn't the first to show that statins can prevent heart events even in people with normal cholesterol levels. When the lining of an artery wall is disrupted, a cascade of events is set off, culminating in the formation of a blood clot, which can go on to cause a potentially deadly heart attack or stroke. So who should consider taking Crestor or perhaps another statin to prevent heart disease? In the JUPITER study, participants' CRP levels were very high. Some people over age 60 have few, if any, symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), while others experience the same symptoms younger people do. They work on an enzyme that is used by our body to make cholesterol. While it's tempting to conclude from available data that any statin might have the same effect at effective doses, this has not been proven in clinical trials. It's a controversial answer that raises a lot of questions. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please note: If you have a promotional code you'll be prompted to enter it prior to confirming your order.