Adults who do not have diabetes ages 40 to 75 with a 20% or greater likelihood of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years (high-risk patients).

People with diabetes ages 40 to 75 with an LDL level over 70 mg/dL and no atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

People with an LDL cholesterol level of 190 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher, due to a genetic condition.

Secondary prevention in people with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association recommend statin therapy for: In my experience, 99% of insurance companies cover at least one of them, and more than 75% cover both of them.” Are you a candidate for a statin? “A lot of pharmacies typically will have one of the high-intensity statins. “It’s important to note that atorvastatin and rosuvastatin really are the workhorses of cardiology and statins at this point,” Dr. The statins are generally taken once daily and are available in generic forms. Your doctor will use a tool like the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association risk calculator and other factors to gauge your long-term risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, determine if you need statin therapy, and if so, which one. Laffin explains.Īlthough statins all belong to the same drug class, they differ in how potent they are and how much they can lower LDL cholesterol. “There are good data to suggest that the more LDL lowering we can achieve, the lower the risk of adverse cardiac events such as strokes and heart attacks,” Dr. They may also make them less prone to rupture and cause heart attacks and strokes. Some evidence suggests that high-intensity statin therapy may help to slow, and potentially reverse, the growth of artery-clogging atherosclerotic plaques. In the process, they significantly reduce LDL and total cholesterol, while also having beneficial effects on HDL (“good”) cholesterol, triglycerides and inflammation. Statins inhibit the action of an enzyme that’s responsible for cholesterol production in your liver. So, review the risks and benefits of these important medications with your physician, and discuss your need for statin therapy. Yet, despite their many benefits, statins (like all medications) have some important side effects you need to know about. “Additionally, statins lower inflammation, which we know is a factor that causes atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease,” Dr. (That’s the buildup of cholesterol, fatty cells and inflammatory deposits on the inner walls of your arteries aka “hardening” or “clogging” of the arteries). Preventive cardiologist Luke Laffin, MD, says statins lower your LDL ( or “bad”) cholesterol, which is associated with a reduced risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

The drugs have become so universally used that if you haven’t been prescribed a statin already, chances are you will at some point. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center.

Statins and grapefruit