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What does a statin inhibitor do?

What does a statin inhibitor do?

Statins inhibit an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase, which controls cholesterol production in the liver. The medicine blocks the enzyme, thereby slowing down the cholesterol production process. Statins typically work well and can reduce LDL cholesterol by around 30% — or even 50%, with a high dosage.

What kind of inhibitor is statin?

Statins are competitive inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme of cholesterol biosynthesis. Statins are widely and successfully used for lowering plasma cholesterol levels causing up to 45% reduction of plasma cholesterol and considerable reduction in risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Which drugs are statin drugs?

Statins include atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol XL), lovastatin (Altoprev), pitavastatin (Livalo), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor, Ezallor) and simvastatin (Zocor, FloLipid). Having too much cholesterol in your blood increases your risk of heart attacks and strokes.

What is the side effects of statin?

Side effects can vary between different statins, but common side effects include:

  • headache.
  • dizziness.
  • feeling sick.
  • feeling unusually tired or physically weak.
  • digestive system problems, such as constipation, diarrhoea, indigestion or farting.
  • muscle pain.
  • sleep problems.
  • low blood platelet count.

Is statin a steroid?

Cholesterol and statins Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty steroid that your body needs for things like: cell production. sex hormones. digestion.

Is aspirin better than statins?

Although the absolute risk for bleeding appears low with aspirin, so does the absolute benefit: on average a reduction of 0.1% (number needed to treat of 1000). On the other hand, statins offer a stronger degree of benefit (absolute reduction on the order of 1% to 2%, number needed to treat 50-100).

Are statins bad for your kidneys?

TUESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) — People who take high doses of popular cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins may be more likely to develop kidney problems, a new study suggests.

How dangerous are statin drugs?

Dangers of Statin Drugs 1. They Weaken Your Immune System 2. They Raise Diabetes Risk 3. They Affect Brain Health 4. They Contribute to Obesity 5. They Cause Muscle Damage

Are PCSK9 inhibitors better than statins?

Praluent is part of a relatively new class of drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors which can dramatically lower cholesterol, and may work even better than statins, the traditional first line of treatment.

Why statins are different from other cholesterol drugs?

Statins differ in several ways. The most obvious difference is in their ability to reduce cholesterol. Currently, atorvastatin (Lipitor) and rosuvastatin (Crestor) are the most potent, and fluvastatin (Lescol) is the least potent. The statins also differ in how strongly they interact with other drugs.

What is the best statin for high cholesterol?

It is important to understand a statin’s strength — or ability to lower blood cholesterol — before choosing an ideal medication. One of the strongest statins available is rosuvastatin, which is typically the best statin for people with severely high cholesterol that cannot be controlled with diet or exercise.