High cholesterol and Atorvastatin

[Justine Greenwood]

Hello Colin,

Thank you for your question. I hope I will be able to add some clarity to your recent health check results.

Statins are recommended by clinical guidance to individuals who are at risk of developing cardiovascular problems (such as a heart attack or stroke). 'Risk' takes into account many different factors of which cholesterol level is one. Age, gender, family history (to name a few) are also all taken into consideration when deciding whether to prescribe a statin.

Atorvastatin works by reducing the production of cholesterol by the body. This effectively lowers the risk of the cardiovascular problems I mentioned before. The commonest side effect of the statin group is muscle pain. Therefore I always recommend that my patients who are experiencing unexplained muscle pain, tenderness or weakness with statin treatment visit their GP. Although this may not be anything to be concerned about, you should tell your doctor about it. This is because there is a rare but serious side-effect of atorvastatin which is a severe form of muscle inflammation.

You are correct by saying that statins have been associated in the development of diabetes. I would like to reassure you though that this is rare and is of particular concern only in patients already at risk of this condition. Guidance does state that the overall benefits of taking a statin does continue to outweigh the risks of side effects.

There are lifestyle changes you can make to help support your statin treatment as you mention. These include eating a healthy diet, cutting down on the amount of alcohol you normally drink, reducing the amount of salt in your diet, stopping smoking and taking regular exercise. If you would like to discuss any of this information I would recommend a visit to your local community Pharmacist, who is not only an expert in medicines, but also in healthy living advice too.

I hope this information has helped Colin, however please feel free to get back in touch if you require any further details.

Kind regards,

Justine