How is a statin intolerance diagnosed?
Your doctor will take steps to diagnose you since statin intolerance can mimic other health problems. Your doctor may have you stop taking statins to see if your symptoms stop and then slowly reintroduce the drug to see if your symptoms return.
Your doctor may also:
- perform a full medical evaluation
- perform a blood test to show if you have any abnormalities, such as high levels of creatine kinase or liver damage
- review of your family history to see if others in your family have statin intolerance
- conduct genetic tests to see if you are genetically prone to side effects from statins
- conduct a muscle biopsy to remove a small amount of muscle for testing
- require a symptom questionnaire, where you describe your symptoms
- conduct a muscle strength test to evaluate the strength of your muscles
What are the risk factors?
Certain factors may put you at an increased risk for statin intolerance:
- 80 years or older
- female
- Asian ethnicity
- certain preexisting conditions, such as neuromuscular, kidney, or liver conditions
- excessive alcohol consumption
- excessive exercise
- grapefruit juice consumption
How is statin intolerance treated?
Many statin problems are related to dosage. Your doctor may reduce the amount you are taking to see if it reduces your symptoms. They may prescribe a lower dosage or even decrease the number of days per week you take your medicine.
Lifestyle changes are also encouraged. A healthy diet can help lower cholesterol naturally and decrease your cardiovascular risks.
Your doctor may change which statin you’re taking. There are several statin options, and you may have a better reaction with a different type. Your doctor may also prescribe non-statin cholesterol-lowering drugs.
No comments:
Post a Comment