Statins are a type of medication that help to lower your bad cholesterol. If you live with diabetes, then you might be prescribed a statin to lower your risk of heart attack and stroke.
- Statins and cholesterol
- What are statins and how do they work?
- Who can take statins?
- Different types of statins
- How to take statins
- Your prescription
- Statins side effects
- Can you stop taking statins?
- More information and support
Statins and cholesterol
Cholesterol is a type of blood fat that’s made in the liver. It’s found in some foods too.
We all need some cholesterol, but having too much can increase the risk of heart disease. There are different types of cholesterol - you might hear them called LDL and HDL cholesterol.
LDL is often called ‘bad cholesterol’ because too much of it can increase the risk of heart disease.
HDL cholesterol is often called ‘good cholesterol’ because it carries ‘bad’ cholesterol away from your arteries and back to your liver.
What are statins and how do they work?
Statins are a commonly used medication which reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol (the bad one) in your blood. This helps to lower your risk of heart attack and stroke.
Who can take statins?
You might be prescribed a statin if:
- you have high cholesterol
- you’re at risk of developing heart disease, or you have cardiovascular disease.
Statins are often prescribed for adults with diabetes because living with diabetes increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Statins and type 1 diabetes
Many people with type 1 diabetes are prescribed a statin to prevent heart disease. You might be prescribed a statin if you do not have high cholesterol levels, but statins help to keep these levels in a healthy range and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Regardless of your cholesterol levels, if you live with type 1 diabetes then you might be offered statin treatment based on any of these factors:
- if you are older than 40 years
- if you have had diabetes for more than 10 years
- if you have kidney damage or other risk factors for heart disease.
Statins and type 2 diabetes
If you live with type 2 diabetes, then your overall CVD risk might be calculated using something called a QRISK calculator.
Your healthcare team should explain the results to you, and what your % risk of CVD is.
You might be offered a statin if you have type 2 diabetes to prevent heart disease if you have a 10% increased risk of heart disease, or you have a risk of developing heart disease over the next 10 years.
If you have high cholesterol levels, you will be offered a blood test to measure total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol three months after starting statin treatment. The aim of this test is to see a 40% reduction in LDL cholesterol.
Ask your healthcare team what your individual targets are for your cholesterol levels.
Some people need to take statins because they have a genetic condition, such as familial hypercholesterolaemia.
Who can’t take statins?
Some medications might not be suitable for some people, which might be because of medical conditions or other reasons:
- If you have kidney disease then you might not be able to take statins, but this will depend on the stage of your kidney disease;
- If you have liver disease you might not be able to have statins;
- You should not take statins if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. If you’re planning a pregnancy speak with a healthcare professional if you are using this medication.
When you start a new medication always check with your healthcare team that it’s suitable for you to take.
Different types of statins
The most common types of statins are:
| Generic name | Brand name |
|---|---|
| Atorvastatin | Lipitor |
| Simvastatin | Zocor |
| Rosuvastatin | Crestor |
These are all tablets which you swallow once a day.
The right statin for you will depend on things like:
- your LDL cholesterol level
- your risk of heart disease
- if you have side effects from certain statins.
Your healthcare team will assess which statin is the right one for you and will continue to monitor if the statin prescribed is working well during your check-ups.
How to take statins
Always take your statin exactly as your healthcare professional has told you. The Patient Information Leaflet inside the box will tell you how to take it but always check with your healthcare professional if you’re not sure.
If you forget to take your statin, carry on as normal the next day. Don’t take an extra one to make up for it.
Some foods and drinks might interact with statins. For example, if you’re taking simvastatin, avoid drinking grapefruit juice – this is because grapefruit juice can make the drug more powerful than it’s meant to be.
Drink no more than one or two small glasses of grapefruit juice a day if you are taking atorvastatin.
Your prescription
Your healthcare team should explain your prescription to you but it's important to make sure you ask if you don't feel you know enough.
And make sure you talk to your GP or your diabetes team if you struggle to take your DDP-4 inhibitor They might be able to help by giving you a different dose.
In England, if you need to take any medication to manage your diabetes, your prescriptions will be free. Ask your healthcare team about a prescription exemption certificate if you don't have one, to make sure you don't get charged for your medication. Prescriptions are already free for everybody in the rest of the UK, so you shouldn't pay for your statin.
Statins side effects
Like all medicines, statins have side effects for some people. But when side effects are listed as common in the Patient Information Leaflet, it doesn’t mean that everyone that takes the medication will get them.
The information about side effects is based on the likelihood of people having them. For example, if a side effect is very common then it can affect more than one in ten people, and if a side effect is very rare then it affects fewer than one in 10,000 people.
Because medicines can affect people differently, your healthcare team will speak to you about what’s best for you and discuss any side effects.
Common side effects include aches and pains in the muscles, but not everyone will experience these.
These are not all the side effects. You will find a full list of known side effects in the Patient Information Leaflet. This comes in the medication box.
It’s also important that you take individual advice from your healthcare team before starting statins and report any side effects to your healthcare professionals, if you experience any. They might tell you to change your dose or prescribe you a different statin.
You can also report these side effects to the Yellow Card Scheme, which is the government system used for recording side effects with medicines in the UK.
Can you stop taking statins?
Statins have been used to lower cholesterol for a long time, but in recent years there’s been a lot of controversial debate and news around this medication.
Having questions and worries about a drug you have been advised to take is normal, and if you are worried make sure you talk to your healthcare team, or call our helpline on 0345 123 2399.
More information and support
Still have more questions? Or is there anything you're not sure about statins after reading this page? Contact our helpline on 0345 123 2399.
You can visit the NHS website for more information on statins.
