Statins and what they do

What are statins?

Statins are medicines that help lower your cholesterol and protect your arteries. This helps lower your risk of heart and circulatory conditions, such as:

• coronary heart disease
• angina (chest pain and discomfort)
• heart attack
• stroke.

Statins can help treat high cholesterol, but they are also a preventative medicine. This means they lower your cholesterol and help to prevent you from having heart problems in the future, like a heart attack.

Studies show that low-dose statins can lower your bad cholesterol (LDL) by up to 30 per cent and high-dose statins can lower it by more than 40 per cent.

What are statins used for?

You may be given a statin if you’ve got:

• high cholesterol
• angina (chest pain and discomfort)
• peripheral arterial disease
• diabetes
• familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH).

Or you’ve had a heart attack, stroke, angioplasty and stent or coronary bypass surgery.

When deciding whether you should take a statin or not, your doctor will look at your overall risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the future.

Find out how your doctor works out your risk

What are the different types of statins?

The different types of statins your doctor might prescribe include: 

• atorvastatin (Lipitor) 
• fluvastatin (Lescol) 
• pravastatin (Lipostat) 
• rosuvastatin (Crestor) 
• simvastatin (Zocor). 

Your doctor will help find the right statin for you, depending on your medical history and your cholesterol level.

You may see that some low-dose statins are available at pharmacies to buy without a prescription. These are not a replacement for prescribed statins, and you should not take them if you have been prescribed statins by your doctor.

If you'd like to start taking a low-dose statin, speak to your pharmacist or doctor.

How do I decide whether to take a statin?

If you’re thinking about taking a statin or already taking one, it’s important to how it might affect your health and what your options are if you’re unsure about taking it.

Your doctor may use National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines to help decide whether to recommend you a statin or not. But it’s your choice whether you take a statin.

Asking your doctor some questions can help you decide, like:

• How much will it reduce my risk of a heart attack or stroke?
• Is there another way to lower my cholesterol?
• What are the potential side effects of this statin?
• Is there anything I need to avoid while taking a statin?
• Do I have to take it for the rest of my life?
• What can I do if I start having side effects?
• What options do I have if I do not want to take a statin anymore?

Statins and side effects: muscle pains, weight gain

Research has found statins to be a helpful medicine to help manage your cholesterol.

Most people taking statins will have no side effects. However, for some people side effects can have a big impact on their daily life.

One side effect from statins can be muscle pain. There is also a very small risk of weight gain and type 2 diabetes with some types of statin. Speak to your doctor if you're worried about these side effects.

Some people worry about other side effects, like:

• trouble sleeping
• memory loss and confusion
• dementia.

However, more research is needed to find it statins cause these side effects.

You may experience symptoms that feel like side effects. But they could be caused by other things like changes in your lifestyle, stress or tiredness. If you’ve started taking statins recently it’s worth bearing in mind that symptoms with any new medicine may improve over time or even disappear.

Talk to your doctor if you’re having side effects. They can help you manage them or look at other options with you.

What can I do if I want to stop taking statins?

If you’re taking a statin and you’re unsure if you want to keep taking it or you do not feel well, talk to your doctor.

Here are some options you can talk to your doctor about:

• trying a different statin
• changing the dose of your statin
• alternative medicines to lower your cholesterol
• medicines or treatments to help reduce side effects
• diet and lifestyle changes to lower your cholesterol.

Your doctor can tell you what your risk of future heart problems is if you stop taking your statin, lower your dose or try a different treatment.

Having more information and talking it through with your doctor can help you to decide what’s best for you.

Alternatives to statins: medicines

If statins do not help lower your cholesterol or you cannot take them, you might be offered other medicines like: 

• ezetimibe 
• bempedoic acid 
• PCSK9 inhibitors 
• inclisiran 
• bile acid sequestrants
• icosapent ethyl.

You may also hear about other medicines, like fibrates, volanesorsen and lomitapide. They’re usually only given for specific cholesterol conditions.

Some of these medicines can only be prescribed by a specialist. Speak to your doctor to find out if they’re an option for you.

Alternatives to statins: foods, exercise and more

Statins are one of the best ways to reduce your cholesterol.

Lifestyle changes can help to lower cholesterol but may not work for everyone. For example, if you have a condition that causes high cholesterol, like familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH).

You’ll usually need to make lifestyle changes as well as taking a statin. These can be small changes you make over time to build up healthier habits.

Lifestyle changes include:

• drinking less alcohol
• eating healthier
• getting active
• managing your weight
• not smoking or using tobacco products. 

Find healthy, tasty recipes to lower your cholesterol. You can also order our free booklet filled with tips on living a healthier lifestyle.

Natural alternatives to statins

Plenty of foods and supplements, like plant sterols and stanols, claim to lower cholesterol.

• Read about seven natural alternatives to statins and whether they work.

What should I avoid if I'm taking a statin?

Some things can affect how well your statin works. You may need to avoid:

• grapefruit and grapefruit juice
• alcohol (drink below the recommended 14 units per week)
• other medicines, like some antibiotics.

It's important not to take statins if you're pregnant. If you become pregnant or want to become pregnant, speak to your doctor.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the statin you're on and what you need to avoid.

Find out more about statins, grapefruit and alcohol.

How long will I need to take a statin for?

Most people will take a statin every day for the rest of their life.

If you stop taking a statin, and do not make changes to your lifestyle, then your cholesterol will go up again. This is because your body will always make cholesterol, as some cholesterol helps your body to work normally.

People taking statins for conditions like familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) will need to take medicine every day for the rest of their life to manage their condition.

Your doctor may recommend taking your statin at the same time every day. It can help to make it part of a routine, like:

• taking your statin before you brush your teeth at night
• taking your statin just before you go to bed.

If you forget to take your statin, take your normal dose the next day. Do not have an extra statin. 

Get help with statins

• Our cardiac nurses can help answer your questions on statins. Call, email or live chat with them on our Heart Helpline.
• Check if you can get free prescriptions or help paying for your prescriptions.
• Get answers to your top questions on statins.
• Find information and support from Heart UK, the cholesterol charity.