Grapefruit juice can affect some statins and increase your risk of side effects. A doctor may advise you to avoid it completely or only consume small quantities. Statins should not be taken if you have liver disease or if blood tests suggest that your liver may not be working properly. In case of addiction issues, you need to contact a treatment provider to mitigate risks.
Worsening obstructive biliary disease, acute liver failure, and cirrhosis are contraindications for statins. If you’re prescribed a statin, you may be able to continue drinking alcohol. Statins should be taken with caution if you’re at an increased risk of developing a rare side effect called myopathy, which is where the tissues of your muscles become damaged and painful.
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This can have an impact on your day-to-day life, and it’s important to tell your doctor if you experience this. Side effects may be caused by the statin but could also be caused by other things such as stress, tiredness, or a change in your lifestyle. 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. It is advised to spread the 14 units out over the week rather than using them all in one session. Healthy people should not see any problems if they drink 2 alcoholic beverages a day while taking statins.
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Some studies used grape juice as a control, allowing researchers to isolate the effect of alcohol from other wine compounds like polyphenols. Depending on the country, current guidelines (including those in the US) could allow levels of drinking high enough to shorten life expectancy. They’re often an important component of social events, celebrations, and milestones; we toast people, events, and memories with alcohol. And, of course, the alcoholic beverage industry is a major economic force, responsible for more than $250 billion in sales annually in the US. When there is a noticeable interaction between alcohol and medication, there are two distinct types of interaction; pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic.
When your heart isn’t able to pump blood efficiently, the lack of blood flow disrupts your body’s major functions. While drinking alcohol in moderation is all right for most people, you can fall victim to “holiday heart syndrome” if you overdo it. This is when overeating and over drinking leads to an irregular heartbeat. Statins help lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, in the blood. For anyone who struggles with alcohol or for those who have experienced liver damage as a result of alcohol, taking statins should be done with care. The liver can become injured while taking statins as anti-bodies may be produced which forces the liver to attack itself.
Low-dose alcohol also may slightly reduce the risk of heart attacks and certain strokes. That means no more than one to two drinks a day, counting five ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, and 1.5 ounces of liquor as one drink. Although red wine has theoretical advantages for the heart, studies suggest that all forms of alcohol are equally protective as long as the dose is right. Statin use is linked to a significant reduction in the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatic decompensation in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). Lipophilic statins, such as atorvastatin and simvastatin, show stronger protective effects, with longer usage enhancing these benefits.
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Giving up three or more drinks per day led to an LDL increase of 6.53 mg/dL and a drop in HDL of 5.65. For those who went from zero to 1.5 to three drinks per day, their bad LDL dropped 4.4 mg/dL and their good HDL rose 2.49 mg/dL. For people who started drinking three or more drinks per day, their LDL fell 7.44 mg/dL, and HDL rose 6.12 mg/dL. Before consuming alcohol while on statin medication, it is crucial to consult with your healthcare provider.
Consuming statin medication carries a mild risk of experiencing increased blood sugar levels. While these increases are mild or temporary in most cases, some people may keep experiencing them in the long term. This is how some people using statins for years end up acquiring type 2 diabetes. That said, remember that in most cases, the benefits of taking statins generally outweigh the risk of experiencing blood sugar alterations. If you drink alcohol and are taking Lipitor, let your healthcare provider know.
This can increase the likelihood of experiencing liver-related complications, especially in individuals who already have underlying liver conditions or who consume alcohol excessively. Statins represent a moderate risk to those fighting alcohol addiction because of the way in which they interact with alcohol. Your doctor may prescribe statins if you have cardiovascular disease, or if your record of family history demonstrates a risk of cardiovascular disease. Since moderate to high consumption of alcohol also increases liver function tests, combining them with statins increases the chances of this abnormality.
More than 200 million people worldwide take statin drugs for their heart-related conditions. There has been debate about the risks and benefits of statins over the years, causing confusion about whether these drugs are safe – or suitable – for them. If you have a heart attack and are not taking a statin, it’s normal to start them when you’re admitted to hospital.
The Effect of Statins on the Liver
Understanding the impact of alcohol consumption on cholesterol levels and the role of statins in managing cholesterol is crucial when considering the interaction between alcohol and statins. Understanding the impact of alcohol and statins on liver health is essential for individuals who are prescribed statins and are also consuming alcohol. By being informed and taking necessary precautions, you can help minimize the potential risks and promote a healthier liver. It’s important to note that alcohol can also have an impact on cholesterol levels. While moderate alcohol intake may have some positive effects on HDL (good) cholesterol levels, excessive consumption can lead to increased triglyceride levels and elevated LDL cholesterol levels.
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Your doctor will not only be able to suggest a low-risk treatment option but can offer addiction resources to help you begin the process of recovery. Research has shown statins can cause liver injury resulting in a need for liver transplant or death. Most people can continue drinking alcohol while taking a statin if they chose to. But people who regularly drink a large amount have an increased risk of side effects and liver problems.
- Fortunately, the inflammation is usually mild; it resolves when statins are stopped, but many doctors believe it’s safe to continue statin therapy even if mild liver test abnormalities develop.
- Mixing them may increase the burden on the liver, leading to severe multiple health complications, such as chronic liver disease.
- Some people who are on cholesterol-lowering medicines may experience muscle aches when they drink alcohol.
- Although uncommon, some statins have been linked with a small amount of weight gain.
The Risks of Mixing Statins & Alcohol
As you become older, you are likely to have other medical conditions for which you may be on some medications. Nonetheless, it would be best to discuss the benefits and risks of taking statins with your doctor before you start taking the medicine. Heart and circulatory disease are much more prevalent than you might think. It is the cause of more than a quarter of all deaths in the UK, an average of 450 deaths daily or one every three minutes in the UK. Over 7.6 million people live with heart disease, and it is reasonable to presume that almost all of them are on medications.
However, mixing them with alcohol can increase the severity of potential side effects. Mixing them may increase the burden on the liver, leading to severe multiple health complications, such as chronic liver disease. Drinking excessively while taking statins can also risk many other side effects, like kidney problems, muscle pain and soreness, and fatigue. Therefore, testing yourself before commencing treatment is essential alcohol and statins to assess your current liver health. It is also imperative to schedule blood tests frequently every three months to keep tabs on how well your liver is functioning. Moreover, experts advise reducing alcohol as much as possible, avoiding smoking, and exercising to maintain good health.
There have been cases of such severe liver injury as a result of statins that death has occurred, although it is important to note that this is very rare. Most obviously by doing so you drastically reduce the risk of illness or disease, especially when taking statins. For those who have already experienced liver damage as a result of alcohol, statins should not be taken alongside alcohol. Again, this problem can be solved by trying a different form of statin medication.
The study isn’t the first to find good news for drinkers’ cholesterol levels, though it’s one of the larger studies with longer follow-up time. And it has long been found that alcohol drinking seems to have some benefits for cardiovascular health. A recent review and meta-analysis by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that moderate drinkers had lower relative risks of heart attacks and strokes. The analysis also found that drinkers had a lower risk of all-cause mortality (death by any cause).