52-year-old Uncle Li went to the hospital to find out the acute kidney injury, and the culprit was actually a statin that Uncle Li had been taking for two years.
It turned out that two years ago, Uncle Li was found to have hyperlipidemia, and began to take statin drugs for a long time under the guidance of doctors. But just recently, Uncle Li suddenly felt some weakness in his limbs and slight muscle aches, but because the symptoms were not very obvious, Uncle Li didn't take it seriously. That night, Uncle Li attended a gathering of comrades-in-arms, and seeing that everyone was more enthusiastic, Uncle Li couldn't help but drink a few more glasses. As a result, after returning home, Uncle Li was just about to lie down to sleep, when he suddenly felt a burst of nausea and vomiting, followed by panic, cold sweat, and a pale face.
The results of the hospital examination showed that Uncle Li's aminotransferase index has been maintained at 500-600U/L, which has exceeded the upper limit of normal by 10 times, not only that, but the creatine kinase and myoglobin index have also increased significantly. The doctor emphasized that Uncle Li's kidney damage has been a long time, and symptoms such as limb weakness and muscle soreness are early warning signs.
Take statins for a long time, keep in mind the "three checks and two taboos"!
Statins are currently the preferred drugs for the treatment of hyperlipidemia in clinical practice, which can not only reduce the level of low-density lipoprotein and prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, but also anti-inflammatory, stabilize plaque, inhibit the formation of atherosclerosis, and play an adjuvant role in the treatment of coronary heart disease. Many effects make it a common drug for middle-aged and elderly people, but statins are not a panacea, and they may also have adverse effects on the body in the process of long-term use.
For this reason, doctors often prescribe a number of precautions when taking statins.
1. Three checks
1. Check liver function
Long-term use of statins may cause adverse effects on liver function, the more obvious indicator is the increase in the level of aminotransferases in the body, which generally occurs within 3 months after taking the statin, therefore, in the 1st, 3rd, and 6th months of the initial use of statins, you should go to the hospital to check whether your liver function is normal, if there is no abnormality, you can have a re-examination every six months. If there is an abnormality, the dosage should be adjusted or changed according to the doctor's advice.
2. Muscle examination function
Muscle soreness is the most likely side effect of statins, if there is fatigue and muscle soreness in the process of taking the drug, you should go to the hospital to check the level of creatine kinase, and recheck it 1-3 months before and after taking the drug, if the index exceeds the upper limit of normal by more than 10 times, it can seriously cause rhabdomyolysis and even cause acute renal failure.
3. Check blood sugar
Among statins, there are some statins that may cause abnormal blood sugar metabolism after taking them, such as atorvastatin, which can easily cause fasting blood sugar spikes, worsen the condition of diabetic patients, and cause complications. Therefore, it is necessary to check blood sugar levels regularly when taking medication, especially for patients with diabetes, to prevent high blood sugar from causing harm to the body.
Second, two taboos
1. Avoid foods containing furanocoumarins
The typical representative of this type of food is grapefruit, that is, grapefruit. Grapefruit contains furanocoumarin, which inhibits the activity of related liver enzymes in the body, thereby affecting the metabolism of statin drugs in the body, increasing blood concentration, and greatly increasing the risk of drug side effects.
2. Avoid drinking
If you don't drink alcohol when you take medicine, if you don't take medicine, alcohol will affect the effect of the drug in the body, not only that, alcohol is metabolized by the liver, and statin drugs are also metabolized by the liver, which invisibly increases the burden on the liver and increases the risk of liver damage. Just like Uncle Li, his liver was damaged after taking medicine for a long time, and he drank a few glasses of spirits, which led to the accumulation of drug concentrations, which led to serious consequences.
In addition, Pharmacist Wang hereby reminds that in the process of taking statins, even if the body has side effects and symptoms, you should not stop taking the drug without permission, and the correct way is to seek medical attention in time and take reasonable measures under the advice of your doctor. Especially for those with a history of plaque disease such as coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, stent bypass, and carotid artery instability, statins cannot be discontinued without special circumstances.
In short, there are two sides to everything, while statin drugs benefit everyone, its side effects should be paid attention to by patients, but it is not panic, and it cannot be wasted because of choking, because the side effects only appear in a very small number of people, and if you refuse to take the drug, it will be worth the loss. What we need to do is to follow the doctor's advice, avoid it reasonably, and minimize the impact of side effects!