What is your client teaching for statins?
Do not open capsules, or break or chew tablets, before taking the medicine. Most people who take statins do so once a day. Some should be taken at night, but others can be taken anytime. They come in different doses, depending on how much you need to lower your cholesterol.
What should be monitored when taking statins?
Before starting to take statins, you should have a blood test to ensure your liver is in a relatively good condition. You should also have a routine blood test to check the health of your liver 3 months after treatment begins, and again after 12 months.
What do I need to know before taking statins?
Statins are drugs that can lower your cholesterol. They work by blocking a substance your body needs to make cholesterol. Lowering cholesterol isn’t the only benefit associated with statins. These medications have also been linked to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.
What should clients avoid when taking a statin medication?
While taking atorvastatin (Lipitor), avoid high-fat and high-cholesterol foods as part of your overall treatment. You should avoid large quantities of grapefruit or grapefruit juice, which can increase the risk of serious side effects. Also, avoid excess alcohol use, as this may cause serious liver problems.
When do you recheck lipid panel after statins?
Lipid levels should be rechecked one to three months after starting statins, although guidelines differ on subsequent checks. Other lipid-lowering drugs (e.g., bile acid sequestrants, ezetimibe) can be considered if patients do not tolerate statins.
What can you teach a patient about atorvastatin?
Take atorvastatin exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Your doctor may start you on a low dose of atorvastatin and gradually increase your dose, not more than once every 2 to 4 weeks. Continue to take atorvastatin even if you feel well.
What should you assess before giving atorvastatin?
Evaluate serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels before initiating, after 2–4 wk of therapy, and periodically thereafter.
- Monitor liver function tests prior to initiation of therapy and as clinically indicated.
- If patient develops muscle tenderness during therapy, CPK levels should be monitored.
When is cholesterol medication needed?
Medication is typically recommended when: your cholesterol levels are high enough to increase your risk for cardiovascular disease (or you already had a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke) you have an LDL level greater than 190 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
What are 3 contraindications of statins?
Statins are contraindicated for use by patients with active hepatic disease or unexplained persistent elevations in aminotransferase levels. Statins are contraindicated during pregnancy and while breastfeeding because of the effects on the cholesterol pathway.
How do statins work Journal?
Statins work by competitively blocking the active site of the first and key rate-limiting enzyme in the mevalonate pathway, HMG-CoA reductase. Inhibition of this site prevents substrate access, thereby blocking the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonic acid.
When should a statin be initiated?
For most patients with an LDL-C >100 mg/dL (>2.59 mmol/L) and a 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk of 10 percent or greater, we initiate statin therapy. This approach may differ in specific populations, such as the very young, the very old, and those with diabetes.