High cholesterol causes many problems for those with it, but the side effects of some of the medications they need may prevent them from being adhered to.
According to a newspaper report Washington PostDoctors usually prescribe “statins” that reduce the risk of heart attacks, but usually 10 to 30 patients stop taking them because of the pain they cause in the muscles.
According to the siteMayo ClinicHaving “a very high level of cholesterol in the blood may increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes,” while “statins” work by blocking a substance that the liver needs to produce cholesterol, which prompts the liver to filter it out of the blood.
“Muscle pain is one of the most common effects. You may feel this pain in the form of inflammation, fatigue or weakness in the muscles. It may be a mild or severe discomfort that makes it difficult to carry out your daily activities.”
The newspaper report quotes a study published by the journal “New England Journal of MedicineOther drugs may help people with cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attacks, such as Nexiltol, which contains bempedoic acid, which may be an option for people who are unable to tolerate the pain that a statin may cause.
Steven Nissen, MD, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic and a research author on the study, said, “Statins are the cornerstone for lowering cholesterol … but if you can’t tolerate it, you can take an alternative.”
The report indicates that the study that was conducted was paid for by the company, “Espirion Therapeutics”, which manufactures a drug that may be an alternative to “statins”.
The study relied on the data of about 14,000 patients, a group of whom took a drug containing “bempedoic acid”, and another group took a placebo, to show that the drug has an effect on reducing the incidence of myocardial infarction.
The drug that contains “pempedoic acid” targets an enzyme in the liver and not in the muscles, so it has the ability to reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart attacks without causing muscle pain.
And the drug “bempedoic acid” is not new, as it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration “FDA” in 2020, after studies showed that it reduces harmful cholesterol by 28 percent in patients who cannot tolerate “statins”.
The site confirmsMayo Clinic“The effectiveness of medicines varies from one person to another, and it is important to follow a healthy diet and exercise a sufficient amount of exercise,” and to follow healthy lifestyles, which helps reduce the possibility of exposure to “heart attacks and strokes.”