Statins

• You may know these drugs as: Lipex®, Pravachol®, Vytorin®, Zocor®
• Why they are commonly used: Simvastatin and pravastatin are two of the most common types of the group of cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins. They are used to lower cholesterol and to help prevent heart attacks, strokes, and other serious cardiovascular problems.
• Effectiveness concerns: Some people taking statins find that the drugs don't lower their cholesterol as much as expected, and stop taking them. Yet research shows that statins, if taken regularly, may actually help people in this group live longer should they suffer a heart attack.
• What you can do: Knowing how statins are likely to work for you helps you and your doctor make more personalized medication choices.
• Did you know? Statins are among the most prescribed drugs in the United States. But people's responses vary, and almost one-third of people taking statins do not meet their cholesterol-lowering goals.

People who carry a certain genetic variant tend to have higher levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Statins, such as simvastatin and pravastatin, are typically prescribed to lower cholesterol, including LDL. But several studies have shown that individuals who carry this genetic variant don’t see their LDL levels fall as much as expected after statin treatment. This has led some scientists to conclude that these people are less responsive to statins.

However, other research studies indicate that people with this genetic variant actually have improved heart attack survival after continuing regular statin treatment. In other words, in the group originally thought to have poorer heart disease prospects, statin treatment actually appears to lessen the risk of death after a heart attack. This effect may be due to the fact that statins have many different capabilities beyond lowering cholesterol, including the ability to reduce inflammation and other forms of internal damage.