Statins And Kidney Disease

Statins are the most commonly prescribed lipid-lowering drugs which have been proved to be very effective at regulating blood lipid, lowering cholesterol,slowing atherosclerosis, reducing thrombosis and inflammation, protecting nerves, etc.

Commonly prescribed statins include rosuvastatin, pravastatin, atorvastatin, simvastatin, etc.

Benefits of statins for kidney health

For those that have no kidney disease or if their kidney functions are still normal, statins can help treat dyslipidemia and decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases so as to lower the morbidity and mortality of kidney disease and heart disease. For those that have kidney problem and diminished kidney functions, statins can help slow down the decline rate of kidney functions.

Statins and kidney disease

However in some cases, long term intake of high-dosage of statins can cause proteinuria, a typical sign of kidney disease. Nearly all drugs have more or less side effects especially if they are taken as long term treatment. It has been confirmed that statins can cause liver dysfunction, kidney failure, muscle weakness, etc.

The risk of kidney disease will increase along with increase of dosage of statins. Statins can block the production of coenzyme Q10 which helps break down foods. When normal metabolism is disturbed, it can cause damages to the kidneys. In the early stage of kidney damages caused by statins, it is still reversible when the drugs are stopped and substituted by more natural ones.

At what dosage and how long it takes to cause kidney disease is different from person to person, therefore if you have any symptoms of kidney disease such as swelling, fatigue, bubbles in urine, blood in urine, back pain, urinary abnormalities, it is suggested to go for a blood and urine test to see if there is any problem with the kidneys.

Have a discussion with your doctor to see whether you need to change your drugs. Actually there are many natural medicines such as Ashwagandha, globe artichoke that can help lower blood cholesterol without causing harms or injuries to body.