wellness
46 THE QUEENS COURIER • WELLNESS • SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Before you stop taking cholesterol medication, consider this
For Howie Mandel, it was just a routine
checkup. Because he was in his early 30s
at the time, with a lean and fi t physique,
he was expecting a clean bill of health.
But the doctor had news for the popular
comedian, actor and TV-show host.
Mandel had high cholesterol.
“Th at news came as a shock, because I
was young and felt great,” he said.
His doctor recommended that Mandel
use a statin. But it wasn’t long before,
wary of the potential side eff ects, he
stopped taking it altogether. He didn’t tell
his doctor about his decision to stop taking
the medication - “out of sight, out of
mind,” he thought. But in his mind, that
wasn’t a problem. Aft er all, he felt fi ne,
and he fi gured his own eff orts to ramp
up his healthy diet and exercise program
would be enough to lower his cholesterol
levels.
But eventually, Mandel got caught. His
blood levels revealed that he wasn’t properly
managing his high cholesterol. To his
surprise, instead of pressuring him to stay
on his statin, the doctor prescribed a different
statin that helped to ease Mandel’s
concerns about side eff ects.
“Th at was a long time ago. Today, I’m
feeling great,” he says. In fact, Mandel is
hoping to encourage others to learn from
his mistakes through the Take Cholesterol
to Heart campaign, which aims to educate
those struggling to manage their high
cholesterol so that they play an active role
working with their doctor to fi nd a treatment
plan that works for them.
The truth about statins
At least 100 million Americans are living
with high cholesterol. Untreated high
cholesterol can lead to heart disease and
stroke, two of the leading causes of death
in the U.S.
To manage high cholesterol, doctors
oft en recommend statin medications
along with a heart-healthy lifestyle, which
includes 30 minutes a day of moderate
exercise to make the heart stronger, and
eating healthy foods, especially lean proteins
and fruits and vegetables.
However, like Mandel, at least 50 percent
of patients stop taking their statin
within a year of starting. Many of
them do so for similar reasons: Th ey are
experiencing uncomfortable side eff ects,
such as muscle aches, dizziness, insomnia,
fl ushed skin or nausea.
High cholesterol doesn’t have symptoms
that impact one’s day-to-day life, so,
like Mandel, people don’t oft en feel the
need to do anything about it. Sometimes,
taking a statin to treat it can make you
feel worse than before. Th ese factors can
cause people to follow the all-too-human
response: Th ey quit taking their statin
medication and they don’t tell their doctor.
But that’s a mistake. Not all statins
are alike, and the body can process them
diff erently, depending on the individual.
Th ings like ethnicity, age and even your
diet, can aff ect your body’s response to a
given statin.
Here’s another thing to consider: When
the patient is already taking a supplement
or medication, introducing a statin can
increase the potential risk of drug-to-drug
interactions. According to the ACTION
survey, the average person who uses a statin
is also taking nearly eight other medications
and supplements, making the risk
of drug-to-drug interactions with statins a
serious possibility.
ACTION: The Statin Survey
(Understanding Patient Adherence and
Concerns with Statins, and Medication
Discussions with Physicians), was conducted
by Harris Poll on behalf of Kowa
Pharmaceuticals America. ACTION is
one of the largest surveys of its kind,
evaluating 5,014 U.S. adults aged 45 or
older who have been diagnosed with
high cholesterol and had ever used a statin
to treat high cholesterol. Th e survey
also found that 79 percent of people say
they were never told there were other
statins available that might work better
for them.
Take Cholesterol to Heart
When Mandel saw how easy it was
to have a conversation with his doctor
and get a treatment plan that worked
for him, he wanted to let others know
that they had options, too. Th at’s why
he joined Take Cholesterol to Heart, a
national education campaign by Kowa
Pharmaceuticals America Inc. Th e goal of
Take Cholesterol to Heart is to empower
people to speak up before they stop their
statin. Th e campaign arms people with
the tools they need to understand that
not all statins are alike, so everyone has a
chance to manage their high cholesterol
and feel good.
“It’s so important for people with high
cholesterol to talk more openly with their
doctor and fi nd the statin that works best
for them,” Mandel says. “Th at’s why I’m
so glad to be involved in Take Cholesterol
to Heart.”
Learn more by visiting
TakeCholesteroltoHeart.com for useful
tips on how to “master the cholesterol
conversation” with your doctor, a
Discover Your Statin Status quiz, hearthealthy
recipes and more.
Courtesy BPT