Although statin medications are effective in reducing cholesterol, you must discuss with your doctor the risks and benefits of taking one. Cholesterol is healthy at normal levels, but may cause plaque buildup in your arteries if uncontrolled. Too much plaque can result in life-threatening heart disease. Statins reduce the production of cholesterol in your liver, resulting in a decrease in circulating cholesterol in your bloodstream. However, statins are known to cause elevated liver enzymes, or liver damage, in certain patients.
How Statins Work
Statin medications are taken by mouth and digested. Once broken down in the digestive tract, they medication is absorbed in the bloodstream and is transported to the liver. In the liver, statin medications inhibit a certain enzyme, or chemical, that is responsible for the liver's production of cholesterol. Because the liver has decreased its production of cholesterol, the circulating levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream are then reduced.
Liver Enzymes
The liver is the main organ involved in metabolism. It contains many chemicals, or enzymes, that are involved in the metabolism of foods, beverages and medications. When the liver is damaged, liver cells break open and release enzymes into the bloodstream. When a doctor orders blood tests to check for liver damage, the released liver enzymes will show up in the bloodstream. The amount of increase correlates with the amount of liver damage that has occurred.
Prevalence of Elevated Liver Enzymes
According to Drugs.com, 1.5 percent of patients who take simvastatin, a commonly prescribed statin drug, note elevated liver enzymes. In most case, the elevation in liver enzymes was temporary and returned to normal during continue use of simvastatin. However, in 0.6 percent of patients simvastatin had to be discontinued. Therefore, close follow-up of liver enzymes is necessary to ensure that statin medications are not causing further liver injury.
Recommendations
Because statins are effective in reducing cholesterol, they may be needed to prevent serious complications, including heart disease and stroke. However, if a statin is negatively affecting your liver, you should discuss switching to a different cholesterol-lowering medication with your doctor. In addition, you should be improving your dietary and exercise lifestyle to further improve your cholesterol profile. The smaller the dose of statin medication that you take, the healthier your liver will be.
