Is It Safe to Mix Statins and Alcohol?
If you have questions is baclofen addicting about taking NSAIDs with Lipitor, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Be sure to talk with your doctor about any supplements you take along with Lipitor. They can determine if they may be safe to take during your Lipitor treatment. If you want to take Lipitor with birth control pills, talk with your doctor first. They may monitor you more closely for side effects from your birth control pills.
Can I drink alcohol with Praluent or Repatha?
The organization defines one alcohol unit as 10 milliliters (ml) or 8 grams (g) of pure alcohol. Liver disease that already exists may become much more serious if you combine a statin medication with alcohol. More human research is needed to determine how alcohol and statins can affect brain circulation.
Alcohol’s effects on cholesterol
Although taking the two together has no direct risks, both statins and alcohol can impair liver function and cause tissue damage. Mixing alcohol and statins can, therefore, increase the burden on the liver, potentially raising the risk of liver damage or disease. Your doctor may recommend avoiding red yeast rice when you’re taking Lipitor. Red yeast rice and Lipitor work in similar ways to lower cholesterol levels.
If you take a statin medication, you should keep all appointments for laboratory monitoring of your liver, kidney, and heart function. Having higher levels of HDL cholesterol may help protect against heart disease and related death. Drug-induced liver disease is usually an autoimmune condition, in which the drug prompts some people’s bodies to make antibodies that attack their own liver tissue.
But before you start taking Viagra, be sure to tell your doctor about any other drugs you take. This can help prevent interactions between Viagra and your other medications. For this reason, it’s still important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products while taking Lipitor. St. John’s wort can cause your body to break down Lipitor too quickly, which can make Lipitor less effective. If you take St. John’s wort, your doctor may recommend that you stop taking it during your Lipitor treatment.
Azole antifungals can decrease your body’s ability to break down Lipitor. This can cause Lipitor to build up in your body, which can raise your risk of side effects. In some cases, side effects may be serious, such as myopathy, rhabdomyolysis, and liver problems. If you have alcohol-related liver disease or other diseases of the liver, be sure to discuss this with your doctor before you start treatment with either of these drugs.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your physician or dial 911. Alcohol is also well-known for causing liver problems, such as liver inflammation, scarring, and cirrhosis of the liver. Alcohol-related liver disease can be severe and irreversible, which can lead to an array of problems. Because Lipitor is processed in the liver, a damaged liver could affect how Lipitor is absorbed and processed in the body.
This is because Lipitor can increase birth control hormone levels in your blood. This may raise your risk of side effects from your birth control pills. Certain health conditions or other factors could raise your risk of harm if you take Lipitor. Current recommendations are that liver function tests be completed before beginning statin therapy and only repeated if there is a clinical reason to group therapy activities for adults in recovery do so.
Drug interactions explained
- People using statins have reported a few other side effects, but more research is necessary to understand their prevalence and severity.
- According to the National Health Service (NHS), if you are taking a statin medication, you should not consume more than 14 alcohol units per week.
- For example, a vaginal ring such as etonogestrel ethinyl estradiol (NuvaRing) or a contraceptive injection such as medroxyprogesterone (Depo-Provera) may be better options.
- Drinking heavily, on the other hand, can be tied to high cholesterol levels and poor outcomes.
They can determine how much caffeine may be safe during your treatment. Caffeine is present in certain foods and drinks, such aetna momentum program as coffee, chocolate, and tea. Before you start treatment with Lipitor, tell your doctor and pharmacist if you use cannabis.
Heavy drinking is also linked with high levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, which can further worsen heart health. At Healthgrades, our Editorial Team works hard to develop complete, objective and meaningful health information to help people choose the right doctor, right hospital and right care. Our writers include physicians, pharmacists, and registered nurses with firsthand clinical experience. All condition, treatment and wellness content is medically reviewed by at least one medical professional ensuring the most accurate information possible. Depending on your intake, alcohol may either positively or negatively affect cholesterol levels and other measures of heart health.
Current recommendations for moderate alcohol intake are one drink per day or less for females and two drinks per day or less for males (16, 17). This article explains how alcohol intake affects cholesterol levels and heart health. The conclusion of a 2017 study was that statins used for people with cirrhosis might actually reduce liver failure and complications of liver failure such as portal hypertension.
Instead, the organization advises watching your weight, eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly to keep your cholesterol levels in check. Healthcare providers typically recommend maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including exercising regularly and eating a heart-healthy diet, while taking Lipitor. Instead of drinking alcohol, you can eat a diet full of healthy fruits and vegetables, as well as high-fiber foods, to keep cholesterol levels in check during statin use. While light to moderate alcohol intake isn’t usually harmful, heavy alcohol use can cause severe effects. In fact, heavy alcohol use is one of the leading risk factors for disease burden worldwide, increasing the risk of certain cancers, liver disease, and heart disease (3).
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If you need to take an azole antifungal with Lipitor, your doctor may monitor you more closely for symptoms of side effects such as myopathy, rhabdomyolysis, and liver problems. Keep in mind that this chart does not include all drugs that may interact with Lipitor. For more information about some of these interactions, see the “Drug interactions explained” section below.
But nearly all find that when they switch to a different statin, their symptoms resolve. Several years ago, the FDA recommended regular enzyme testing for statin patients. Yes, it’s likely safe to take Lipitor and sildenafil (Viagra) together. Lisinopril is used to lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.
People with acute liver disease should not be mixing alcohol and Lipitor at all. For some people taking statins, consuming small to moderate amounts of alcohol may be safe. For people with coexisting conditions like liver disease, no amount of alcohol consumption may be safe. Some people taking statins who don’t have other underlying conditions may be able to drink small to moderate amounts of alcohol. Your doctor can determine whether alcohol consumption may be safe for you.Statins are usually safe and well-tolerated, but they are not without risk.
