8. Lipid Lowering Agents

what do lipid-lowering agents do?

they lower cholesterol and/or triglycerides to reduce cardiovascular disease risk

what do statins do?

lower cholesterol made by the liver and improve cholesterol levels

what do statin meds end in?

-statin

what do common statins include?

• atorvastatin

• simvastatin

• rosuvastatin

• lovastatin

• fluvastatin

statins _____ LDL (“bad” cholesterol)

decrease

statins _____ HDL (“good” cholesterol)

increase

statins _____ triglycerides

decrease

what do statins do besides lowering cholesterol?

• help stabilize plaque

• reduce inflammation in blood vessels

what do statins help prevent in at-risk patients?

cardiovascular events and death from cardiovascular disease

what do you monitor for statins?

• cholerestol levels

• liver function tests (ALT/AST)

• muscle or joint pain

• cognition issues (memory loss, confusion, forgetting)

who are statins contraindicated in?

people with liver disease

• they are hard on the liver, so monitor the liver for failure

what liver issues do we want to watch for?

• jaundice

• fever

• abdominal pain

• dark colored urine

• look at liver function tests (ALT/AST)

what is creatine kinase?

protein in heart/skeletal muscle

• high levels in blood = skeletal muscles are being damaged

• educate patient to report painful muscles or joints

what do you monitor to catch statin muscle injury?

creatine kinase (CK)

• watch for myalgia and arthralgia (muscle and joint pain)

if a patient reports myalgia or painful joints, what should the nurse do?

report it to the provider right away (possible muscle injury)

what is statin-induced rhabdomyolysis?

side effect where a statin damages skeletal muscle so badly that the muscle breaks down

• can lead to kidney injury

patients should avoid drinking _____

grapefruit juice (increases toxicity avoid)

statins can _____ blood glucose

increase

what should we emphasize to patients?

statins are not a cure

• they work with lifestyle changes like diet and exercise

look at this!!

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