This is not a competition, lol, it is just a way to tell you how Rosuvastatin and Atorvastatin have various effects on the treatment of cholesterol. What is this cholesterol?
Cholesterol
It is a compound of the sterol type found in most body tissues. Cholesterol is both good and bad. At normal levels, it is an essential substance for the body. However, if concentrations in the blood get too high, it becomes a silent danger that puts people at risk of a heart attack.
Cholesterol and its derivatives are important constituents of cell membranes and precursors of other steroid compounds, but a high proportion in the blood of low-density lipoprotein (which transports cholesterol to the tissues) is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
When cholesterol becomes bad for us, what do you do?
High cholesterol can develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels. Eventually, these deposits grow, making it difficult for enough blood to flow through your arteries. Sometimes, those deposits can break suddenly and form a clot that causes a heart attack or stroke. Do you see why there is an urgent need to watch our cholesterol levels and treat them?
When it comes to choosing medication it depends on various factors, including your personal risk factors, your age, your health, and possible drug side effects. The first line of treatment should be lifestyle changes such as exercising and eating healthy. If cholesterol levels remain the same, you can go ahead to discuss with your doctor to try another choice of treatment.
How to reduce your cholesterol
- Becoming more physically active: A sedentary lifestyle lowers HDL cholesterol. Less HDL means there’s less good cholesterol to remove bad cholesterol from your arteries.
- Eating healthy: Focus on plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Limit saturated fats and trans fats. Monounsaturated fat, found in olive and canola oils, is a healthier option. Avocados, nuts, and oily fish are other sources of healthy fat.
- Quit smoking: By quitting, smokers can lower their LDL cholesterol and increase their HDL cholesterol levels, which can help protect their arteries. Non Smokers should avoid exposure to secondhand smoke.
- Losing weight: Being overweight or obese tends to raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol. But a weight loss of as little as 5% to 10% can help improve cholesterol numbers.
Treatment of Cholesterol; where rosuvastatin and atorvastatin come in
When it comes to cholesterol treatment, we are looking at what will reduce your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and increase your HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It also reduces your triglyceride level (fats in your blood). Improving your cholesterol levels helps prevent blockages from forming in your arteries. These blockages can cause serious problems, including heart attack or stroke.
Statins can do this. They block a substance your liver needs to make cholesterol. This causes your liver to remove cholesterol from your blood. Choices include atorvastatin (Lipitor), rosuvastatin (Crestor), etc.
Atorvastatin and rosuvastatin
Atorvastatin and rosuvastatin are all considered statin drugs. If you are looking at treating certain cholesterols or triglyceride conditions, you may want to consider rosuvastatin and atorvastatin. These medications have similarities and a few differences. For instance, they each have a different active ingredient. But they all come as a tablet or capsule that’s taken by mouth.
It is a generic prescription drug that’s used by adults to
- Treat high cholesterol and high triglycerides
- Slow the progression of atherosclerosis
- Lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and related death, and decrease the need for certain kinds of heart surgery
- Lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides increase good cholesterol
- To lower certain high cholesterol levels sets and increase good cholesterol levels in adults and some children, in certain situations.
- To lower heart-related risks, such as heart attack, stroke, chest pain, and the need for certain heart surgeries. For this use, it’s given to adults who have heart problems or are at risk for developing heart problems due to certain factors. These factors include having a family history of heart problems, smoking, high blood pressure, or other heart-related risks.
- To lower the risk of heart attack or stroke in adults with type 2 diabetes and heart-related risk factors. These risk factors include high blood pressure, smoking, and certain kidney or eye problems.
Read: Best time to take atorvastatin, morning or night?
Similar effects of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin
The drugs also have similar side effects, such as:
- Muscle problems, including rhabdomyolysis (muscle tissue breakdown)
- Liver problems (unexplained or unusual weakness. Decrease in appetite, pain in the abdomen, dark-colored urine, yellowing of the skin)
- Joint pain
- Common cold symptoms, such as runny nose, coughing, or sneezing
- Pain in your arm or legs
- Diarrhea and pain in the abdomen
- Urinary tract infection (UTI)
- Liver damage
- Allergic reaction
- Nausea
- Weakness
In some cases, rosuvastatin may also be used in certain children with high cholesterol that’s passed on through genetics. Your doctor may recommend that you take rosuvastatin along with making changes in your diet.
To learn more about these drugs, talk with your doctor. They can let you know which drug is better for you. You can schedule a call with a doctor here.
Your healthcare professional can help you achieve the goal of figuring out the perfect medication for cholesterol treatment. It is best when you make decisions with your healthcare team. You can start that team by getting in touch with a representative from wellahealth.com
