Originally Posted by
MoAlpha
Total: 207 mg/dL
HDL: 81 mg/dL
LDL: 111 mg/dL
Sweet and deferential PCP wants to know how I'd feel about increasing the pravastatin from 20 to 40. WW
datlasD?
First of all, pravastatin has a short half life so please verify you are taking it at bedtime or at least in the evening?
(edit, for those who don't know....the statin drugs work by inhibiting the synthesis of LDL cholesterol, specifically at the HMG-CoA reductase enzyme level, but this process is controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system, the body's "housekeeping" system, so to speak. Some statin medicines like crestor or lipitor have a long half life and can be taken any time, but others like pravastatin and simvastatin have a shorter half-life and really should be taken at bedtime or in the evening. I have improved several patients' cholesterol numbers by telling them to take their medicine in the evening. It's unfortunate that most physicians are too busy to be aware of this and remind patients about timing of medicines.)