Is it safe to drink alcohol when taking cholesterol reducing drugs?
Statin drug are contraindicated in alcohol users because they do increase the risk of liver toxicity. Your hunch is absolutely correct; those taking statins should really undergo periodic liver function tests and if a person’s liver is compromised or strained, alcohol consumption can really compound the problem. To be sure, I looked up six statins in the Nursing Drug Handbook, which I’ve come to rely on for information like this. In five of them (Crestor, Lescol, Mevacor, Pravachol and Zocor), alcohol is specifically mentioned as a contraindication. Interestingly, when I looked up Lipitor, alcohol wasn’t mentioned in the “interactions” section at all, but a later note still discourages concurrent use because of possible liver toxicity. So, yes, you’re right: a person taking a statin drug to lower their cholesterol should not drink alcohol. For what it’s worth (considering I’m not a doctor), I’d tend to doubt that a single glass of wine on a person’s birthday will send him speeding to t
in the alcohol. They also don’t digest fats right. Celiac people can’t have dairy or gluten grains and have to have a diet without these. LDN also helps the celiac and makes people drink less. Alcohol makes the liver fatty and then it can’t work as well. Statin drugs block the production of cholesterol in the liver. I would not drink, if you really want have a healthy liver and long life. You need coenzyme Q10 if you take statin drugs, since these drugs stop the production of it in the liver also. My dad drinks and takes statin drugs. He has had two operations for clogged arteries which almost killed him and he is too old and unhealthy for another operation. EDTA IV chelation and fish oil etc can lower cholesterol without statin drugs and if you did the celiac diet your problems may go away.
