Recently, I read an article suggesting that fast food restaurants provide statins (a class of cholesterol-lowering medications) to their customers. The idea is that taking a statin with a fatty meal would help prevent some of the harmful effects of that meal. Statins are essential in the fight against heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. They prolong survival and improve quality of life for many.
Has our society’s health conscience waned so much that we now dress our burger with extra cheese, the special sauce, and an extra shot of Simvastatin? The authors appear to equate taking a statin before a fatty meal to safety measures like wearing your safety belt when driving or wearing a helmet prior to riding a bike. These medications are intended to treat high cholesterol when lifestyle changes like exercise and diet have failed. Statins, nor any other medication, should be taken so that the patient can make poor health choices and “get away with it”. The truth is no one can “get away with it”. Poor food choices cause so many other health problems that are unrelated to cholesterol. If you really wanted to premedicate prior to a massive fast food binge, the condiment tray needs to include a statin for cholesterol, a blood pressure pill, a diuretic to get rid of all of the added salt, and don’t forget to top it all off with a shot of insulin to help digest all of the extra sugar and simple carbohydrates. If this sounds ridiculous, that’s because it is!
If your doctor has prescribed you medication to treat cholesterol, diabetes or other health problems, it is in your best interest to keep taking such medication as prescribed. Remember that good health requires us to make good lifestyle choices. Medication to treat cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure is not an excuse to reject a healthy lifestyle – Instead it’s a second chance for many to start making new ones. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about lifestyle changes you can make to improve your overall health.
Has our society’s health conscience waned so much that we now dress our burger with extra cheese, the special sauce, and an extra shot of Simvastatin? The authors appear to equate taking a statin before a fatty meal to safety measures like wearing your safety belt when driving or wearing a helmet prior to riding a bike. These medications are intended to treat high cholesterol when lifestyle changes like exercise and diet have failed. Statins, nor any other medication, should be taken so that the patient can make poor health choices and “get away with it”. The truth is no one can “get away with it”. Poor food choices cause so many other health problems that are unrelated to cholesterol. If you really wanted to premedicate prior to a massive fast food binge, the condiment tray needs to include a statin for cholesterol, a blood pressure pill, a diuretic to get rid of all of the added salt, and don’t forget to top it all off with a shot of insulin to help digest all of the extra sugar and simple carbohydrates. If this sounds ridiculous, that’s because it is!
If your doctor has prescribed you medication to treat cholesterol, diabetes or other health problems, it is in your best interest to keep taking such medication as prescribed. Remember that good health requires us to make good lifestyle choices. Medication to treat cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure is not an excuse to reject a healthy lifestyle – Instead it’s a second chance for many to start making new ones. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about lifestyle changes you can make to improve your overall health.
Randy Martin, Pharm.D.
Pharmacy Department
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