Okuzeka
Pharmacy & Pharmacology vocabulary · Drug Classes

Statin

Meaning in pharmacy & pharmacology, with examples

/ˈstætɪn/nounCore term

In pharmacy & pharmacology, statin means: A medicine that lowers LDL cholesterol by blocking an enzyme the liver uses to make cholesterol, used to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

In Turkish: statin, kolesterol ilacı

How it is used

Statin names end in -statin: atorvastatin, simvastatin, rosuvastatin, pravastatin. Pharmacists counsel about muscle aches and check interactions; some statins interact with grapefruit juice and with drugs such as clarithromycin. Patients often call them 'cholesterol tablets'.

Example sentences

  1. Simvastatin is usually taken in the evening because the body makes most of its cholesterol at night.

  2. Have you had any muscle pain since you started the statin?

Common collocations

  • start a statin
  • on a statin
  • statin therapy
  • high-intensity statin
  • mechanism of actionThe specific way a drug produces its effect in the body, such as blocking an enzyme, activating a receptor or stopping bacteria from building cell walls.
  • drug interactionA change in the effect of a medicine caused by another medicine, a food, a drink or a disease, which can make the medicine weaker, stronger or more harmful.
  • side effectAn effect of a medicine that is not the main reason for taking it; most side effects are unwanted, such as nausea, drowsiness or a headache.
  • adherenceThe extent to which a patient takes a medicine as agreed with the prescriber, at the right dose and times and for the right length of time.

More terms: Drug Classes

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.