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Cholesterol Drug Simvastatin Associated With Sleep Disruptions
The study, presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2007, involved 1,016 healthy adult men and women.
The volunteers were tested for six months in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial using simvastatin, given at 20 milligrams (mg), pravastatin at 40 mg, or a placebo. The research did not include patients with heart disease or diabetes due to concerns about assigning these people to placebos.
The researchers assessed the outcomes with the Leeds sleep scale, a visual analog scale of sleep quality, as well as a rated the scale of sleep problems. Both scales were measured before and during treatment.
The study compared two types of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins — simvastatin, which was lipophilic (soluble in fats), and pravastatin, which was hydrophilic (soluble in water).
They found that simvastatin affected patients’ sleep patterns. This the researchers say, is because simvastatin is fat soluble and can thus more readily penetrate cell membranes and cross the blood brain barrier into the brain. The brain controls sleep, and many of the brain’s nerve cells are wrapped in a fatty insulating sheath called myelin.
“The results showed that simvastain use was associated with significantly worse sleep quality. A significantly greater number of individuals taking simvastatin reported sleep problems than those taking either pravastain or the placebo,” said Beatrice Golomb, M.D., lead author of the study and an associate professor of medicine and family and preventive medicine at the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine.
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More News on: Cholesterol, High Cholesterol, Drug Toxicity, Sleep Problems in Children, Sleep Disorder : Restless Legs Syndrome, Sleep Disorder: Sleepwalking, Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, Circadian Rhythm and Sleep Disorders, REM Behavior Disorder, Sleep Disturbances In Women
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