Optimal Timing for Cholesterol Medication: Nighttime Benefits Explained

Cholesterol pills, or statins, reduce cholesterol in your blood and lower your risk of heart attacks and strokes. While many people take their medicines in the morning, this may not be the best time to swallow your statin.

Effects

• Statins lower cholesterol in two ways: by blocking the liver's ability to produce cholesterol and by making the liver draw LDL ("bad") cholesterol from the blood.

Theory

• Simvastatin, for example, works best to lower LDL when taken in the evening, Dr. Roda Plakogiannis writes in the Jan. 2, 2007, online issue of the "Annals of Pharmacotherapy." Cholesterol levels are highest in the evening.

Time Frame

• According to CVSpectrum.org, statin half-lives vary. A half-life is time it takes a drug or other chemical to decrease by one-half in your blood. Statins with half-lives of one hour to five hours are more effective when taken in the evening. These include lovastatin, simvastatin and fluvastatin.

Considerations

• CVspectrum.org, a medical education website, says it doesn't matter when you take statins that have half-lives between 14 and 22 hours, such as pravastatin, rosuvastatin and atorvastatin.

Tips

• Follow label instructions for the best possible cholesterol-lowering effect. According to Harvard Health Publications, taking Mevacor (lovastatin) on an empty stomach, instead of with food, can decrease its effectiveness by almost 50 percent.