Statins: The Most Prescribed Medications by Class

Course overview

Audience: Whether you are a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist responsible for prescribing and monitoring patients receiving statins or whether you are a bedside or clinic nurse responsible for monitoring and educating patients about statins, this course is for you. Course Overview: This course provides the history and growth of using statins in the United States. Statins are now the most prescribed class of medications. The course begins with an overview of LDL Cholesterol and Atherosclerosis and how this class of drugs works to reduce cholesterol and plaque build-up in the bloodstream. The course describes many of the most commonly prescribed medications in this class, as well as their benefits, risks, and differences. Learning Objectives Upon completion of this course the learner should be able to: •Identify one substance in the body that requires cholesterol as a precursor. •Quantify a target low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration for patients with heart disease or diabetes. •Identify the first statin to receive FDA approval for marketing. •Describe two class side effects of statins. •Name one potential benefit of fully synthetic statin. •Characterize a situation where an older, less potent statin may be the best treatment option. •Explain why not all adverse events can be identified in well controlled clinical trials.