Take Your Lipitor at Night!

When you take that drug can affect how it works!

You may have noticed that you can feel different, both physically and emotionally, at different times of the day or night. A recent study has shown that sleep/wake cycles can affect physical performance, especially in elite athletes. Athletes coming from the East coast may find that their athletic ability is decreased in a late event, as their body may peak in the afternoon hours.

Many medications affect enzymes or other bodily functions which also can have different activities during the day. This circadian rhythm may result in different rates of effectiveness. Researchers have shown that 43% of genes exhibit a circadian rhythm. For example the cholesterol making gene works more at night; so it would seem that you should take your statin (like Lipitor, etc) before bed. The gene that causes the muscle pain from statins peaks in mid-day; so if you do get these symptoms a short acting statin at night may be the answer!

As more genes are studied we may rethink the timing of many drugs. In the meantime take those statins at night!