Can you donate blood if you take simvastatin?

Answer 1

Yes, you can.


APPEAL TO INDIANS

 Blood Donation is the biggest donation in the world. As we all know, tragedy occurs every other day and we hear about blood shortages. We cannot let people die short of blood. Our blood can give life to someone, someday. Hence, it is our duty as an Indian to stand up to the situation.

Answer 2

Does donating blood get rid of cholesterol? I'm Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.

People who give blood generally do so out of a desire to help their fellow human beings. But listener John Davis of Redmond, Washington, wonders if a blood donor can get even more out of giving the gift of life. He e-mailed us to ask whether donating blood lowers your cholesterol.

Well, John, we asked Kirsten Alcorn, Medical Director of the Washington Hospital Center's transfusion service. She says giving a pint every so often won't do the trick.

Alcorn:

Donation of blood doesn't affect your cholesterol. You're taking out whole blood, which certainly takes out the cholesterol that's in that portion of your blood, but your body continues to make cholesterol, and it also ingests cholesterol if you're eating food products with cholesterol and fats and so on.

So the cholesterol removed is quickly replaced, leaving your body's ability to make it unchanged. The best way to lower high cholesterol is still with diet, exercise, and drugs, if necessary.

So Alcorn says the best reason to donate blood is not to promote your own health, but to help improve the health of others.

If you've got a science question, call us at 1-800-WHY-ISIT. If we use it on the show you'll get a free Science Update mug. For the American Association for the Advancement Of Science, I'm Bob Hirshon.

Answer 3

Yes. There is no deferral from volunteer blood donation for any cholesterol-lowering medications.