An Overview Of The 3 Major Kinds Of Cholesterol Lowering Prescriptions

Hearing from your personal doctor that you've got high cholesterol may be frightening information. Almost all people realize that having high cholesterol can lead to heart problems and eventually a heart attack or stroke. Even though there can be several approaches that you can try to lower your numbers, including diet and exercise, numerous people look into the medication options obtainable. What medicine is available to lower cholesterol, and which of them might be good for you?

To start with, this article is designed exclusively as information. It is not supposed to counsel or give any guidance. If you actually have high cholesterol levels or think you do make sure you talk about all options and medications with your doctor.

There are actually three classes of prescription cholesterol drugs available. These four classes consist of:

1. Statins. These drugs are very typical lately and most people have heard of statins, even as long as they do not have high cholesterol. Regrettably, the reason why most people have heard of these drugs is because these may be becoming over prescribed.

The benefit of making use of statins is that these drugs are very effective and can lower cholesterol by up to 50-60%. This can drastically lessen the risk of cardiac arrest or stroke. There is even proof that people that do not have high cholesterol can receive the benefit of a reduced risk of heart attack or stroke by taking statins.

The negative that you must take into consideration when taking statins is that they have some severe side effects. Muscle breakdown can occur. This ultimately can result in kidney failure, but at the very least can cause aches and pains.

2. Bile acid sequestrants. These drugs work by ridding the body of bile acids. This can be good as bile acids are involved with the production of cholesterol. The less bile acid you have the less cholesterol you will have. Cholesterol levels can decrease by up to 20% with bile acid sequestrants.

The bad news regarding bile acid sequestrants is that they can cause some side effects. Though not as severe as the side effects a result of statins, you may experience gastrointestine issues, including constipation, nausea, and gas. Other side effects include weight loss, headaches, and sore muscles.

3. Triglyceride inhibitors. Triglycerides are involved with the product of lipoproteins, which carry cholesterol through the blood. Triglyceride inhibitors prevent lipoproteins from being made. With fewer lipoproteins there will be a lower number of cholesterol in the blood.

These drugs can lower cholesterol by as much as 10-14%. The effectiveness of preventing heart attacks has not been proven. Furthermore, diabetics are not able to take this medication as it raises blood sugar.

The overview of available prescription cholesterol drugs found here will provide you with a better understand of what medication is available, how they all work, and what the benefits and negatives are of each. Generally, with additional benefits (higher decrease in levels of cholesterol) you may face more serious side effects. Be sure to discuss all available drugs with your health care provider so that you both can come to a decision on what action to take to help lower your cholesterol levels.