Cholesterol Drugs And You
If you are like many Americans, then you may have some trouble keeping your cholesterol levels down. This could be due to heredity or just poor dietary choices that are catching up with you at last. If choosing a balanced diet still hasn't helped you to get your cholesterol levels down, there is still help out there for you. There are a number of cholesterol drugs that can help to lower your blood cholesterol levels back down to healthy levels.
There are quite a few different cholesterol drugs currently available in the United States. They can be individually prescribed by your healthcare professional, or coupled with other medication to create a personalized treatment. Keep in mind that it's important to inform your doctor about any other medications that you may be taking, before you let him prescribe a new medication.
Statins
One of the most common types of cholesterol drug is called statins (also known as HMG CoA reductase inhibitors). Statins go to work in the liver and help to prevent cholesterol from forming. What makes statins so effective is the fact that they don't simply lower your total cholesterol level, though it is true that they lower bad cholesterol (LDL), but they can also lower your levels of triglycerides (blood fats) in addition to also raising good cholesterol (HDL). HDL cholesterol is highly beneficial to the body. The side effects associated with statins are usually mild and often tend to go away entirely as your body adjusts to the new medication. The most common statins currently available in the United States include Atorvastatin, Fluvastatin, Lovastatin, Pravastatin, Rosuvastatin, and Simvastatin.
Selective Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors
In addition to statins, there is also a fairly new type of cholesterol drugs available. They are called selective cholesterol absorption inhibitors, and work in the intestine by preventing the absorption of cholesterol. Although they work in different ways, they are like statins in that they help to lower LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and also help to raise HDL cholesterol.
Fibrates
A third type of cholesterol drugs is known as fibrates. While they are not particularly effective at lowering LDL cholesterol, they are effective at increasing HDL cholesterol levels and lowering triglyceride levels. To remedy this shortcoming, they are often prescribed in addition to statins. Common fibrates include Gemfibrozil and Fenofibrate.
Niacin
Yet another type of cholesterol-controlling drug is called niacin. It works in the liver to affect the production of blood fats.
