Cholesterol Medications
Description
This article is from the Health Articles series.
Cholesterol Medications
Statins
Brand names: Baycol, Lescol, Lipitor, Mevacor, Pravachol, Zocor
Potential side effects: As a group, these drugs may produce constipation, diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea, and flatulence. Report any muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness to your doctor right away, particularly if you also have a fever. Statins can affect liver function, so you should have periodic blood tests while on these drugs.
Bile-Acid Resins
Brand names: Colestid, Questran
Potential side effects: constipation, worsening of hemorrhoids, abdominal pain, indigestion, flatulence, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal irritation and bleeding.
Fibric-Acid Derivatives
Brand names: Lopid, Tricor
Potential side effects: Side effects are uncommon but may include indigestion, abdominal pain, atrial fibrillation, diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, and skin rash.
Niacin
Brand names: Niacinol, Niacin-Time, Niacor, Niaspan, Nicobid, Nicolar, Slo-Niacin
Potential side effects: skin flushing, headache, tingling, and stomach irritation. Side effects can be minimized by starting at a low dose and gradually increasing it. These drugs can also affect liver function, especially the sustained-release formulations. Ask your doctor whether you should use niacin in sustained-release or immediate-release forms.
*These products come in a variety of formulations. This chart is meant to represent only a sampling.
Lifestyle Lessons
- Eat a diet with 10 percent or fewer calories from saturated fat (found in meats, whole-milk dairy foods, egg yolks, poultry, and some fish) and 30 percent or fewer total calories from fat.
- Eat more soluble fiber. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says whole-grain oat products like oatmeal may reduce heart disease risks by soaking up cholesterol and escorting it from the body.
- Substitute soybean protein for some animal protein. But check food labels; research shows that only soy foods containing isoflavones help cut cholesterol.
- Consider supplements. Folic acid, for example, lowers the level of homo-cysteine, an amino acid that may contribute to the clogging of arteries.
- Lose weight, if appropriate, and exercise regularly to boost your HDL level.
- For women, consider estrogen-replacement therapy, which can raise HDL and lower LDL after menopause.
- Quit smoking. It narrows the arteries, restricting blood flow and adding to problems caused by cholesterol plaques.
When Medication's a Must
If your cholesterol can't be reduced sufficiently after six months of lifestyle changes, your doctor may prescribe medications such as the following along with a diet and exercise program:
- Statins: atorvastatin (Lipitor), ceri-vastatin (Baycol), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), and simvastatin (Zocor). These can reduce LDL levels considerably by blocking cholesterol production in the liver.
- Bile-acid resins: cholestyramine (Questran) and colestipol (Colestid). These sand-like materials help take cholesterol out of circulation.
- Fibric-acid derivatives: gemfibrozil (Lopid) and fenofibrate (Tricor) are most helpful for those with elevated triglycerides and low HDL.
- Niacin: Taken under a doctor's supervision, high doses of this water-soluble vitamin have proven effective at raising HDL levels and lowering LDL and triglyceride levels.
- Anticoagulant medications: Blood thinners, such as aspirin and warfarin (Coumadin), are often prescribed to prevent clots from forming in coronary arteries and blood vessels leading to the brain.
For more information, write to the National Cholesterol Education Program, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, P.O. Box 30105, Bethesda, MD 20824-0105.
Continue to:
My Books
