Common Medications Used for Controlling Blood Cholesterol Levels

Persons confronted with abnormally high cholesterol levels that can't be regulated only with the aid of diet and regular physical exercise can opt for cholesterol-lowering drugs to achieve and maintain balanced cholesterol levels. There are many different types of cholesterol-lowering medications at present, each medication having a distinctive action. Although many of today's cholesterol-lowering medications are efficient in reducing LDL (the so called bad cholesterol??the substance responsible for causing arteriosclerosis and heart disease), they also have many side-effects and thus it is very important to only use doctor-prescribed medications. In order to minimize side-effects and to maximize the benefic action of cholesterol-lowering drugs, you should respect the exact doctor's indications when following treatments with such medications.

At present, the most popular cholesterol-lowering medications are statins. Statins are very efficient in reducing blood cholesterol, as they inhibit the production of the enzyme which stimulates the secretion of cholesterol at the level of the liver. Prescribed in the right dose, statins can normalize the production of cholesterol inside the body, thus reducing the risk of arteriosclerosis and, consequently, heart attack and stroke. For the fact that statins are efficient both in preventing and reversing the undesirable effects of cholesterol inside the organism, they are prescribed to many different categories of patients with cholesterol problems.

The most frequently prescribed statin medications include: Pravastatin (Pravachol), Simvastatin (Zocor), Lovastatin (Mevacor), Fluvastatin (Lescol), Atorvastatin (Lipitor) and Rosuvastatin (Crestor). All these mentioned medications produce similar effects and can successfully reduce cholesterol levels when prescribed in the appropriate dose. Statin medications usually have mild side-effects such as nausea, abdominal bloating and vomiting, which disappear as soon as the treatment is interrupted. In very rare cases, statins can cause muscular problems, liver and kidney failure.

Resins are another commonly prescribed type of cholesterol-lowering medications. Unlike statins, which reduce cholesterol levels by limiting the production of the substance inside the liver, resins stimulate the excretion of the substance from the body. Resins are considered to be very safe and rarely interact with other types of cholesterol-lowering medications. Due to this fact, they are sometimes associated with statins or other similar drugs. The most commonly prescribed resins include: Cholestyramine (Questran), Colesevelam (WelChol) and Colestipol (Colestid).

Other popular medications used for controlling cholesterol levels are nicotinic acid-based drugs. Nicotinic acid, also known as niacin, is actually a vitamin from the B-vitamin complex. Corroborated with other cholesterol-lowering medications, niacin is very efficient in reducing cholesterol levels.

All the mentioned cholesterol-lowering medications are effective in normalizing and controlling blood cholesterol levels. However, it is very important to ask for advice from your doctor before deciding to use such medications. In order to minimize side-effects and to increase the benefic effects of these medications, it is advisable to respect the doctor's orders.

If you want to find great information about many cholesterol subjects like cholesterol levels, low cholesterol recipe or many more please visit us at www.cholesterol-info-guide.com/

Hot Topics In Health

    How To Treat Sleep Deprivation Using CPAP

    Treating sleep deprivation using CPAP is considered as an effective treatment strategy. Sleep derivation is the condition in which the patient cannot experience a continuous sleep. It is considered to...

    Plantar Warts Explained

    Warts (including plantar warts) are a viral (verruca vulgaris) infection of the skin. They are contracted by coming in direct contact with the virus.

    If you've ever stepped barefoot into a locker ro...

    Is Lasik Surgery Covered By Insurance?

    Lasik surgery is an eye vision correction method that has been growing in popularity. Lasik surgery can greatly improve eyesight, eliminating the use of eye glasses or contact lenses. It's a relativel...

    How Much Does Laser Eye Surgery Typically Cost?

    The cost of laser eye surgery can vary greatly depending on the type of surgery to be performed, the patient's prescription, the equipment used, and the doctor or surgical provider in question. There ...

    Diet And Sperm Quality

    There comes a time in most committed relationships where couples decide that they want to bring a child into the world. Visions of chubby newborns dance in the heads of baby's mom and dad while hopes ...

    Anatomical Charts

    Anatomical Charts

    Human anatomical charts have been used since the 18th century for many purposes in the healthcare profession. Whether you're a surgeon, chiropractor, physical therapist, or masseus...

    Diet Soda; Is It Good Or Bad If You Are On A Diet?

    The debate over whether diet soda is a dieter's friend or a dieter's enemy seems to become more heated every day.

    One side is saying diet soda is a great beverage for people trying to lose weight an...

    Functional Food: Preventing Diseases and Promoting Pet Health

    Food and diet play an important role in health. Every day, research in fields such as epidemiology and nutritional biochemistry teach us more about this relationship. Through scientific investigation ...

    Mosquito Bites - Remedy And Repellents

    It's a nice summer day and you're relaxing in your yard. Suddenly, you feel something bite you. You may begin to itch, when another bite takes place, and then another. It's those pesky mosquitoes agai...

    A Brief History Of Hip Replacement Surgery

    Hip replacement is a medical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a synthetic implant. It is the most successful, cheapest and safest form of joint replacement surgery. The earliest recorde...

    A Practical 12-Month Organic Living Plan

    We can talk and think about something until cows fly!

    But it's what we actually DO, that matters; that creates results.

    If you've been thinking and talking about eating and using more organic prod...

    The True Cost Of Smoking, Literally.

    What would you and your partner do with 07,887.50? Spend it on cigarettes perhaps? Well, if you and your partner both smoke 60 cigarettes a day between you, and you both smoke for another 50 years, th...

Most Recent Health Supplements

Interesting Today:

Most Recent Health Blogs:

Releated to Health:

Health Links:

Health Health Rss feeds.