Cholesterol Prescriptions
High cholesterol—also
called hypercholesterolemia—is a condition in which the level of cholesterol
in the blood is higher than normal, increasing your risk of heart disease
and stroke. When changes in diet and exercise don’t work to bring blood
cholesterol levels into a healthy range, doctors most commonly recommend
niacin or prescription medication next.
Prescription drugs used to treat high cholesterol include bile-acid resins
and statins. Bile-acid resins include cholestyramine (brand name
Questran),
colesevelam (WelChol) and colestipol (Colestid). These drugs work by
absorbing blood cholesterol so the body can get rid of it. Bile-acid resins
can often reduce levels of LDL-cholesterol—known as "bad cholesterol"—by 10
percent to 20 percent
Examples of statins are lovastatin (Mevacor),
simvastatin (Zocor),
pravastatin (Pravachol),
fluvastatin (Lescol)
and atorvastatin (Lipitor).These
drugs work by lowering the amount of cholesterol made by the body. Statins
may lower LDL-cholesterol levels by 20 percent to 60 percent.
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