Medications for High Cholesterol
We will mention four classes of medications that are used for high cholesterol and their mechanism of action. The first one is statins and they block a substance that your body needs to make cholesterol.
- atorvastatin (Lipitor)
- Fluvastatin (Lescol XL)
- lovastatin (Altoprev)
- pitavastatin (Livalo)
- pravastatin (Pravachol)
- rosuvastatin (Crestor)
- simvastatin (Zocor)
The second one is bile acid sequestrants they help your body remove more cholesterol from your blood.
- cholestyramine (Prevalite)
- colesevelam (Welchol)
- colestipol (Colestid)
The third one is fibric acid derivatives (fibrates) they increase HDL cholesterol and lower triglycerides.
- clofibrate (Atromid-S)
- fenofibrate (Tricor)
- gemfibrozil (Lopid)
The last one is niacin which is a B vitamin that can help raise HDL cholesterol. It’s available as the brand-name drugs Niacor and Niaspan.
Too much LDL cholesterol in your blood can speed the formation of sticky plaques. These medications can help lower your LDL cholesterol and increase your HDL cholesterol.
Counseling Point for High Cholesterol:
You need to monitor lipid profile, liver profile test at baseline and until goal is reached.
Check Creatine phosphokinase (CPK) test at baseline which is an enzyme in the body, and later if you have symptom.
Creatine phosphokinase is found mainly in the heart, brain, and skeletal muscle. Watch out for muscle weakness, numbness, and pain specially if you are on statin medications.
Avoid grapefruit juice, and try to incorporate a low fat, low sodium, low sugar diet, and exercise as long as your condition permits.
Please understand the role that obesity plays in your quality of life and disease state management.
Store all medications in a cool dry place away from sunlight and children. If a dose is missing take it as soon as possible. However, if more than 8 hours has lapsed, skip it and return to normal dosing schedule.
Remember Any question you may have do not hesitate to ask your health care teams. Your doctor will make recommendations based on the type of hyperlipidemia you have, your health, and other factors. Your body is the Temple of God, please take good care of it.
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