Altoprev Alternatives

Several medications can be used as alternatives to Altoprev. Options include other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, which work by blocking an enzyme that controls the body's rate of cholesterol production, and any of the other four major classes of cholesterol medications. Altoprev alternatives may be recommended depending on the person's cholesterol level, heart disease risk factors, and other medical conditions.

Altoprev Medicine

An Overview of Altoprev Alternatives

Lifestyle changes are the first line of treatment for lowering cholesterol. However, for some people, treating high cholesterol with a low-cholesterol diet, weight control, and exercise is not enough. If lifestyle changes alone are not enough, your doctor can prescribe cholesterol medications. One such medicine is Altoprev^® (lovastatin extended-release).

For most people, Altoprev is quite effective at lowering cholesterol. It is also generally well-tolerated. But side effects can occur, and people may wish to consider an alternative for Altoprev. These alternatives could include other statins or other cholesterol medicines.

Alternatives to Altoprev: Other Statins

Altoprev is part of a class of drugs called statins (or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors).

Statins work by blocking a particular enzyme, HMG-CoA reductase, that controls the rate of cholesterol production in the body. This causes the liver to make less cholesterol. Altoprev also:

Increases the liver's ability to collect and get rid of LDL cholesterol ("bad cholesterol")
Increases HDL cholesterol ("good cholesterol")
Decreases triglycerides.

There are several types of statins available that could be considered a substitute for Altoprev. These include:

Atorvastatin (Lipitor^®) or combination medications that contain atorvastatin (Caduet^®)
Fluvastatin (Lescol^®, Lescol^® XL)
Pitavastatin (Livalo^®)
Pravastatin (Pravachol^®)
Rosuvastatin (Crestor^®)
Simvastatin (Zocor^®).

There is an immediate-release form of lovastatin available. The brand name is Mevacor^®. There are also several generic versions of these prescription statins, including a generic for lovastatin immediate-release (see Lovastatin). To see if taking a generic statin would make sense in your situation, talk to your healthcare provider.

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