Cholesterol Lowering Drugs

Cholesterol lowering drugs are often used to treat hypercholesterolemia when lifestyle changes alone do not sufficiently lower cholesterol. Types of cholesterol lowering drugs include statins, bile acid sequestrants, and cholesterol absorption inhibitors. Your doctor may use a combination of cholesterol lowering drugs to treat your condition. Even if your physician recommends cholesterol lowering drugs, it's still important to make lifestyle changes (such as being more physically active).

 

Cholesterol Lowering Drugs: An Introduction

The first step in
 lowering cholesterol usually involves making lifestyle changes. For some people, diet, weight control, and exercise are not enough to lower cholesterol to a healthy level. If lifestyle changes alone are not enough, your doctor can prescribe cholesterol lowering drugs.
 
Your doctor will base his or her decision to prescribe cholesterol lowering drugs on more than just the results of a cholesterol test. He or she will also look to see if you are at risk for heart disease from other problems. The more heart disease risk factors you have, the lower your LDL cholesterol level needs to be.
 
(Click Heart Attack Risk to determine your 10-year risk.)
 
If your healthcare provider does recommend cholesterol lowering drugs, there are many options. The type of cholesterol medication your doctor recommends will be based on factors such as your cholesterol levels and other medical conditions you may have.
 
The five major types of cholesterol lowering drugs are:
 
  • Statins
  • Fibrates
  • Bile acid sequestrants
  • Nicotinic acid
  • Cholesterol absorption inhibitors.
     
Treatment with cholesterol lowering drugs controls but does not "cure" high cholesterol. Therefore, you must continue taking your medicine to keep your cholesterol level in the recommended range.
 
(Cholesterol Lowering Drugs Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD