Alternatives to Statins: An Introduction
Lifestyle changes are the first line of treatment for
lowering cholesterol. However, for some people, diet, weight control, and exercise are not enough to sufficiently
lower cholesterol. If lifestyle changes alone are not enough, your healthcare provider can prescribe
cholesterol medications.
Statins are among the most popular and most effective cholesterol medications. For most people, statins are quite effective in lowering cholesterol. They are also generally well tolerated. However, some people do experience
statin side effects. People experiencing such side effects may wish to consider an alternative to statins.
Using Other Types of Cholesterol Medicines as Statin Alternatives
Many types of
cholesterol medicines are available. Besides statins, the four other major classes of these medications are:
- Bile acid sequestrants (Prevalite®, Questran®, Questran Light®, LoCholest®, Colestid®, WelChol®)
- Cholesterol absorption inhibitors (Zetia®)
- Niacin (nicotinic acid, Niacor®, Nicolar®, Niaspan®)
- Fibrates (Lopid®, Tricor®, Antara®, Lipofen®, Triglide®, Lofibra™).
Combination medicines (a statin plus another cholesterol medication) also are available, such as
Vytorin®,
Simcor®, or
Advicor®.
For lowering cholesterol, the type of medicine your healthcare provider recommends will be based on many things, such as your
cholesterol levels (total cholesterol,
LDL,
HDL, and
triglycerides),
heart disease risk factors, and other medical conditions. Each of these
types of cholesterol medication works a little differently, so depending on your situation, these possible statin alternatives may or may not make sense for you.
(Click Cholesterol Medications to learn more about these other classes of cholesterol medicines and whether these alternatives make sense in your situation.)
