MEDICATION
When diet and exercise aren’t getting your cholesterol down, it may be time to consult your doctor about medication. There are lots of choices out there. This section will give you the four main types of cholesterol medications.
- Statins
According to WebMD, statins block the production of cholesterol in the liver itself. Examples include:
- Crestor
- Lipitor
- Lescol
- Mevacor
- Pravachol
- Zocor
- Nicotinic Acid
Nicotinic acid is basically a high-dose B-complex vitamin that can be prescribed to you by your doctor. Examples of nicotinic acid are:
- Nicolar
- Niaspan
- Bile Acid Resins
Bile acid resins attach themselves to the bile from your liver. Since cholesterol makes up much of bile, this drug is able to get rid of much of this cholesterol. Examples of bile acid resins include:
- Questran
- Colestid
- WelChol
- Fibrates
Also according to WebMD, fibrates reduce the production of triglycerides and can increase HDL cholesterol. Here are some examples of fibrates:
- Atromid
- Tricor
- Lopid
- Ezetimibe (Zetia)
Zetia is a newer cholesterol medication. It works by reducing the amount of cholesterol that your body absorbs. It can lower bad cholesterol by up to 25%. Ezetimibe can also be taken with a statin. One that already combines Zetia with a statin is Vytorin.