Help With Cholesterol Lowering Drug

Having a cholesterol reading that is above the recommended guidelines or even bordering on the  high is generally considered to be a bad idea. If you are in this circumstance, your doctor will advise that you try to lower the reading. However, not all cholesterol is the same. A cholesterol reading will measure your LDL cholesterol that is generally perceived to be bad cholesterol and your HDL cholesterol that is perceived to be good.

LDL cholesterol is bad because it transports cholesterol around the body. If you have too much cholesterol in the body, this excess will end up sticking to the walls of the arteries courtesy of the LDL cholesterol. This can lead to cardiovascular problems with time if no action is taken.  HDL cholesterol is good because it returns cholesterol to the liver where it can be excreted from the body. So by increasing your HDL cholesterol you should decrease the chances of cholesterol sticking to the artery walls and becoming harmful plaque. A Cholesterol lowering drug can be used to help decrease LDL cholesterol levels and increase HDL cholesterol levels.

Treating High Cholesterol

If you have a high cholesterol levels then the first thing you will be asked to do is change your lifestyle. Basically, you need to take a more careful approach to your diet. You should avoid saturated fats and trans fats. You should limit your consumption of animal products. You should eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. You will also be advised to get more active. Try to get a regular exercise routine going.

However, in some cases, possibly down to hereditary factors or a dangerously high cholesterol reading, lifestyle changes may not be as effective or unsuitable. So a drug may be prescribed to work alongside the lifestyle changes or even in place of them.

In such a case you would need to take a cholesterol lowering drug. The most successful and commonly used cholesterol lowering drug is known as statins. Some statins that might be prescribed are branded as  Simvastatin, Atorvastatin, Rosuvastatin.

Sometimes this type of cholesterol lowering drug may not be suitable, one side effect that is commonly reported is muscle pain. If you are suffering from muscle pain while taking this type of cholesterol lowering drug then you might want to explore other drugs that are used to lower cholesterol levels.
 
Ezetrol or ezetimibe is a cholesterol lowering drug that is often prescribed if statins are not effective or causing you to experience side effects. Another option when choosing a cholesterol lowering drug is to use fibrates, though this is an older treatment and works best when used in conjunction with more modern treatments.

Even when you begin a course in cholesterol lowering drugs, there are other things you can do to help the process along. Losing weight is useful when you are trying to keep your cholesterol levels low. Giving up smoking will also help as high cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk of heart disease and giving up smoking can lower that risk.

Alcohol consumption also plays a part when dealing with cholesterol levels. You can actually help increase the good cholesterol levels in your body by drinking moderately (a glass of red wine a day is often cited). However, drinking too much will put pressure on your liver and complicate matters even further.