Cholesterol Medicines
Source: MedlinePlus Health Topics, U.S. National Library of Medicine
What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that's found in all the cells in your body. Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if you have too much of it in your blood, it can stick to the walls of your arteries and narrow or even block them. This puts you at risk for coronary artery disease and other heart diseases . Cholesterol is made by your liver. It travels through the blood on proteins called lipoproteins. One type of lipoprotein, LDL , is sometimes called the "bad" cholesterol. A high LDL level leads to a buildup of cholesterol in your arteries. Another type, HDL , is sometimes called the "good" cholesterol. It carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. Then your liver removes the cholesterol from your body. What are the treatments for high cholesterol? If you have high cholesterol, lifestyle changes can help you lower your cholesterol levels . But sometimes the lifestyle changes are not enough, and you need to take cholesterol medicines. But you should still continue with the lifestyle changes even though you are taking medicines. Who needs cholesterol medicines? Your health care provider may prescribe cholesterol medicines for you if: You have already had a heart attack or stroke , or you have peripheral arterial disease Your LDL (bad) cholesterol level is 190 mg/dL or higher You are 40-75 years old, you have diabetes, and your LDL cholesterol level is 70 mg/dL or higher You are 40-75 years old, you have a high risk of developing heart disease or stroke, and your LDL cholesterol level is 70 mg/dL or higher What are the different types of cholesterol medicines? There are several types of cholesterol-lowering drugs available, including: Statins . They reduce the amount of cholesterol made in the liver. They also increase your liver's ability to remove LDL cholesterol that is already in the blood. Statins are the most common medicines used to treat high cholesterol. Bile acid sequestrants. They kee