5 cholesterol lowering drugs

While cholesterol plays an important role in building of body cells and hormones, too much of cholesterol, which is a fat-like substance, can cause adverse effects on the body, like creating heart and blood vessel disease. The main causes of high cholesterol levels are diets that include certain types of fats, and negligence towards conditions like diabetes, a non-optimum performing thyroid or pituitary gland, liver disease and kidney failure. If continued unchecked, this leads to a cardiac arrest, which is better understood as a heart attack.

While the treatment for high cholesterol begins with a change in everyday habits and lifestyle, here are 5 cholesterol lowering drugs that are available in the market:

1. Statins:- These are the most commonly used medicine for lowering blood pressure. These drugs belong to a class called HMG CO-A reductase inhibitors. Their main job is the stopping of production of cholesterol in the liver. They reduce both LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol. They also decrease the triglycerides and help increase HDL, which is good cholesterol. They are considered amongst the safest cholesterol lowering drugs and are available under various brands like Mevacor, Zocor, Lescol, Pravachol, etc.
2. Ezetimibe:- These drugs are also known by the name Zetia or Ezetrol. This drug stops the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine. While taken by itself, this drug decreases cholesterol level moderately in comparison with a statin hence this drug is used in addition with a statin as the it helps in the further reduction of LDL.
3. Fibrates:- These inhibit the production of triglycerides in the patient. Also, there is an increase in the production of HDL. In the United States, the most commonly used fibrate is Gemfibrozil which is sold under the brand name LOPID.
4. Bile Acid Resins:- These drugs bind the bile that flows from the liver to the intestine. This stops the bile from being reabsorbed by the circulatory system. Bile is composed mostly of cholesterol and these bile acid resins reduce the amount of cholesterol in the body.
5. Niacin:- This drug is a B complex which in high doses reduces LDL and increases HDL. Niacin decreases the amount of cholesterol by stopping very low density lipoprotein secretion into the bloodstream.

These 5 cholesterol lowering drugs are quite vital if the amount of bad cholesterol is in excess. At the same time, these 5 cholesterol lowering drugs if taken in excess can lead to increase in cholesterol levels and there is an increased rate of organ failure.