According to the Mayo Clinic every cell in your body contains cholesterol. Your body uses this waxy, fat-like substance to produce healthy cells and some hormones. Although cholesterol is found in a number of foods, your body makes all it needs to...
While a healthy lifestyle is vital in controlling cholesterol levels in the blood, sometimes it isn't enough on its own. Doctors often prescribe cholesterol-lowering drugs to help prevent heart disease. Knowing what drugs are available to use in...
Simvastatin, brand-name Zocor, and lovastatin, brand-name Mevacor, are drugs used to treat high cholesterol. They are members of a pharmaceutical class of drugs called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. Lay people know them as the "statins." For the...
Arthur Schoenstadt, M.D., of eMedTV states that the first step in lowering cholesterol is to make diet and lifestyle changes. For some people, though, weight management, an increase in exercise and a healthier diet are not enough; in these cases,...
The statins, also known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are prescription medications used along with diet and exercise to lower cholesterol. The statins include Lipitor (atorvastatin), Crestor (rosuvastatin), Lescol (fluvastatin), Mevacor or...
High levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels increase your risk of heart attack or stroke. There are multiple options available in terms of cholesterol-lowering medications. Medications should be used in conjunction with healthy...
High cholesterol increases your risk of developing heart disease and experiencing a heart attack or stroke. According to the Harvard Medical School, high cholesterol affects approximately 50 million Americans. Every specific case of high blood...
Statins are medications used to treat high cholesterol, and are some of the most-prescribed and effective medications against the probleml. Statins inhibit the production of a chemical that prevents cholesterol production by the body. Statins can...
Medications exist for treating rheumatoid arthritis, and new treatments are always being explored. Drugs usually prescribed for certain conditions are sometimes used to treat symptoms of unrelated conditions, and statin drugs, including...
High cholesterol levels are linked to an increased risk of coronary artery disease and stroke. As LDL cholesterol builds up in your blood stream, it starts to harden, forming plaque in your arteries. This plaque narrows your blood vessels,...
Heart disease is a serious condition that affects both men and women in the U.S., according to the National Institutes of Health. Statins help prevent or reduce the risk of cardiovascular health events such as heart disease and heart attack, and...
Having high cholesterol can be a health risk for heart disease. While diet, exercise and lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking and keeping blood sugar levels under control if you're diabetic can help lower cholesterol, your doctor may...
Your doctor may try to control your cholesterol level first with diet and exercise. If that doesn't work, you may need medication to keep cholesterol levels in check. There are many on the market in several different categories sold under a...
Medications that treat high cholesterol are often prescribed to reduce LDL, or bad, cholesterol, increase HDL, or good, cholesterol and also decrease triglycerides, the fat in blood that along with LDL can increase the risk of heart disease. LDL...
In 2005, scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles used the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin to successfully treat a learning disability in experimental mice. The study, led by Dr. Alcino J. Silva, sparked intense research into...
Medical professionals prescribe the medication lovastatin for patients who are at risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Brand names for lovastatin are Mevacor, Altocor and Altoprev. As is the case with most prescription medications,...
Niacin -- otherwise known as nicotinic acid, vitamin B3 or niacinamide -- is used to treat high levels of triglycerides. Doctors commonly recommend the use of niacin when low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels are under control through...
If you suffer from hypercholesterolemia, better known as high cholesterol, your doctor may prescribe a statin to help decrease your levels. Statins are a group of drugs that help lower your cholesterol by blocking the amount of cholesterol...
