High levels of cholesterol in the blood, also known as "hypercholesterolemia," can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. High cholesterol levels occur by eating foods containing low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is present in foods...
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...
One type of cholesterol-lowering medication, known as statins, inhibits the activity of an enzyme necessary for the production of cholesterol in the liver. Since low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, carries cholesterol from the liver to the cells, by...
Vytorin 10/20 is a combination of two cholesterol-lowering medications containing 10 mg of ezetimibe and 20 mg of simvastatin. Ezetimibe works by reducing the amount of cholesterol absorbed from food, while simvastatin works to prevent cholesterol...
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...
Cholesterol medications help remove plaque from the arteries by lowering low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol and triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. Cholesterol and fatty substances build up plaque that narrows the arteries and...
Grapefruit juice is a healthy beverage that contains 120 percent of your daily recommended vitamin C, as well as small amounts of calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, magnesium, iron, thiamine, niacin, folate and phosphorus. Drinking this type of...
Your blood gets cholesterol in two different ways: from the food you eat and from your liver. Some food contains dietary cholesterol, which reaches your bloodstream through your small intestine. Your liver also synthesizes cholesterol. If your...
Vytorin, a combination of ezetimibe and simvastatin, is a prescription medication to lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels. This medication decreases total and low-density lipoprotein, or LDL---the bad cholesterol---in two ways: it decreases...
Vytorin is the brand name for a prescription drug that contains two active ingredients, ezetimibe and simvastatin, which help lower cholesterol levels in patients. This medication specifically lowers the levels of "bad," or LDL, cholesterol while...
Amlodipine besylate -- often refered to as amlodipine -- is prescribed by doctors to treat high blood pressure and chest pain. These conditions often co-exist with high cholesterol levels. Getting all of them under control is central to minimizing...
Vytorin is a combination drug (ezetimibe and simvastatin) used in the treatment of hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) due to dietary factors and for lowering risk of cardiovascular disease. This statin hybrid drug is also effective against high...
You have more than one type of cholesterol, each requiring a different medication, or combination of medications, to effectively lower your cholesterol levels. It is never a "one size fits all" situation, and in some cases, your doctor may need to...
Zetia is the brand name for the drug ezetimibe. It is the first of a new class of cholesterol-lowering medications. Zetia is not a statin. Statins lower cholesterol by preventing the liver from synthesizing new cholesterol, while Zetia lowers...
The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) refers to high cholesterol and high triglycerides as lipid disorders, conditions characterized by an excess amount of fat in the blood. Lipid disorders increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and...
Statins are specialized drugs that aim to lower blood cholesterol levels. While not all patients respond to statin therapy, the medication offers undeniable cardioprotective benefits. However, statins have several side effects. While statins do...
If your last blood tests revealed less than desirable cholesterol numbers, your health-care provider probably discussed the link between high blood cholesterol and an increased risk of heart disease and heart attack. In 2002, Merck and Schering...
When diet and exercise aren't enough to lower your cholesterol, your doctor may prescribe one of many cholesterol-lowering medications. There are several different types available and your doctor can best determine the type to treat your...
High cholesterol is a major controllable risk factor for heart disease and stroke. According to the American Heart Association, or AHA, each year approximately half a million people die of heart disease in the U.S., making it the number-one killer...
Vytorin, a cholesterol lowering medication, combines ezetimibe, brand name Zetia, and simvastatin, brand name Zocor into one medication. Cholesterol, an important material in the production of hormones and cell wall membranes, is synthesized in...
Vytorin is a combination statin and cholesterol absorption inhibitor, and according to the Mayo Clinic, one of the main ingredients is simvastatin. Taken alone, simvastatin is lipid-lowering agent (Zocor); in the prescription Vytorin simvastatin...
If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, it is important that you educate yourself on the subject in order to take an active part in lowering your cholesterol levels. Many physicians will prescribe both a change in diet and a medication....
Cholesterol, a substance found in everybody, contains three distinct parts. High-density lipoproteins perform beneficial functions in the body, while excessive levels of triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins can cause serious health problems,...
Cholesterol medicines are informally referred to as statins, as all of the generic drug names end in "-statin." These drugs block cholesterol synthesis in the liver. They may also be referred to as HMG CoA reductase inhibitors, because reductase...
Total cholesterol is based on a ratio of two numbers: LDL and HDL. High density lipoprotein (HDL) is your good cholesterol. This part of your ratio should be high. When low density lipoprotein (LDL) is elevated, you are at a higher risk of...
Statins are frequently prescribed medications used to lower cholesterol. They do so by blocking enzymes necessary to produce cholesterol. Doctors may prescribe statins if your total cholesterol exceeds 240 mg/dL, or if your LDL, or "bad"...
Many patients express concern over the cost of prescription medications. Many heart attack patients, for example, are discharged on 5 or 6 new medications, which are all very expensive. In many cases, generic alternatives are available. There...
Regardless of the severity of your heart failure, lifestyle changes are always a part of treatment for heart disease, before or after a heart attack. Common lifestyle changes recommended by doctors include a reduction in sodium, saturated-fat and...
The most common causes of high cholesterol include obesity, poor eating habits, lack of physical activity and a family history of heart disease. However, heredity can also influence your cholesterol levels. When it does, it's known as familial...
