|  | Conditions Treatments | Cholesterol

Medications Used to Lower High Cholesterol

People who are not able to lower cholesterol with dietary or lifestyle changes may require prescription medication. Medications used to lower high cholesterol work by limiting production of cholesterol, absorbing cholesterol from the blood or by preventing dietary cholesterol from being used by the body. People using these medications may have side effects such as muscle and stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea or constipation.

  1. Niacin

    • Prescription niacin can lower cholesterol by decreasing the liver's ability to produce low density lipoprotein and very low density lipoprotein ("bad") cholesterol. Do not take dietary supplements of niacin as they may cause liver damage, according to the Mayo Clinic.

    Statins

    • Statins such as atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin block the production of cholesterol in the liver and help the liver absorb cholesterol from the blood.

    Bile Acid Binders

    • Bile-acid-binding resins (cholestyramine, colesevelam and colestipol are good examples) lower cholesterol by causing the liver to make excess bile acids which use up cholesterol in the blood.

    Fibrates

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, fenofibrate and gemfibrozil decrease the production and increase absorption of very low density lipoprotein cholesterol in the liver.

    Inhibitors

    • Cholesterol absorption inhibitors such as ezetimibe work in the small intestines by limiting the amount of cholesterol the body can absorb from foods.

    Combinations

    • A pill combining ezetimibe and simvastatin called Vytorin, or a combination of niacin and statin, such as Simcor or Advicor, are two ways of lowering cholesterol that require only one pill.

    Warning

    • Cholesterol medications, especially statins, may cause damage to the liver and require regular liver function tests to evaluate liver health.

Cholesterol - Related Articles