Cholesterol Medicine How they Work

Cholesterol medicine lowers bad cholesterol (LDH) which can effectively lower your risk of getting heart disease or a stroke. Changes in diet and starting cardio exercises, as well as quitting smoking and other bad habits should be the first option that is used to lower cholesterol, but when that does not work it is time to consider medications.

Even when you are taking cholesterol medicine, it is very important to eat a healthy diet and exercise. If you are eating a healthy diet and are exercising this will facilitate the medicine to be more effective. Eat a healthy diet low in fat with low fat meats, fruits, and vegetables. Large amounts of fat in your diet can be detrimental to your health. This is because it raises your blood cholesterol levels that can add to heart attack or a stroke.

There is a class of medication called statins, and they are one of the most effective and widely used medications to treat high cholesterol. Statins reduce the risk for heart attack, stroke, and death in people who have many risk factors for these health threats. Statins lower the amounts of cholesterol that the liver produces. This type of medication is quite effective for many people.

Sometimes a person needs to take more than one medication or a combination medication such as statin combination medications. Some of these lower the cholesterol that you're liver makes and affects how your body absorbs cholesterol, others can lower the cholesterol amounts that your liver makes, and lower blood pressure as well so that you do not have to take a low blood pressure med as well. There are those that raise good cholesterol (HDL) and lower bad cholesterol (LDL).

Statins are the most widely used medication to lower cholesterol. Statins slow down the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which controls the rate of cholesterol production in the body. These medications lower cholesterol by slowing down the livers production of cholesterol, and by increasing the liver's capacity to remove bad cholesterol (LDL). Statins are more effective than other types of drugs for lowering cholesterol. It also slightly increases good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers total cholesterol and triglycerides.

As with any medication there is a possibility of unwanted side effects. Your doctor should tell you what side effects to look for. Most are mild, but rarely there are severe ones. You need to know what to look for. Also mild side effects usually subside within a few weeks of use.