Free Article: Cholesterol Drugs

You are here:
Directory | Cholesterol |

Cholesterol Drugs Will Lower Cholesterol Levels, But With Side Effects
By Elizabeth Penning

It is believed that at least twelve million Americans take cholesterol drugs to lower their cholesterol levels and the majority of these drugs are statins. In addition, it is expected that a further twenty-three million Americans will be taking these drugs and so the need arises to be better educated about the side effects as well as benefits of taking such drugs.
The cholesterol drugs currently available in the US include Lipitor from Pfizer, Zocor from Merck, Pravachol from Bristol-Meyer Squibb, Lescol from Novartis, Mevacor from Merck, and Crestor from AstraZeneca. If you happen to be one of the millions of Americans taking statins, make sure that you are fully aware of the ways in which such cholesterol drugs can affect your health.

Statins have provided doctors battling cholesterol with an arsenal of therapies with which to lower high blood cholesterol levels, often with dramatic effect. Though doctors often advise patients of high blood cholesterol to exercise and take recommended diets, these in themselves may not prove to be enough; so the need for cholesterol drugs arises to get the cholesterol level down to manageable levels.

Things to Consider

According to the National Cholesterol Education Program estimates, almost nine million Americans are using some kind of cholesterol lowering drug therapy with Mevacor, Lescol, Pravachol, Zocor, Baycol and Lipitor being the drugs most used. When it comes to cholesterol, it has even been claimed by doctors that these statin drugs are revolutionizing patient care. Taking cholesterol drugs can dramatically reduce deaths from heart disease as well as death from all causes in patients having coronary hear disease whose high LDL levels had been reduced by drugs such as Zocor. Cholesterol drugs function by interfering with the cholesterol-producing mechanism of the liver and also help to increase the liver's capacity to eliminate cholesterol from circulating blood.

Depending on dosage and drug, statins can reduce LDL cholesterol by as much as sixty percent. Nevertheless, patients often react differently to cholesterol drugs and some have fewer side effects, and doctors will prescribe the drug depending on factors such as degree of cholesterol lowering desired as well as side effects and cost.

Though there are no exact figures available regarding how many lives such cholesterol drugs have saved, public awareness through the National Cholesterol Education Program is helping to get the word out to Americans on how to prevent and manage heart disease. Cholesterol drugs are able to combat elevated cholesterol levels, but care should be taken regarding undesirable side effects.

Author Details:
Elizabeth Penning writes for various websites including, Hypo-allergenic Deodorant and The A to Z of with her main interests being holistic medicine and all things natural.

Article Source: Health articles directory

NOTE: This article may be reproduced ONLY if the author details, source and ALL links remain in place and active.

More a rticles about Cholesterol:

• Cholesterol and General Health
• Bad Cholesterol Can Cause Death Later In Life
• Many Positives Aspects of Cholesterol and Omega 3
• Cholesterol chart Helps in Getting a Handle on Cholesterol
• What does your Cholesterol Count mean to your Health?
• Cholesterol Drugs Will Lower Cholesterol Levels, But With Side Effects
• Cholesterol Guidelines: What You Should Know About Cholesterol
• Cholesterol Level Scale Helps Measure Cholesterol Numbers in Blood Samples
• The Importance of Checking Cholesterol Levels
• Finding the Truth in the Cholesterol Myths
• Know Your Cholesterol Numbers And Be 'Heart Healthy'
• What Is Your Ideal Cholesterol Ratio
• Guide to Cholesterol Readings
• The Cholesterol Test Helps Detect the Presence of HDL and Total Cholesterol Levels
• Cholesterol Testing Is Best Performed by Professionals
• Several Diets for High Cholesterol Have Been Developed
• Guide to the Foods High In Cholesterol
• Foods That Lower Cholesterol Will Help Keep You Healthy
• High Levels Of Good Cholesterol Will Decrease the Risk for Heart Disease
• Studying HDL Cholesterol Is the New Frontier for Researchers
• Herbs That Lower Cholesterol Can Significantly Lessen the Risk of Heart Diseases and Keep Cholesterol within Limits
• What You Need to Know About High Cholesterol
• A High Cholesterol Diet Should Cut Down On Margarine Consumption
• How to Avoid High Cholesterol Foods
• Be In Control of Your Health with Home Cholesterol Test
• Natural Ways to Lower Your LDL Cholesterol
• Lifestream Cholesterol Monitors: Testing Cholesterol Levels from the Home
• Benefits of a Low Cholesterol Diet
• Low Cholesterol Diet Menus can be Tasty as well as Healthy
• Reduce the Risks of Heart Disease with Low Cholesterol Foods
• Low Cholesterol Low Fat Diet Are Readily Available and There's Plenty to Choose From
• Finding the Right Low Cholesterol Recipes for You
• How to Lower Cholesterol Levels
• National Cholesterol Education Program Promotes Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes and Healthier Lives
• A Natural Source to Reduce Cholesterol is a Better Option than Medications and Other Drugs
• Naturally Lower Cholesterol with Some Additional Nutritional Supplements
• The Link between Niacin and Cholesterol
• Normal Cholesterol Levels in Western Countries Is Twenty Percent Higher Than Those of Asians
• Oatmeal and Cholesterol: The Perfect Match
• What Is Cholesterol? It Is a Question That Concerns Every one of Us