The Role of Medicine in cholesterol

The use of medicines and vitamin supplements should always be approached with caution. The consumption of excessive quantities of vitamins or the side effects of medications can lead to serious consequences. Medications that have been deemed safe for others may not be safe for you, so avoid taking any substance prescribed for someone else. Drug interaction effects can be serious; always inform your doctor of any herbal remedies, vitamins or other medications you’re taking.

What Are Statins?
Statins are drugs that slow down the production of cholesterol and increase the liver’s ability to remove it from the blood. Commonly prescribed statin drugs are Zocor®, Lipitor®, Pravachol®, Mevacor®, and Lecol®.
If you’re a heart disease patient, your physician will almost certainly prescribe drugs when LDL levels are above 129 mg/dL (even possibly if above 100 mg/dL). Your physician will evaluate all information before prescribing medication when your LDL is below 130 mg/dL.

In all probability, if a drug is prescribed, your physician will recommend that you also follow a low fat diet and be more physically active. In some cases, heart disease patients have to lose weight, stop smoking or make adjustments for high blood pressure and/or diabetes. Sometimes a combination of drug therapies will be recommended.

Drug Effectiveness

The information in the following table is based upon two major studies of statin drugs: the Scandinavian 4S study of simvastatin and the five-year CARE study of pravastatin conducted jointly by American and Canadian researchers.

Although they don’t have a direct impact on cholesterol levels, aspirin and beta blockers are common drugs used in treatment. Aspirin helps to prevent blood clotting after surgery, thereby reducing frequency of heart attacks. Beta-blockers slow heart rate and lower blood pressure.

*The number of patients showing a positive effect compared with the total number of patients taking the medication, expressed as a percentage.