Drugs for lowering cholesterol – their side effects and you

You doctor will prescribe drugs for lowering cholesterol for you if your LDL “Bad” cholesterol levels is ≥ 130 mg/dl.

Besides having drugs for lowering cholesterol, you will definitely have to follow a healthy diet for lowering cholesterol, have some regular physical exercise, lose excess weight, and control all high risk factors for developing a coronary heart disease, like hypertension, smoking, and elevated blood glucose levels.

Taking these measures can lower the amount of drugs you will have to receive and/or enhance the action of the drug, plus reducing your susceptibility of acquiring serious heart conditions. The most common prescribed drugs for lowering cholesterol are:

• Statins
• Bile Acid Sequestrants
• Nicotinic Acid
• Fibrates

Statins

Actually, there are 5 statin drugs found in the market today; lovastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, fluvastatin, and atorvastatin.

Statins has the ability to inhibit HMG- CoA reductase, this is an enzyme which controls the level of cholesterol production in your body, and thus statin drugs for lowering cholesterol can delay the synthesis of cholesterol by the body besides enhancing the liver ability to get rid of LDL cholesterol from the body.

Statins can also lower hypertriglyceridemia, and modestly elevate the level HDL cholesterol levels. Nowadays, statins are becoming the most prescribed drugs for lowering cholesterol.

Usually, statins are taken once daily after evening meal, or before going to bed at night. It is a true scientific fact that your body produces more cholesterol at the night than during the day; therefore drugs for lowering cholesterol are better taken in the evening.

To reduce your risk for heart diseases, you will properly have to take stains for the rest of your life; therefore statins side effects are very difficult to be managed.

Statin side effects are:

1- Muscular pain manifested in the form of soreness, fatigue and weakness. This pain can range from mild discomfort to severe pain which can interfere with your daily activities. Very rarely (one out of 15 millions), statins can cause rhabdomyolysis; this is a life threatening condition that can damage liver and kidneys. 2- Liver damage - statins can elevate the production of certain enzymes in your liver; if neglected, this will eventually lead to liver damage. Therefore, if you are taking statins regularly, your doctor will advise you to have a liver function test every 6 weeks. 3- Digestive problems - nausea, diarrhea or constipation might occur after taking a statin drug; generally, the digestive problems are reduced markedly if daily dose of statins are taken at the evening.4- Rashes and flushing - If you develop rash after starting to take statins, try to tale an aspirin tablet before taking your statin medication, this will help to improve your symptoms.5- Neurological adverse reactions -Some recent studies have correlated between statins and loss of memory (Lou Gehrig's disease).

Till now, scientists are not sure why statins cause these side effects, especially muscular pain; they think that statins can alter myriad enzymes in the muscle cells, thus affecting muscular growth leading to muscular pain as well as cramps.

Bile acid sequestrants

Treatment with sequestrant might produce some side effects including constipation or diarrhea, bloating, nausea, and flatulence.

Though bile acid sequestrants are not absorbed, they can markedly interfere with the absorption of certain types of medications when taken at the same time. Therefore, if other drugs are prescribed with sequestrants, these drugs must be taken one hour before or four hours after taking bile acid sequestrants to avoid drug interaction.

Nicotinic acid or niacin

There are 3 major types of nicotinic acid; immediate release, timed release, and extended release. Patients using niacin to treat their high cholesterol levels must be under intimate supervision from their physician to avoid serious complications of these drugs.

The most common annoying side effect of niacin is having hot flashes; which are caused due to vasodilatation. Flashing can be reduced by taking the daily dose of the drug during eating meals, or by using other prescribed drugs like aspirin. Generally, the extended release form leads to minimal flashes.

Gastrointestinal problems like nausea, difficulty in digestion, gas, vomiting, diarrhea, and peptic ulcers are the main side effects of niacin. Furthermore, elevated blood sugar, gout, and liver impairment are other serious adverse reactions of niacin. This type of drugs for lowering cholesterol is contra-indicated for diabetic patients, because of bad effect on blood glucose.

Fibrates

Usually, most patients tolerate fibrates very well. The most common adverse reactions of fibrates are GIT problems, and formation of gall stones. Fibrates can enhance the effect of drugs causing the blood to be thinner.