Cholesterol

Having high cholesterol is always considered a bad thing. However not all cholesterol levels should be low. If this confusing you then you need to know more about the basic facts about cholesterol. To put it simply there are two types of cholesterol; HDL cholesterol, which is good, and LDL cholesterol, which is bad.

HDL cholesterol can actually help to reduce bad cholesterol levels. LDL cholesterol on the other hand can actually contribute to heart disease, and other degenerative diseases. Your HDL cholesterol levels should always be higher than your LDL cholesterol levels. Cholesterol lowering medication can be used to help decrease HDL cholesterol levels.

Treating High Cholesterol With Cholesterol Lowering Drug

If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol levels then the first thing that will be prescribed is a change in diet and lifestyle. Sometimes due to hereditary factors lifestyle changes such as lowering an intake of saturated fat and increasing exercise are not effective in lowering cholesterol levels.

In such a case you would need to take a cholesterol lowering drug. There have been over the years many different types of drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol levels. At the moment the most popular types of cholesterol lowering drug are statins. Some statins that might be prescribed are simvastatin, atorvastatin, rosuvastatin.

Sometimes this type of cholesterol lowering drug may not be suitable, one side effect that is commonly reported is muscle pain. If you are suffering from muscle pain while taking this type of cholesterol lowering drug then you might want to explore other drugs that are used to lower cholesterol levels.

Ezetrol or ezetimibe is a cholesterol lowering drug that is often prescribed if statins are not effective or causing you to experience side effects. Another option when choosing a cholesterol lowering drug is to use fibrates, though this is an older treatment and works best when used in conjunction with more modern treatments.

Even when you start a cholesterol lowering drug there are other things you can do. Losing weight is helpful when you are trying to keep your cholesterol levels low. Giving up smoking will also help as high cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk of heart disease and giving up smoking can lower that risk.

Alcohol consumption also plays a part when dealing with cholesterol levels. You can actually help increase the good cholesterol levels in your body by drinking moderately. Moderate consumption of alcohol can also help to counter the negative effects of bad cholesterol. Drinking too much will put pressure on your liver and complicate matters even further.