Taking all these steps together may lessen the amount of medicine
you need, or make the medicine work better. And that reduces your risk
of heart disease.
Medicines Your Doctor May Prescribe
Several types of medicine help lower blood cholesterol levels.
These include:
Major Drugs
Bile acid sequestrants (cholestyramine and colestipol)
Nicotinic acid
HMG CoA reduces inhibitors ar "statins" (e.g.,
lovastatin, pravastatin, and simvastatin)
Other Drugs
Fibric acid derivatives (gemfibrozil)
Probucol
In addition, if you are a woman going through or past menopause,
your doctor may talk with you about estrogens. Sometimes called
Estrogen Replacement Therapy, this can lower blood cholesterol levels,
and may make it unnecessary to take a cholesterol-lowering drug.
Drugs that lower blood cholesterol work in different ways. Some may
work for you while others may not. Before the doctor prescribes any
medicine, be sure to state what other medicines you are taking. And
once a medicine is prescribed, take it exactly the way our doctor
tells you so. If you have any side effects from a medicine, tell you
doctor right away. The amount or type of drug can be changed to reduce
or stop unwanted side effects. Whatever medicine you take,
continue to follow the Step I or Step II diet and to be more
physically active. This will help keep the dose of medicine as low as
possible.
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