If you wind up needing medication, think about how fortunate we are today to have these generally safe and highly effective drugs available to us. Not too long ago all cardiologists could do for their patients was hold their hands, watching...
The American pharmaceutical industry spent more than $30 billion in 2001 researching and developing new drugs. Not surprisingly, companies tend to focus much of their research in areas that promise the biggest sales potential, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer....
First the proviso: Aspirin won’t lower your cholesterol. But its effects on blood clotting and inflammation are so significant that anyone with known heart disease, diabetes, or two or more risk factors for heart disease (and no problems taking aspirin) should...
This class of drug, in use for more than 40 years with no major problems, acts like super glue, binding with bile acids in the intestines so that the acids are removed with the stool. Bile acids (which help your body...
Fibric acid derivatives, or fibrates, affect the actions of key enzymes in the liver, enabling the liver to absorb more fatty acids, thus reducing production of triglycerides. These drugs also work well at increasing production of HDL. Although they can also...
Niacin (nicotinic acid) is one of the oldest cholesterol-lowering drugs. A member of the B vitamin family, it’s found in fruits, vegetables, meats. and grains, as well as in most multivitamins. At doses up to 35 milligrams per day, niacin is...
Two organs primarily control cholesterol levels in your blood: the liver, which produces cholesterol and bile acids (used to digest fats), and the intestine, which absorbs cholesterol both from food and from the bile, While statins primarily lower cholesterol by preventing...
his class of drug, which also goes by the tongue-twisting name HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, has revolutionized the treatment of high cholesterol more than any other medication. In use for more than a decade, the drugs are sold under the brand names...
As we talked about in this Chapter , your levels of cholesterol, combined with your other risk factors for heart disease, determine your need for medication. Your doctor will ikely recommend prescription medication if your LDL level remains between 160 and...
