High Cholesterol
List of medications for High Cholesterol
Cholesterol is found in your blood as a waxy-like substance. Your body requires cholesterol for healthy cell function, but too much cholesterol can pose serious risks for heart and blood vessel health. Those with high cholesterol, can develop fatty cholesterol deposits which build up in their blood vessels. Over time, these cholesterol deposits can continue to grow, making it more and more difficult for blood to flow through your arteries. This puts a strain on the heart as it has to work harder to pump blood. On occasion, those cholesterol deposits can suddenly break off as a mass and form a clot that travels through the blood vessels causing a heart attack or stroke.
A tendency toward high cholesterol can be inherited from family, but it’s more often the result of lifestyle choices including eating habits and exercise frequency, which make it preventable and treatable. High cholesterol is therefore treated with a healthy diet and regular exercise.
Statins
Statins are the most common medication for treating high cholesterol. Since the human body naturally produces cholesterol for cell function, statins work by reducing the function of your bodies natural cholesterol production.
PCSK9 Inhibitors
Recently approved by the FDA for treating high cholesterol, PCSK9 inhibitors are an injected medication which work with the liver to filter LDL cholesterol (the bad form of cholesterol) out of the blood stream. These medicines are often prescribed in addition to Statins so they can work together in reducing overall cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. PCSK9 inhibitors when taken together with Statins have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol up to 75%.