The body needs bile acids and makes them by breaking down LDL cholesterol. Niacin, or nicotinic acid Niacin is a B vitamin that can improve all lipoprotein levels. Nicotinic acid raises high-density lipoprotein HDL cholesterol levels while lowering total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Fibrates Fibrates mainly lower triglycerides.
These medicines are primarily used in people who have familial hypercholesterolemia , a genetic condition that causes very high levels of LDL cholesterol. Who Needs Cholesterol-lowering Medicine Your treatment plan for high cholesterol will depend on your current cholesterol levels and your risk of heart disease and stroke. Your health care provider may prescribe medicine if: You have already had a heart attack or stroke, or you have peripheral arterial disease.
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This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Statin side effects: Weigh the benefits and risks. Products and services. Statin side effects: Weigh the benefits and risks Statins are effective at lowering cholesterol and protecting against a heart attack and stroke, although they may lead to side effects for some people.
By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references Controlling cholesterol with statins. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed Jan. Rosenson RS. Statins: Actions, side effects and administration. Rosenson RS, et al. Statin muscle-related adverse events. Ferri FF. Statin-induced muscle syndromes. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor Philadelphia, Pa.
Adhyaru BB, et al. Safety and efficacy of statin therapy. Nature Reviews Cardiology. Learn more. Seth Shay Martin, M. Statin drugs are prescription medications that lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States. Often the first line of therapy after lifestyle changes, statins can reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack and even death from cardiovascular disease by 25 percent or more. Although statins benefit those most at risk for cardiovascular disease, many people have concerns about taking this class of drug.
Instead of LDL targets, the guidelines identify groups of people who are at high risk of having a heart attack or stroke. These are the people most likely to benefit from medications or lifestyle changes. Learn More About Stroke ». In the first three groups, doctors do not need to estimate the risk of cardiovascular events. These people automatically qualify for statins. For the fourth group, which includes people without any strong symptoms of heart disease, the guidelines committee used data from the latest scientific studies to develop a risk calculator.
This tool allows doctors and patients to determine both their year and lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack or stroke and death from either of those causes. In spite of its strong basis in science, the risk estimator has drawn criticism from some doctors. That was a source of confusion for a lot of people.
In fact, a recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine found that up to 97 percent of people between the ages of 66 and 90 qualify for statins under the new guidelines and according to the accompanying risk calculator. This highlights one major area of debate — the apparently large increase in the number of people, especially asymptomatic people, who will be prescribed statins.
Statins are not without side effects. These include muscle pain, confusion, flushing, and rarely liver damage or memory loss. The guidelines are clear about which groups of people could benefit most from therapy — both medications like statins and lifestyle changes like eating better and exercising more — but in the fourth group, the guidelines leave room for doctors and patients decide together how best to lower cholesterol levels.
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