Medication Overview
There are 4 general categories of drugs that lower cholesterol levels:
- Statins
- Bile acid sequesterants
- Fibric acid derivatives
- Niacin (Vitamin B3)
Statins
Statins are a type of drug that lowers cholesterol levels by inhibiting the HMG-CoA enzyme that is needed in the process of converting fat into cholesterol. Statins are the most effective among the different categories of cholesterol lowering drugs available. As such, Statins are typically used as the first line of treatment for patients with high cholesterol levels. In addition to its use for lowering cholesterol levels, Statins can also be used to reduce risk for depression and dementia. Statins are manufactured and sold by different manufacturers under different brands - for example, Atorvastatin (Lipitor), Cerivastatin (Baycol) and Lovastatin (Mevacor).
Bile Acid Sequesterants
Bile is a liquid produced by the liver to help with digestion and absorption of fat in the intestines. Bile acid sequesterants lowers cholesterol levels through 2 methods. Firstly, it binds with your body's bile - inhibiting the bile from helping to digest fat. Secondly, it prevents the recycling of bile acids in the intestine. Since cholesterol is one of the ingredients used by the liver to produce bile, this forces the liver to use free cholesterol from the blood to produce bile needed to replace the bile that is 'lost' from the prevented re-cycling. Bile acid sequesterants are also sold by different manufacturers under different brands - for example, Cholestyramine (Questran), Colestipol (Colestid) and Colesevalam (Welchol).
Note that there are some downside to the use of bile acid sequesterants. It has been found that these drugs may interfere with the absorption of other substances in the intestine - for example, other medication and vitamins.
Fibric Acid Derivatives
Fibric acid derivatives are not as effective as Statins and bile acid sequesterants. Fibric acid derivatives lowers cholesterol levels by inhibiting lipoprotein lipase activity. Fibric acid derivatives are also sold by different manufacturers under different brands - for example, Clofibrate (Atromid-S), Gemfibrozil (Lopid) and Fenofibrate (Tricor).
Niacin
Niacin is actually another name for the humble Vitamin B3. As such, Niacin does not require a prescription and is available over-the-counter. In order to be effective in lowering cholesterol levels, Niacin has to be consumed in much larger dosages. These dosages are at least 500 mg each day as compared to the normal recommended daily dosages of 20 mg for normal people. Niacin lowers cholesterol levels by inhibiting VLDL secretion in the bloodstream.
Note that there are some downside to the use of Niacin as a cholesterol lowering agent. These include intense flushing.