To fight the increased concentration of cholesterol in the circulatory system, it is recommended to eat right and introduce dosed physical activity into your daily routine. If such sparing measures do not give the desired result, the doctor prescribes cholesterol-lowering drugs. In pharmacies, there are several types of medicines that are effective for different root causes of the pathological condition. Consider the main ones.
Statins
This category of cholesterol-lowering drugs is the most commonly prescribed. They are designed specifically to reduce the concentration of a dangerous compound in the circulatory system. Drugs inhibit the activity of specific liver enzymes, through which the chemical reaction of cholesterol generation proceeds. The product resulting from this reaction is important for the work of a number of cellular structures, organic tissues, but its excesscontent provokes atherosclerosis. The term refers to a pathology accompanied by the generation of cholesterol plaques on the vascular walls. These prevent the blood from flowing and can completely block the vessel. Statins, which lower the content of a dangerous substance in the circulatory system, reduce the likelihood of an attack of angina pectoris, are considered a reliable method of preventing stroke and heart attack.
Pharmaceutical companies have developed various cholesterol-lowering drugs belonging to the statin class. They differ in active ingredients. The strongest and most pronounced effect known atorvastatin, rosuvastatin. The mildest and weakest result is observed if the patient uses fluvastatin. There are also lova-, meva-, pitava-, rights-, simva-, cerivastatin. There are quite a few names under which medicines from the statin class are presented in pharmacies. So, the medicine "Lipitor" contains atorvastatin. If the doctor thinks that the patient will benefit most from simvastatin, they will probably prescribe Zocor. The drug "Pravakhor" is produced using pravastatin. The active ingredient in Crestor is rosuvastatin. If it is recommended to take fluvastatin, you can buy "Leskol". The drug "Vitorin" is a combined pharmaceutical product containing ezetimaib, simvastatin. Red rice is a natural source of mevastatin. This compound is the only statin found in a natural product.
How does it work?
Statins are drugs that lower cholesterol by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-COA reductase. This chemical is involved in the process of hepatic cholesterol generation. Additional enzymatic compounds present in the hepatic cell structures perceive a decrease in the activity of generating cholesterol and respond to this with the release of proteins. At their expense, the number of receptors for low-density lipoproteins, that is, the most dangerous variant of cholesterol, is growing. Receptors are distributed in cell membranes and quickly bind all passing low and very low density lipoproteins. Next, the processes of processing in the liver begin.
When taking drugs from the statin category to lower cholesterol, many aim for a score of five units or even less. On average, cholesterol concentrations are expected to decrease by a quarter or a third compared to the original. If it is not possible to achieve the desired results, the dose is increased. In most cases, the therapeutic program continues after the parameter has stabilized at the desired level. This helps to rule out atherosclerosis in the future.
How to use?
To lower cholesterol, drugs are taken for heart disease, atherosclerosis. Medicines reduce the risks of progress of the pathological condition, prevent the worsening of the situation. Often they are prescribed to diabetics or people with other diseases that are very likely to cause atherosclerosis. If there is an indication of heart attacks in the family history of the disease, the person is indicated to take statins. This is especiallyrelevant if such attacks occurred in close relatives at a young age. Often the indication for the use of statins is old age.
According to experts, elevated blood cholesterol is the most common factor in statin use. Such drugs help reduce the likelihood of heart disease, as they prevent atherosclerotic changes, but it is important to remember that an attack can occur even with a normal concentration of cholesterol in the blood. The predominant percentage of cases is due to plaques, but exceptions are possible. Studies have shown that plaques can form with low levels of cholesterol in the circulatory system. Statins are used if the risk of atherosclerosis is higher than normal for a person, and sometimes even in cases of relatively low cholesterol levels in the blood.
Could there be flaws?
Cholesterol-lowering drugs can cause side effects. The predominant percentage of people who are forced to use statins do not report any or complain about relatively weak phenomena. Cases of soreness in the stomach are known, others have pain and dizziness. Taking drugs may be accompanied by tingling in the stomach, increased gas formation and stool disorder. There is a possibility of nausea and vomiting, skin rashes. Very rare cases of a severe variant of the inflammatory process of muscle tissues are known.
There are two options for severe side effects that can occur while taking statins:insufficiency of the liver and pathology of the muscles that support the skeleton. Muscle damage is officially referred to as rhabdomyolysis, belongs to the class of myopathies. The phenomenon usually indicates itself first with soreness in the muscles, gradually progressing. Cells die, and at the same time there is a failure of the kidneys. Without adequate support, there is a danger of death. The risk of rhabdomyolysis is higher if the patient uses several types of drugs to lower blood cholesterol at once. If statins are combined with other drugs that can provoke rhabdomyolysis, as well as when combined with drugs that increase the content of statins in the circulatory system, the risk of severe pathology is greater.
Reception Features
Statins are effective and fairly safe drugs that lower cholesterol in the blood, but they cannot be used for severe liver disorders or serious pathologies of this organ. If liver disease progresses against the background of the use of medications, therapy should be discontinued. During the period of bearing a child, lactation, during preparation for conception, it is necessary to abandon the use of the drugs in question. People forced to take statins should refrain from protease inhibitors used in the treatment of AIDS. Do not take erythromycin and diltiazem. Restrictions apply to verapamil and itraconazole. It is contraindicated to combine statins and clarithromycin. It is strictly forbidden to use statins and fibrates at the same time. Both classes of drugs are designed to lower cholesterol levels.in the circulatory system, but they do not fit together.
Forced statin users should refrain from including grapefruits and natural juice derived from these fruits in their diet. The active ingredients in citrus fruit may interact chemically with medications.
Statins and fibrates
There are two types of drugs that lower blood cholesterol: the statins discussed above, fibrates. They differ in the mechanism of influence on the human body. Statins inhibit the generation of cholesterol, while preventing the production of the tenth coenzyme. The lack of this substance in the body provokes excessive human fatigue, a weak condition, and can cause cardiac and vascular failures. Soreness in muscle tissues is due precisely to the insufficiency of this coenzyme. Headaches and digestive issues are another reason to stop taking statins. You can use drugs of this group only under the supervision of a doctor. The patient is prescribed a combined course in order to make up for the deficiency of the coenzyme.
Fibrates, in turn, provoke an increase in the concentration of useful cholesterol fractions in the circulatory system with a parallel decrease in the content of triglycerides by a quarter, and sometimes by half. Due to changes in the quality of blood, the vascular walls are strengthened, the activity of inflammatory foci in the circulatory system is inhibited. Fibrates help prevent atherosclerosis and reduce the risk of death. However, there are no drawbacks here.also not done, drugs of this type are used very carefully, and the daily dose is chosen strictly individually, since there is a possibility of heart failure. The doctor, explaining how to reduce cholesterol in the blood with medication, will definitely pay attention to the risk of pathologies of muscle tissues, brain structures if taken incorrectly. There is a possibility of indigestion. Some complain of headaches, sleep disturbances, someone worried about skin rashes and pain in the stomach.
Ineji
As can be inferred from the reviews of cholesterol-lowering drugs, this remedy is very well tolerated by most patients. The drug has a pronounced hypolipidemic effect due to the combined composition. The active ingredients prevent the absorption of cholesterol fractions by the cells of the intestinal tract, and at the same time inhibit the generation of the substance in the body. No effect on absorption of bile and fatty acid compounds. The medicine does not correct the level of progesterone and does not affect the concentration of other substances that are vital for humans and obtained from food. Ineji is used in conjunction with a special nutritional program designed to reduce cholesterol-rich foods. If you do not adhere to such a diet, there will be no benefit from therapy.
Caduet
Among the drugs that lower blood cholesterol levels, this medication is considered one of the well-known and reliable. It not only corrects the content of cholesterol in the bloodsystem, but also facilitates the course of angina pectoris, transient ischemic myocardial disease. The drug has a positive effect on blood pressure, stabilizing its performance to normal. Such a multifaceted effect is due to the combined composition - the drug contains atorvastatin and amlodipine. The first ingredient reduces the content of low-density and very low-density lipoproteins in the circulatory system, the other relaxes the muscle vascular tissues, due to which the gaps become larger. As a result, the pressure decreases.
Mevacor
Considering how to lower cholesterol with drugs, you should take a closer look at this effective remedy. Its main active ingredient is lovastatin. The drug belongs to the class of statins. Refers to lipid-lowering drugs. It has a positive effect on the internal vascular membranes. Under the influence of the drug, the activity of atherosclerosis decreases. If this has not yet begun, the medicine reliably warns him, at an early stage of the pathology there is a chance to reverse the process. Under the influence of the active ingredient, the level of blood viscosity is adjusted. Taking the drug prevents the appearance of blood clots. Proven antioxidant qualities of the drug, antiproliferative action.
Omega-3
This medication is a reliable natural cholesterol remedy that positively affects blood quality. The substance stabilizes the fat profile and eliminates arrhythmia, increases the concentration of useful cholesterol fractions. Omega-3 helps reduce the risk of heart and vascular diseases. side effectspractically undetectable. The alternative name by which the drug is known is Omacor.
Lipanor
If the task is to choose not statins, this medicine can become a medicine for lowering cholesterol in the circulatory system. It belongs to the fibrate category. The tool is lipid-lowering. Differs in an extensive profile of efficiency. The active ingredient that ensures the performance of the drug is ciprofibrate. This compound helps to reduce the amount of triglycerides in the blood, and also inhibits the biological production of cholesterol by the liver cells. Under the influence of the drug, cholesterol breakdown becomes faster, the elimination of the compound with bile is activated. The drug stabilizes the lipoprotein profile of blood serum. The concentration of useful cholesterol fractions becomes greater against the background of a decrease in the content of dangerous ingredients. A long therapeutic course helps to achieve the optimal ratio of different types of cholesterol.
Lipantil 200 M
Understanding how to reduce cholesterol in the circulatory system with drugs, you should take a closer look at this popular drug from the fibrate class. The active ingredient, which provides a pronounced effect of the drug, lowers cholesterol in the circulatory system. Under its influence, the percentage of low-density, very low-density lipoproteins becomes less. At the same time, the concentration of high-density compounds of this type increases. The active substance of the pharmaceutical product activates lipase, the processes of lipolysis proceed faster and more pronounced, therefore, from the bloodsystems quickly remove elements saturated with triglycerides. Under the influence of the drug, the concentration of glucose in the blood decreases. This is especially important for diabetics. In the case of dyslipidemia against the background of diabetes mellitus, the use of "Lipantil 200 M" helps to significantly improve the state of he alth, even if severe complications of metabolic processes have developed. The drug reduces the concentration of uric acid by 15-25%, due to which it is indicated for those suffering from gout and hyperlipidemia at the same time.
Trykor
The use of medication is one of the easiest ways to lower blood cholesterol, although it requires a combination with proper nutrition and adequate exercise. If necessary, to deal with an increased concentration of a dangerous compound, you can use the drug "Trykor". Its active ingredient is fenofibrate. This substance effectively lowers the concentration of triglycerides in the circulatory system, while the blood saturation with cholesterol decreases. Use under the supervision of a specialist allows you to completely solve the problem of cholesterol deposits outside the vascular system. At the same time, the activity of blood coagulation decreases. Due to this, the drug compound is considered prophylactic with an increased risk of blood clots. Reduced concentration of inflammatory markers.
Fibrates: when shown?
These cholesterol-lowering drugs are recommended for people who have elevated levels of triglycerides in the circulatory system. Means of this group are prescribed for dyslipidemiacombined type, if the disease is familial. Such a diagnosis is made if a lipid balance failure is detected in the blood plasma, and the cause of the phenomenon is a hereditary factor or features of a person’s chosen lifestyle. Fibrates are recommended for dyslipidemia secondary to diabetic disease. Means of this group are used to reduce the content of dangerous cholesterol fractions in the body while saturating the blood with useful components.
Sometimes you can't
The doctor, explaining to the patient which drugs lower cholesterol in the blood, necessarily focuses on possible contraindications. In particular, fibrates, although usually well tolerated by patients, are prohibited against the background of insufficiency of liver and kidney activity. They are not prescribed in case of hepatic cirrhosis and a high level of susceptibility by the body of the active ingredient. It is forbidden to take such medicines for a number of rare diseases that are inherited and lead to the inability to absorb the components used in the pharmaceutical industry by the body. We are talking about galactosemia, fructosemia. Sometimes it is impossible to use funds due to diseases covering the gallbladder. A contraindication for the appointment of fibrates is an addiction to alcohol in a chronic form. Medicines are not used for allergies to peanuts, soy lecithin.
Simple and accessible: for those who do not like drugs
Research has shown that there are herbal preparations to lower cholesterol. These are, for example, different types of tea. The drink is enriched with tannins,positively affecting the balance of fats in the circulatory system. Tannins are among the most active chemical ingredients, since they contain an abundance of hydroxyl groups that react without problems. Today they are used in medicine, cooking, industry.
In medicine, tannins have been used as a means to stop bleeding, lower cholesterol, fight diarrhea and hemorrhoids. Statistical studies have shown that people who actively and plentifully drink tea are less likely to experience lipid profile problems, even if the diet is saturated with harmful products.
About the most popular in more detail: instructions for "Atorvastatin"
If you ask a doctor which drug lowers cholesterol, it is quite possible that the doctor will be the first to remember this particular medication. On sale there is the drug "Atorvastatin", there are combined products containing the same active ingredient. There are drugs that contain only atorvastatin among the active compounds, but the names of the drugs vary greatly - it depends on the manufacturer. The effectiveness of such drugs varies somewhat due to auxiliary compounds. Let's take a closer look at the classic Atorvastatin.
The drug is commercially available in tablet form. One capsule contains 10-40 mg of the active ingredient in the form of a calcium s alt. Silicon, calcium, titanium, iron molecules, talc and starch, cellulose and opadry are included as additional compounds. The package contains 10-100 capsules. Exact amountcopies and the amount of the active ingredient in each are specified on the outside of the box.
Pharmacology
"Atorvastatin" belongs to the number of drugs that quickly lower blood cholesterol. The drug belongs to the class of statins, known for hypolipidemic action. The substance in a selective format inhibits HMG-COA reductase, which can be transformed into mevalonic acid, a compound from which sterols are formed. The use of a pharmaceutical product helps to correct the concentration of cholesterol, affects the content of lipoproteins in the blood serum. The process of cholesterol production by liver cells becomes less saturated due to an increase in the concentration of receptors. The content of low-density cholesterol is reduced even in the case of familial hypercholesterolemia, a pathological condition characterized by increased resistance to blood quality correction agents.
"Atorvastatin" on average shows a stable pronounced result a couple of weeks after the start of the course, which allows it to be classified as a drug that lowers cholesterol in the blood quickly, gently and safely. If we compare this result with the use of traditional medicine and herbal medicines, Atorvastatin gives a significantly faster result. The rate of effect in some patients is higher compared to other statins and fibrates. On average, the maximum effectiveness is observed by the fourth week of the course and is maintained throughout the entire period of admission.
Dosageand dangers
Studies have been conducted to determine the dangers associated with taking Atorvastatin tablets. In experimental dogs with a three-month program of use in the amount of 120 mg/kg, cerebral hemorrhage was recorded daily. In females, after 11 months of taking 280 mg/kg daily, not only cerebral hemorrhage was observed, but also the appearance of vacuoles of the nervous system responsible for nourishing the eyes. At 120 mg/kg daily, systemic exposure was on average 16 times greater than at 80 mg per day. For a person, the daily maximum is 80 mg.
Trials were conducted on dogs that were given drugs similar to "Atorvastatin" class. Cases of edema, cellular infiltration of the mononuclear type have been recorded. Processes covered perivascular spaces. Dose-dependent degenerative processes in the visual ophthalmic system have been identified.
