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Cholesterol Medications

There are several drug therapies that can help you lower your cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels.

Statins are the most common front-line treatment for anyone with an LDL of 100 mg/dl (5.56 mmol/L) or higher. They reduce LDL cholesterol by blocking a key step in the process of manufacturing cholesterol in the liver.

If statins are not producing the necessary results, bile-acid binding resins may be utilized.

Medication to lower their triglycerides is sometimes prescribed. There are several drug choices to lower triglycerides, namely fibric acid derivatives and nicotinic acid.

See the chart below for an overview of cholesterol drugs.

Your doctor can tell you what treatment is right for you. Always consult your medical team before making any changes to your diabetes management.

Types of Medication	Generic Names	Brand Names	What it Does
Statins	Atorvastatin	Lipitor	Raises HDL, Lowers LDL, Lowers Triglycerides Lowers Total Cholesterol
	Fluvastatin	Lescol
	Lovastatin	Mevacor   Altocor
	Pitavastatin	Livalo
	Pravastatin	Pravachol
	Rosuvastatin	Crestor
	Simvastatin	Zocor
Bile-Acid Binding Resins*	Cholestyramine	Prevalite  Questran Light	Raises HDL, Lowers LDL, Lowers Triglycerides
	Colesevelam	Welchol
	Colestipol	Colestid
Fibric Acid Derivatives	Fenofibrate	TriCor  Antara  Triglide Fenoglide  Lipofen  TriLipix	Raises HDL, Lowers Triglycerides
	Gemfibrozil	Lopid
Intestinal Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitor	Ezetimibe	Zetia	Raises HDL, Lowers LDL, Lowers Total Cholesterol, Lowers Triglycerides
Nicotinic Acid	Niacin	Niacor  Niaspan	Lowers LDL, Lowers Triglycerides
Combination Medications	Ezetimibe Simvastin	Vytorin	Raises HDL, Lowers LDL, Lowers Total Cholesterol, Lowers Triglycerides
	Niacin Lovastatin	Advicor	Raises HDL, Lowers LDL, Lowers Triglycerides
	Simvastin Niacin	Simcor	Raises HDL, Lowers LDL, Lowers Triglycerides
	Amlodipine besylate atorvastatin calcium	Caduet	Lowers LDL
	Sitagliptin Simvastatin	Juvisync	Raises HDL, Lowers LDL, Lowers Total Cholesterol, Lowers Triglycerides
Prescription Supplements	Omega-3-acid -Ethyl esters	Lovaza	Lowers extremely high Triglycerides
	Icosapent ethyl	Vascepa	An omega-3 fatty acid that lowers extremely high Triglycerides
Microsomal Triglyceride Transfer Protein Inhibitor	Lomitapide	JuxtapidTM	Lowers LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia

*Side effects may include upset stomach and constipation, and may not be appropriate for people with diabetes gastroparesis.

SOURCE:
Grundy SM, Cleeman JI, Bairey Merz CN, Brewer HB, Clark LT, Hunninghake DB, Pasternak RC, Smith SC, Stone NJ; for the Coordinating Committee of the National Cholesterol Education Program. "Implications of Recent Clinical Trials for the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III Guidelines." Circulation. 2004; 110:227-239.

Reviewed by James A. Bennett 5/13.