Type 2 Diabetes: Preventing Complications

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 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.

High triglyceride levels are often an issue for people with type 2 diabetes. Medication to lower their triglycerides is sometimes prescribed. There are several drug choices to lower triglycerides, namely fibric acid derivatives and nicotinic acid.

Intestinal cholesterol absorption inhibitors stop the infusion of cholesterol from the small intestines into the circulatory system. They work well in combination with statins.

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 ®
	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®	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
Prescription Supplem	Omega-3-acid -Ethyl esters	Lovaza®	Lowers extremely high Triglycerides

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

Parts excerpted and adapted from The American Heart Association.

2Ridker PM. C-reactive protein: a simple test to help predict risk of heart attack and stroke. Circulation. 2003; 108:e81-85.