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Healtheuniversity > English > Cardiac College > Treat Heart Disease > Heart Medicines > Cholesterol Medicines

Cholesterol Medicines

Statins

Benefits

  • ​Lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol
  • Raises HDL (good) cholesterol
  • Lowers triglyceride levels
  • Lowers the chance that you will have a heart attack or stroke, or develop peripheral artery disease

​Action

  • Statins decrease the amount of cholesterol that is made by your liver
    • Having less LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood lowers the chance that your blood vessels will become blocked
  • Improves the function of the “endothelium” (lining of the blood vessels)

Potential side effects

  • Muscle pain
  • Muscle weakness
  • Abnormal liver function
  • Allergic reaction (skin rashes)
  • Heartburn
  • Dizziness
  • Abdominal pain
  • Constipation (hard to poo)

​Common names

  • Atorvastatin (Lipitor®)
  • Fluvastatin (Lescol®)
  • Lovastatin (Mevacor®, Advicor®, Altoprev®)
  • Pravastatin (Pravachol®, Pravigard®)
  • Rosuvastatin (Crestor®)
  • Simvastatin (Zocor®)

​Note

If you have increased muscle pain and weakness after starting this medicine, tell your doctor right away. Muscle pain and weakness can be a sign of a rare but serious side effect.

See how medications can help lower your cholesterol (opens in new window) »

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Resins (Bile acid sequestrants)

Benefits

  • Lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol

​Action

  • Works inside your intestine to reduce the amount of cholesterol in your body
  • Binds to bile (a substance made from cholesterol that your liver produces to digest food) and prevents it from getting reabsorbed from the intestine (gut)

Potential side effects

  • Constipation (hard to poo)
  • Gas
  • Upset stomach

​Co​mm​on names

  • Cholestyramine (Questran®, Questran Light®)
  • Colestid (Colestipol®)

Note

Any cholesterol-lowering medicine can cause muscle pain, muscle weakness, abnormal liver function, allergic reaction (skin rashes), heartburn, dizziness, or abdominal pain.

Resins are not the first choice of treatment for lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol because they have not shown the same cardiovascular benefits that you get with statins, PCSK9 inhibitors, and cholesterol absorbing inhibitors.

See how medications can help lower your cholesterol (opens in new window) »

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Nicotinic Acid

Benefits

  • Lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol
  • Raises HDL (good) cholesterol

​Action

  • ​Blocks the production of cholesterol in the body

Potential side effects

  • ​Flushing (most common)
  • Itching, tingling
  • Headache

Common names

  • ​Niaspan (Niacor®)

See how medications can help lower your cholesterol (opens in new window) »

​Note

Nicotinic acid medicine is not the first choice of treatment for lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol because it has not shown the same cardiovascular benefits that you get with statins, PCSK9 inhibitors, and cholesterol absorbing inhibitors.

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Fibrates

Benefits

  • Lowers triglyceride levels
  • Lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol
  • Raises HDL (good) cholesterol

​Action

  • Prevents your body from making certain types of cholesterol

Potential side effects

  • Stomach pain
  • Gas
  • Heartburn

Common names

  • ​Bezafibrate (Bezalip®)
  • Fenofibrate (Lipidil®)
  • Gemfibrozil (Lopid®)

​Note

Fibrates are not the first choice of treatment for lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol because they have not shown the same cardiovascular benefits that you get with statins, PCSK9 inhibitors, and cholesterol absorbing inhibitors.

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Cholesterol absorption inhibitors

Benefits

  • ​Lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol
  • ​Raises HDL (good) cholesterol
  • ​Lowers triglyceride levels
  • ​Lowers the chance that you will have a heart attack or stroke

​Action

  • Lowers the amount of cholesterol that is absorbed from the intestine (gut)
  • Having less LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood lowers the chance that your blood vessels will become blocked

Potential side effects

  • Diarrhea
  • Abdominal pain (pain in the area between your chest and pelvis)
  • Joint or muscle pain
  • Fatigue

​Common names

  • Ezetimibe (Ezetrol®)
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PCSK9 Inhibitors

Benefits

  • ​Lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol
  • Lowers the chance that you will have a heart attack or stroke, or develop peripheral artery disease

​Action

  • ​Improves the ability of the liver to remove LDL (bad) cholesterol from your blood

Potential side effects

  • Cold-like symptoms (such as a runny nose, cough, sore throat, or back pain)
  • Tiredness
  • Aching muscles
  • Swelling around the area where the medicine is injected (with a needle)

​Co​mm​on names

  • ​Alirocumab (Praluent®)
  • Evolocumab (Repatha®)
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Small interfering RNA (siRNA) that reduces production of PCSK9

Benefits

  • Lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol

​Action

The liver works to naturally remove LDL (bad) cholesterol from your blood. Some proteins can disrupt this process. siRNA medicine stops these proteins from being made so the liver can keep removing LDL (bad) cholesterol from your blood.

Potential side effects

  • Reaction in the area where the medicine was injected (including pain, redness, and rash)
  • Joint pain
  • Urinary tract infection
  • Diarrhea
  • Chest cold
  • Pain in legs or arms
  • Shortness of breath

​Co​mm​on names

  • Inclisiran (Leqvio)
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Icosapent ethyl

Benefits

  • Can lower the chance that you will have a heart attack or stroke

​Action

  • Lowers triglyceride levels by decreasing the amount of triglycerides made by your body

Potential side effects

  • Bleeding event
  • Joint or muscle pain
  • Swollen legs or arms
  • Constipation (hard to poo)
  • Gout (a type of painful arthritis)
  • Atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter (heart rhythm problems)

Common names

  • ​Vascepa®

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