Preventing a heart attack

Preventing a heart attack should be your number one priority if you struggle with high cholesterol. Many people diet and exercise to reduce their cholesterol levels just to stay alive. Cholesterol is an integral part of the membranes of cells, while playing an important part in maintaining brain synapses as well as in the immune system, it is also the largest cause of heart attack and stroke.

Most people who suffer from high levels of cholesterol go to their dieticians to have their daily eating habits checked and then start to follow a strict meal plan in order to help them lower their cholesterol levels. On the other hand people have really gone overboard, when it comes to changing their habits. The main thing is that you do change your bad habits into healthier ones to help you with preventing a heart attack.

By combing the following drugs with a healthy lifestyle, you are sure to lower your cholesterol levels. There are four kinds of cholesterol reducing drugs:

Bile acid - Sequesterants are cholesterol reducing drugs that aim to bind with the bile that is being produced by one’s liver. The bile helps out in our digestion as well as in the absorption of fats from the intestine. This cholesterol reducing drug blocks out the digestion of fats from the bile to help prevent the formation of cholesterol. Various cholesterol reducing drugs in this category are the following:

Colestipol;  Colestid;  Coleseyalam;  Welchol;  Cholestyramine;  Questran;

Statins - Popularly known as statins, the HMG-CoA inhibitors are cholesterol reducing drugs that prevent the enzyme called 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-conenzyme, a reductase, from converting fat into cholesterol. This cholesterol reducing drug is seen as the most effective one in the market today. Popular drugs from this cholesterol reducing drug group include:

Simvastatin;  Zocor;  Cerivastatin;  Baycol;  Fluvastatin;  Lescol;  Lovastatin;  Mevacor;  Prevastatin;  Pravachol;  Atorvastatin;  Lipitor
 

Fibric Acid - The cholesterol reducing drug called fibric acid and its derivaties are less effective than the statins when in comes to lowering one’s cholesterol level. Popular drugs under this kind of cholesterol reducing drugs are:

Clofibrate;  Atormid-S;  Gemfibrozil;  Lopid;  Fenofribrate;  Tricor;

Niacin - Niacin or vitamin B-3, is very effective in lowering cholesterol levels. Although the normal vitamin dose of niacin is only set at 20 mg for each day, the dose required to reduce cholesterol levels is at least 500 mg each day. Niacin helps reduce cholesterol by inhibiting very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) secretion in the bloodstream.

Always remember that a healthy lifestyle and diet are essential to control your blood cholesterol. Combining this with the best prescription medicine available will help you lower your cholesterol levels.

Dave Saunders
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