Cholesterol – Overview

High Cholesterol Levels

High cholesterol is a condition in which abnormal levels of cholesterol, including LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol, can be measured in the blood. Patricia (Nurse Pattye) Anderson, FNP bc can connect people who have high cholesterol and need a prescription medication to lower cholesterol for cholesterol medication if it is appropriate to do so.

What Causes High Cholesterol?

What causes high cholesterol, also known as hypercholesterolemia and generically as hyperlipidemia? Current evidence suggests that there are a handful of risk factors that can increase cholesterol levels in the blood. Risk factors include obesity, diet and one’s genetic makeup. Other medical conditions such as hypothyroidism or diabetes can also lead to high cholesterol numbers. Stress can also lead to high cholesterol levels as can the use of certain medications. Some people with high cholesterol levels have no identifiable reason as to why they have increased cholesterol.

Symptoms of High Cholesterol

High cholesterol symptoms vary from person to person by many people with high cholesterol do not have any overt symptoms. Instead, high cholesterol is thought to cause hardening of blood vessels in the body and can potentially increase one’s risk of having a major medical event such as a heart attack or stroke. However, some people do have external symptoms of high cholesterol such as xanthomata (yellow lesions on the fingers and tendons) and xanthelasma palpebrarum (yellow lesions around the eyes). High cholesterol levels are generally identified through the use of lab tests that specifically measure the levels of cholesterol in the blood.

High Cholesterol Levels – Medications

High cholesterol medications exist to help people with abnormal cholesterol levels. Cholesterol medications differ in that some cholesterol medications are designed to help lower high LDL cholesterol levels while others may help improve low HDL cholesterol. Examples of cholesterol medications are as follows:

Atorvastatin (Lipitor)

Bempedoic Acid

Cholestyramine

Colestipol

Ezetimibe (Zetia)

Fenofibrate

Gemfibrozil

Pitavastatin (Livalo)

Lovastatin

Lovaza

Repatha

Rosuvastatin (Crestor)

Simvastatin (Zocor)

Vascepa

Vytorin

One common class of medications used for lowering total cholesterol are statin medications. Other cholesterol medications include fibrates and nicotinic acid. Medications for lowering cholesterol should only be used under the guidance of a licensed medical provider to make sure that they are being taken appropriately.

How To Lower Cholesterol

In addition to taking cholesterol medications prescribed by a medical provider, what are other ways to lower cholesterol levels? Current evidence suggests that various lifestyle modifications can help lower cholesterol, including quitting smoking, getting to an ideal body weight, reducing alcohol consumption and getting more exercise. Dietary changes can also be a way to lower cholesterol. Foods that lower cholesterol levels include a diet consisting of more vegetables, fruit and fiber.

High Cholesterol Medications – Online

One cannot simply buy high cholesterol medications online as most medications for lowering cholesterol require a prescription in the United States. However, Patricia (Nurse Pattye) Anderson, FNP bc can prescribe medications to help lower cholesterol numbers if it is safe and appropriate to do so.