Cholesterol Medicine - How does it work?
Why we need cholesterol medicine? Normal meal we eat today have the risk of getting high cholesterol. High cholesterols thus increase the risk of heart attacks and similar diseases. Your liver makes all the cholesterol you needs for your body, it will help to generate and maintain cells, insulate nerves and produce hormones. Cholesterol which your body produced may even help you to absorb fat. However, those cholesterol you don not need is from the food you take. Cholesterol can be found in meat and dairy product; food which contain saturated or trans fat will also increase your cholesterol level. Physical exercise can help to reduce bad cholesterol level and increase good cholesterol level. Smoking will worsen your cholesterol problems. Sorry to say, not all cholesterol reducing methods are within your control. Some medical conditions like diabetes will worsen your cholesterol level. Some medicines may also contribute to your high cholesterol level and there are nothing much you can do. When the cholesterol level is beyond your control, cholesterol medicine is here to help you. Different Types Of Cholesterol Medicine Cholesterol medicines are very effective when they work hand in hand with the correct diet and exercise to lower cholesterol levels. Common types of cholesterol medicine are statins, niacin, bile-acid resins or fibric acid derivatives. Statin type of medicine is used to block the production of the cholesterol in your liver; this will lower the bad cholesterol and triglycerides and increase the good cholesterol a little. Most doctors are likely to prescribe statin for the cholesterol medicine. However, this type of cholesterol medicine does have a side effect such as intestinal problems and liver damage. Some people may also suffer muscle tenderness. You need to alert your doctor if you have those symptoms when taking statin. The other type of cholesterol medicine is Niacin, also knows as nicotinic acid, is a B-vitamin. It is a natural ingredient found in food or is added in some processed foods. Niacin can lower the bad cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol. Although Niacin can be taken on higher doses, its side effects include flushing, itching, tingling and headache. The bile-acid resins work within the intestine. They used to bind the bile and prevent its reabsorption. As bile is largely composed of cholesterol, human body should make good cholesterol and incorporate it t bile which go through the intestine and is reabsorbed for distribution all over the bloodstream. Side effects for using bile-acid resin are constipation, gas and stomach upset. Fibrates used to reduce production of triglycerides and hence can help to increase good cholesterol. All cholesterol medicine has side effects like digestive problems, allergic reactions and muscle aches. For using the cholesterol medicine, the most dangerous side effect is normally start with muscle aches, do consult our doctor if you encounter such a case. You should not take more than one type of cholesterol medicine at a time or take them with anticoagulants. Grapefruit or grapefruit juice can disturb the metabolization of the cholesterol medicine. Correct use of cholesterol medicine can help you to maintain a good health in the long term.
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