Some people do not tolerate statins or may want to try natural remedies to treat their high cholesterol. Statin alternatives include some prescription medications like ezetimibe and fibric acids. Natural remedies that some people use to help treat high cholesterol include omega-3 fatty acids and red yeast rice extract.
There are many non-statin medications your doctor might prescribe: Bile acid-binding resins, like cholestyramine (Locholest, Prevalite, Questran), colesevelam (WelChol), and colestipol (Colestid) stick to cholesterol-rich bile acids in your intestines and lower your LDL levels.
Oatmeal, oat bran and high-fiber foods
Soluble fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, apples and pears. Soluble fiber can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. Five to 10 grams or more of soluble fiber a day decreases your LDL cholesterol.
MONDAY, March 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Not everyone can tolerate statins to reduce their high cholesterol, but now a new study finds the medication bempedoic acid (Nexletol) reduced the combined rate of bad cardiovascular events by 13%. “We're very pleased with the results,” said study chair Dr.
Fear of side effects and perceived side effects are the most common reasons for declining or discontinuing statin therapy. Willingness to take a statin is high, among both patients who have declined statin therapy and those who have never been offered one.
It's important to know that stopping statins cold turkey, or even gradually, can cause serious health problems and you should talk to your doctor before doing so. To understand more about your heart health, take a health risk assessment at Baptist Health.
You can begin lowering cholesterol naturally today
By making changes to your diet, getting more exercise, quitting smoking, losing weight (if you need to) and connecting with your doctor, you'll be well on your way to better cardiovascular health that has a lasting effect.
Doctors often prescribe a fibrate for patients who can't take a statin. Like the statins, fibrates reduce the body's cholesterol production, but they are less effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels. In other areas, though, fibrates actually have the edge.
Ezetimibe. Ezetimibe is a tablet that lowers cholesterol. It may be prescribed if statins cannot be taken, or alongside a statin for extra cholesterol-lowering. It's a 'cholesterol absorption inhibitor' that limits the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine.
Nothing in the current research suggests that garlic is anywhere near as effective as statin drugs in treating high cholesterol. As promising as some of the evidence may sound, self-treating a condition like high cholesterol is likely to cause more harm than good.
Statin use is associated with increased calorie intake and consequent weight gain. It is speculated that statin‐dependent improvements in lipid profile may undermine the perceived need to follow lipid‐lowering and other dietary recommendations leading consequently to increased calorie intake.
While statins are highly effective and safe for most people, they have been linked to muscle pain, digestive problems and mental fuzziness in some people who take them and may rarely cause liver damage.
Because many factors are involved, your cholesterol numbers may be considered normal and yet you may still be found to be at an elevated risk for heart problems. As a result, statin medications are now used to lower the risk of heart disease and heart events in most anyone found to be at high risk.
Joseph A. Hill, M.D., Ph. D. The controversy in the United Kingdom started in 2013 when the British Medical Journal (BMJ) claimed statins were being overprescribed to people with low risk of heart disease, and that the drugs' side effects were worse than previously thought.
Rarely, statins may cause bad side effects, including confusion, memory loss, damage to your livers or high blood sugar. The new bempedoic acid drug – currently called Nexletol – is being developed by US-based Esperion Therapeutics and will go to the Therapeutics Goods Administration for approval for use in Australia.
In Australia, statins are recommended for people who have, or are at high risk of, cardiovascular disease. There are several different types of statins, including atorvastatin (Lipitor), rosuvastatin (Crestor), pravastatin, fluvastatin and simvastatin.
PRALUENT is an injectable prescription medicine used to help reduce LDL cholestrol, or bad cholesterol: Along with diet, or together with other cholesterol-lowering medicines in adults with high blood cholesterol levels (also known as primary hyperlipidemia), including an inheritable condition called HeFH.