A lot of people in this country have high cholesterol. Around 60% of people are now overweight or obese and the vast majority of them have high cholesterol. However, even those who have a healthy weight may also develop the condition. This is proven by the fact that statin prescriptions, the usual prescribed cholesterol medication, are incredibly common. In fact, it is one of the most prescribed drugs available.

If the high cholesterol condition is not treated, it can lead to a stroke or a heart attack. Both can kill a person, or at least leave that person severely disabled. This affects not just you, but your loved ones as well. Luckily, there are options out there to help you. At the same time, you also have to make lifestyle changes yourself, eating a healthy, balanced, and nutritious diet, as well as exercise regularly.

Different Cholesterol Medications Available To You:

Because having high cholesterol is so common, pharmaceutical companies have been working on creating various drugs to combat it. These drugs, as previously mentioned, are statin drugs. Since the 1970s, it has been known that the diet we eat is strongly linked to having high cholesterol. At the same time, it is known that people are finding it incredibly difficult to change their diet. This is because of the availability of fast foods and processed foods, and due to the fact that people simply do not have the time to focus on healthy eating. This is why statins have been developed, as they can bring down the amount of cholesterol in the body.

Lipitor and Crestor:

There are numerous brands of cholesterol medication. The most common are Lipitor and Crestor. However, these drugs also have strong negative side effects, which means people should try, as they should, to find alternative options. One of the problems with statins is that they destroy all types of cholesterol, including HDL, which is the good type that is needed by our body.

Statin Drugs:

Statin drugs have been proven to be effective in lowering the cholesterol level. Unfortunately, they also can cause a range of other health problems. Because so many people now take statins, the medical community has had an opportunity to study the long term effects of these drugs on large population groups. Some of the side effects that have been noted include digestive problems, muscle pain, muscle damage, and liver damage. There are also some suggestions that they can lead to birth defects in children.

Because of these, guidelines have been put into place. Physicians are now supposed to retest their patients' blood every month to see whether the statins are working. The goal is to get people off the statins as soon as possible. Additionally, they should not be prescribed to women who are trying to conceive, who are pregnant, or who are breastfeeding.

Alternatives:

Significant research has now also taken place into alternatives. One of these alternatives is fish oil supplement. Those who do know that they have high cholesterol, or even suspect that they do, may want to consider taking these supplements instead.