Articles
Statins: Are these cholesterol-lowering drugs right for you?
New cholesterol guidelines
Lifestyle is still key for preventing heart disease
The side effects of statins
What other benefits do statins have?
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Should you be on a statin?
Risk assessment tools
Cholesterol guidelines
Healthy lifestyle is still key for preventing heart disease
Consider statins a lifelong commitment
Side effects of statins
Weighing the risks and benefits of statins
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Statins are drugs that can lower your cholesterol. They work by blocking a substance your body needs to make cholesterol.
Lowering cholesterol isn't the only benefit associated with statins. These medications have also been linked to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. These drugs may help stabilize the plaques on blood vessel walls and reduce the risk of certain blood clots.
A number of statins are available for use in the United States. They include:
- Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
- Lovastatin (Altoprev)
- Pitavastatin (Livalo, Zypitamag)
- Pravastatin (Pravachol)
- Rosuvastatin (Crestor, Ezallor)
- Simvastatin (Zocor)
Sometimes, a statin is combined with another heart medication. Examples are atorvastatin-amlodipine (Caduet) and ezetimibe-simvastatin (Vytorin).
