High cholesterol levels raise the risk of heart heart attacks, heart failure, strokes, and liver disease. Normal cholesterol levels for adults should be less than 200mg/dl in total. High density lipid, or HDL, cholesterol should be greater than 60mg/dL for good health, and low density lipid, or LDL, cholesterol should not be higher than 130mg/dL.
The first way to lower high cholesterol is through healthy lifestyle changes.
Healthy weight is determined by body mass index (BMI). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains a BMI calculator at its website. Simply plug in your height and weight. If your BMI is over 24.9, it is time to reduce. A healthy diet with lots of whole fruits, and veggies and low in processed sugars, starches, high fat dairy products, and red meats is the way to go. Limiting portion sizes and adding up calories to 1,000 per day will result in about a 2 pound per week loss of fat in most people. A daily walk will not only help burn calories, but will increase HDL, the healthy kind of cholesterol. Swimming and bicycle riding are also good aerobic exercises.
There are also medications to aid in lowering cholesterol levels.
Statins, also known as HMG CoA reductase inhibitors, prevent the liver from producing cholesterol. They lower LDL cholesterol, the unhealthful kind, raise HDL cholesterol, the healthful kind, and lower triglycerides (blood fats). These are examples of statins:
- Lipitor (atorvastatin)
- Lescol (fluvastatin)
- Mevacor (lovastatin)
- Pravachol (pravastatin)
- Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium)
- Zocor (simvastatin)
Bile acid binding agents work by making the intestine rid the body of more cholesterol:
- Questran (cholestyramine)
- Colestid (colestipol)
- WelChol (colesevelam HCl)
Fibrates lower the liver’s production of cholesterol, as well as increasing blood clearance of triglycerides. The list of fibrates includes:
- Lopid (gemfibrozil)
- Antara (fenofibrate)
- Atromid-S (clofibrate)
Where can I get a prescription for Statins?
QuickMD can treat your high cholesterol remotely by telemedicine and prescribe Lipitor or any other cholesterol-lowering drugs or statins online.