Cholesterol, Part One: A Patient Guide

 Drugs that may decrease total cholesterol measurements include:

• Allopurinol
• Androgens
• Captopril
• Chlorpropamide
• Colchicine
• Colestipol
• Erythromycin
• Fibrates
• Isoniazid
• MAO inhibitors
• Neomycin
• Niacin
• Nitrates
• Statins

Things other than genetics that can raise or lower your cholesterol:

• Physical inactivity
• A high fat diet, especially with trans fats
• Obesity  
• Metabolic syndrome
• Diabetes   
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Endocrine abnormalities: thyroid, pituitary
• Kidney diseases such as nephrotic syndrome and kidney failure       
• Certain medications
• Chronic liver disease       
• Excessive alcohol consumption

Another caution about cholesterol measurements

Cholesterol is an acute phase reactant meaning that any acute illness can raise or lower the number. If you have had an acute illness in the three months prior to the blood draw it would be wise to repeat the measurement in two to three months. Even a flare up of arthritis can affect the cholesterol level, it can make things look better, or worse.

Reducing your cholesterol

Keeping control of cholesterol is important for everyone. Lowering cholesterol levels that are too high lessens the risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of a heart attack or dying of heart disease. While this is especially true for people who have already suffered a heart attack or stroke, it is just as true in children and adults that have not had any cardiovascular events.

Lowering of cholesterol can be accomplished in many ways that are healthful. The least expensive and easiest is known as therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC). This requires  a cholesterol-lowering diet (called the TLC diet), physical activity, and weight management. In cases in which the TLC doesn’t lower cholesterol sufficiently, it may be necessary to add cholesterol-lowering drugs while continuing TLC. Depending on what the LDL level is, your doctor will decide which approach is best for you. See Part 2 of the Cholesterol Patient Guide to learn more about how you can lower your cholesterol.