What is the best cholesterol medicine that is not a statin?

7 cholesterol-lowering alternatives to statins
  • Fibrates. Mostly used for lowering triglyceride levels in patients whose levels are very high and could cause pancreatitis. ...
  • Plant stanols and sterols. ...
  • Cholestyramine and other bile acid-binding resins. ...
  • Niacin. ...
  • Policosanol. ...
  • Red yeast rice extract (RYRE) ...
  • Natural products.

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What is the safest non statin cholesterol medication?

What are the best alternatives to statins?
  • Ezetimibe. Ezetimibe (Zetia) is a medication that's often prescribed in cases where a statin alone isn't enough. ...
  • Bile acid sequestrants like cholestyramine. ...
  • PCSK9 inhibitors like Praluent and Repatha. ...
  • ACL inhibitors like Nexletol.

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Is there a drug to lower cholesterol that is not a statin?

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.

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What is the new alternative to statins?

A Statin Alternative Lowers Heart Attack Risk by 23 Percent, Drug Trial Shows. People who can't or won't take statin medications to reduce LDL cholesterol may want to talk to their doctor about bempedoic acid (Nexletol).

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What is the No 1 medicine for cholesterol?

Statins are the most common medicine for high cholesterol. They reduce the amount of cholesterol your body makes.

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Alternatives to statin medications that help lower cholesterol without side effects

39 related questions found

What is the safest cholesterol medication to take?

Which cholesterol-lowering drug is the safest? Overall, statins are safe as a class of drugs. Serious adverse events are very rare. Among the individual medications, studies have shown that simvastatin (Zocor®) and pravastatin (Pravachol®) seem to be safer and better tolerated than the other statins.

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Can you get off statins once you start?

If you've made lifestyle changes through diet and exercise that have lowered your cholesterol levels, you may not need to continue taking a statin. These changes can help reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, or blocked arteries while allowing you to take one less medication.

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Why do some doctors not recommend statins?

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.

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What is the new cholesterol medication for 2023?

By Lauran Neergaard • Published March 6, 2023

shows the cholesterol-lowering drug Nexletol made by Esperion Therapeutics Inc. Drugs known as statins are the first-choice treatment for high cholesterol but millions of people who can't or won't take those pills because of side effects may have another option.

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What to do if you don't want to take statins?

7 cholesterol-lowering alternatives to statins
  1. Fibrates. Mostly used for lowering triglyceride levels in patients whose levels are very high and could cause pancreatitis. ...
  2. Plant stanols and sterols. ...
  3. Cholestyramine and other bile acid-binding resins. ...
  4. Niacin. ...
  5. Policosanol. ...
  6. Red yeast rice extract (RYRE) ...
  7. Natural products.

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Is 7.1 high cholesterol?

High cholesterol levels are considered: too high: between 5 and 6.4mmol/l. very high: between 6.5 and 7.8mmol/l. extremely high: above 7.8mmol/l.

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What is the new cholesterol medication in Australia?

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.

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What is the new treatment for high cholesterol?

A newer drug called Nexletol was approved in 2020 by the FDA to treat high cholesterol, but the new study published in NEJM shows that the drug also reduces the risk of heart disease. Researchers believe this data supports using Nexletol as a safe and effective alternative for many people who cannot take statins.

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What happens if you can't take a statin?

If you need to lower your cholesterol but cannot take a statin because of muscle aches or other side effects, you may want to try an alternative. New research shows that bempedoic acid can lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke without causing muscle pain.

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What drink lowers cholesterol?

Best drinks to improve cholesterol
  • Green tea. Green tea contains catechins and other antioxidant compounds that seem to help lower “bad” LDL and total cholesterol levels. ...
  • Soy milk. Soy is low in saturated fat. ...
  • Oat drinks. ...
  • Tomato juice. ...
  • Berry smoothies. ...
  • Drinks containing sterols and stanols. ...
  • Cocoa drinks. ...
  • Plant milk smoothies.

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Why do doctors push statins so much?

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.

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Do people refuse to take statins?

Over 20 percent refused to take statin medications when first offered the medication even though they were all considered high risk. Women were 20 percent more likely than men to refuse initially: 24.1 percent versus 19.7 percent.

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What happens if you don t take statins for high cholesterol?

Key takeaways: If you stop taking your statin medication, like atorvastatin (Lipitor), you could have a higher risk of heart problems, including heart attack and stroke. Your healthcare provider may recommend stopping your statin if you have serious side effects.

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How quickly does cholesterol rise after stopping statin?

How long does it take for statins to get out of your system? It can take a few months for your cholesterol levels to return to what they were prior to the medication. Side effects will generally disappear a few weeks after your last dose.

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Are statins worth the risk?

We have data now from over 20 statin trials of over 135,000 patients that show statins compared with placebo or no medication result in a 23 percent reduction in heart attacks, 17 percent reduction in fatal or non-fatal stroke and 19 percent reduction in death from cardiovascular causes. So, they definitely work.

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Is there a healthy alternative to statins?

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. Before stopping a statin medication and trying an alternative, speak to a doctor or pharmacist.

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Which statin has the most side effects?

It's possible, although unlikely, that one particular statin may cause side effects for you while another statin won't. It's thought that simvastatin (Zocor) may be more likely to cause muscle pain as a side effect than other statins when it's taken at high doses.

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