Lipid drugs

A QUICK recap of the last article: We covered what cholesterol and triglycerides are, what the body uses them for and the implications of having high levels. This week we’ll be looking at the drugs used to manage high lipid levels, their side-effects and ways to overcome them. 

There are five groups of anti-lipid drugs: statins, fibrates, anion-exchange resins, nicotinic acids and fish oils. These drugs are used to treat high lipids or coronary heart disease in people who have not responded to dietary changes. If a person has exceptionally high lipids, or if initial therapy with a single class has been unsuccessful, drugs from more than one class of lipid-lowering drugs are combined.