HEART DISEASE MEDICATION - CHOLESTEROL-LOWERING DRUGS (PART 1)

Often the first drug used to lower cholesterol is niacin, otherwise known as vitamin B3. It is thought to be quite safe, causing some side effects like flushing of the skin, gastrointestinal upset and, in certain cases, irregular heart rhythms and liver trouble. Usually, if you start with a small dose and build up, you can minimize some of the side effects—particularly those that affect the skin. Niacin gets the "bad cholesterol" down and the "good cholesterol" up, which makes it a good all-around first choice. Sometimes it's given in conjunction with another drug called colestipol—but this can boost the chance of stomach upset. There are more effective drugs out there—but they're often much more costly, as well—such as lovas-tatin, which made headlines for its ability not only to cut cholesterol levels but to reverse the plaque buildup in the arteries that is so often associated with heart disease. The side effects of lovastatin are rarely significant, but experts are quick to point out that since it hasn't been around for long, we don't know about its long-term safety record.

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General health