A last resort will be to try cholesterol lowering drugs.
Cholesterol lowering drugs are a great help in lowering you cholesterol level. However, some of these drugs are expensive to prescribe and some tend to have side effects. Normally when you have high cholesterol level, doctors often prescribed many kinds of drugs. One of these is statin.
Statins, although very successful in lower cholesterol level, can also produce unwanted and very serious side effects. Effects such as rhabdomyolysis (muscle-destroying condition), kidney damage, memory loss, difficulty sleeping, dizziness, and nausea or vomiting can possible take place went using statin. In addition, research shows that if you are taking statin drugs, it will deplete some essential enzymes like Coenzyme Q10 (an important nutrient our bodies make that is required for energy).
Another famous drug to lower cholesterol level is Bile Acid Sequestrates. These drugs are secreted from the liver and gall bladder in the bile. This will go through the intestine to reduce any fatty material in the food to help the absorption. Most of these secreted bile acids are then reabsorbed by the intestine and then back to the liver. The only disadvantage of these drugs is malabsorption. As you all do or don't know, malabsorption is difficulty in the digestion or absorption of nutrients from food substances. This can effect growth and development or it can lead to specific illnesses. Some of the symptoms of malabsorption include chronic diarrhea, bloating and flatulence (gas).
There are also other drugs such as Fibric Acids and Nicotinic Acids to help lower cholesterol level. But with all the cholesterol lowering drugs available, they also do have their side effects. The most common side effect of these drugs is Gastrointestinal (usually constipation, abdominal pains and cramps). Gastrointestinal problems due to system failure in taking food, digests it to extract energy and nutrients and expels the remaining waste.
Yikes! All these facts don't sound too pleasant when thinking about it. With all the high-priced prescriptions or harmful drugs puzzled with side effects, you may wonder is there any other options that can be used to lower cholesterol level. Actually there are many natural alternatives to reduce high cholesterol and one of these is by taking natural supplements and vitamins. Before making decision to start those drugs therapy, you may want to consider trying natural alternatives first. It is a lot cheaper and much safer than using prescription drugs. More over, some natural alternatives may even on same level the effectiveness as using drugs to lower cholesterol.
