Tag Archives: cholesterol

What Are the Causes of High Cholesterol?

What are the common causes of high cholesterol? Factors that may increase bad cholesterol in the body Below are few common factors that may increase bad cholesterol in the body: Hereditary: Cholesterol or heart diseases may run in the family and is usually inherited. Comorbid diseases: Diabetes, liver diseases, and kidney and thyroid diseases Smoking …

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Repatha (evolocumab) for Cholesterol: Dosage, Side Effects & Pregnancy Safety

What is Repatha, and what is it used for? Repatha (evolocumab) Injection, an antibody cholesterol medication, is a human monoclonal immunoglobulin G2 (IgG2) as an adjunct to diet and maximally tolerated statin therapy for the treatment of adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) or clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD), who require additional lowering of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Repatha is also indicated as an adjunct to diet and other LDL-lowering therapies (e.g., statins, ezetimibe, LDL apheresis) …

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Statins: Drug List, Names (Brand & Generic) & Side Effects

What are statins, and how do they work? “Statins” is a class of drugs that lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood by reducing the production of cholesterol by the liver. (The other source of cholesterol in the blood is dietary cholesterol.) Statins block the enzyme in the liver that is responsible for making cholesterol. This enzyme is called …

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Rhabdomyolysis: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment & Diagnosis

Rhabdomyolysis facts What Is Rhabdomyolysis? Rhabdomyolysis is the rapid destruction of skeletal muscle resulting in leakage into the urine of the muscle protein myoglobin. Rhabdomyolysis has many causes. Medications can cause muscle injury and rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis can cause muscle pain and weakness. Blood levels of muscle enzymes, including CPK, SGOT, SGPT, and LDH, as well as blood and urine myoglobin …

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Triglyceride Levels: High, Low & Normal Ranges

Triglyceride test definition and facts Readers Comments 6 Share Your Story Diagram showing makeup of HDL and LDL cholesterol types measured by triglyceride tests Elevated triglyceride levels may be a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Highly elevated triglyceride levels may also cause fatty liver disease and pancreatitis. High triglyceride levels can also be associated with diabetes, kidney disease, and the use …

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alirocumab (Praluent): Cholesterol Drug Side Effects & Dosage

What is alirocumab, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Alirocumab is a man-made injectable drug that reduces cholesterol levels in the blood. It is the first member of a new class of drugs called proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors. Cholesterol is carried in the blood to a large extent by particles of low density lipoproteins …

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niacin and lovastatin (Advicor): Drug Facts, Side Effects and Dosage

What is niacin and lovastatin, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Advicor is an oral drug that is used for lowering cholesterol levels in the blood. It is a combination of extended-release niacin and lovastatin. It reduces blood levels of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides and increases blood levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) …

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Evolocumab (Repatha) Side Effects, Dosage & Interactions

What is evolocumab? Repatha is used along with diet, exercise and maximum tolerated doses of statins to reduce LDL cholesterol in adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (and inherited disorder that causes high levels of LDL) or adults with heart problems related to excess cholesterol in the body. Repatha is also used along with diet and other LDL-lowering treatments, for example, …

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fluvastatin (Lescol, Lescol XL): Statin Drug Side Effects, Dosage

What is fluvastatin, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Fluvastatin is an oral, cholesterol-lowering drug. It belongs to a class of drugs called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, commonly called "statins." Other statins include lovastatin (Mevacor), atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor), and rosuvastatin (Crestor). Statins reduce cholesterol by inhibiting an enzyme in the liver (HMG-CoA reductase) that is necessary for the …

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Welchol (colesevelam): Cholesterol Drug Side Effects and Dosage

What is colesevelam, and how does it work (mechanism of action)? Colesevelam is an oral drug that lowers cholesterol levels in the blood. It also improves control of blood sugar in type 2 diabetes. Cholesterol made by the liver or from the food we eat can be converted into bile acids by the liver. The bile acids are secreted by …

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