Drug Classes: Other Antihyperlipidemics

Contains information about:

• Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors
• Fatty Acids
• Water Soluable Vitamins

Drug Classes: Bile Acid Sequestrants

Used to treat: Primary hypercholesterolemia, complications of elevated bile acid levels

Mechanism of Action: Bind bile salts in GI tract, resulting in decrased bile acid clearance

Contraindications: Complete biliary obstruction, children (increased risk of intestinale blockage, possibly deadly)

Drug Classes: Fenofibric Acid Derivatives

Used to treat: In conjuction with diet and exercise to lower LDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides, & apolipoprotein

Mechanism of Action: Inhibit triglyceride synthesis

Contraindications: Hepatic impairment (including biliary cirrhosis), gallbladder disease, severe renal impairment, may increase effects of warfarin and HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors

Drug Classes: HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors

Used to treat: Primary hypercholesterolemia, mixed dyslipidemia, secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients with multiple risk factors

Mechanism of Action: Inhibits the liver enzyme HMG-CoA Reductase, which catalyzes one of the initial steps in the production of cholesterol

Contraindications: Pregnancy, Grapefruit juice use, liver disease, certain antifungals

Lipid Dysfunction: High Cholesterol and Its Effects

High Cholesterol, hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, dyslipidemia - while not completely interchangeable, they're all commonly used to refer to the same problem. High cholesterol, however is actually a misnomer. There are two types of cholesterol, high-density lipoprotien (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (Technically there is a third "very low density lipoprotein," but for the purposes of this discussion, we're going to include them in the LDL). LDL is the "bad" cholesterol and when the doctor refers to patient as having high cholesterol, this is the number that they're worried about. HDL is good cholesterol and doctors typically want this number to be high.