Treating High Cholesterol: Understanding the Different Types of Statins

More than 10% of adults in the United States have high cholesterol. We recommend lifestyle changes as the first step when trying to improve cholesterol levels, but sometimes eating more fiber and getting regular exercise isn’t enough.

At Health Solutions in Munster, Indiana, and Tinley Park, Rockford, and Olympia Fields, Illinois, our team of healthcare experts takes a holistic approach to managing chronic conditions, such as high cholesterol. While we emphasize lifestyle changes in all cases, we know when it's time to prescribe statins.

But there are several types of statins, and we want to talk about the different drugs.

High cholesterol 101

Cholesterol is a naturally occurring substance crucial for the production of healthy cells. High cholesterol occurs when your body produces more cholesterol than it needs, resulting in higher-than-normal levels in the blood.

The excess cholesterol binds with other substances in the blood to form plaque, a sticky compound that deposits on the wall of your blood vessels, narrowing or blocking the flow of blood. As the condition worsens, the vessel further narrows, severely affecting the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to essential organs, tissues, and cells.

The real danger with high cholesterol is a stroke or heart attack, which happens when a piece of plaque in your arteries breaks off and travels to your heart or brain, blocking the flow of blood through the artery. The disruption in blood flow causes the muscle or brain to lose oxygen, leading to severe complications.

You can manage high cholesterol through a combination of lifestyle changes and medications. Statins are common medications for high cholesterol that we only turn to when you can’t control your cholesterol with lifestyle alone.

Statins explained

Statins are medications doctors prescribe to control high cholesterol. There are many types, but they all work the same by preventing your liver from forming new cholesterol.

More specifically, statins work by blocking the enzyme that’s necessary to produce cholesterol. Your liver makes up about 75% of the total cholesterol your body uses, which is why statins work so well.

Taking statins decreases your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is considered the “bad” cholesterol, and increases your high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good cholesterol.

These medications are the most commonly prescribed type for high cholesterol.

What are the types of statins?

The statins on the market lower your bad cholesterol to decrease your risk of severe health problems like heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Some of the common types of statins include:

• Atorvastatin
• Pravastatin
• Lovastatin
• Simvastatin
• Fluvastatin
• Rosuvastatin
• Pitavastatin

Depending on your specific cholesterol number and your health, our team may also recommend combining a statin with a heart medication, such as atorvastatin-amlodipine or ezetimibe-simvastatin.

What statin do I need?

The type of cholesterol medication you need depends on your overall health, heart disease risk, and cholesterol numbers. Some statins are more effective at lowering LDL, while others are better at increasing HDL. Statins may also interact with other medications, which may help direct the prescription we choose for you. 

We may recommend a statin if you have risk factors for heart disease and fall into the following categories:

• You have peripheral artery disease or diabetes
• You had a heart attack or stroke
• You have an LDL higher than 190
• Your numbers don’t improve with diet and exercise

We may also suggest statins based on other risk factors and tests, and the likelihood that you'll have a heart attack or stroke within the next 10 years. We do our best to help you improve your cholesterol with lifestyle and only turn to medication when we can’t get the results we want. 

Because there are so many types of statins, the first one we choose may not work for you, and we may need to try others. 

Are you worried about your cholesterol numbers? Can statins help? Call us today or book an appointment online to learn more about statins and when you might get the most benefits.