Medications Archives

Why does a person have high cholesterol in the arteries if it never showed up in blood exams?

Dear Sylvia, I can’t give you a specific answer without more information. Elevated cholesterol is only one risk factor for...

I was adopted at birth and do not know my genetic history. Is it important for me to see a cardiologist at any time?

Dear Scott, I don’t think that this is as much of a handicap as one might think. As far as...

Is there any evidence that statins help regarding carotid occlusive disease?

In patients with asymptomatic carotid occlusive disease, the estimated risk of ipsilateral (one side) stroke is approximately 0.5-1% a year....

Are blood transfusions always venous blood rather than arterial?

Blood immediately collected from an arterial source is bright red in color due to the effect of oxygen binding the...

Is a person on Eloquis eligible to donate blood?

The requirements for blood donors taking anticoagulants vary. Generally speaking, patients on anticoagulant therapy are not accepted, considering safety of...

Why are my efforts with diet and exercise not enough to improve results of my lipid profile?

Thank you. The most important cholesterol is the LDL. We wish to keep it less than 100 mg/dl and as...

A Guide to Medicines

This section of the Heart Information Center describes in detail many different types of medicines your doctor might prescribe for you to treat (or help prevent) heart disease or cardiovascular-related conditions.

Anticoagulants

Although anticoagulants are called blood thinners, these medicines do not really thin your blood. Instead, they decrease the blood's ability to clot. Decreased clotting keeps fewer harmful blood clots from forming and from blocking blood vessels.

Statins, Cholesterol-Lowering Medicines

Why do I need to take a cholesterol-lowering medicine? Your doctor may give you a cholesterol-lowering medicine called a "statin" if you have high levels of total or LDL cholesterol (the "bad cholesterol") that cannot be lowered with a program of diet and exercise. Statins block an enzyme (HMG-CoA reductase) which causes your body to make less cholesterol.