Almost every type of medication you take has a list of potential side effects. While they aren’t all common and only manifest themselves in a limited number of cases, patients should still be aware of their existence. Some medications can increase cholesterol levels. Even if the increase isn’t significant for a healthy person, it may still pose a risk for those who already have high cholesterol levels.
Drugs and cholesterol levels
If you’ve been seeing the same doctor for a very long time, they probably already know all the ups and downs of how your body works, as well as having detailed information on your cholesterol levels. They will most likely avoid prescribing medication for other medical conditions that also raise your lipid levels if they know you are already having cholesterol-related problems.
In some cases, doctors who choose to prescribe drugs that raise cholesterol levels either do so because you already have a healthy lipid profile, so a slight increase won’t make a world’s difference, or because the benefits of taking that treatment outweigh the possibility of slightly raising your cholesterol levels.
Alternatively, if you’re seeing a new doctor, make sure that you mention any potential cholesterol problem before agreeing to treatment for some other medical issue that could cause an increase in your lipid levels.
Estrogen/progestin
For a very long time, it was believed that estrogen keeps the heart protected because it raises HDL levels. Because of that, estrogen therapy became a thing in women who were at menopause. But more recent studies have revealed the fact that not only does estrogen not protect women against heart disease, it also raises triglyceride levels.
Progestin is often found in oral contraceptives combined with estrogen, which has been linked to a decrease in HDL levels. When these two hormones are taken together, they basically eliminate the effects of one another.
Steroids
Steroids have also been linked to a rise in total cholesterol levels, and while the effects are mild, they could be dangerous for people who already have high cholesterol levels. As research suggests, taking steroids for problems such as connective-tissue disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, or asthma, can lead to an increase in total cholesterol levels, as well as triglycerides.
Beta blockers
Often prescribed to treat hypertension, beta blockers have been linked to a decrease in HDL levels, as well as a rise in triglyceride count. Some of the beta-blockers that cause high cholesterol problems are Inderal, Corgard, Toprol, Zebeta, and Tenormin.
Even so, beta blockers are still often prescribed because their benefits outweigh the cons, not just because they are efficient in lowering blood pressure, but also because they increase the life expectancy in people with congestive heart failure.
Diuretics
Diuretics are a very common type of medication prescribed in treating water retention and high blood pressure. Loop diuretics and thiazide diuretics are the types that are also known to increase cholesterol levels.
The latter type increases total cholesterol levels, as well as LDL and triglycerides. Loop diuretics have virtually the same effect in cholesterol, only they decrease HDL cholesterol as well. As evidence suggests, indapamide is the only thiazide diuretic that doesn’t affect cholesterol levels at all.
Retinoids
Retinoids are often prescribed as a skin treatment, particularly those who have acne. It is also a drug known to cause a rise in cholesterol levels. That’s because retinoids contain vitamin A, which has been linked with liver problems, the source of your body’s cholesterol.
Cyclosporine
When people have recently undergone surgery for an organ transplant, they are given medication treatment in order to prevent the body from rejecting the new organ. One class of drugs often prescribed in such a situation is cyclosporine.
Different studies have revealed the fact that cyclosporine can cause your LDL levels to rise. It is also treatment for people who have psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis.
Prednisone
Typically prescribed to treat problems associated with inflammatory conditions, prednisone is a glucocorticoid that helps alleviate problems such as tenderness, warmth, and swelling. Even if this drug is very efficient in treating the aforementioned problems, it can also cause LDL and triglyceride levels to spike.
If other medications mentioned in this article only cause slight elevations in cholesterol levels, prednisone is quite dangerous in this aspect. The effects it has on cholesterol levels are profound and fast.
Amiodarone
Good for heart arrhythmias, amiodarone is also linked with several side effects, one of them being higher cholesterol levels. The most noticeable change in this regard is that it raises LDL levels, but doesn’t seem to have any impact on HDL cholesterol or triglyceride count.
Conclusion
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