Control High Cholesterol

The following is an Editorial Resource from YourTotalHealth.

Food & Drug Interactions

Reviewed by: Abdou Elhendy, M.D., PhD, FACC, FAHA

Certain cholesterol drugs may interact with some foods, supplements, or other drugs in potentially dangerous ways. Here's a list of cholesterol-lowering medications and and foods to avoid or check with your physician before taking.

Statins may interact with:
Food/Supplements: Grapefruits and grapefruit juice, tangelos and Seville oranges, resulting in excessively high levels of statins in the blood.
Other Meds: May enhance effects of the anticoagulant drug warfarin and the heart medication digoxin, or lead to muscle damage when combined with certain antifungals, antibiotics, niacin, fibrates and calcium channel blockers, or other heart medications.

Cholesterol absorption inhibitor may interact with:
Food/Supplements: None known
Other Meds: Cyclosporine, fibrates

Combinations of statins and cholesterol absorption inhibitors may interact with:
Food/Supplements: Grapefruit juice and grapefruits, tangelos, Seville oranges; alcohol
Other Meds: Antifungal medicines, some antibiotics, immunosuppressants (such as cyclosporine and fibrates), niacin, calcium channel blockers and other heart medications

Bile acid resins may interact with:
Food/Supplements: Folic acid and vitamins A, D and K
Other Meds: Diuretics, digitalis, steroid medications, some antibiotics, beta blockers, phosphate medications, verapamil

Fibrates may interact with:
Foods/Supplements: None known
Other Meds: Anticoagulants, cholestyramine, cyclosporine, statins and the diabetes medication repaglinide

Niacin may interact with:
Food/Supplement: Alcohol and hot drinks may worsen the flushing niacin causes.
Other Meds: Blood pressure-lowering drugs, gout medications, statins

What's Next:  Understanding Your Cholesterol Report

• Are You at Risk for Heart Disease?
  
• Why Triglycerides Matter
  
• News You Need To Know
  
• The Gender Gap
  
• Beyond Your Heart

Review date: 06-25-2008