What is the treatment of a Triglycerides health condition?

Lowering Triglycerides

If your triglyceride levels are elevated your doctor will consider several factors before recommending medications to lower triglycerides.

Some factors which your doctor will consider include

    * Your triglyceride level and HDL level
    * Your Weight
    * Your Diet and lifestyle
    * Your alcohol consumption
    * Other medical conditions and
    * Your current medications.

The aim of treatment is to reduce your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke. If your triglycerides levels are high and the HDL levels are low ---your doctor will treat you more aggressively----as both of these factors increase your risk of developing heart disease.

Options for lowering triglycerides include:

    * Getting medical conditions known to increase triglyceride levels under control
    * Changing medications which increase triglyceride levels
    * Lifestyle and dietary changes
    * Medications: Medications are recommended if the above steps are not effective.

Medical conditions which can elevate triglyceride levels (if not properly controlled) include:

    * Diabetes
    * Hypothyroidism
    * Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus)
    * Kidney disease (uremia, nephritic syndrome)
    * Acute hepatitis
    * Cushing's syndrome
    * Acromegaly.

Optimal control of these conditions can often lower triglycerides to the recommended target levels.

Medications: Certain medications which can increase triglycerides include:

    * Birth control pills
    * Certain blood pressure medications
    * Steroids
    * Tamoxifen

If possible, your doctor will consider changing to other medications that can treat your specific condition.

Lifestyle Changes for Lowering Triglycerides: Lifestyle changes recommended to lower triglycerides include:

    * Dietary changes
    * Losing weight if you are obese
    * Doing regular physical activity or exercising
    * Reducing or stopping consumption of alcohol.

Medications That Can Lower Triglycerides

If dietary and lifestyle changes, and control of medical conditions which can elevate triglyceride levels fail to lower your triglycerides to the recommended level ---your doctor may prescribe medications. These are the same medicines that are used to lower cholesterol.

Medications that can lower triglycerides include:

    * Nicotinic acid
    * Fibrates
    * Statins.

But you should take any medication to lower triglyceride under a doctor's supervision.

Diet for Lowering Triglycerides

Dietary changes are essential for people with high triglyceride levels. This is one of the first recommendations (before medications are started).

The aim of dietary changes in people with elevated blood triglycerides is to improve and/or restore their body's metabolism of:

    * lipids (fats) and
    * carbohydrates (sugar, grains and starches).

These food groups are known to increaseblood triglycerides.

Dietary changes for lowering hig...