Cholesterol medication list

A cholesterol medication list organizes all FDA-approved lipid-lowering drugs by class, mechanism, generic and brand names, and typical dosing for quick clinical reference.

This guide covers 10 drug classes, from statins through to newer agents like bempedoic acid and inclisiran. Each table gives dosing ranges, indications, and side effect profiles that clinicians and care coordinators can download and adapt.

According to the American Heart Association, statins remain the first-line medication for lowering LDL cholesterol in most patients. Treatment decisions increasingly involve newer agents for statin-intolerant patients, very high-risk individuals, and those who need triglyceride management.

Key takeaways

A cholesterol medication list covers 10 FDA-approved drug classes, from statins and PCSK9 inhibitors through to inclisiran and fixed-dose combination products. Each entry carries generic and brand names, the mechanism, and a typical dose range.

Statins block HMG-CoA reductase in the liver and remain the most widely prescribed class. Potency tiers of low, moderate, and high intensity guide treatment escalation.

Newer non-statin agents serve statin-intolerant and very high-risk patients. PCSK9 inhibitors lower LDL-C by up to 60%, and inclisiran is dosed twice yearly.

Pabau’s digital forms and clinical documentation features help practices standardize cholesterol medication review workflows and keep audit-ready records for each patient’s lipid plan.

How to use this template

The template below organizes cholesterol medications by drug class, so you can locate an agent, verify dosing, and check interactions in one place. Each row shows the generic name, the brand name, a typical dose range, the mechanism of action, and the primary indication.

Download the file to your practice’s shared drive, then adapt the column headers and footnotes to your own documentation standards. Use it during cardiovascular reviews, prior-authorization responses, and care coordination meetings where medication reconciliation is required.

What is a cholesterol medication list?

A cholesterol medication list is a structured clinical reference to the FDA-approved drugs used to manage dyslipidemia. That covers high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, and elevated triglycerides. The list groups medications by pharmacological class, so you can compare mechanisms, dose ranges, brand names, and indications side by side.

In practice, the list does three jobs.

• Rapid drug identification during patient consultations.
• Audit support when you document compliance with clinical guidelines, such as the ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines.
• Prior-authorization and insurance documentation, where payers often want evidence that first-line agents were tried or ruled out.

All FDA-approved lipid-lowering drug classes

The table below summarizes the 10 drug classes currently approved by the FDA for lipid lowering. Each row lists the class, its primary mechanism, generic examples, brand names, the typical indication, and the feature that distinguishes it.

Statin drugs list: Potency and dosing

Statins are the most widely prescribed cholesterol medications, and they carry the longest track record of cardiovascular risk reduction. The table shows the major statins available in the US, with intensity classification, typical dose range, and expected LDL reduction. The ranges overlap more than the intensity labels suggest.

New cholesterol medications for statin-intolerant patients

When a patient cannot tolerate statins because of muscle pain or raised liver enzymes, several newer agents are available. Each works by a different mechanism, so the choice turns on the patient’s risk level, tolerance history, and dosing preference.

Recording the intolerance itself matters as much as the switch, since payers ask for it at prior authorization. A shared medical records system keeps the trial, the reaction, the date, and the alternative you chose in one patient file.

• PCSK9 inhibitors (evolocumab/Repatha, alirocumab/Praluent): Monoclonal antibodies that lower LDL-C by 50-60% alone or with ezetimibe. Injected subcutaneously monthly or every two weeks. FDA-approved for clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and familial hypercholesterolemia.
• Bempedoic acid (Nexletol): ATP citrate lyase inhibitor approved for statin-intolerant patients. Lowers LDL-C by 15-20% and also lowers uric acid, which helps in patients with gout. The approved dose is 180 mg once daily.
• Inclisiran (Leqvio): Small interfering RNA that silences hepatic PCSK9 mRNA. Dosed as two loading injections 3 months apart, then maintenance every 6 months. Reduces LDL-C by approximately 50%.
• Ezetimibe (Zetia): Cholesterol absorption inhibitor that lowers LDL-C by 15-20% as monotherapy. It is often combined with statins or newer agents. The dose is 10 mg daily.
• Combination products (Nexlizet, Vytorin): Fixed-dose combinations of bempedoic acid plus ezetimibe, or a statin plus ezetimibe. They simplify dosing and improve adherence in multi-agent regimens.

Over-the-counter supplements vs FDA-approved medications

Patients often ask about over-the-counter supplements such as red yeast rice, plant sterols, niacin, and fish oil. These may lower cholesterol modestly, but they differ from prescription medications in regulatory status, evidence base, and potency. The table below gives you the short answer for each one.

Key clinical point: Red yeast rice contains monacolin K, which is chemically identical to lovastatin. Supplement batches vary widely in content and potency. The FDA has taken enforcement action against manufacturers marketing high-potency red yeast rice as a drug without approval.

Drug interactions to screen for before prescribing

Screen for interactions before you prescribe, particularly with statins. Keep this reference to hand during medication reconciliation.

• Statins + clarithromycin or erythromycin: CYP3A4 inhibition raises statin levels. Consider a dose reduction or an alternative antibiotic.
• Statins + azithromycin: Low risk. Azithromycin inhibits CYP3A4 negligibly, so statin therapy can usually continue unchanged.
• Statins + fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole: Raised statin levels and myopathy risk. Monitor the patient or reduce the dose.
• Fibrates + warfarin: INR rises. Monitor PT/INR closely and adjust the warfarin dose as needed.
• Ezetimibe + cyclosporine: Ezetimibe levels increase. Monitor liver function.
• Bile acid sequestrants + digoxin, levothyroxine: Sequestrants bind other medications. Give the sequestrant at least 4 hours apart from other drugs.

Digital intake forms let you capture a patient’s full medication list before the appointment, so interactions surface before you prescribe. The same record supports chart audits and prior-authorization submissions.

Adapting the template to your practice

A structured medication reference works best once it matches the way your team documents. Download the template above, then adapt it:

• Adding columns for the agents you prescribe most and their local formulary status.
• Flagging the interactions that matter for your patient population, such as warfarin or antiretroviral combinations.
• Creating a short reference card for nursing and reception staff to guide patient education conversations.
• Using the generic-to-brand cross-reference so your team documents prescriptions the same way every time.
• Letting an AI medical scribe draft the encounter note, so the medication list stays current without extra typing.

How Pabau keeps lipid medication reviews audit-ready

Most practices keep a medication reference in one place and the patient’s record in another. The list lives on a shared drive, the review happens in the room, and the documentation gets typed up afterwards from memory. By the time a payer asks what was tried, the trail is thin.

Pabau, practice management software built for metabolic health practices, puts the two together. Digital forms capture the medication list before the appointment, and the answers land straight in the patient record. Treatment notes, lab results, and prescribing decisions sit on the same file.

That changes what a cholesterol review costs you in admin. The reference, the patient’s current agents, and the note about the change all sit in one system. An audit or a prior-authorization request is answered from the record rather than reconstructed.

Keep every medication review in the patient record

Pabau’s digital forms and treatment notes capture a patient’s full medication list before the appointment. Prescribing decisions and lipid results stay on the same record, ready for audit.

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Conclusion

The classification a drug carries matters less than the dose you write. Rosuvastatin at 5 mg and atorvastatin at 10 mg sit in the moderate band, not the high one. Pitavastatin never reaches high intensity at any dose.

So use the reference to check the dose alongside the drug, and record which agents a patient has already tried. That record is what supports the next escalation, and what a payer asks for when you move to a non-statin agent.

Book a demo to see how Pabau keeps medication reviews and lipid documentation on one patient record.

Continue your research

Managing a patient with both diabetes and high cholesterol? Diabetes medication list gives you the same class-by-class drug reference for glucose-lowering therapy to coordinate with lipid management.

Pairing medication with diet counseling? Low cholesterol diet food list covers the foods to recommend and avoid alongside statin or PCSK9 therapy.

Need to confirm a patient’s lipid numbers before adjusting therapy? At-home cholesterol test explains accuracy and how to interpret results.

Frequently asked questions