Are There Any Medications That Make Atherosclerosis Go Away?

 

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Question: Are there any medications that make atherosclerosis go away?

Answer: Lots of patients, and for that matter, doctors, would love for there to be a pill that makes atherosclerosis -- or hardening of the arteries or blockages of the arteries -- go away.

Unfortunately, nobody has yet stumbled upon that holy grail of cardiovascular medicine, where just taking a pill makes plaque dissolve, so-called plaque Drano that people have theorized about but nobody has actually succeeded in developing.

But there are a number of different companies and universities working on strategies to try to really make plaque that's there go away.

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At the current time, there are strategies that can be helpful. For example, in people with elevated cholesterol levels, intense reduction of cholesterol in some studies has shown that plaque build-up in the arteries actually stabilizes, and in some fortunate individuals, actually goes away, but that's a more gradual process and not such a dramatic process.

But there is a role that cholesterol-lowering medicines -- and, of course, a healthy diet and lifestyle -- can have in trying to at least keep plaque that's there from getting worse, and in some cases, even go away.

Next: Why Do I Have To Get Blood Drawn Regularly While On Cholesterol Medication?

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