fibrates

fibrates Cholesterol-lowering drugs that are effective in lowering triglycerides and, to a lesser extent, in increasing HDL cholesterol levels. Gemfibrozil (brand name: Lopid), the fibrate most widely used in the US, can be effective for patients with high triglyceride levels, but it is not very effective for lowering LDL cholesterol. As a result, it is used less often than other drugs for patients with heart disease for whom LDL cholesterol lowering is the main goal of treatment. Fibrates are generally well tolerated by most patients. Fibrates appear to increase a patient’s likelihood of developing cholesterol gallstones and can increase the effects of medications that thin the blood.