How to Know It Is Time for Cholesterol Medicine?

If your cholesterol levels are not in a healthy range, it can lead to some serious health consequences. Blood tests for cholesterol measure both your LDL and HDL levels. LDL is considered the "bad" cholesterol, and if you have high LDL levels you are considered at a higher risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. Under the care of your doctor, you can find out when it is time to go on cholesterol-lowering medicine.

Things You'll Need

• Doctor's advice
• Bloodwork results

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Instructions

• 1

  Make an appointment with your doctor. He will first order a blood test to look at the levels of the LDL and HDL cholesterol. If the LDL is high and HDL is low, then that indicates a need to make some lifestyle changes.

• 2

  Adjust your lifestyle based on your physician's recommendations. He'll most likely recommend that you stop smoking if you are a smoker. Dietary change is important as well and you should focus on eating more fruits and vegetables while cutting out foods high in fat. He also will likely recommend making time for regular physical activity.

• 3

  Recheck your cholesterol levels in six months. After six months, your doctor will look at the levels to see if there has been a significant change. If your LDL levels are still high even after the lifestyle changes, you and your doctor will most likely decide that it is time to go on cholesterol-lowering medication. In some cases, he may decide to wait another six months before giving you a prescription for the medicine.

• 4

  Take the recommended medication while still monitoring your cholesterol levels. Your doctor may decide based on the numbers to change the medication type or dosage. Some examples of drugs used to manage cholesterol include statins, resins, cholesterol absorption inhibitors and fibrates.