Prescription Drug Therapy

If your cholesterol levels cannot be lowered sufficiently with proper diet and exercise, prescription drug therapy can be considered and should be discussed with your physician.

The presence of these other coronary heart disease risk factors influences the determination to use cholesterol-lowering drugs:

Age – Men 45 years or older, women 55 years or older OR who have premature menopause without estrogen replacement therapy.

Family history – Anyone having a father, brother or son with a history of coronary heart disease before age 55, or a mother, sister or daughter with coronary heart disease before age 65.

Smoking – Anyone who smokes or who lives and works every day around people who smoke.

High blood pressure – Anyone with a blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or higher, measured on two or more occasions.

HDL cholesterol– Anyone with an HDL cholesterol level of less than 35 mg/dL.

Diabetes – Anyone with a fasting blood sugar of 126 mg/dL or higher.

You can work with your healthcare professional to determine if you need to take cholesterol-lowering drugs in addition to making the lifestyle changes that will reduce your risk for heart disease, heart attack and stroke.