Reducing Risk Of Disease With High Cholesterol Medication
Written by Mark Hilding on December 29th, 2008 in Cholesterol medication.
Having high cholesterol is a health risk as it can lead to several debilitating diseases. If heart disease is something you want to avoid then you should seriously look at keeping your cholesterol levels at ideal levels. Sometimes no matter how much you exercise or watch your diet your cholesterol levels are at dangerous levels.
This can be due to genetic factors, in such a case you should look at using high cholesterol medication. If lifestyle changes are not helping then it’s definitely time for using high cholesterol medication to help you gain control of your health.
When To Start High Cholesterol Medication
When you are diagnosed with high cholesterol you will first be advised to exercise and change your diet. Your doctor will probably ask you to try these changes in your lifestyle for about three months before reevaluating your cholesterol levels. If you still have high cholesterol levels then it might be time for you to start high cholesterol medication.
However if you have significant risks of heart disease your doctor might recommend that you go on high cholesterol medication right away. If you have a history of heart disease in the family then this might be an indicator that you need to start some kind of medication to keep your cholesterol levels in check.
Things To Consider With High Cholesterol Medication
Before you start taking any kind of high cholesterol medication it is best to know the possible cholesterol medication side effects you might be experiencing. Liver problems, tenderness in your muscles, headaches, tingling, and flushing are all side effects that you might experience depending on the medication you are taking.
Because of this you might want to delay taking high cholesterol medication if you are not directly at risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease. If you are male and below 35 or a woman who has not yet reached menopause then you might only want to consider high cholesterol medication as a last resort.
If you are being prescribed high doses of statins then you will be at a higher risk of experiencing side effects. If you find that you cannot tolerate the side effects you might want to look at alternative treatments, there are a variety of drugs that can be used to lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol levels.
High cholesterol medication is not a substitute for a healthy lifestyle. High cholesterol medication should be used alongside a healthy lifestyle. In fact you will see a higher impact on your cholesterol levels when you exercise and maintain a low fat and high fiber diet.
