Lowering your “bad” cholesterol (also called LDL, or low-density lipoprotein) can reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. A number of lifestyle changes can help you improve your cholesterol level. However, if these lifestyle changes don’t help after about 6 months to 1 year, your doctor may suggest medicine to lower your high cholesterol.
Even if you take cholesterol-lowering medicine, it’s important to keep up with your lifestyle changes. Eating a healthy diet and being physically active can make your medicine more effective. Your doctor can give you tips on how to make healthy food choices and include physical activity in your daily routine.
Like all medicines, these drugs can cause side effects. However, the side effects usually are not severe and are not experienced very often.
Common side effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs include the following:
Diarrhea or constipation
Abdominal pain, cramps, bloating or gas
Nausea and/or vomiting
Headache
Drowsiness or dizziness
Muscle aches or weakness
Flushing (skin turning red and warm)
Sleep problems
Tell your primary care physician as soon as possible if your side effects become severe. One way to eventually address these side-effects is to get off the medication for a few weeks and then to restart the daily intake, but with only half the dosis. If things are stable and no side-effects occure switch back up again to the full dosis. Again, consult this strategy with your primary care physician. This article is not considered to be medical advice.
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