When to Take Medication for High Cholesterol
Some people can lower cholesterol with lifestyle changes. But if your LDL "bad" cholesterol levels are still too high, your doctor may recommend that you take medication to lower them. The chart below shows when medication is recommended according to risk factors and LDL levels. The "Goal" column tells you what LDL level your doctor will aim for.
| Risk factors |
LDL Level |
Goal |
| People without coronary heart disease and with fewer than two risk factors. |
190 mg/dL or higher* |
160 mg/dL or lower |
| People without coronary heart disease and with two or more risk factors. |
160 mg/dL or higher |
130 mg/dL or lower |
| People with coronary heart disease. |
130 mg/dL or higher** |
70 mg/dL or lower |
*In men younger than 35 and premenopausal women with LDL cholesterol levels of 190 to 219 mg/dL, drug therapy should be delayed except in high-risk patients such as those with diabetes.
**In coronary heart disease patients with LDL cholesterol levels of 100 to 129 mg/dL, the doctor should consider whether to initiate drug treatment in addition to the American Heart Association's Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet.
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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