Cholesterol Drugs and Heart Risk: The number of cholesterol patients is continuously increasing and the number of youth in it is very high. Cholesterol is a wax-like substance found in our blood, which if it exceeds normal, can cause stroke and heart attack. According to health experts, bad cholesterol in the body increases due to bad lifestyle, fried food, less physical activity and excessive stress. Many times, changes in lifestyle and diet have to be made to control cholesterol, while to some patients doctors give medicines like statins. The biggest question in the mind of most patients is whether they will have to take this medicine for the rest of their life? Let us know about this from the cardiologist.

Dr. Vanita Arora, senior cardiologist at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi, told News18. That when the level of bad cholesterol i.e. LDL in the body becomes higher than normal, then it starts accumulating in the blood arteries. This increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. In such a situation, patients are advised to take medicine to reduce cholesterol level and avoid cardiovascular disease. Usually patients are given statin medicine, which is the most common and effective. If lifestyle and eating habits are improved along with this medicine, then good results can be obtained.

Do I have to take this medicine for the rest of my life?

Doctor Vanita told that most of the patients have a question whether they will have to take cholesterol medicine for the whole life or it can also be stopped. The direct answer is that it all depends on the condition of the patient. People whose cholesterol level is not very high and they control it through diet, exercise and weight loss, then their medicine can be stopped gradually. However, for people whose cholesterol levels remain uncontrolled and have previously suffered from heart attack, stroke or artery blockage, doctors often advise such patients to take medicine for a long time or throughout their life. The thing to keep in mind is that no patient should stop this medicine on his own will without consulting the doctor.

Does this medicine prevent heart attack?

Cardiologist told that it is absolutely true that cholesterol medicine is effective in preventing heart attack. According to many researches, taking statins can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke by about 25%. However, if a person is taking medicine but smokes, eats junk food, does not exercise or has uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure, then cholesterol medicine cannot prevent heart attack. Along with medicine, it is important to have a healthy lifestyle, regular exercise and a balanced diet. To improve heart health, you have to take care of all the factors.