Cholesterol medicine is used to lower your bad cholesterol (LDH) which in turn lowers your risk of having heart disease or a stroke. Often a change in diet and exercise, as well as quitting smoking are the first plan of action; if making these changes do not work after about 6 months then it is time to consider medications.

Cholesterol is a fat-like material that your body requires to work normally. Cholesterol is a natural substance that is present in cell walls and membranes in all parts of the body, which includes the brain, muscles, intestines, nerves, skin, liver, and heart. The liver processes the cholesterol output for your body.Cholesterol produces vitamin D, hormones, and the bile acids that digest fat. The cholesterol in your blood is comes from the foods you eat and your liver. Your liver makes enough cholesterol to meet the needs of your body.

Statins are one of the most effective and widely used medicines to treat high cholesterol. Statins have been shown to reduce the risk for heart attack, stroke, and death in people who are at high risk of a heart attack or stroke. Statins do this by lowering the amount of cholesterol that the liver makes. This has been very effective for most people.

When there is too much cholesterol in your bloodstream, it can cause some major problems, such as the excess might be deposited in arteries, which can lead to atherosclerosis (also called hardening of the arteries). Atherosclerosis can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, blood clots, heart attack, or impotence.

There are also medications that can lower the absorption of cholesterol by the body, and some can affect how your body removes cholesterol. There are a vast amount of medications that can be used for lowering cholesterol. Your doctor will decide which is best for you by looking at your family history, your blood cholesterol levels, and whether diet and exercise as well as other life style changes have not worked.

It is important to note that some of these medications can have side effects that may be mild to severe depending on the medications. Be sure you know what the side effects for your particular medication are. These medications are a good advance in the in the medical world.