Thanks to lots of studies over the past 20 years, we now have proof that medication to lower cholesterol can prevent heart attacks and actually save the lives of people who are at high risk for a heart attack. That's why people who have already had one heart attack almost always need to be treated to lower their cholesterol in order to prevent another one.
If you don't have any heart problems right now, it's harder to decide whether medication is needed. However, a major study showed that men without any heart disease who took a medication called pravastatin for five years had far fewer heart attacks than the men who took a sugar pill. Therefore, if you are at higher than average risk and your cholesterol is elevated, you will probably benefit from taking mediation. Your doctor can help you make this decision.
