Stories about people deciding whether to use medicine for high cholesterol

These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions.

Carole, age 58: I don't like taking pills all the time, and I would have to take the cholesterol medicines for the rest of my life to keep getting any benefit from them. My only other risk factor is high blood pressure. I need to eat a low-fat diet and get enough exercise to help keep my weight under control, so I'm going to see if I can get my cholesterol down a little bit that way (and maybe help my blood pressure, too).

Charles, age 48: My dad died of a heart attack when he was in his 50s. I must have inherited my high cholesterol from him. I don't want to die before my time, and I haven't been able to get my cholesterol down very much by eating a low-fat diet. I am going to try the medicines.

Diego, age 41: Heart disease runs in our family, so I know I need to be concerned about my cholesterol and all those other risk factors. The most important thing for me right now is to quit smoking. From what I have read, quitting smoking will help reduce my risk of heart disease, lung cancer, and other problems, and it might help just as much as lowering my cholesterol would help. It will also be better for my family and will save money.

Becky, age 56: I just found out that I have high cholesterol. Being a smoker, my risk of heart disease is already higher, and now I have another risk factor to worry about. I have tried many times to quit smoking, but it has never worked. I want to reduce my risk of heart disease, so I would like to try taking medicines. If I have some success with that, maybe it will help motivate me to finally quit smoking.