![]() The potential benefit to your health is worth making these medications part of your normal routine. If medication is required, be sure to take it as prescribed. Work with your doctor to develop a treatment plan that’s right for you. For others with high cholesterol, medication may also be needed. Coronavirus Resources for CPR & Resuscitationįor some people, lifestyle changes, such as a healthier diet and more exercise, may prevent or treat unhealthy cholesterol levels.Resuscitation Quality Improvement Program (RQI)®.CPR & First Aid in Youth Sports Training Kit.Search American Heart Association Search".If that doesn't work, you may need to switch to or add an ACE inhibitor, calcium channel blocker, or other kind of drug. Still, it usually makes sense to start with the oldest, safest, and least expensive drug: diuretics, or water pills, such as chlorthalidone or hydrochlorothiazide. Other people who need a drug should start with lower doses of those or other statins: 40 mg of lovastatin (Mevacor and generic), pravastatin (Pravachol and generic), or simvastatin (Zocor and generic).ĭoctors use several different kinds of drugs to lower blood pressure, and for people with levels above 150 it can take a combination to control the problem. People with a history of heart attack or stroke, or at very high risk of one (greater than 20 percent), should start with higher doses of a potent statin: 40 to 80 mg of atorvastatin (Lipitor and generic) or 20 to 40 mg of rosuvastatin (Crestor and generic). Statins are thought to work not only by lowering LDL cholesterol but also by stabilizing plaque deposits in the arteries, making the deposits less likely to rupture and send blood clots through the body. And avoiding excess sodium (anything beyond 2,400 mg in a day) can lower it between 2 and 8 points in some people. And every 11 pounds of excess weight lost can reduce it by 2.5 to 10 points. For example, regular exercise can lower your systolic pressure by up to 9 points. "Lifestyle changes can slash your risk of heart attack, and in some cases eliminate or reduce your need for medication," Lipman says. If it's moderately elevated (150 to 160 for people 60 and older 140 to 150 for others), consider drugs only if several months of diet and lifestyle changes weren't enough. The same basic strategy applies to blood pressure. If that doesn't lower your risk enough after three to six months, consider a statin, even if your LDL cholesterol isn't elevated. That means stopping smoking, losing excess weight, being active, consuming a heart-healthy diet, drinking alcohol in moderation only, and getting blood sugar levels under control. But if your risk is between 7.5 and 10, it can be worth trying lifestyle changes first, our consultants say. If your 10-year risk is greater than 10 percent, or if your LDL (bad) cholesterol level is over 190, you should start a statin. Here's our guide through the maze, with advice from Nissen, other experts, and our Best Buy Drugs team: Statins can cause muscle weakness, and possibly kidney damage and type 2 diabetes. Side effects of blood pressure medications include persistent coughing, diarrhea, nausea, and dizziness. Taking drugs when they aren't needed can pose problems. ![]() "There are just too many groups issuing recommendations, and that has made things more confusing," says Steven Nissen, M.D., chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. Preventive Services Task Force suggested that people who don't have particularly high cholesterol levels can still benefit from cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. ![]() But the American Heart Association sticks with the traditional cutoff of 140. So you might think they also agree on when you should take drugs to control them.Įarlier this year the American College of Physicians issued more lenient guidelines for blood pressure in people 60 and older: They don't need drugs until their systolic, or upper, blood pressure number goes above 150, the ACP now says. Experts agree that high blood pressure and high cholesterol increase the risk of having a heart attack. ![]()
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