Cholesterol Medicine

High levels of cholesterol can be harmful to your body, and if you have trouble lowering your cholesterol with diet and exercise, your doctor may have you take a cholesterol-lowering medication, typically called a statin.

Statins are often given to patients after cardiac surgery to help with recovery, and if you start taking one you’ll need to have regular visits with a cardiologist or a primary care doctor to check up on how the medication is working.

Some common side effects of cholesterol-lowering medications are constipation, diarrhea, gas, heartburn, headaches, and muscle soreness. A full list of side effects can be found in the instructions that come with your medication.

As we said before, if you start taking this medication, you’ll need regular checkups with your doctor or cardiologist to make sure it’s working the right way. Sometimes these medications can harm your liver, so your doctor will keep an eye on that and help make any changes if that starts to happen. If at any point you have questions or concerns about your cholesterol or your medication, please talk to your care team.