Conditions Back ConditionsDrugs & Supplements Back Drugs & SupplementsWell-Being Back Well-BeingMore Back More Privacy & More Subscribe Log In Search Subscribe GuideOverview Causes & RisksTests & DiagnosisTreatment Living With ComplicationsAppointment Prep View Full Guide Cholesterol Treatment: Medication and Lifestyle ChangesMedically Reviewed by Jennifer Robinson, MD on July 18, 2023Written by 6 min readCholesterol Treatment can raise your risk of , , or strokes, so you want to take steps to lower your cholesterol. You can treat high cholesterol with healthy lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, and weight loss and, sometimes, medications too.Your cholesterol treatment plan is done on a case-by-case basis, based on:Your blood resultsYour age, of high cholesterol, or problemsCurrent health problems like or , or being Your personal preferences, like how you feel about sticking to diet changes, taking pills every day, or dealing with side effectsYour risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack or If you’ve already been diagnosed with heart disease or had a heart attack or stroke beforeCholesterol treatment goalsYour personal goals are based on your current health and cardiac risk, or risk of a heart attack or stroke within the next 10 years. Your doctor can use a formula to calculate your cardiac risk. Your blood lipid profile or panel test results show your . Your doctor can test your cholesterol to help you track how well your treatment plan is working or if it needs to be adjusted.Normal are:Total cholesterol: Lower than 170 mg/dL if you’re 19 or younger, and 125-200 mg/dL for men and women over 19: Lower than 110 mg/dL if you’re 19 or younger, and less than 100 mg/dL for men and women over 19: Above 45 mg/dL if you’re 19 or younger, 40 mg/dL or higher if you’re a man over 19, and 50 mg/dL or higher if you’re a woman over 19: Lower than 150 mg/dL for all adultsBased on your cardiac risk, your cholesterol goal numbers may be lower. For example:If you don’t have heart disease or blood vessel disease, and your overall cardiac risk is low, your LDL cholesterol treatment goal may be 100 mg/dL or lower.If you do have heart disease or blood vessel disease, your LDL treatment goal may be 70 mg/dL or lower.If you have diabetes, your LDL treatment goal may be below 70 mg/dL or at least reduced by 50%. Lifestyle changes firstYour doctor may suggest -healthy lifestyle changes as the first step to lower your high cholesterol. If your cholesterol is borderline but not yet high, you should make these lifestyle changes, too. A heart-healthy can help lower your risk of heart attacks and strokes.You may not need a cholesterol-lowering drug if your cardiac risk is low and your cholesterol is not above 190 mg/dL. Lifestyle changes may help you reach your goals without having to take medication.If lifestyle changes don’t lower your cholesterol levels enough, your doctor may suggest medication. Stick with these healthy changes even if you do take meds. They can lower your cholesterol even more and may allow you to take a lower dose of medicine:Eat a heart-healthy diet low in saturated fats, and high in omega-3 fats and soluble fiber. Cut back on red meat, full-fat dairy foods, and . Stay away from trans fats.Get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days a week.Don’t smoke or vape. and try to avoid .Limit to one drink a day for women and men over 65, and two drinks a day for men younger than 65.Lose weight if you need to. Even a 10% body weight loss can improve your cholesterol. MedicationsYour doctor may prescribe to lower your LDL cholesterol in addition to your lifestyle changes. That’s more likely if:Your is 190 mg/dL or higherYou’re 45-70 years old and have diabetes, and your LDL cholesterol is 70 mg/dL or higherYou’re 45-70 years old with a high risk of heart disease, and your LDL cholesterol is 70 mg/dL or higherYou’ve already had a heart attack or stroke, or you have peripheral arterial disease are the most widely prescribed medication for high cholesterol. Statins reduce the amount of cholesterol made by your . These drugs may lower your risk of heart attacks and strokes. Statins include (), calcium (), (), (), (, ), and (), as well as combinations of statins and other cholesterol-lowering meds, atorvastatin with () and simvastatin and (). () is a drug that lowers your body’s absorption of cholesterol and may be prescribed with a statin. Bile acid-binding drugs cling to acids in your and help your liver use up excess cholesterol. They include (, Locholest Light, , , ), (), and Hcl ().Fibrates reduce triglycerides and boost to help balance your overall cholesterol levels. They include clofibrate (Atromid-S), (, , , and ), and (). or nicotinic acid is a vitamin that helps reduce fats produced by your liver to lower triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. Don’t take this vitamin unless your doctor tells you to do so.Omega-3 fatty acid ethyl esters are made from . These (Epanova, , Omtryg, and Vascepa) help lower triglycerides along with a healthy diet.PSCK9 inhibitors are newer, more targeted drugs that bind to and block a protein, PSCK9, on your liver cells to help lower your LDL cholesterol, including alirocumab (Praluent) and evolocumab ().ACL inhibitors are another new cholesterol drug. They’re prescribed with a statin and lifestyle changes to lower your LDL cholesterol even more. ACL inhibitors, including () or (), may be prescribed if you have heart disease or if your high cholesterol is caused by genetic factors. SiRNA (small interfering RNA) therapy can treat some health conditions by changing how some of your genes work. A new medication called () uses this technology to treat adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) or clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) who need additional LDL lowering. It lowers your LDL levels by disrupting the gene that makes PCSK9. Inclisiran comes in the form of shots, taken several months apart. You can use this medication along with other cholesterol-lowering treatments or alone.How long does cholesterol treatment take to work?When you first make lifestyle changes, plan to see your doctor for regular checkups. After 12 weeks, they may check your LDL cholesterol again to see if you need to adjust your diet or even more. After 18 weeks of lifestyle changes, if your cholesterol levels haven’t improved, they may suggest adding medication. You’ll probably see your doctor once every 4-6 months for checkups after that.If you’re prescribed a or other cholesterol medication, your doctor can check your LDL cholesterol again 4-8 weeks later to see if the drugs are working. If it hasn’t lowered your numbers enough, they may adjust your prescription or add another treatment. You’ll have your cholesterol checked every year.SourcesUpdate HistorySharePrintSOURCES:Mayo Clinic: “High cholesterol,” “Cholesterol test,” “Statins: Are these cholesterol-lowering drugs right for you?” “Top 5 lifestyle changes to improve your cholesterol.”CDC: “Cholesterol-Lowering Medicine.”American Heart Association: “Prevention and Treatment of High Cholesterol (Hyperlipidemia),” “Cholesterol Medications.”Johns Hopkins Medicine: “2018 Cholesterol Guidelines for Heart Health Announced.”Cleveland Clinic: “Cholesterol Numbers: What Do They Mean?”UT Southwestern Medical Center: “10 Truths About Statins and High Cholesterol.”American College of Cardiology: “Statins: What You Need to Know.”National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: “Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol With TLC.”SharePrintNext In TreatmentShow more articles More on Cholesterol Management Recommended FEATURED Top doctors in , Find more top doctors on Search Related LinksPoliciesAboutFor Advertisers © 2005 - 2025 WebMD LLC, an company. All rights reserved. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. , Treatment. Treatment choices to reach ideal cholesterol and triglyceride levels should be tailored to meet your needs. Talk with your healthcare professional about what levels are best for you. Treatment for high cholesterol can include medicine. Together with healthy lifestyle changes, medicine can lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes., Treating high cholesterol. High cholesterol often is treated and managed by a combination of adjusting certain lifestyle factors and taking cholesterol-lowering medicines prescribed by a doctor. Take your medicines as directed. If you take medicine to treat high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, or diabetes:.