Medicines to Prevent Heart Attack and Stroke: Questions for the Doctor

Cholesterol and other fats in the blood can block blood vessels in the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke. Statins are medicines that lower the risk of heart attack and stroke by helping to lower the amount of cholesterol and other fats in the blood.

Experts recommend that if you’ve never had a heart attack or stroke, you take a statin if all 3 of these are true for you:

• You’re age 40 to 75 years
• You have high cholesterol, diabetes, or high blood pressure or you smoke
• You’re at higher risk for heart attack and stroke — talk with your doctor about your risk

Statins aren’t right for everyone, and all medicines have pros and cons. When you talk with your doctor about taking a statin, it’s important to discuss your personal preferences as well as your risk for heart attack and stroke.

What do I ask the doctor?

When you visit the doctor, it helps to have questions ready ahead of time. You can also ask a family member or friend to go with you to take notes.

Consider taking this list of questions to your next appointment:

• Am I at higher risk for heart attack and stroke?
• What do my cholesterol numbers mean?
• What do my blood pressure numbers mean?
• Do you recommend that I take a statin to help lower my risk for heart attack and stroke? Why or why not?
• What are the possible dangers or side effects of taking statins?
• Can you give me some information about statins to take home with me?
• What else can I do to lower my risk of heart attack and stroke?

If your doctor recommends that you take a statin, you might want to ask these questions, too:

• How often will I take the medicine?
• Will I need to take the medicine for the rest of my life?
• Could statins cause problems with any other medicines I take?
• How will I know if the medicine is working?