Chronic condition care
High cholesterol
We check and manage cholesterol, and more importantly we put the number in context. Cholesterol matters because of what it does to your heart and arteries over decades — so the decision about treatment depends on your overall risk, not on one figure in isolation.
Come in if you have
- A blood test showed high cholesterol
- You have a family history of heart attack or stroke, especially before 60
- You have diabetes, high blood pressure, or you smoke
- You are on a statin and want to review whether it is still right
- You are over 40 and have never had it checked
What happens at your visit
- We review your full lipid panel, not just the headline total.
- We work out your overall cardiovascular risk, taking in blood pressure, blood sugar, smoking, family history and age.
- We talk honestly about what treatment would and would not achieve for you specifically.
- If we start a medication, we schedule a follow-up to check it is working and tolerated.
One number is not the whole story
A cholesterol result has several components, and the total on its own tells you relatively little. What matters is the balance between them, and — far more importantly — what else is going on.
Cholesterol is one input into your overall cardiovascular risk. Blood pressure, blood sugar, smoking, weight, age and family history are the others. Treating the cholesterol number while ignoring the rest misses the point.
Deciding about medication
This is a decision to make together, not one to be handed. For some people the benefit of a statin is large and clear. For others it is genuinely marginal, and a reasonable person could decline it.
What we will do is tell you which situation you are in, in plain terms — what your risk actually is, how much treatment would change it, and what the trade-offs are. Then you decide.
If you are already on treatment
Come in for a review rather than repeat-refilling indefinitely. Things worth checking periodically:
- Whether the dose is still right
- Whether side effects are affecting you
- Whether your overall risk has changed
- Whether the medication is still the best option available
What helps regardless
Whether or not you take medication, the same things reduce your risk: not smoking, moving regularly, managing blood pressure and blood sugar, and eating in a way you can sustain. None of that is novel advice, but it does still work.
Common questions
- Do I definitely need a statin?
- Not necessarily. It depends on your overall risk, not the cholesterol number alone. Two people with identical cholesterol can warrant very different decisions. We will walk you through the reasoning rather than just handing over a prescription.
- Can diet fix this?
- Diet and exercise genuinely help, and for mildly raised cholesterol they are often the right first step. For strongly raised levels, or where other risk factors are present, they usually are not sufficient on their own — but they still improve the outcome alongside medication.
- I heard statins cause muscle pain.
- Some people do get muscle aches. If that happens, tell us — it often means switching to a different statin or adjusting the dose rather than abandoning treatment. Do not just stop and say nothing at your next visit.
- Do I need to fast for the blood test?
- Often yes, though not always with modern testing. We will tell you when we order it so you are not making a wasted trip.
This page explains how we care for this condition at our office. It is general information, not medical advice for your specific situation — please talk to us about your own care.
Ready to get this looked at?
Call us or send a request and we will get you in — often the same or next day.