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Spanish Translation

Statins: Should You Take Them to Lower Your Risk?

Statins: Should You Take Them to Lower Your Risk? (00:03:16)
Video Transcript

You're facing a decision: Do you want to start taking a daily statin pill to lower your risk of heart attack and stroke?

Or do you want to see if you can lower your risk enough ... without medicine ...

by improving your daily habits?

It really is your choice ...

and it's important to consider both the medical facts and your personal feelings.

Now, a big part of whether you need to take a statin is your risk of heart attack and stroke.

To figure out your risk, your doctor will look at your overall health and any risk factors you have for heart attack and stroke.

Risk factors are things that make you more likely to have a stroke or heart attack ...

things like your age, your cholesterol levels, and whether you have diabetes.

For people who are at higher risk for a heart attack, the medical facts make the choice pretty clear.

For these people, statins are proven to reduce the risk of heart attack and to save lives.

If you're at higher risk, experts recommend that you take a statin.

If you aren't at higher risk, the choice may not be as clear.

This video will give you some information that can help you compare your choices ...

so that you can make a decision that's right for you.

Okay ... let's look at your choices.

One choice is to focus on habits that are good for your heart ...

such as eating healthy foods, being more active, staying at a healthy weight, and not smoking.

Those things are important for everyone.

They help keep our hearts and bodies healthy.

These habits may be enough to lower your risk of heart attack and stroke ...

and they can also improve your overall health and help you feel better.

And ... if these habits work well enough, you'll be able to avoid taking a daily statin pill ...

and avoid any costs or possible side effects from pills.

But ... to keep your risk lower, you'll need to make these changes into lifelong habits.

That can be hard for some people.

And ... if these changes don't lower your risk enough or if you don't keep doing them, you may still be at risk for a heart attack or stroke.

Your other choice is to start on a daily statin pill.

Taking a statin can lower your risk of heart attack and stroke.

So ... choosing to take a statin is an important step to help protect your health and your future.

But ... you'll still need to adopt healthy habits to keep your risk lower and your heart healthy.

And ... you will have to take this medicine every day from now on.

So ... would you like to see if you can lower your risk by only making healthy changes to your habits?

Or would you rather start taking a statin pill, too, to lower your risk as much as possible?

When you've answered those questions, your next step is to tell your doctor which way you're leaning.

Now ... it can be hard sometimes to talk to doctors, especially if you're not used to it.

But your thoughts and feelings are important ... and your doctor wants to hear them ...

so that by working together, you can decide which option is best for you.

Current as of: July 31, 2024

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff

Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Ignite Healthwise, LLC disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions. Image is used for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted is a model.