For most of my life, I have had cholesterol that has been under 200. Recently, however, after a routine cholesterol test (it did include fasting) as part of an annual exam, I learned my cholesterol is high (255).
I am surprised at this, since I never had high cholesterol before. I just had my 50th birthday and over the last two years have put on a lot of weight due to a depression that went undiagnosed for a while. That is now in the past, and I'm grateful, but I have to start working on the weight.
Here's my question. I have an appointment with my doctor later this week to talk about the results and what I should be doing about it. Are there people who are successful by lowering their cholesterol this much simply by diet and exercise? Or has the treatment of choice become drugs?
I hear so much about the statin drugs. Once you begin taking them, do you have to take them forever? I wouldn't mind medicine if it could be used on a short-term basis to get my cholesterol down while I lose the weight and get in better health, but I hate to think of starting a medicine that's a lifelong medicine if I might not need it.