Medication to lower heart risk
Your doctor may recommend taking medication to help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. If you are at high risk, your doctor may prescribe a number of medications, including those which lower your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol level or prevent your blood from clotting, eg, aspirin (see further below).
Lifestyle measures still important
Remember, it is important to continue to follow a healthy lifestyle even if your doctor prescribes medication for you.
Do not stop any medications unless advised by your doctor.
Should I take aspirin?
If your cardiovascular risk is high then your doctor may recommend taking low-dose aspirin. Aspirin can help prevent blood clots forming in your arteries by thinning your blood.
Aspirin is not advised for some people, so please discuss this with your doctor first.
Check out your risk factors
See the links below for more information on tackling the individual risk factors you may need to address to have a healthy heart and cardiovascular system, remembering that they all work together to affect your risk level.
Also see: Know Your Numbers Heart Age Calculator
Do you need a heart risk asssessment?
Original material provided by the Heart Foundation of New Zealand and the New Zealand Guidelines Group, March 2010. Reviewed by everybody, February 2011.
top