Learn Cholester-ALL You Need to Know

It’s September and you know what that means, it’s National Cholesterol Education Month. And we’re talking more than just reading about cholesterol on a box of Cheerios. Below we dive into the basics of cholesterol and how Forward Pharmacy can help you out. 

So, first things first…

What even really is cholesterol?

Simply put, cholesterol is the fat content that circulates your blood. You actually need cholesterol to build healthy cells, but high levels of cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke if left untreated. Other risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure or diabetes can also increase your risk for coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke. These events are irreversible and the damage is permanent, so it’s vital to take proactive steps.

So what proactive action-steps are involved?

High cholesterol sneaks up on you. There aren’t any symptoms that you can feel, so it’s important you get your levels checked out. A blood test at a clinic is the only way you can tell if you have high cholesterol and assess your risk. The American Heart Association recommends all adults 20 or older have their cholesterol and other risk factors checked every four to six years. If you have other factors that put you at elevated risk, such as cardiovascular disease, you may need your cholesterol and other risk factors assessed more often.

Okay, so what’s next and how is high cholesterol treated?

If you find out you do have high cholesterol, the first step is to look at your lifestyle habits. A well-balanced diet and regular exercise is important, but for some, medication may also be needed. Controlling your cholesterol with help from your doctor can help you to avoid its worst effects. Once daily medications are an excellent option for many and most are well-tolerated with minimal side effects.

How can the Forward Pharmacy team help you?

Our exceptional service and relationships with health care professionals in the community mean we’re working for you to get the care you need at an affordable price. There are a lot of medications out there that lower cholesterol, but not all are equally expensive. We work with your doctor and your insurance to lower that cost.

We’re also here to make sure all of our customers are taking their medications on a regular basis. Our Med Box program ensures your pills are easily accessible and divided by day and time. We do what the big box pharmacies don’t and go the extra mile for each and every one of our customers. 

Forward Pharmacy’s Director of Clinical Services Ryan Bender put it simply, “If you take a medication for cholesterol, it is important that it gets taken every day. It’s a medication that doesn’t cure high cholesterol, it treats it. So, you take a pill, it lowers your cholesterol, if you don’t take the pill, it goes back up.”

When it comes to health care, accessibility is key. That’s why we offer free delivery, so you can get your prescriptions without even leaving the house. Just give one of our locations a call and we’ll get the details sorted out.  It’s as easy as that.

At Forward Pharmacy we live and breathe our Wisconsin roots. So stop in for personalized care any day of the week.