Key facts

  • High cholesterol has no symptoms, so a routine blood test or health screening is usually the only way it is found.
  • Too much LDL cholesterol builds up in the arteries over time and is a leading modifiable risk factor for heart attack and stroke.
  • Lifestyle changes come first. SingHealth notes that medication is considered when lifestyle alone does not bring levels into the desirable range.
  • Statins are the mainstay of cholesterol-lowering treatment; which one and what intensity depends on your cholesterol and overall heart risk, so it is a decision made with a doctor.
  • A statin is usually a long-term medicine, so periodic blood tests and reviews check both that it is working and that it is well tolerated.
  • Ask for the active ingredient and strength, not just the brand, so you can compare the brand against a generic and keep a lifelong cost down.
  • For ongoing treatment, use a doctor, clinic or hospital pharmacy and keep a steady supply so you never run out.

High cholesterol can be invisible until a blood test. SingHealth explains that LDL helps form deposits in artery walls, which is why the result matters even when you feel well.

Why does cholesterol matter for your heart?

Too much LDL cholesterol builds up in the arteries over years and raises your long-term risk of heart attack and stroke. Cholesterol is a fatty substance your body needs, but the balance of types matters.

As Singapore’s SingHealth explains, total cholesterol includes LDL, the “bad” cholesterol that can harm, and HDL, the “good” cholesterol that helps limit the damage. Too much LDL over time contributes to fatty deposits building up in the arteries, narrowing them. That is the link to the heart. The World Health Organization describes cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack and stroke, as the world’s leading cause of death, and raised cholesterol is one of the main modifiable risk factors behind them. Controlling it is one of the clearest ways to lower that long-term risk.

How do I know if I have high cholesterol?

You cannot feel it, so a blood test is the only way to know. There are no symptoms to warn you, which is exactly why it so often goes unnoticed until a routine screening or, worse, an actual cardiovascular event.

This is the case for getting your cholesterol checked as part of regular health screening, particularly as you get older or if heart problems run in your family. You cannot manage what you have not measured. If you have recently arrived in Singapore, it is worth building a health screening into settling in, so that any raised level is found early rather than by chance.

What can I do about high cholesterol before medicine?

SingHealth recommends food and activity changes before medicine is considered, and continued attention to them afterwards. Its cholesterol guide suggests leaner protein, more fruit, vegetables and fibre, regular exercise, weight management and smoking control. It gives a concrete produce example: two servings of fruit and two of vegetables a day. Medicine may be added when lipid levels remain above the desired range.

How do statins work?

Statins reduce how much cholesterol your body makes and help clear LDL from the blood, which lowers the long-term risk of heart attack and stroke. When lifestyle is not enough on its own, they are the main medicines used.

SingHealth describes statins, such as simvastatin and atorvastatin, as the mainstay of cholesterol-lowering treatment. The common statins you will come across include atorvastatin, rosuvastatin and simvastatin, within the wider cholesterol management range. Statins are well studied and effective, and they are taken under medical supervision because a minority of people experience side effects such as muscle aches or, less often, liver effects, which a doctor monitors and manages by adjusting treatment. Which statin and what intensity suits you depends on your cholesterol and your overall heart risk, so it is a decision made with your doctor. We do not give doses here for that reason.

Why does a statin need ongoing monitoring?

Because cholesterol is silent and a statin is a long-term medicine, periodic blood tests are the only way to know it is working and well tolerated. The tests show whether your levels are where they should be, and they are also when a statin’s effect and any side effects get checked.

SingHealth notes that a minority of patients develop muscle aches, muscle inflammation or liver inflammation and may need their treatment adjusted. Report new symptoms to your doctor; do not stop the statin on your own. Keep the blood tests and reviews your clinician schedules.

How do I find my statin by active ingredient in Singapore?

Take the ingredient, strength and form on your prescription to the local pharmacy. A familiar brand may be different in Singapore, while its active ingredient is the comparison point for a generic.

The same atorvastatin or rosuvastatin is sold under several brand names, and choosing the generic, the identical active ingredient without the brand price, keeps a lifelong cost down without changing the treatment. Our active ingredient pages group the brands that share a molecule, so you can recognise yours and compare the options, and you can also browse by category or by condition. Prices vary by pharmacy type and by brand, so in a higher-cost market like Singapore that comparison is worth making. For how pharmacies and the rules work locally, our guide to buying medicine in Singapore covers the wider picture.

Do and don’t

Do:

  • Get your cholesterol checked as part of regular health screening, especially as you get older or if heart disease runs in your family.
  • Put the lifestyle foundations in place and keep them even when you are on a statin.
  • Take a statin under medical supervision, and let your doctor choose which one and what intensity.
  • Keep up the periodic blood tests and reviews your doctor recommends.
  • Ask for the active ingredient and strength so you can compare the brand against a generic.
  • Bring enough of a regular statin to cover settling in, plus a margin, and set up a steady source early.

Don’t:

  • Use the absence of symptoms to skip a lipid blood test; SingHealth says high cholesterol itself causes none.
  • Stop a statin because of muscle aches without asking the prescribing doctor about them.
  • Assume a home-country brand will be stocked locally or wait until the final tablets to seek a refill.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. Whether a statin is right for you, and which one, is a decision for a doctor who knows your heart risk.