Drugs to prevent heart attacks

There is no certain way of preventing heart attacks with drugs. The two
most important ways of reducing the risk of a heart attack are not to smoke and
not to be overweight. There is, however, no good or proven way in which drugs
can help you stop smoking or lose weight.
Lowering a raised blood level of cholesterol may help, but the best way to
do this is by dieting and losing excess weight, presently available
cholesterol-lowering drugs are usually used only when dieting alone is inadequate.
People with untreated high blood pressure run an increased risk of
heart attacks and strokes. Long-term treatment of high blood pressure with
drugs (see p. 85) reduces the extra wear and tear on the arteries and the
heart, and thus reduces the risk of future problems.
During the first year after recovery from a heart attack, beta-blockers may
slightly reduce the risk of a recurrence in some cases. Some doctors will also
use aspirin.