Hello, It's important to know that your body produces cholesterol and that diet and exercise or lack of it can contribute to the amount in your blood. There are many different opinions to the levels that are acceptable. Most doctors want to medicate you if your total cholesterol is over 200. However, there was an attempt to lower this number to 100. There is research that shows that if your cholesterol level is too low, serious health problems can occur.  Having said that, your LDL(bad cholesterol) and HDL(good cholesterol) need to be seen . I personally would avoid medication that has potential side-effects and would watch my diet, eating fewer carbs and sugars. I would also add exercise to my daily routine depending on your age. At any age, brisk walking along with diet modification will lower your cholesterol to a "better" level.  Remember also that you may be genetically disposed to a higher cholesterol level and that standard guidelines may not be exactly right for your own chemical structure. In that case you sure need medication