Vytorin or Zetia, are both medications that are supposed to reduce cholesterol but a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine says they're not doing the job. More than 20 million U.S. patients were prescribed the medications last year.

“It's a little surprising because it is a commonly prescribed drug. There was a lot of direct-to-market advertising,” said Matt Rogers, Hill Drug Pharmacy.

In the two-year clinical trial, doctors surveyed 720 patients with super high cholesterol. Results show the medicine did not get rid of plaque in their arteries, that it did not prevent heart attacks or strokes and it should only be used as a last resort.

But there were some positives: the medication did decrease bad cholesterol and did not worsen the patient's condition. For these reasons, the American Heart Association says less critical patients can continue using the drug.

“People have tendency to want to panic and stop the medication, when there is no evidence of harm,” said Dr. Mindy Gentry, MCG Health Cardiologist.

Dr. Gentry also says statin drugs, including Lipitor and Zocor may work better in preventing heart attacks.

“We recommend a high dose of statin therapy. If unable to achieve bad cholesterol target, there are other alternatives that you can discuss with your physician first,” said Dr. Gentry.