http://www.zetia.com Zetia or Ezetrol is a prescription drug given once a day as 10mg tablets with or without a mealused to treat cholesterol by lowering cholesterol absorbtion in the small intestine. It is prescribed in addition to dietary obligations where hypercholesterolaemia and phytosterolemia need to be managed. The generic name for the drug is ezetimibe. The desired effect of the drug is to lower cholesterol and reduce arterial plaque buildup. While the drug decreases cholesterol levels, clinical trials in 2008 and 2009 showed that the drug did not have a desired effect on major cornoary events and artery wall thickness, in fact often artery wall thickness was shown to increase in patients. Certain doctors and experts would agree that Zetia or generic zetia should only be used with patients who have not seen desired results from any other schedule of medication, excercise, or diet. Other drugs that are used to achieve similar desired results are atorvastatin and rosuvastatin. Currently a slow-release niacin treatment, Niaspan, is being tested for the same desired results, which is less expensive, but still being developed.
Ezetimibe has been combined with simvastatin in attempts to achieve better results in lowering a patient’s lipid levels than atorvastatin and rosuvastatin. Another combination with fenofibrate (Tricor or Trilipix) was approved in 2006 to treat mixed hyperlipidaemia. Adverse reactions include headache and/or diarrhea. Some patients experienced myalgia (muscle pain) and/or raised liver function tests, due to its metabolization therein. People with hepatic impairment are not recommended to take ezetimibe due to the heavier workload it puts on the liver. A small number of patients suffered hypersensitivity with rashes or myopathy (muscle weakness). Patients using ezetimibe (or Zetia or Ezetrol) take one tablet of 10mg daily at any time, with or without a meal. Patients using ezetimibe (or Zetia or Ezetrol) are cautioned to be aware of possible side effects. The majority of these side effects were noted to be headaches, fatigue, and hypersensitivity, such as rashes. In a few rare cases, patients developed arthralgia (joint pain), myalgia (muscle pain), hepatitis or aggravated hepatitis due to an existing condition, pancreatitis, myopathy (muscle weakness or failure), cholecystitis (inflamed gall bladder), cholelithiasis (gallstones), thromocytopenia (low blood platelete count), and rhabdomyolysis (breaking down of skeletal muscle tissue). As with all prescription drugs and health concerns, speak with a qualified health professional, either a doctor or a certified physician’s assistant, before starting a treatment plan. High cholesterol is a growing concern for many people, though there are many available options, such as diet and excercise, before taking a prescription drug to combat arterial plaque and high levels of cholesterol.
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