EZETIMIBE

Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitor

Brand names: EZETIMIBE, Zetia

Oral

Mechanism of Action

12.1 Mechanism of Action Ezetimibe reduces blood cholesterol by inhibiting the absorption of cholesterol by the small intestine. The molecular target of ezetimibe has been shown to be the sterol transporter, Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1), which is involved in the intestinal uptake of cholesterol and phytosterols. Ezetimibe localizes at the brush border of the small intestine and inhibits the absorption of cholesterol, leading to a decrease in the delivery of intestinal cholesterol to the liver. This causes a reduction of hepatic cholesterol stores and an increase in LDL receptors, resulting in clearance of cholesterol from the blood.

Indications

1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE Ezetimibe tablets are indicated: • In combination with a statin

or alone when additional low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering therapy is not possible

as an adjunct to diet to reduce elevated LDL-C in adults with primary hyperlipidemia

and other LDL-C lowering therapies

fenofibrate

or other LDL-C lowering therapies

Contraindications

• angioedema
• rash
• and urticaria have been reported [see Adverse Reactions (6.2) ]. When used in combination with a statin
• fenofibrate
• or other LDL-C lowering therapy

FDA Warnings

5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS • Risks Associated with Combination Treatment with a Statin, Fenofibrate, or Other LDL-C Lowering Therapies : Refer to the Prescribing Information of these products for a description of their risks including, but not limited to, the warnings and precautions
In post-marketing reports, most patients who developed rhabdomyolysis were taking a statin or other agents known to be associated with an increased risk of rhabdomyolysis, such as fibrates
1 Risks Associated with Combination Treatment with a Statin, Fenofibrate, or Other LDL-C Lowering Therapies If ezetimibe is administered with a statin, fenofibrate, or other LDL-C lowering therapies, refer to the Prescribing Information of these products for a description of their risks including, but not limited to, the warnings and precautions [see Contraindications (4) ]
In post-marketing reports, most patients who developed rhabdomyolysis were taking a statin or other agents known to be associated with an increased risk of rhabdomyolysis, such as fibrates

Known Side Effects

14 documented side effects by frequency

Fatigue

1-10%

Nausea

1-10%

Muscle Pain

1-10%

Drug Not Working

1-10%

Diarrhea

1-10%

Dizziness

1-10%

Shortness of Breath

1-10%

Headache

1-10%

Joint Pain

1-10%

Weakness

1-10%

Limb Pain

1-10%

Falls

0.1-1%

Vomiting

0.1-1%

General Unwellness

0.1-1%

Community Discussions

3 Reddit threads analysed for EZETIMIBE

Overall Sentiment

Mixed

Comparison Threads

Avg Post Score

6 upvotes

Comparison Threads

Threads directly comparing EZETIMIBE to other medications

Lipid hypothesis vs pleomorphic effects of statins

A lot of people feel it either goes one way or the other. Strong feelings in cardiology toward one or the other, but maybe they aren't mutually exclusive theories... How do you feel as a pharmacist? Are you cool seeing patients on statin + ezetimibe in primary prevention? Okay with patients on ezet

r/pharmacy128y ago

Patient Experiences (r/pharmacy, r/AskDocs & more)

Cholesterol start with statin+ezetimibe?

Hello, I work in Italy and recently I see more and more patients that are prescribed to start therapy for high cholesterol with the combination statin + ezetimibe. When I studied, I was tought to use maximally tollerated statin dose and then add ezetimibe if necessary. The latest guideline I found i

r/pharmacy15132y ago

Australian pharmacists/ techs doing DAA packs- a question

When you have to pack combo-pack meds (eg. rosuvastatin / ezetimibe (Rosuzet/ Ezalo) where the pack is two separate tablets daily instead of a single tablet with both medications, what is your preferred method for charting in the software? Both seem very imperfect and cause confusion with my patient

r/pharmacy211y ago

Community discussions are sourced from public Reddit threads. Content reflects individual opinions and is not medical advice.

Compare With

11 available comparisons

Formulations

Dosage Forms

Tablet

Route

Oral