Patient/caregiver was instructed upon Ezetimibe and mechanism of action of Ezetimibe as follows
- Ezetimibe is an anti-cholesterol medication used in individuals with complaint of hypercholesterolemia, to help reduce the lipid levels in the blood.
- Ezetimibe works by reducing the dietary absorption of cholesterol from the intestines into the blood.
- Due to reduced dietary absorption of cholesterol from the intestines into the blood, secondary to Ezetimibe use, blood lipid levels slowly decrease.
- Ezetimibe can be prescribed along with other lipid lowering agents, such as, fibrates, which act to increase the breakdown of excess cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.
- Ezetimibe can also be prescribed along with other lipid lowering agents, such as, statins, which act to inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol within the cells of the body. Cholesterol is important for the cellular needs. Since the biosynthesis of cholesterol within the cells is inhibited by statins, cholesterol is increasingly picked up from the blood and transported into the cells, to be utilized for cellular needs.
- This combined therapy of Ezetimibe with other lipid lowering agents, such as, statins or fibrates, helps with lowering the elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood even faster.
