Liver uses cholesterol to make bile
acids needed for digestion. Bile acid sequestrant binds to pile acid
and eliminated in the stool. So liver uses more cholesterol to make
bile acid, instead of re-circulating the available pile acid.
Available Bile acid sequestrants medications
- Cholestyramine (Questran®, Questran® Light, Prevalite®, Locholest®, Locholest® Light)
- Colestipol (Colestid®)
- Colesevelam Hcl (WelChol®
Who can be benefited by Bile acid sequestrant
Bile acid sequestrant are suitable for those who
- Has elevated cholesterol (particularly total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol),
- Unable to tolerate other cholesterol medications because of liver or muscle side effects.
How to take Sequestrants
- Bile acid sequestrant medications are available as powders or tablets.
- Sequestrants indicate that their long-term use is safe.
- Bile acid sequestrant powders must be mixed with water or fruit juice
and taken once, twice or rarely three times daily with meals.
- Tablets must be taken with large amounts of fluids to avoid gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Sequestrants may interfere with the absorption of other medicines.
Therefore other medications should be taken at least 1 hour before or 4
- 6 hours after.
Expected benefits of Sequestrants medication
•
Lower LDL cholesterol by about 15 - 30 percent. Even small doses of
sequestrants can produce reductions in LDL cholesterol.
•
Bile acid sequestrants are sometimes prescribed with a statin for
patients with heart disease to increase cholesterol reduction. When
these 2 drugs are combined, their effects are added to lower LDL
cholesterol by over 40 %.
Possible side effects of bile acid sequestrants
- stomach irritation, constipation or diarrhoea.
These
symptoms will likely to disappear after a week or so. If problems with
constipation develop and last more than one week, add stewed prunes,
prune juice, bran, and more water to the diet. Increase in physical
activity may also help this problem.
