The bile acid sequestrants are a group of medications that binds with bile in the gastrointestinal tract, which helps the lower cholesterol levels.
What is Bile acid sequestrants? How does it work?
What is Bile acid sequestrants? Bile acid sequestrants help to lower LDL cholesterol level in the blood circulation. These medicines usually prescribed along with other cholesterol-lowering medicine e.g. Statins.
How does Bile acid sequestrants? It binds to the intestinal bile acids, prevents its reabsorbed, and eliminate it. Therefore, the liver has to use stored fat to synthesize bile acid to make up the losses. Thus, lower cholesterol level in the blood circulation. Unfortunately, the resins can increase triglyceride levels.
What can expect from bile-acid-sequestrates drug medication? Sequestrants can lower LDL cholesterol by about 15 to 30 percent. Raise HDL cholesterol by 3% to 5%. May increase triglycerides. Even small doses of sequestrants can reduce LDL cholesterol. Sometimes, the doctor may prescribe bile acid sequestrants along with statin for patients with heart disease to increase cholesterol reduction. This combination can add up benefits of this both medication types to lower LDL cholesterol by over 40 %.
How do you take bile-acid-sequestrates drugs? These drugs are available as powders or tablets. The powders must mix with water or fruit juice and taken once, twice, or rarely three times a day with meals. Tablets must take with a lot of fluids just to avoid gastrointestinal symptoms. It may interfere with the absorption of other drugs thus, should take other medication drugs at least one hour before or four to six hours after.
Who can use Bile acid sequestrant drugs?
Bile acid sequestrant is suitable for those who have elevated cholesterol (particularly total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels) and if unable to tolerate other cholesterol medications, because of the side effects of liver or muscle.
The bile acid sequestrant drugs are one of the earliest classes of medications used to lower cholesterol levels. Presently, doctors avoid prescribing it, because of their various side effects.
Available Bile acid sequestrants brands
Common bile-acid-sequestrants cholesterol drugs available on the market are:
- Cholestyramine (Questran®, Questran® Light, Prevalite®, Locholest®, Locholest® Light)
- Colestipol (Colestid®)
- Colesevelam HCl (WelChol®
4+ Side effects of Bile-acid-sequestrates
The most common side effects of Bile acid sequestrants are:
- Gastrointestinal side effects predominate; they are vomiting, heartburn, bloating, abdominal pain, an excess of intestinal gas (flatulence), constipation, and diarrhea.
- Interfering with vitamin absorption, thus could cause vitamin deficiencies.
- Gallstones
- Weight loss
These symptoms will be 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. The increase in your physical activity may also help this problem.