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What is the most important information I should know about ezetimibe?
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Do not stop taking ezetimibe unless directed to do so by your doctor.
It may be weeks or months before beneficial effects are seen from this
medication. |
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Ezetimibe reduces the amount of cholesterol absorbed by the body. |
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Ezetimibe is used to reduce the amount of total cholesterol, LDL (bad)
cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B (a protein needed to make cholesterol)
in the blood. Ezetimibe is used with a low cholesterol diet and, in some
cases, other cholesterol lowering medications. |
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Ezetimibe may also be used for purposes other than those listed in
this medication guide. |
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What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking
ezetimibe?
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Before taking ezetimibe, tell your doctor if you |
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are taking another cholesterol-lowering medication; or |
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have unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness. |
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You may not be able to take ezetimibe, or you may require a dosage
adjustment or special monitoring during treatment. |
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Ezetimibe is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is
not known whether ezetimibe will be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not
take ezetimibe without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant
or could become pregnant during treatment. |
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It is not known whether ezetimibe passes into breast milk. Do not
take ezetimibe without first talking to your doctor if you are
breast-feeding a baby. |
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How should I take ezetimibe?
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Take ezetimibe exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not
understand these instructions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to
explain them to you. |
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Take each dose with a full glass of water. |
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Take ezetimibe once a day with or without food. It may be easier to
remember to take the medication if you take it at the same time every
day. |
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Ezetimibe should be taken 2 hours before or 4 hours after a bile
acid sequestrant such as cholestyramine (Locholest, Prevalite, Questran),
colestipol (Colestid), or colesevelam (Welchol). |
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Eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. To see beneficial effects from
ezetimibe avoid fatty, high-cholesterol foods. |
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Your doctor may want to monitor cholesterol levels, liver function,
or other factors with blood tests before starting and during treatment
with ezetimibe. Depending on the results of these tests, your doctor can
determine how much monitoring you will require. |
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Do not stop taking ezetimibe unless directed to do so by your doctor.
It may be weeks or months before beneficial effects are seen from this
medication. |
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Store ezetimibe at room temperature away from moisture and heat. |
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What happens if I miss a dose?
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Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it is
almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take only the
next regularly scheduled dose. Do not take a double dose of the
medication. |
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What happens if I overdose?
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Seek emergency medical attention. |
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Symptoms of an ezetimibe overdose are not known. |
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What should I avoid while taking ezetimibe?
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Eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. To see beneficial effects from
ezetimibe avoid fatty, high-cholesterol foods. |
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What are the possible side effects of ezetimibe?
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If you experience an uncommon allergic reaction (difficulty
breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face;
or hives), stop taking ezetimibe and seek emergency medical attention. |
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Other, less serious side effects have also been reported, although
uncommon. Continue to take ezetimibe and talk to your doctor if you
experience |
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Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to
your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is
especially bothersome. |
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What other drugs will affect ezetimibe?
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Before taking ezetimibe, tell your doctor if you are taking: |
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another medicine to lower cholesterol such as gemfibrozil (Lopid),
fenofibrate (Tricor), clofibrate (Atromid-S), atorvastatin (Lipitor),
fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Altocor, Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol),
or simvastatin (Zocor). |
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cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral, Gengraf). |
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You may not be able to take ezetimibe, or you may require a dosage
adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if you are taking any
of the medications listed above. |
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Ezetimibe should be taken 2 hours before or 4 hours after a bile
acid sequestrant such as cholestyramine (Locholest, Prevalite, Questran),
colestipol (Colestid), or colesevelam (Welchol). |
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Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with ezetimibe.
Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before taking any prescription or
over-the-counter medicines, including herbal products. |
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Where can I get more information?
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Your pharmacist may have more information about ezetimibe written
for health professionals that you may read. |
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Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of
children, never share your medicines with others, and use this
medication only for the indication prescribed. |
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Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided
by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete,
but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained
herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for
use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and
therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States
are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug
information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend
therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed
to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients
and/ or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and
not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of
healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or
drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug
or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given
patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of
healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The
information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses,
directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions,
or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking,
check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. |
Copyright 1996-2004 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 2.01. Revision date: 7/
28/ 04. |
