Ezetimibe is indicated for Primary Hypercholesterolemia and Hyperlipidemia (adjunct therapy with a statin).

Primary Hypercholesterolemia

• The patient should be placed on a standard cholesterol-lowering diet before receiving Ezetimibe and should continue on this diet during treatment with Ezetimibe.
• The recommended dose of Ezetimibe is 10 mg once daily. Ezetimibe can be administered with or without food.
• Ezetimibe may be administered with an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia) or with fenofibrate (in patients with mixed hyperlipidemia) for incremental effect.
• For convenience, the daily dose of Ezetimibe may be taken at the same time as the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor or fenofibrate, according to the dosing recommendations for the respective medications.

Side effects commonly associated with ezetimibe include-

• Asthenia
• Diarrhea
• Cough
• Back pain
• Nasopharyngitis

Asthenia

Diarrhea

Coughing

Nasopharyngitis

• Concurrent administration of Ezetimibe with a specific HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor or fenofibrate should be in accordance with the product labeling for that medication.
• In post-marketing experience with Ezetimibe, cases of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis have been reported regardless of causality. Most patients who developed rhabdomyolysis were taking an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor prior to initiating Ezetimibe.
• Due to the unknown effects of the increased exposure to ezetimibe in patients with moderate or severe hepatic insufficiency, Ezetimibe is not recommended in these patients.
• When ezetimibe is administered with an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor in a woman of childbearing potential, refer to the pregnancy category and product labeling for the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor.