BILE-ACID SEQUESTRANTS

The bile acid sequestrants, cholestyramine and colestipol, are the drugs of choice for the treatment of patients with hypercholesterolemia caused by increases in LDL-cholesterol levels without concurrent hypertriglyceridemia (type IIA and type IIB hyperlipoproteinemia). Longitudinal clinical studies with these drugs have shown their ability to slow the progression of atherosclerosis and to limit the consequences of the disease. Bile acid sequestrants can be used with other lipid-lowering drugs such as nicotinic acid or HMG CoA reductase inhibitors, to maximize the cholesterol-lowering effects. The side effect profile of the bile acid sequestrants is tolerable, with most complaints related to effects on the gastrointestinal tract and the bulkiness of the resins.