BILE ACID SEQUESTRANTS

Are you fighting with high cholesterol?Do you eat a low-fat diet, high fiber diet?Do you exercise on a regular basis?If so, you may want to talk to your doctor about taking a bile acid sequestrant to assist you in getting your cholesterol level under control.Your doctor can explain to you how cholesterol works in your body and why a bile acid sequestrant medication can help you get your cholesterol level under control, but here is a little information to get you started so that you can ask your doctor the right questions and begin to understand the answers.

What are bile acid sequestrants?Bile acid sequestrants are medications for lowering LDL cholesterol.(that's the bad cholesterol) How do they work?Bile acid sequestrants bind bile acids in the intestine and causes more bile acids to be eliminated in the stool.This process reduces the amount of bile acids from returning to the liver, that in turn forces the liver to produce more bile acids to replace what was lost in the stool.In order to produce more bile acids, the liver then must convert more cholesterol into bile acids which lowers the level of cholesterol in the bloodstream.

Bile acid sequestrants will lower LDL cholesterol to a small degree.A low dose can lower LDL cholesterol by 10%-15%, while a higher dose might lower LDL cholesterol by 25%.Bile acid sequestrants used by themselves are not as effective as satins - another type of cholesterol lowering medication.

Bile acid sequestrants are more helpful in reducing LDL cholesterol when it is combined with a satin or niacin .Niacins are also cholesterol lowering drugs.A satin/bile sequestrant combination can lower LDL cholesterol levels by about 50% comparedwith a satin alone.A satin/niacin can greatly reduce the LDL cholesterol level and it also elevates the HDL(good cholesterol) cholesterol.

Bile acid sequestrants, like most medications, are sold with a brand name but there are also generic types of bile acid sequestrant medications. It is important to know the generic and brand names and their potential side effects of bile acid sequestrants .Three brand names of bile acid sequestrants are Holestyramine, Cholestipol, and Colesevelam, the generic name foris Holestyramine is Questran, the generic name for Cholestipol is Colestid , and the generic name for Colesevelam is Welchol.

As with all medication bile acid sequestrants have side effects.Their most common side effects are gastrointestinal such as constipation, abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and excessive gas. Bile acid sequestrants can adhere to and decrease the absorption of other drugs so
make sure that you take the other medication 1 hour before or 4-6 hours after you take the bile acid sequestrants.Bile acid sequestrants also reduce the absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K.Long-term use may cause a deficiency of those vitamins so it is best to add a multi-vitamin supplement if you are taking any bile acid sequestrants.

As you can see when fighting with high cholesterol levels your doctor may prescribe taking a bile acid sequestrant, if with a low-fat, high fiber diet and exercise alone can't lower your cholesterol level to a safe level.If your doctor has prescribed an additional medication such as a satin or a niacin to go along with the bile acid sequestrant medication, you will understand that the reason is that alone the bile acid sequestrant may not lower your cholesterol enough to bring in line with a safe level.Remember, bile acid sequestrants work much better when it is taken in combination with a satin or a niacin.