ZETIA EZETIMIBE CHOLESTEROL LOWERING STUDY ZETIA DOESN'T SEEM TO LOWER HEART CLOGGING PLAQUE A DRUG WITH LESS SIDE EFFECTS EFFICACY IS QUESTIONED

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One of the alternative cholesterol lowering drugs is Zetia (ezetimibe). The value of Zetia to halt or decrease artery clogging atherosclerotic plaque in the heart has come into question. Zetia has been viewed as a way to lower cholesterol without the possible systemic side effects of the more powerful statin cholesterol drugs. Some people just don't like or tolerate statins like Lipitor, Crestor or Zocor.

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Omega 3 and the Heart


Doctors knew that Zetia did not lower cholesterol as much as the statins but it was hoped that in some people the effect would be enough to do the trick. However, reports have questioned if Zetia, even if lowering cholesterol,is helping sufficiently and if it has any impact on the buildup of plaque deposits in the arteries of the heart. When too much plaque lines the walls of the arteries it increases the chance that an artery can become clogged and close off thus setting in motion a heart attack.




"A popular cholesterol-lowering drug failed to help slow the buildup of artery-clogging plaque in a long-awaited study, the companies that market the medication said yesterday, raising questions about whether its use should be limited. The drug, Vytorin (a combination of Zetia and Zocor), also did not reduce the thickness of plaque lining artery walls, a significant disappointment for the manufacturers"

Click here to READ ABOUT STATINS THE MOST POWERFUL CHOLESTEROL REDUCERS AND HOW THEY WORK AND SIDE EFFECTS



In the classic explanation of the dangers of high cholesterol, high cholesterol leads to the narrowing of the coronary arteries and a plaque may break off and block or occlude the artery. The result is little or no blood flow to the part of the heart being supplied by that artery and a heart attack. As Dr. Peter Libby of Harvard points outsometimes a plaque grows so large that it virtually halts the blood flow in an artery and generates a heart attack or stroke.





Some doctors like Zetia because it works in the intestine to block cholesterol absorption, not in the liver like statins. So potentially it has fewer side effects. But now the question is should they prescribe Zetia if it doesn't help with artery plaques?

Drug Doesn't Slow Artery Clogs, Study Says

"Previous studies have shown Zetia and Vytorin are effective at lowering cholesterol, but other medications that do this have been shown to have additional benefits, such as slowing the buildup of plaque or sometimes even shrinking it, and reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes and lowering mortality rates".