Pharmacology, part 22.2: Cardiovascular Medications - Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors

Hi, I'm Cathy with Level Up RN. In this brief video, I will be discussing cholesterol absorption inhibitors. And at the end of the video, I'm going to give you guys a little quiz to test your understanding of some of the key facts I'll be covering. So be sure to stay for that. Cholesterol absorption inhibitors are used to treat high cholesterol or hypercholesterolemia. The key medication to know within this drug class is ezetimibe, which is brand named Zetia. Our cool chicken hint to help you remember this medication and what it's used for is to think ezetimibe makes it easy to bring down your cholesterol levels. Ezetimibe can be used alone, but it is often prescribed with a statin to lower cholesterol levels when the patient is not meeting their cholesterol goals with statin therapy alone. In terms of mode of action, as the name implies, cholesterol absorption inhibitors, such as ezetimibe, inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine. So whenever I see the Z in ezetimibe, it helps to remind me that ezetimibe helps cholesterol zip through the small intestine and not get absorbed.

Side effects may include a runny nose, sore throat, and joint pain. In addition, there is an increased risk for hepatotoxicity or liver damage when taking ezetimibe. Therefore, you'll want to monitor your patient's liver function throughout therapy, including their ALT and AST levels. When taken alone, muscle pain is not a common side effect of ezetimibe. However, if ezetimibe is used in combination with a statin, there is an increased risk for muscle pain and rhabdomyolysis. So rhabdomyolysis is the breakdown of muscle tissue that releases a protein called myoglobin into the bloodstream, which can go on to damage the kidneys. So if a patient taking ezetimibe develops muscle pain, then creatine kinase or CK levels should be checked because elevated CK levels are indicative of muscle damage, which may indicate that the patient is experiencing rhabdomyolysis.

All right, it's quiz time, and I have three questions for you. Question number 1. What is the mode of action of ezetimibe?

The answer is... it inhibits the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine.

Question number 2. There is an increased risk of muscle pain and rhabdomyolysis if ezetimibe is combined with a statin, true or false?

The answer is... true.

And question number 3. In addition to cholesterol levels, what other lab values should be monitored during ezetimibe therapy?

The answer islll liver enzymes, including ALT and AST, due to the risk for hepatotoxicity. And if the patient develops muscle pain, then creatine kinase or CK levels should be checked as well.

All right. That's it for this video. I hope it was helpful. Take care and good luck with studying.