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Is Zetia a Statin?

is zetia a statin

High cholesterol is a serious concern for anyone and usually means diet and lifestyle changes. For some, it is manageable through diet and exercise but if that isn’t enough, prescription drugs are the answer. Statins are often the preferred prescription solution for dealing with lowering bad cholesterol.

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Zetia is an effective drug that people have relied on for managing cholesterol. Many wonder if Zetia a statin because of the similar effects it has. To help solve that question and more, here are some points on what statins are and how Zetia differs.

What is Cholesterol?

For anyone wondering what cholesterol is, it is molecules that are made out of protein and form a wax-like substance. It is found in the cells of the body and helps make hormones, digest food, and Vitamin D.

Cholesterol travels through the blood stream in clumps called lipoproteins.

Lipoproteins are made out of two things, low-density and high-density. It is important to maintain healthy levels of both. A build-up of low density lipoproteins can cause issues because it begins to clog arteries. High-density lipoproteins are good because it collects cholesterol from all parts of the body and sends it to the liver where is it removed the body entirely.

An easy way to picture this is by looking at as a ball going through a pipe. The good cholesterol (high density) is in the middle of the ball and the bad cholesterol (low-density) surrounds it. As the amount of surrounding, low density cholesterol builds up it begins to create blockage in the pipe. If the pipe gets blocked, nothing can flow through.

Blockage in arteries is quite serious since arteries deliver blood the heart. This could easily lead to heart attacks and strokes.

What are Statins?

If for some reason a change in diet and increased exercise is not an enough, many health care professionals will subscribe statins. Most common cholesterol prescription drugs are statins (HMG- CoA reductase inhibitors). Statins are lipid-lowering medications which help lower bad cholesterol by preventing the liver from synthesizing new cholesterol.

People are often worried about taking statins since they could have pretty harmful side-effects like liver damage, muscle inflammation, and high blood sugar.

How does Zetia Differ from Statins?

Unlike statins, Zetia differs by stopping cholesterol from entering the blood stream through the intestines. What it effectively does is prevent cholesterol from being absorbed from the liver and attaches itself to feces. This means that the liver can extract cholesterol that exists within the body and does not have to deal with any added cholesterol coming from food. With diet, exercise, and Zetia, people are able to reduce their cholesterol naturally and eventually being to normalize their cholesterol levels. Even though both drugs do the same thing, they work in different ways which is why people may think that Zetia is a statin.

How effective is Zetia?

Studies have shown that Zetia could lower cholesterol levels by 26%, results vary depending on the person. Since Zetia works by bypassing the amount of work the liver needs to do, people taking the drug will experience a compounded effect alongside diet and exercise.

Zetia may be used with other statins too. Since both drugs work differently in the body, some health care professionals may prescribe a regiment of both drugs in an effort to reduce bad cholesterol.

Is Zetia a good option?

The best person to ask about whether or not Zetia is a good option would be your doctor. It takes careful management and observation to see how a certain regiment interacts with the body. For some, cholesterol may be more difficult to manage, even with prescription drugs.

Zetia has also been found to reduce cardiovascular illnesses and has been seen “statistically significant 6.4% relative reduction in the risk of cardiovascular events”. With the added benefits of this, Zetia may have multiple benefits.

Even with the benefits, Zetia does have side effects. Allergic reactions, unusually muscle weakness, chest pain, fever, and more are signs of serious side effects. Seek medical advice immediately if any of these symptoms are experienced.

Where can you get Zetia?

For anyone wondering if Zetia is a statin, it is not but it can work with statins, diet and exercise to help regulate bad cholesterol.

You can get Zetia from Canpharm which offers a great deal for branded and generic versions of Zetia. Canpharm offers a safe way to order, reliable, and at an extremely affordable rate.

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IMPORTANT NOTE: The above information is intended to increase awareness of health information and does not suggest treatment or diagnosis. This information is not a substitute for individual medical attention and should not be construed to indicate that use of the drug is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. See your health care professional for medical advice and treatment.