Has anyone had side effects from Zetia yet?

I have read the last 5 or 6 thread about zetia and it seems since they are NOT a statin that people haven't been experiencing side-effects...or are they?

I have been on Lipitor for about 7 months and don't know which of my symptoms I can attribute to the Lipitor. Luckily I haven't had much muscle pain but I have had higher liver enzyme test results, extreme fatigue, along with hairloss/thinning, and my face has become quite plump/rounded but I haven't gained much weight.

I was just prescribe Zetia and I might wait a few/several days before starting it...I am wondering if being off of Lipitor before I start Zetia may improve some of those sypmtoms I mentioned.

Hmmm.

No, I do no not believe waiting is going to improve these issues. What does your doctor say? I don't believe those are listed in the pi. Anyway they are not side effects of zetia. You can always look online or at the package insert of the medication for full prescribing information

I was on liptor for a few years and had severe muscle pain, and was almost crippled by it. Then one day was rushed to ER and the dr there took me off liptor. it is a known fact liptor weakens muscles, including the heart. I was then prescribed zetia. I was told it was a very mild drug. It did help my cholesterol a little bit, but then I had to stop taking it due to guess what? severe back pain. I went on nih.gov website and that is one of the side effects. Because I walk 3 to 5 miles a day, I could not continue taking zetia. That was my only side effect with this drug. Good luck.

Originally Posted by K403

No, I do no not believe waiting is going to improve these issues. What does your doctor say? I don't believe those are listed in the pi. Anyway they are not side effects of zetia. You can always look online or at the package insert of the medication for full prescribing information

So are you of the opinion that if a side-effect is not listed in the pi then it could not be related to that medication?

I have read of other side effects that people say they experience. Although it is anecdotal I think that there can be more side effects than listed in the pi.

Originally Posted by rnmcd

So are you of the opinion that if a side-effect is not listed in the pi then it could not be related to that medication?

I have read of other side effects that people say they experience. Although it is anecdotal I think that there can be more side effects than listed in the pi.

You are sooooo right. If you notice in the sheet from the drugstore that comes with your prescription med it say all the side effect, then at the end it says: if you notice any side effects not listed contact your doctor immediately. I've noticed side effects not listed with my toprol xl bp med but it was not listed as a side effect.

Originally Posted by rnmcd

So are you of the opinion that if a side-effect is not listed in the pi then it could not be related to that medication?

I have read of other side effects that people say they experience. Although it is anecdotal I think that there can be more side effects than listed in the pi.

No, I think people read the insert that their medication comes in, go on the computer, etc and all of a sudden they have every side effect that is listed. Just becuase someone has hair loss does not mean neccessarily that it is assoc. with zeita or a statin. What other meds are they taking? Stress?? Etc. My point is, after 10 plus years as a registered RPh I see this on a day to day basis. I do however feel that there are true side effects that can be outside the pi but you need to weigh all the facts first.

My husband had to stop Lipitor due to his arms locking up-he couldn't even pick up a coffee cup. The Dr had him try Zetia. After 3 days he had to stop taking it. It made him so tired he thought he would pass out. Apparently it not only removed the cholesterol from his digestive system, it also removed any the food from his system so he was not getting any benefit from the food he was eating. I'm not saying it will happen to everyone, but if it does happen, stop taking it.

I have been taking Zetia for five weeks with no noticable side effects. I go in next week after six weeks on the medication to see if it did its job to lower my high cholesterol.