Zetlow-10 Patient Counseling Information

Patients should be advised to adhere to their National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP)-recommended diet, a regular exercise program, and periodic testing of a fasting lipid panel.
Muscle Pain: All patients starting therapy with ezetimibe should be advised of the risk of myopathy and told to report promptly any unexplained muscle pain, tenderness or weakness. The risk of this occurring is increased when taking certain types of medication. Patients should discuss all medication, both prescription and over-the-counter, with their physician.
Liver Enzymes: Liver tests should be performed when ezetimibe is added to statin therapy and according to statin recommendations.
Pregnancy: Women of childbearing age should be advised to use an effective method of birth control to prevent pregnancy while using ezetimibe added to statin therapy. Discuss future pregnancy plans with your patients, and discuss when to stop combination ezetimibe and statin therapy if they are trying to conceive. Patients should be advised that if they become pregnant they should stop taking combination ezetimibe and statin therapy and call their healthcare professional.
Breastfeeding: Women who are breastfeeding should be advised to not use ezetimibe added to statin therapy. Patients who have a lipid disorder and are breastfeeding should be advised to discuss the options with their healthcare professionals.