ZETIA®
(EZETIMIBE) TABLETS
PATIENT INFORMATION ABOUT
ZETIA
(zet'-e-a)
G eneric nam e: ezetim ibe (e-zet-e-m ib )
Read this inform ation c a re fu lly before you start taking Z E T IA
and each tim e you get more Z E T IA . Th ere m ay be new inform ation.
T h is inform ation does not take the place of talking w ith your
doctor about yo ur m edical condition or yo ur treatm ent. If you have
any q u estio ns about Z E T IA , ask yo ur doctor. Only your doctor
can determ ine if Z E T IA is right for you.
WHAT IS
ZETIA
?
Z E T IA is a m edicine used to low er levels of total cho lestero l and
LDL (bad) cho lestero l in the blood. Z E T IA is for patients w ho
cannot control their cho lestero l le ve ls by diet and e x e rcise alone.
It can be used by itse lf or w ith other m e dicin es to treat high
cho le ste ro l. You should stay on a ch o le ste ro l-lo w e rin g diet w hile
taking this m edicine.
Z E T IA w o rks to reduce the am ount of cho lestero l your body
ab so rb s. Z E T IA does not help you lose w eight. Z E T IA has not been
show n to prevent heart d ise a se or heart attacks.
For more inform ation about cholesterol, see the "W h a t should I know
about high ch o le ste ro l?" sectio n that follow s.
WHO SHOULD NOT TAKE
ZETIA?
• Do not take Z E T IA if you are a lle rg ic to ezetim ibe, the active
ingredient in Z E T IA , or to the inactive ingred ients. For a list of
in a ctive ing red ients, see the "In active ingred ients" section
that follow s.
• If you have a ctive liver d ise a se , do not take Z E T IA w h ile taking
ch o le ste ro l-lo w e rin g m e d icin e s called statins.
• If you are pregnant or b re ast-fe e d ing , do not take Z E T IA w hile
taking a statin.
• If you are a w om an of child b earin g age, you should use an
e ffective m ethod of birth control to prevent p regn ancy w hile
using Z E T IA added to statin therapy.
Z E T IA has not been studied in children under age 10.
WHAT SHOULD I TELL MY DOCTOR BEFORE
AND WHILE TAKING
ZETIA?
Tell yo ur doctor about any p rescriptio n and n o n-p rescrip tio n
m e dicin es you are taking or plan to take, including natural
or herbal rem edies.
Tell your doctor about all your m edical conditions including allergies.
Tell yo ur doctor if you:
• ever had liver problem s. Z E T IA m ay not be right for you.
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Your doctor w ill discuss with
you whether Z E T IA is right for you.
•are breast-feed ing . W e do not know if Z E T IA can p a ss to your
baby through your m ilk. Your doctor w ill d isc u ss w ith you w hether
Z E T IA is right for you.
• exp e rie nce unexplained m uscle pain, te n d e rn e ss, or w e a k n e ss.
HOW SHOULD I TAKE
ZETIA?
• Take Z E T IA once a day, w ith or w ithout food. It m ay be e a sie r to
rem em ber to take your dose if you do it at the sam e tim e every
day, such as w ith b re akfast, dinner, or at bedtim e. If you also take
another m edicine to reduce yo ur cho le ste ro l, a sk yo ur doctor if
you can take them at the sam e tim e.
• If you forget to take Z E T IA , take it a s soon as you rem em ber.
H ow ever, do not take more than one dose of Z E T IA a day.
• Continue to follow a ch o le ste ro l-lo w e rin g diet w hile taking
Z E T IA . A sk yo ur doctor if you need diet inform ation.
• Keep taking Z E T IA u n le ss your doctor te lls you to stop. It is
im portant that you keep taking Z E T IA even if you do not feel sick.
Se e your doctor re g ularly to che ck your cho le ste ro l level and
to che ck for side e ffe cts. Your doctor m ay do blood te sts to
check your liver before you start taking Z E T IA w ith a statin and
during treatm ent.
WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF
ZETIA?
In c lin ic a l s tu d ie s p a tie n ts rep orted fe w sid e e ffe c ts w h ile
tak in g Z E T IA . T h e se in clu d e d d ia rrh e a , jo in t p a in s, and
fe e lin g tired.
P atie n ts have exp erienced severe m uscle problem s w hile
taking Z E T IA , u su ally w hen Z E T IA w a s added to a statin drug.
If you exp erience unexplained m uscle pain, te n d e rn e ss, or
w e a k n e ss w hile taking Z E T IA , contact your doctor immediately.
You need to do this promptly, because on rare occasions, these
m uscle problem s can be se rio u s, w ith m uscle breakdow n
resulting in kidney dam age.
A d d ition ally, the follow ing side e ffe cts have been reported in
general use: a lle rg ic re a ctio n s (w hich m ay require treatm ent
right aw ay) inclu d in g sw e llin g of the fa c e , lip s, tongue, a nd/o r
thro at that m ay cau se diffi cu lty in b reathing or sw a llo w in g ,
rash, and h ives; raised red rash, som etim es w ith targ et-shap ed
le s io n s ; jo in t p ain; m u sc le a c h e s ; a lte ra tio n s in som e
la b o ra to ry blood te s ts ; liv e r p ro b le m s; sto m a ch p ain;
in fla m m a tio n of the p a n c re a s ; n a u s e a ; d iz z in e s s ; tin g lin g
se n sa tio n ; d e p re ssio n ; h e adache ; g a llsto n e s; inf i am m ation of
the gallbladder.
Tell yo ur doctor if you are having these or any other m edical
problem s w hile on Z E T IA . For a com plete list of side e ffe cts,
ask your doctor or pharm acist.
WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT HIGH CHOLESTEROL?
C h olesterol is a type of fat found in your blood. Your total
cho lestero l is m ade up of LDL and HDL cholesterol.
LDL cho lestero l is called "bad" cho lestero l because it can build
up in the w a ll of your a rte rie s and form plaque. Over tim e, plaque
bu ild-up can cau se a narrow ing of the arte rie s. T h is narrow ing
can slo w or block blood f i ow to yo ur heart, brain, and other organs.
High LDL cho lestero l is a m ajor cau se of heart d ise a se and one of
the c a u se s for stroke.
HDL cho lestero l is called "good" cho lestero l b ecause it keeps the
bad cho lestero l from building up in the arte rie s.
T rig lyce rid e s also are fats found in your blood.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT
ZETIA
M e d icin e s are som etim es prescrib ed for conditions that are not
m entioned in patient inform ation leaf i ets. Do not use Z E T IA for
a condition for w h ich it w a s not p rescribed. Do not give Z E T IA to
other people, even if they have the sam e condition you have.
It m ay harm them .
T h is sum m arizes the m ost im portant inform ation about Z E T IA .
If you w ould like more inform ation, talk w ith your doctor. You can
ask your p h arm acist or doctor for inform ation about Z E T IA that
is w ritten for health p rofe ssio nals.
Inactive ingredients:
C ro sca rm e llo se sodium , lactose m onohydrate, m agnesium
ste arate , m icro crysta llin e ce llu lo se , povidone, and sodium
lauryl sulfate.
Issued J u ly 2009
R E V 21
29480885T
( e z e t i m
i b e )
Tablets
MERCK/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals
M anufactured for:
M e rck /S c h e rin g -P lo u g h P h a rm ace u ticals
North W a le s , PA 19454, U SA
20 950062(5)(885)-ZET
