Am I receiving inferior treatment?

No, your cholesterol is being treated in line with the latest available evidence which suggests that statins are a much better treatment.

Important information

• You might need to have a follow up fasting blood test 8-12 weeks after stopping Ezetimibe if you have been started on a statin. Please make sure you arrange this with the practice once you start your new tablets.

• If you have been started on a statin and you also take an anticoagulant medicine such as Warfarin, Acenocoumarol (nicoumalone) or Phenindione, you should let your anticoagulant clinic know of your medication change within two to three weeks.

• Grapefruit juice can affect the way that statins work and should be avoided.

• Do not stop taking any of your medication unless you are told to do so by your doctor.

What do I do next?

• If you are happy with the proposed changes then you don’t need to do anything else. When you are due to collect your next prescription the changes will have been made for you.

• If you would like any more advice or information please contact your surgery or pharmacist.

Ref: MH3953 • Date of publication: Dec 11 © Kirklees Primary Care Trust • www.kirklees.nhs.uk

This information can be made available in other formats including large print and other languages.

Important changes to your medication

Discontinuation of your Ezetimibe (Ezetrol / Inegy)

What is changing about my medicine?

You will no longer be prescribed Ezetimibe (Ezetrol, Inegy) tablets which were prescribed to help lower your cholesterol. Why is this change taking place?

There is currently a national review of the prescribing of Ezetimibe in line with the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines. NICE says that Ezetimibe should only be used in limited circumstances, when a patient has tried all statins available (such as Simvastatin, Pravastatin, Atorvastatin, Rosuvastatin and Fluvastatin) but is unable to tolerate any of them. What are statins?

Statins are a group of drugs that are used for reducing cholesterol. Why is Ezetimibe not recommended?

As well as reducing cholesterol, statins help prevent people from having a cardiovascular event e.g. heart attack or stroke. The current evidence to show that Ezetimibe helps prevent cardiovascular events is weak, hence statins should be used as a fi rst line where possible.

Will this change affect everybody?

It will affect all patients within the surgery currently prescribed Ezetimibe who do not have an intolerance to statins. Each patient has been reviewed on an individual basis before the decision has been made to discontinue the medicine.

What is classed as an intolerance?

NICE classifi es intolerance as unacceptable risks such as; new onset muscle pain; gastro-intestinal (stomach) disturbances or alterations to liver function tests (LFTs). Intolerance will have been looked at during your individual patient review.

How will I control my cholesterol then?

If you are already taking a statin, your cholesterol will continue to be controlled in this way. Your doctor will review your cholesterol as normal. If you are not already taking a statin, you may now have been started on one which will be on your repeat prescription the next time you collect it and you will be informed of this separately.

How do I take my new medicine?

If you have been started on a statin, you should take it once daily in the evening. This could be anytime from 6pm onwards — whenever you fi nd it easier to remember. Are there any side effects with statins?

As with all medicines, statins do have some side effects, a list of which can be found in the information leafl et included with your medicine. Sometimes statins can cause unexplained muscle pain. This is not usually a serious side effect however it is important that you report it to your doctor to investigate.