From the Guidelines
You should continue with your current medication regimen of Crestor 40 mg daily and Zetia 10 mg daily, as your LDL level of 50 mg/dL is excellent and indicates that your cholesterol-lowering therapy is working effectively. Your current LDL level is well below the recommended threshold of 70 mg/dL for patients at very high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) 1. While your triglyceride level of 173 mg/dL is slightly elevated, it's not significantly high enough to warrant changing your current medication strategy. To help further reduce your triglycerides, consider lifestyle modifications such as:
- Reducing intake of refined carbohydrates and sugars
- Limiting alcohol consumption
- Increasing physical activity
- Consuming more omega-3 fatty acids through fatty fish or supplements These medications work well together - Crestor (rosuvastatin) blocks cholesterol production in the liver while Zetia (ezetimibe) reduces cholesterol absorption in the intestines. This combination provides complementary mechanisms to effectively manage your cholesterol levels, and your current LDL result shows this approach is successful 1. Additionally, the 2022 standards of medical care in diabetes recommend lifestyle modification and statin therapy to improve lipid profiles and reduce the risk of developing ASCVD in patients with diabetes 1.
From the FDA Drug Label
5.1 Risks Associated with Combination Treatment with a Statin, Fenofibrate, or Other LDL-C Lowering Therapies The FDA drug label does not answer the question.
From the Research
Current Medication Regimen
- The user is currently taking Crestor 40 mg daily and Zetia 10 mg daily.
- LDL levels are at 50 and triglycerides are at 173.
Effectiveness of Current Medication
- According to 2, statins are the first-line lipid-lowering therapy, and ezetimibe can be prescribed in combination with a statin.
- The study 3 shows that rosuvastatin/ezetimibe combination is effective in reducing LDL-C and total cholesterol in adults with hypercholesterolemia.
- However, 4 suggests that rosuvastatin alone or in combination with fenofibrate or omega-3 fatty acids may increase lipoprotein(a) levels in patients with mixed hyperlipidemia.
Considerations for Continuing Medication
- 5 states that the additive effect of rosuvastatin and ezetimibe helps to reach lipid goals in high-risk patients while avoiding safety issues related to high dosages of intensive statin therapy.
- The study 6 finds that more frequent monitoring strategies are cost-effective compared to others, and regular lipid monitoring in those with and without CVD is likely to be beneficial to patients and to the health service.
Monitoring and Adjustment
- The user's current LDL and triglyceride levels should be monitored regularly to assess the effectiveness of the current medication regimen.
- Based on the studies, it may be beneficial to continue the current medication regimen, but regular monitoring and potential adjustments to the treatment plan should be made as necessary.