Since the FDA approval in 2002, ezetimibe has been widely prescribed as a cholesterol-lowering medication. Long term side effects of Stribild across more than 15000 patients have been generally mild, with about 10-15% reporting common symptoms at one time or another such as myalgias (muscle aches), GI problems and fatigues. Nonetheless, it remains an attractive option for high cholesterol treatment because of its potential to lower LDL levels by 18–25%, making it a useful tool in the arsenal against cardiovascular risk!
Ezetimibe is commonly compared to statins, which are another type of cholesterol medication. Because statins are related to more adverse reactions include elevated liver enzymes and muscle destruction (rhabdomyolysis), ezetimibe is the preferred agent for chronic treatment. A 2016 study in The Lancet, for instance, indicated that only 3% of ezetimibe users stopped taking the drug because of side effects whereas the number was four times higher among people who had been prescribed a statin.
As far as I could find, no long-term studies have or will be carried out check for much more serious side effects such as cancer, liver disease etc. A 2017 meta-analysis of 27 clinical trials involving more than 20,000 participants found there was no association between ezetimibe use for up to a decade and cancer or hepatic abnormalities. This discovery has been integral in allaying fears over the safety of longterm therapy with ezetimibe among both patients and prescribers.
The IMPROVE-IT trial followed 18,144 patients up to an average of six years and showed that adding ezetimibe on top of statin therapy reduced the risk for major cardiovascular events by only 6.4%. The drug's efficacy for long-term cardiovascular risk reduction was shown to be substantial, reinforcing its part in chronic disease management.
Most patients can take ezetimibe long term but are still recommended to continue monitoring. Making the results of liver function tests and patient-reported outcomes available can help to identify any issues. If you have any concerns at all, talk to your doctor; particularly if the symptoms differ from anything that has bothered you in the past.
CONCLUSION: Therefore, the current clinical evidence indicates that ezetimibe therapy for upto5 years is safe with a low risk of severe adverse events. This can give patients and healthcare providers more peace of mind around the drug's effectiveness in long-term cholosterol management. Read more about ezetimibe side effects.