Table 12.

Currently available bile acid sequestrants for clinical use.

Bile acid sequestrant	Initial dosage	Maintenance dosage	LDL-C reduction	Comments
Cholestyramine resin	8 g/day in divided doses	16–24 g/day as monotherapy; lower doses if used with statins	Varies from 8.7% to 28% depending on dosage of resin	Take other drugs 1 h before or 3 h after, psylium augments action
Colestipol resin	10 g/day in divided doses	16–24 g/day as monotherapy; lower doses if used with statins	Similar to cholestyramine, varies with dosage of resin	Take other drugs 1 h before or 3 h after, psylium augments action
Colesevelam	Two or three 625 mg tabs twice daily (7 tabs/day max)		19% (with 3.8 g/day dose)	Take with a large glass of water, lowers HbA1C in type 2 diabetes