{"id":19431,"date":"2019-10-31T10:39:22","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T17:39:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/?p=19431"},"modified":"2021-11-03T02:11:59","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T09:11:59","slug":"cholestyramine-11-proven-uses-cholestyramine-csm-6-things-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/cholestyramine-11-proven-uses-cholestyramine-csm-6-things-watch\/","title":{"rendered":"Cholestyramine (CSM) Uses & Side Effects"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cholestyramine (CSM) is a bile<\/a> acid sequestrant used to lower cholesterol<\/a> and to relieve itching associated with liver disease. Its other uses remain unproven. Read this post to learn about its evidence-based uses and side effects.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer:<\/i><\/b> Cholestyramine is available only with your doctor’s prescription. The aim of this post is to outline the scientific findings related to cholestyramine for purely informational purposes. Please discuss your medications with your doctor. <\/i><\/p>\n

What is Cholestyramine?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Overview<\/span><\/h3>\n

Cholestyramine is an oral medication used as add-on therapy to lower high cholesterol, along with diet and lifestyle changes. It is also used to reduce itching in people with blocked bile ducts (primary biliary obstruction), a type of liver disease<\/b>.<\/p>\n

These are the only proven, safe, and well-researched uses of cholestyramine.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, some doctors prescribe this drug off-label for Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS<\/a>) and other \u201cbiotoxin-related illness.\u201d This practice is not evidence-based and its safety is unknown.<\/p>\n

Additionally, most doctors do not accept that there is any causal connection between mold exposure and any health issue. In light of this, mold illness<\/a> and CIRS<\/a> are considered to be highly controversial, pseudo diagnoses. Similarly, what people subjectively describe as CIRS has been linked to psychological disorders [R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

Mechanism of Action<\/span><\/h3>\n

Cholestyramine (CSM) is <\/b>a bile acid sequestrant<\/i><\/b>.<\/b> It binds to bile<\/a> acids in the intestine, which prevents them from being reabsorbed into the body. Thus, the body eliminates more bile acids, along with cholestyramine, with the stool. To compensate, the liver turns more cholesterol to bile acids, which lowers cholesterol levels in the blood.<\/p>\n

Uses of Cholestyramine<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Effective for:<\/span><\/h3>\n

The only indications for cholestyramine are as an add-on therapy in people with high cholesterol and for the relief of itching due to certain forms of liver disease (partial biliary obstruction).<\/b><\/p>\n

Consult your doctor about any medication-related questions you may have as well as to learn more about how to properly use cholestyramine for these indications.<\/p>\n

1) Lowering High Blood Cholesterol<\/span><\/h3>\n

Cholestyramine is used as an add-on therapy to lower high cholesterol levels in the blood. Lowering cholesterol helps decrease the risk of strokes and heart attacks.<\/p>\n

It should be prescribed in addition to an adequate diet (e.g. low in cholesterol and saturated fats) and lifestyle changes aimed at maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. Some healthy lifestyle changes include exercising, losing weight if overweight, and stopping smoking.<\/p>\n

2) Itching due to Liver Disease<\/span><\/h3>\n

People with liver and biliary disease often experience itching. This symptom is thought to be a result of the accumulation of bile acids in the skin due to the inability of the liver or bile ducts to remove bile acids as well as they should [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

By binding to bile acids in the intestines, cholestyramine prevents their absorption and lowers their blood levels. This provides symptomatic relief for people with itching due to bile and liver disease.<\/p>\n

Additionally, one paper suggested that cholestyramine ointments might reduce diaper rashes in babies, but large-scale trials are lacking to back up its use for this purpose [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n