Nexletol Tablet: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Nexletol Tablet is a brand-name medicine containing bempedoic acid, used to lower high cholesterol in adults. It works by blocking an enzyme involved in cholesterol production, helping reduce 'bad' (LDL) cholesterol and the risk of heart attack and stroke. It is taken by mouth once daily, often alongside a low-cholesterol diet, and sometimes with another cholesterol-lowering medicine.

What is Nexletol Tablet

Nexletol is a brand-name tablet medicine used to lower high cholesterol in adults. It contains the active ingredient bempedoic acid, which blocks an enzyme involved in cholesterol production, helping to lower 'bad' (LDL) cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Nexletol Tablet uses

• Lowers bad cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in people with high cholesterol
• Lowers LDL-C in people with a genetic condition called heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH)
• Reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other major heart problems in people who are at risk but cannot take a statin
• Used along with a low-cholesterol diet, sometimes together with another cholesterol-lowering medicine

Benefits of Nexletol Tablet

• Lowers LDL ('bad') cholesterol
• Reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke
• Can be used by people who cannot tolerate statins

How Nexletol Tablet works

Nexletol reduces the amount of cholesterol your liver makes by blocking an enzyme called ACL. This lowers LDL cholesterol, which in turn reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke, and related problems.

Nexletol Tablet dosage

Take this medicine by mouth at the same time every day. It can be taken with or without food; if it upsets your stomach, take it with food. Keep taking it unless your care team tells you to stop, and try to take your dose around the same time each day.

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember; if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose as scheduled. Do not take double or extra doses.

This medicine is not approved for use in children. Talk to your doctor if you have trouble swallowing the tablets, since it isn't known if they can be crushed, split, or chewed.

Available forms and strengths

• Oral tablet (180 mg)

Side effects of Nexletol Tablet

Common

• Diarrhea
• Muscle spasms
• Stomach pain
• Common cold symptoms or infections in the nose and throat
• Back pain
• Anemia
• Liver problems (increased liver enzymes)
• Kidney problems
• Respiratory infections such as the common cold and bronchitis

Serious

• Allergic reactions — skin rash, itching, hives, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat
• High uric acid level — severe pain, redness, warmth, or swelling in joints, pain or trouble passing urine, pain in the lower back or sides
• Joint, muscle, or tendon pain, swelling, or stiffness
• Ruptured (torn) tendon, especially in the Achilles tendon, shoulder, or upper arm

Warnings and precautions

• Nexletol can cause severe allergic reactions, including swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat, trouble breathing, or wheezing. Stop the medicine and get help right away if this happens.
• Nexletol may increase the risk of a tendon tearing or becoming injured, including the Achilles tendon, shoulder, or upper arm tendons. Stop using the medicine and get medical help right away if you feel or hear a snap, see bruising, or cannot move or put weight on a limb.
• Nexletol can raise uric acid levels in the blood, which may lead to gout within the first few weeks of treatment and continue through treatment.
• Your risk of a tendon rupture may be higher if you are over 60, take corticosteroids or fluoroquinolone antibiotics, have kidney failure, or have had tendon problems before.
• It isn't known whether Nexletol is safe to use during pregnancy, and it may cause harm to a developing baby. Tell your doctor if you are or plan to become pregnant.
• You should not breastfeed while taking Nexletol, since it isn't known if it passes into breast milk, and it could seriously harm a breastfed child.
• Tell your care team if you have kidney problems before taking this medicine.
• Tell your care team if you have liver problems, as Nexletol can raise liver enzyme levels, a possible sign the liver isn't working correctly.
• There are no known interactions between Nexletol and alcohol, but drinking heavily may increase the risk of liver-related side effects.
• May increase uric acid levels and trigger gout.

Storage

• Store between 15 and 30 degrees C (59 and 86 degrees F)
• Keep this medication in the original container
• Protect from moisture
• Keep the container tightly closed
• Do not throw out the packet in the container; it keeps the medication dry
• Get rid of any unused medication after the expiration date
• Take the medication to a medication take-back program when no longer needed
• If you cannot return it, check the label to see if it should be thrown in the trash or flushed; if trash is safe, mix the medication with cat litter, dirt, or coffee grounds, seal in a bag, and throw it away
• Keep out of the reach of children and pets

When to see a doctor

• Get help right away if you have signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as breathing problems, wheezing, racing heart, swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat, trouble swallowing, hives, or dizziness.
• Call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of high uric acid or gout, such as severe foot pain (especially in the toe joint), warm or swollen joints, or joint redness.
• Tell your doctor right away if you feel or hear a tendon pop, or have pain, swelling, or bruising near a joint, as this could mean a ruptured tendon.
• If you think you have taken too much of this medicine, contact a poison control center or go to the emergency room right away.

Alternatives

• Evolocumab
• Rosuvastatin
• Atorvastatin
• Ezetimibe