Differentiated dosage of microporous colestyramine and its double-blind comparison with a placebo in hypercholesterolaemic patients.

ABSTRACT

A double-blind trial of microporous colestyramine (MPC) at different dosages was undertaken on 18 hypercholesterolaemic patients (Fredrickson classification Type II A) in three groups. During the attack phase of four weeks, three dosage regimens of MPC were used, 9 g, 12 g and 18 g for six patients in each group. During the maintenance phase of eight weeks, the patients were divided into two groups of nine each, one group receiving MPC 9 g/day and the other a placebo. The attack phase demonstrated the efficacy of the MPC therapy at all three dosage levels with minimal side-effects and the maintenance phase showed significant adverse variations in the total and HDL-cholesterol levels and in the intraratio in the placebo group, and in the physician's and patients judgement of the efficacy of the MPC therapy compared with the placebo. It is considered that MPC provides an excellent alternative therapy for prolonged treatment of hypercholesterolaemia, where a specific diet therapy is unacceptable.