Cholestyramine and vitamin supplementation

[terre]

After reading info on Cholestyramine, I know you are to take meds or supplements one hour before or 4 hours after taking. It also discusses that it can deplete certain fat soluble vitamins.

The following nutrients or ions may be depleted with long-term use of cholestyramine: beta-carotene, folic acid, calcium, magesium, iron, zinc, vitamins A, D, E, and K. Supplementation, especially with folic acid may be beneficial.1

Chronic use of cholestyramine may be associated with increased bleeding tendency due to hypoprothrombinemia associated with vitamin K deficiency. This will usually respond promptly to parenteral vitamin K1 and recurrences can be prevented by oral administration of vitamin K1.

I supplement with D3, Calcium, Magnesium and B12.....does anyone supplement with any of the other vitamins while taking Cholestyramine? Do I just need to worry about these if I take "long-term" or "chronic use"? Any suggestions would be helpful as I am wanting try this med.

Thanks,
Terre

[tex]

Terre,

I've never used it, but my impression is that most people here don't have those issues because they don't use it as a long-term treatment. Hopefully those who have used it for a while will offer their thoughts on this.

Tex

[dfpowell]

Terre,

I have been on Colestyramine 2x/day since last July. I had my Vit D checked in November and it was 62, then I checked it the end of January and it was 42. Several possible reasons for my Vitamin D dropping could be that prior to checking I had experienced a 3 week flare, and the other is I live in Minnesota and do not get as much sun in the winter months. I do not think the cholestryamine brought the vit D level down, or it would have been low in November.

I take 5000 vitamin D/day, vitamin K, magnesium, the metanax formula for B vitamins, and a few others. I take my supplements mid day and cholestyramine with breakfast and dinner.

The colestyramine has allowed me to experience normans, but if I don't watch my diet I will still experience gut pain and gurgling. When I had my 3 week flare in January, it started after eating in a restaurant, and once the flare started the cholestryamine did not work as well. So I went back to my safe foods and things started working again. My goal is to eventually get down to taking cholestyramine 1x/day and eventually stop.

[terre]

Thanks Tex.....Donna I appreciate you sharing with me.

Terre