While slightly disgusting sounding, bile is a very important compound that is found naturally in the body that is used to break down and digest fats in the body. Like cholesterol, bile is manufactured in the liver. Once manufactured bile then travels to the gallbladder where it is stored for later use. After food is processed in the stomach and travels to the small intestines, the gallbladder contracts and expels a small amount of bile into the small intestine which is then used to both digest dietary fats and to flush the digested fats through the digestive system. As the bile/fat molecules travel through the small intestines they are reabsorbed into the bloodstream through the walls of the small intestine and then they travel to the liver where the bile is recycled and the fat is stored.
Bile acid resins sponge up bile acid in the small intestine and prohibit their re-absorption and the recycling of the bile by the body. As a result of this absorption of bile in the small intestines, the liver is forced to produce more bile. The benefit of using bile acid resins is therefore that they force the liver to use cholesterol in order to produce more bile. This helps reduce the total amount of cholesterol that is stored in the body and thus your total cholesterol levels are reduced.
This particular high cholesterol drug treatment class is most effective in treating moderately elevated LDL levels. Drugs from the bile acid resin family include:
Colestid
Prevalite
Questran
Questran Lite
Welchol
The most common drug interaction that is associated with bile acid resins is that they have a tendency to bind with most oral medication. This binding characteristic increases the amount of time it will take for the body to absorb your other oral medications, and it may reduce their effectiveness. Other complaints that have been noted with this class of drugs include digestive tract irritation, chest pain, rashes, swelling of the extremities, and headaches. While there is a list of possible side effects and drug interactions, the severity of such interactions and side effects are really only result in mild discomfort.