What to Expect
If your doctor has prescribed Juxtapid or if you are considering starting treatment, knowing what to expect is important and can be helpful.
Working with Your Doctor to Find the Best Juxtapid Dose
Everyone responds differently to treatment. When starting Juxtapid, some people see results right away, others only see small reductions, and some don’t see any change until after their dose is increased. It’s important to work with your doctor to find the dose that’s right for you.
Juxtapid offers flexible dosing so your doctor can customize your dose—and change it if needed. Your doctor will likely start you on a low dose of 5 mg per day. Depending on your cholesterol goals, your liver test results, and how well you tolerate Juxtapid, your doctor may increase or decrease your dose over time.
Following a Low-Fat Eating Plan
Because of the way Juxtapid works to reduce the amount of cholesterol your body produces, your body will absorb fat differently while you are taking Juxtapid.
Fat from the foods you eat can’t be absorbed as easily so if you eat too much fat, you may experience problems such as diarrhea and bloating. Maintaining a low-fat eating plan may help to lower the chance of stomach problems. When you start Juxtapid you’ll have access to a team of resources from the Juxtapid support program.
A specially trained trained Patient Educator will work with you to help you find simple ways to adapt your current diet to the Juxtapid low-fat eating plan as easily as possible.
Learn more about the support program
Getting Regular Liver Testing
Because Juxtapid works in the liver, problems can happen in some people. Your doctor will monitor your liver through regular blood tests.
Your doctor should perform blood tests to check your liver before you start Juxtapid, if your dose is increased, and while you are taking Juxtapid.
Blood test results will tell your doctor if certain liver enzyme levels are higher than usual. Higher enzyme levels can be an early sign of liver problems. If your tests show signs of liver problems, your doctor may reduce your dose or stop Juxtapid. In Juxtapid clinical studies, elevated liver enzyme levels typically went down after either stopping or reducing the dose of Juxtapid.
In people with HoFH, our livers don’t work right and so statins alone may not work as well for us. With Juxtapid, our livers make less bad cholesterol, so there’s less to get rid of.”
— Stacee, Living with HoFH
Important Safety Information
Juxtapid may cause serious side effects, including:
Liver Problems
- Juxtapid can cause liver problems such as increased liver enzymes or increased fat in the liver. For this reason, your doctor should do blood tests to check your liver before you start Juxtapid and while you are taking Juxtapid (especially if your dose is increased). If your tests show signs of liver problems, your doctor may lower your dose of Juxtapid or stop it altogether.
- You should tell your doctor if you have had liver problems in the past, including liver problems while taking other medicines.
- Stomach problems can also be a symptom of liver problems. Tell your doctor right away if you have nausea; vomiting or stomach pain that gets worse, does not go away, or changes; fever; yellowing of your eyes or skin; feeling more tired than usual; or having flu-like symptoms while taking Juxtapid because these may be signs of liver problems.
- Do not drink more than 1 alcoholic drink per day while taking Juxtapid.
Harm to your unborn baby:
- Do not take Juxtapid if you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant.
- You should have a negative pregnancy test result before you can start on Juxtapid. Use effective birth control while taking Juxtapid. If you become pregnant while taking Juxtapid, stop taking Juxtapid and call your doctor right away.
You should not take Juxtapid if you:
- Are taking medications known as moderate o r strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (for example, certain medications used to treat bacterial, fungal, or viral infections, as well as certain medications used to treat depression, high blood pressure, or angina). These medications may affect how your body breaks down Juxtapid.
- Have moderate to severe liver problems or active liver disease, including abnormal liver function tests.
Other possible side effects of Juxtapid:
- The most common side effects of Juxtapid are stomach problems including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, cramps/pain, indigestion, and/or gas. You may be able to reduce your chance of stomach problems by following an eating plan consisting of less than 20% of calories from fat.
- Juxtapid makes it harder for some fat-soluble nutrients, such as vitamin E and fatty acids, to get into your body. Take supplements that contain fat-soluble vitamins each day while you take Juxtapid. Ask your doctor, nurse, or dietitian how to take them.
Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. Stop taking Juxtapid and tell your doctor if you have severe diarrhea, especially if you also have lightheadedness, decreased urine output, or tiredness. These are not all the possible side effects of Juxtapid. For more information, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Juxtapid may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how Juxtapid works.
