Hi. I Am Having A Rashy Reaction To Zetia Identified

Posted on Sun, 15 Sep 2019

Question: Hi. I am having a rashy reaction to Zetia identified via a skin biopsy..I have had it for months before it was identified 3 weeks ago and stopped taking it after nearly a year but the rash started slowly on my forearm 6 months ago and is now exacerbated to my back, chest, and arms and upper legs. I chose not to have steroids, thought it might go away...was wondering how long Zetia stays in your system. Please answer to email YYYY@YYYY

Answered by Dr. Dr. Antoneta Zotaj (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
It takes around 5 days for the drug to have an inconsiderable concentration in blood.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to "Ask a Doctor" service,

I carefully read your query and understand your concern.

Zetia has a half-life time of 22 hours. This is the time that the blood concentration decreases by 50%. Generally, there are 5 half-life times for the drug to be considered as out of the system.
Thus, in this case, it would be 22x5 hours or 110 hours, which can be converted in less than 5 days.

So, it would be expected that after 5 days the drug should not be in your system (it is considered to be flushed out of your body).

I hope this answers your query.
I remain at your disposal in case further medical assistance is needed.

Regards,
Antoneta Zotaj,
General and Family Physician

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T