Synergistic effects of probucol and cholestyramine to lower serum cholesterol.

Ten men with hypercholesterolemia were treated sequentially with a fat-modified diet, a diet plus probucol (1 Gm/day), and a diet plus probucol plus cholestyramine (16 Gm/day). Each treatment period was 12 weeks. Diet alone reduced mean serum cholesterol by 1.0 per cent. Diet plus probucol caused a mean 7.7 per cent reduction in serum cholesterol below the baseline values (P = 0.001 compared to diet). Adding cholestyramine to probucol and diet resulted in a mean 18.2 per cent reduction in serum cholesterol below baseline values (P = 0.001 compared to probucol and diet). The treatment was well tolerated.