Final answer:
Patients with familial hypercholesterolemia can be treated with a combination of statins and ezetimibe, which act synergistically to reduce cholesterol levels, but this should be done under medical supervision.
Step-by-step explanation:
For patients with familial hypercholesterolemia, a synergistic combination of statins and ezetimibe can be used. Statins, such as Atorvastatin (Lipitor) or Rosuvastatin (Crestor), are drugs that reduce cholesterol levels by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase, the enzyme responsible for synthesizing cholesterol in the body. Ezetimibe works by blocking the absorption of cholesterol in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby providing a complementary cholesterol-lowering effect when used in conjunction with statins. While combining treatments can be highly effective, it should always be done under close medical supervision due to the potential for side effects such as myopathy and rhabdomyolysis.