COLESEVELAM (Oral-Local)?
Some commonly used brand names are:
In the U.S.?
? Not commercially available in Canada.
Category
Description
Colesevelam (koh-le-SEV-e-lam) is used tolower high cholesterol levels in the blood. This may help prevent medicalproblems caused by cholesterol clogging the blood vessels.
Colesevelam works by attaching to certain substances in the intestine.Since colesevelam is not absorbed into the body, these substances also passout of the body without being absorbed.
This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription, in thefollowing dosage forms:
Before Using This Medicine
In decidingto use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed againstthe good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. Forcolesevelam, the following should be considered:
Allergies?Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusualor allergic reaction to colesevelam. Also, tell your doctor and pharmacistif you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives,or dyes.
Pregnancy?Colesevelam has not been studied in pregnant women.However, colesevelam has not been shown to cause birth defects or other problemsin animal studies.
Breast-feeding?It is not known whether colesevelam passes intobreast milk. Although most medicines pass into breast milk in small amounts,many of them may be used safely while breast-feeding. Mothers who are takingthis medicine and who wish to breast-feed should discuss this with their doctor.
Children?Studies on this medicine have been done only inadult patients, and there is no specific information comparing use of colesevelamin children with use in other age groups.
Older adults?This medicine has not been shown to cause differentside effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.
Other medicines?Although certain medicines should not be usedtogether at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used togethereven if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want tochange the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health careprofessional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter[OTC]) medicine.
Other medical problems?The presence of other medicalproblems may affect the use of colesevelam. Make sure you tell your doctorif you have any other medical problems, especially:
- Bowel obstruction or
- Difficulty swallowing or
- Major gastrointestinal surgery (recent) or
- Severe gastrointestinal motility disorders?Colesevelam maymake these conditions worse
Proper Use of This Medicine
Dosing?Before prescribing medicine for your condition, your doctorwill probably try to control your condition by prescribing a personal dietfor you. Such a diet may be low in fats, sugars, and/or cholesterol. Manypeople are able to control their condition by carefully following their doctor'sorders for proper diet and exercise. Medicine is prescribedonly when additional help is needed and is effective only when a scheduleof diet and exercise is properly followed.
Also, this medicine is less effective if you are greatly overweight. Itmay be very important for you to go on a reducing diet. However, check withyour doctor before going on any diet.
Make certain your health care professional knows if you are on any specialdiet, such as a low-sodium or low-sugar diet. Most medicines contain morethan their active ingredient.
The dose of colesevelam will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label.The following information includes only the average doses of colesevelam. If your dose is different, do not change it unless yourdoctor tells you to do so.
Also, the number of doses you take each day, the timeallowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine dependon the medical problem for which you are taking colesevelam.
- For high cholesterol:
- Adults?6 tablets a day. This may be taken as one dose or dividedinto two doses. The dose should be taken with a meal and liquid.
- Children?Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.
Missed dose?If you miss a dose of this medicine, skip themissed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.
Storage?To store this medicine:
- Keep out of the reach of children.
- Do not store in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in otherdamp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.
- Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Ask yourhealth care professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do notuse. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.
Precautions While Using This Medicine
Your doctor will want to check your progress at regular visits. This will allow your doctor to see if the medicine is working properlyto lower your cholesterol levels and to decide if you should continue to takeit.
Do not stop taking this medicine without first checkingwith your doctor. When you stop taking this medicine, your blood cholesterollevels may increase again. Your doctor may want you to follow a special dietto help prevent this from happening.
Side Effects of This Medicine
Along with its needed effects, a medicinemay cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects mayoccur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor as soon as possibleif any of the following side effects occur:
Other sideeffects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effectsmay go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, yourhealth care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent orreduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professionalif any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if youhave any questions about them:
Acid or sour stomach; belching; constipation; indigestion; stomach discomfort, upset, or pain
Other side effectsnot listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any othereffects, check with your doctor.
Developed: 08/14/2000
Revised:
