Colestipol is used in conjunction with dietary adjustments to help certain patients with high cholesterol reduce their intake of fatty substances like low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (often known as “bad cholesterol”). Bile acid sequestrants are a group of drugs that includes colestipol. In your intestines, it binds bile acids to create a substance that is excreted from the body.

Colestipol is available in oral tablet and granule forms. Typically, one or two tablets per day are consumed. Typically, the granules are taken one to six times each day. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any instructions on your prescription label that you are unsure about following. Follow the colestipol directions exactly. Never take it in larger or less amounts or more frequently than directed by your doctor.

Colestipol may interfere with the absorption of other medications, so take them all at least an hour before or four hours after colestipol, unless otherwise directed.

Do not chew, split, or crush the pills; rather, swallow them whole with a glass of water or another drink.

Depending on how you respond, your doctor may gradually raise your dose at intervals of one to two months.

Colestipol should still be used even if you feel OK. Without consulting your doctor, do not discontinue taking colestipol.

Never consume the granules dry. They must be mixed thoroughly with at least 3 ounces (90 millilitres) of a beverage (such as fruit juice, water, milk, or soft drink). To reduce foaming if you use a carbonated beverage, stir it carefully in a big glass. To ensure that you consume the complete dose, rinse the glass with a small amount of additional liquid after taking the medication.

Additionally, colestipol may be used with hot or cold cereals, thin soups (such as tomato and chicken noodle soup), or pulpy fruit (e.g., crushed pineapple, pears, peaches, and fruit cocktail).

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details if you believe this drug should be used for something else.

Before taking colestipol,

• If you have any allergies, including to colestipol, other medicines, or any of the chemicals in colestipol preparations, notify your doctor right away. Request a list of the components from your pharmacist.
• Inform your doctor and pharmacist about any additional prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal products you are now taking or intend to use. Mention any of the following: iron, loperamide (Imodium), mycophenolate (Cellcept), amiodarone (Pacerone), antibiotics, anticoagulants (‘blood thinners’) such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven), digitoxin, digoxin (Lanoxin), diuretics (‘water pills,’) phenobarbital, phenylbutazone, propranolol (Inderal Your physician might need to adjust the dosage of your drugs or keep a close eye on you for side effects.
• Inform your doctor if you have haemorrhoids, an underactive thyroid gland, heart or intestinal illness, or if you’ve ever experienced unusual bleeding.
• Take gemfibrozil (Lopid) two hours before or two hours after colestipol if you’re taking it.
• Inform your physician if you are nursing a baby, intend to get pregnant, or are already pregnant. Call your doctor if you become pregnant while taking colestipol.

Consume a diet low in fat and cholesterol. Make sure to abide by all dietary and exercise advice given to you by your physician or nutritionist. For more dietary advice, you can also refer to the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) website.

If you miss a dosage, take it as soon as you recall. If the next dose is soon due, skip the missed one and carry on with your regular dosing plan. To make up for a missing dose, do not take a second dose.

Side effects are possible with colestipol. If any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away, let your doctor know right once:

• Constipation
• Belching
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Gas

Some adverse effects can be very harmful. Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms:

• Unusual bleeding (such as bleeding from the gums or rectum)

You or your doctor can submit a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting programme online or by phone if you have a serious side event (1-800-332-1088).

Keep this medication tightly closed in the original container and out of the reach of children. Store it away from excessive heat and moisture at room temperature (not in the bathroom).

As many containers (such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers) are not child-resistant and are simple for young children to open, it is crucial to keep all medications out of sight and out of reach of children. Always lock safety caps and promptly stash medication up and away from young children where it is out of their sight and reach to prevent poisoning. http://www.upandaway.org

Unused prescriptions must be disposed of carefully to prevent pets, kids, and other people from ingesting them. You should not, however, dispose of this medication in the toilet. Instead, utilising a medicine take-back programme is the easiest approach to get rid of your medication. To find out about take-back programmes in your area, speak with your pharmacist or the garbage/recycling department in your city. If you do not have access to a take-back programme, see the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines website at http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p for additional information.

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Additionally, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

Keep all of your appointments with your physician and the lab. To determine how you are responding to colestipol, your doctor will run a few lab tests.

No one else should take your medication. Any queries you may have regarding medication refills should be directed to your pharmacist.

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. You should always have this information with you in case of emergencies.