Fenofibrate

Fenofibrate is a prescription medication used to lower cholesterol and triglycerides (a type of fat) and to increase HDL ("good") cholesterol in the blood. It may be used alone or with other cholesterol-lowering medications. Fenofibrate belongs to a group of drugs called fibrates. These work by increasing the activity of an enzyme involved in removing triglycerides and cholesterols from the body.

This medication comes in capsule and tablet form and is taken once a day, with or without food.

Common side effects of fenofibrate include headaches, heartburn, nausea, and muscle aches.

Fenofibrate is a prescription medicine used to treat cholesterol in the blood by lowering the total amount of triglycerides and LDL ("bad") cholesterol and increasing the HDL ("good") cholesterol.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Fenofibrate may be found in some form under the following brand names:

• Antara

• Fenoglide

• Fibricor

• Lipidil Supra

• Lipofen

• Lofibra

• Tricor

• Triglide

Serious side effects have been reported with fenofibrate. See the "Fenofibrate Precautions" section.

Common side effects of fenofibrate include:

• constipation
• diarrhea
• heartburn
• pain in the back, arm, or legs

This is not a complete list of fenofibrate side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• anticoagulants ("blood thinners") such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven)
• colchicine (Colcrys, in Col-Probenecid)
• diuretics ('water pills')
• beta blockers such as atenolol (Tenormin), labetalol (Normodyne), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), nadolol (Corgard), and propranolol (Inderal)
• HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (cholesterol-lowering agents) such as atorvastatin (Lipitor), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor), and simvastatin (Zocor)
• hormone replacement therapy
• hormonal contraceptives (birth control pills, patches, implants, rings, and injections)
• immunosuppressants such as cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral) and tacrolimus (Prograf)

This is not a complete list of fenofibrate drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with fenofribrate, including:

• weakness
• muscle pain or tenderness
• joint pain
• fever
• blistering or peeling skin
• rash
• hives
• pain in the upper back or under the right shoulder
• stomach pain, especially in the upper right part of the stomach
• nausea
• vomiting
• shortness or breath
• pain when breathing
• coughing up blood

Do not take fenofibrate if you:

• are allergic to fenofibrate or to any of its ingredients
• have severe kidney disease or are receiving dialysis
• have liver disease
• have gallbladder disease
• are breastfeeding

Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of fenofibrate, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving fenofibrate.

Before taking fenofibrate, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

• are allergic to fenofibrate or to any of its ingredients
• have ever had kidney disease
• have ever had liver disease
• have ever had gallbladder disease
• are pregnant or breastfeeding

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X - are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when this mediation is taken during pregnancy.

Fenofibrate falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Fenofibrate should not be used by nursing mothers. A decision should be made whether to stop nursing or to stop using fenofibrate, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother.

Take fenofibrate exactly as prescribed.

This medication comes in capsule and tablet form and is taken once a day, with or without food.

You should follow a low-fat and low-cholesterol diet while you take fenofibrate.

If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the next dose at your regular time. Do not take 2 doses of fenofibrate at the same time.

Take fenofibrate exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• the condition being treated
• other medical conditions you have
• other medications you are taking
• how you respond to this medication
• the brand or formulation of fenofibrate

The recommended starting dose of fenofibrate for the treatment of high cholesterol is 130 mg daily.

The recommended starting dose range of fenofibrate for the treatment of high triglycerides is 43 mg to 130 mg daily.

If you take too much fenofibrate, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center or seek emergency medical treatment right away.

If fenofibrate is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, it is unlikely that an overdose will occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.

• Store fenofibrate at room temperature, between 68° and 77° F (20° and 25° C).
• Keep this and all medications out of the reach of children.