Fenofibrate
Description
Fenofibrate is a lipid (fat) lowering medicine. It is used to treat high blood cholesterol and triglycerides (fats) levels. This medicine reduces the levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides and increases the levels of good cholesterol in your blood. This may further reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke (a condition that causes reduced oxygen supply to the brain).
Fenofibrate may cause side effects like headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, etc. Consult your doctor if these sides effects last for a long time.
Fenofibrate can be taken with or without food as instructed by your doctor. For the ease of remembering, take this medicine around the same time every day. Avoid the discontinuation of Fenofibrate without consulting your doctor.
Fenofibrate is not recommended for use if you are allergic to it. Avoid taking this medicine if you have severe liver or kidney problems, or gallbladder conditions such as gallstones (solid deposits that develop in your gallbladder). Inform your doctor if you are taking any other medicines as they can interact with Fenofibrate and cause undesired effects.
Fenofibrate is not recommended for use in children below 18 years of age. Consult your doctor if you are pregnant, or are breastfeeding before taking this medicine.
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Side effects
Major & minor side effects for Fenofibrate
- Chills and fever
- Itching and skin rash
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Headache
- Weakness
- Runny Nose
- Stuffy Nose
- Increased sensitivity of the skin to sunlight
- Muscle pain
- Diarrhoea
Uses of Fenofibrate
What is it prescribed for?
- Severe hypertriglyceridaemia
- Hypercholesterolemia
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Concerns
Commonly asked questions
- Onset of actionThe time at which Fenofibrate starts its action is not clinically known.
- Duration of effectFenofibrate can remain in your body for around 5 days.
- Safe with alcohol?Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.
- Is it habit forming?No habit forming tendency has been reported for Fenofibrate.
- Usage in pregnancy?Fenofibrate is not recommended during pregnancy as it may harm your foetus. Consult your doctor if you are pregnant.
- Usage while breast-feeding?It is not known if Fenofibrate passes into breastmilk. Therefore, this medicine is not recommended while breastfeeding unless absolutely necessary. All the risks and benefits should be discussed with your doctor before taking this medicine.
Allergy
Fenofibrate is not recommended for use if you are allergic to it. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience symptoms like skin rashes, redness/swelling (especially of the face, lips, throat, etc.), hives (itchy, painful eruptions that sting), breathing difficulty, etc.
Severe kidney impairment
Fenofibrate is not recommended for use if you have severely impaired kidneys as a damaged kidney will not filter the medicine completely out of your body, leading to toxicity.
Gallbladder disease
Fenofibrate is not recommended for use if you have any conditions affecting your gallbladder such as gallstones (solid deposits that develop in your gallbladder, a small pouch that stores bile produced by the liver). This medicine may further increase the risk of gallstones due to increased excretion of cholesterol into the bile (a fluid produced in the liver that helps in digestion).
Active liver disease
Fenofibrate may cause abnormal liver function, swelling of the liver, and liver damage. Hence, this medicine is not recommended for use if you have active liver problems as it may further worsen your condition leading to toxicity.
Warnings for special population
Pregnancy
Fenofibrate is not recommended during pregnancy as it may harm your foetus. Consult your doctor if you are pregnant.
Breast-feeding
It is not known if Fenofibrate passes into breastmilk. Therefore, this medicine is not recommended while breastfeeding unless absolutely necessary. All the risks and benefits should be discussed with your doctor before taking this medicine.
General warnings
Hematologic Changes
Fenofibrate should be used with caution as it may cause a mild to moderate decrease in haemoglobin (an iron-containing protein responsible for carrying oxygen), haematocrit (blood test done to measure the proportion of red blood cells in the blood), and white blood cell levels.
Increase in serum creatinine levels
Creatinine is a waste substance that your kidneys normally eliminate from the body. Any change in the creatinine levels in the blood indicates kidney damage. Fenofibrate should be used with caution as it may cause an increase in the creatinine levels in your blood. Hence, periodic monitoring of kidney function is recommended while taking this medicine.
Concomitant oral anticoagulants
Fenofibrate should be used with caution if you are receiving anticoagulants (medicine that prevents the formation of blood clots) due to the increased risk of excessive bleeding. Your doctor may recommend dose adjustment or another suitable alternative based on your condition.
Use in children
Fenofibrate is not recommended for use in children below 18 years of age since the safety and efficacy data are not clinically established.
Missed Dose
If you miss a dose of Fenofibrate, take it as soon as you remember it. If it is time for the next scheduled dose, skip the missed dose. Do not double the dose to make up for the missed one.
Overdose
Do not take more than the prescribed dose. Seek emergency medical treatment in case of an overdose of Fenofibrate.
All drugs interact differently for person to person. You should check all the possible interactions with your doctor before starting any medicine.
Interaction with Alcohol
Description
Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.
Instructions
Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.
Interaction with Medicine
Insulin
Clozapine
Atorvastatin
Disease interactions
Rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis is a serious condition that causes the breakdown of muscle tissues. It may lead to complications such as kidney damage. Fenofibrate may cause muscle damage in some cases. Hence, this medicine should be used with caution if you have rhabdomyolysis. If you experience any unusual muscle pain, tenderness and weakness, consult your doctor immediately.
Food interactions
Information not available.
Lab interactions
Information not available.
Take Fenofibrate with or without food as instructed by your doctor. Do not break, crush or chew the tablet/capsule.
Take Fenofibrate at the same time every day as it will help you to remember.
It may take 2 months to get maximum benefits from this medicine.
Make sure to check the expiry date before taking Fenofibrate. Keep this medicine away from children and pets.
Take a low salt and low-fat diet and exercise regularly for better results.
Your doctor may suggest periodic blood tests to check your lipid (fat) levels and other blood components while taking this medicine.
Miscelleneous
How it works
Fenofibrate works by increasing the natural lipid (fat) breakdown process with the help of an enzyme. This removes the bad cholesterol and triglycerides from your blood and increases the levels of good cholesterol.
Legal Status
Classification
Category
Fibric acid derivatives, Hypolipidaemic agents
Schedule
Schedule H
Medicines.org.uk. 2021. [online] Available at: < [Accessed 8 September 2021].
Dailymed.nlm.nih.gov. 2021. DailyMed - FENOFIBRATE tablet. [online] Available at: < [Accessed 8 September 2021].
Drugs, H., 2021. Fenofibrate: MedlinePlus Drug Information. [online] Medlineplus.gov. Available at: < [Accessed 8 September 2021].
Accessdata.fda.gov. 2021. [online] Available at: < [Accessed 8 September 2021].
Information on this page was last updated on 30 Sep 2021
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