Colestipol 5g granules for oral suspension sachets sugar free
Safety information for pregnancy and breastfeeding
Pregnancy
Breastfeeding
Always consult your doctor or midwife before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Source: DrugBank (CC BY-NC 4.0).
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Safety monitoring data
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Colestipol
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Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Colestipol
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3 branded products available
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
20 gram
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via the NHS dm+d supplementary BNF/ATC mapping files (NHSBSA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
NICE clinical guidance(2)
Bile acid malabsorption: colesevelam (ESUOM22)
SeHCAT (tauroselcholic [75 selenium] acid) for diagnosing bile acid diarrhoea (HTG598)
Source: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
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SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF code shown is the factual mapping value distributed by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in the dm+d supplementary file under OGL v3.0; it is not affiliated with, nor licensed from, the publishers of the British National Formulary. ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing all 19 studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 1 · 1970–2025
Showing all 19 studies, sorted by most relevant.
D. Blankenhorn, S. Nessim, R. Johnson, et al.
JAMA, 1987
- Coronary Artery Bypass
- Clinical Trials as Topic
- Colestipol
L. Cashin-Hemphill, W. Mack, J. Pogoda, et al.
JAMA, 1990
- Apolipoproteins
- Cholesterol
- Colestipol
David H. Blankenhornt, R. Selzer, D. Crawfordt, et al.
Circulation, 1993
- Arteriosclerosis
- Carotid Artery Diseases
- Colestipol
A. Dorr, K. Gundersen, J. Schneider, et al.
Journal of chronic diseases, 1978
- Cholesterol
- Clinical Trials as Topic
- Colestipol
D. Bilheimer, S. Grundy, M. Brown, et al.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2004
- Colestipol
- Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II
- Lipoproteins, LDL
D. Blankenhorn, S. Azen, D. Crawford, et al.
Circulation, 1991
- Coronary Artery Bypass
- Arteriosclerosis
- Cholesterol, Dietary
Dmytro D. Diachuk, Galina Z. Moroz, Oleksandr M. Tkalenko
Клінічна та профілактична медицина, 2025
Aim. To conduct a generalization of scientific research on the history of the use of medications for the correction of dyslipidemia in clinical practice. Materials and methods. The analysis and generalization of scientific articles, guidelines and recommendations on the justification and implementation of the appointment of hypolipidemic drugs for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) was carried out. The methods used were: systematic approach, bibliosemantic, analytical. Results. Hypotheses regarding the role of hypercholesterolemia in the development of atherosclerotic lesions of the cardiovascular system were proposed as early as the second half of the 19th century, and scientific approaches regarding the need to correct dyslipidemia were substantiated only with the introduction of the concept of risk factors in the second half of the 20th century. However, it took almost two decades for the introduction of hypolipidemic drugs for the prevention and treatment of CVD into clinical practice. The first pharmacological drug that began to be used in clinical practice was nicotinic acid (niacin). Bile acid sequestrants (cholestyramine, colestipol, colesevelam) became the second group, and fibrates (fenofibrate, bezafibrate, gemfibrozil, and ciprofibrate) became the third group of hypolipidemic therapy drugs. Later, these drugs gave way to statins, whose clinical effectiveness was higher and the safety profile was better. Statin therapy is generally well tolerated and adverse reactions occur in less than 5% of randomized clinical trials. At the current stage, statins remain first-line drugs for the correction of lipid metabolism. The evidence base for statins is significant, and the results of randomized clinical trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of this group of drugs in the secondary and primary prevention of CVD. Since the end of the 90s of the 20th century, there has been a steady increase in the prescription of statins in clinical practice. Сonclusions. Medications for the correction of dyslipidemia have been used in clinical practice since the second half of the 20th century. Niacin, fibrates, and bile acid sequestrants have now been replaced by statins, which remain the first-line drugs for the correction of lipid metabolism.
Abstract licence: CC BY-NC
W. Mack, R. Selzer, H. Hodis, et al.
Stroke, 1993
- Arteriosclerosis
- Carotid Arteries
- Colestipol
P. Kuo, K. Hayase, J. Kostis, et al.
Circulation, 1979
- Dietary Carbohydrates
- Dietary Fats
- Angina Pectoris
D. Illingworth
Annals of internal medicine, 1984
- Anticholesteremic Agents
- Cholesterol
- Colestipol
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
None known
Half-life
Not available
Mechanism
Colestipol is a lipid-lowering polymer that binds with bile acids in the intesti…
Food interactions
2 warnings
Human targets
1 target
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
99.75%
Half-life
Protein binding
Volume of distribution
Metabolism
Elimination
0.17%
Clearance
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
In particular, as colestipol's general mechanism of action ultimately results in the decreased absorption and enhanced secretion of bile acids and lipids in the feces, patients who take complicated medication regimens, experience constipation or biliary obstruction, etc. may not be good candidates for using the agent owing to its physical effects on the gut.[FDA Label, F4555, F4567, L6262]
Alternatively, colestipol predominantly elicits its activities within the gut environment because it undergoes little absorption and metabolism.[FDA Label, F4555, F4567, L6262] The resultant lack of systemic exposure consequently means the medication generally demonstrates very few adverse effects inside the body.[FDA Label, F4555, F4567, L6262]
Therapy with lipid-altering agents like colestipol should be a component of multiple risk factor intervention in those individuals at significantly increased risk for atherosclerotic vascular disease due to hypercholesterolemia [FDA Label, L6115, F4555]. Treatment should begin and continue with dietary therapy [FDA Label, L6115, F4555]. In general, a minimum of six months of intensive dietary therapy and counseling should be carried out prior to initiation of drug therapy such as that with colestipol [FDA Label, F4555].
Shorter periods may be considered in patients with severe elevations of LDL-C or with definite coronary heart disease [FDA Label, F4555].
Although colestipol is effective in all types of hypercholesterolemia, some regional prescribing information note in particular that it is medically most appropriate in patients with Fredrickson's type II hyperlipoproteinemia .
[L6115]
Nevertheless, in patients with combined hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, although colestipol may be helpful in reducing elevated cholesterol, it is not formally indicated where hypertriglyceridemia is the abnormality of greatest concern F4567.
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 351 interactions
No clinical data are available on the use of colestipol in pregnant women and during lactation [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567]. Colestipol does not appear to be absorbed systematically [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567].
Due to its known interference with absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, the use of colestipol in pregnancy or lactation or by women of childbearing potential requires that the benefits of drug therapy be weighed against the possible hazards to the mother and the child [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567].
There are no data on the effect of colestipol on fertility in humans [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567].
The use of colestipol in children is limited [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567]. Clinical trials conducted in children with colestipol ranules have usually employed doses of 5 to 20 g/day [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567]. The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel recommends drug therapy be considered in children 10 years or older, who have previously undergone an adequate trial of diet therapy but still have unacceptably high serum cholesterol levels [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567].
In certain situations where a young child has extremely high serum cholesterol levels, drug treatment may even be initiated before 10 years of age [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567]. If the child is started on drug therapy, a carefully assessed diet therapy should also be continued in order to obtain optimal results [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567]. However, the safety of using colestipol tablets in patients under the age of 18 years has not been established [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567].
Furthermore, because bile acid sequestrants like colestipol may interfere with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, appropriate monitoring of growth and development is essential if colestipol is used in children [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567].
Appropriate studies on the relationship of age to the effects of colestipol have not been performed in the geriatric population [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567]. However, patients over 60 years of age may be more likely to experience gastrointestinal side effects, as well as adverse nutritional effects [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567].
Additionally, it has been determined that the oral LD50 in rats is > 1000 mg/kg MSDS.
Colestipol hydrochloride binds bile acids in the intestine forming a complex that is excreted in the feces [FDA Label, F4555]. This nonsystemic action results in a partial removal of the bile acids from the enterohepatic circulation, preventing their reabsorption [FDA Label, F4555]. Since colestipol hydrochloride is an anion exchange resin, the chloride anions of the resin can be replaced by other anions, usually those with a greater affinity for the resin than the chloride ion [FDA Label, F4555].
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
It binds bile acids in the intestinal lumen and causes them to be excreted in the feces together with the polymer [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567]. When the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids is interrupted, cholesterol conversion to bile acids is enhanced and plasma cholesterol levels are thereby lowered [FDA Label, L6115, F4555, F4567].
ATC C10AC02
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Colestipol
DrugBank citations
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Linked open data from Wikidata (Q3294635), a free and open knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Data is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication.