Fenofibrate Capsule: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Fenofibrate Capsule is a fibrate (fibric acid derivative) medicine used to lower high cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. It is usually used together with a healthy diet and exercise. It works by helping the body break down and remove triglycerides faster and can also raise good cholesterol (HDL) while lowering bad cholesterol (LDL).

What is Fenofibrate Capsule

Fenofibrate is a medicine used to lower high cholesterol and triglyceride (fat) levels in the blood. It is usually used together with a healthy diet and exercise.

Fenofibrate Capsule uses

• Lowering high cholesterol, including bad cholesterol (LDL) and total cholesterol
• Lowering high triglyceride levels in the blood
• Treating mixed dyslipidemia (high cholesterol and triglycerides together)
• Raising good cholesterol (HDL)

Benefits of Fenofibrate Capsule

• Helps lower high triglyceride levels
• Helps reduce total cholesterol and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in some patients
• Can help increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol
• Is used to treat mixed dyslipidemia and severe hypertriglyceridemia
• May help reduce the risk of pancreatitis when triglycerides are very high
• Helps improve overall blood lipid levels when combined with diet, exercise, and other lifestyle measures

How Fenofibrate Capsule works

Fenofibrate works by helping the body break down and remove triglycerides from the blood faster. It activates a receptor in cells (PPAR-alpha) that increases the breakdown of fats and lowers bad cholesterol while raising good cholesterol.

Fenofibrate Capsule dosage

Take Fenofibrate Capsule by mouth at the same time every day, as directed on your prescription label. Swallow the capsule whole; do not cut, crush, dissolve, or chew it. Some brands should be taken with food to help the body absorb the medicine better; other brands may be taken with or without food, so follow the label instructions.

If you also take a bile acid sequestrant (like cholestyramine, colesevelam, or colestipol), take fenofibrate 1 hour before or 4 to 6 hours after that medicine. Keep taking it unless your care team tells you to stop, and continue any diet, exercise, and weight control measures recommended by your doctor. This medicine is not approved for use in children or anyone under 18 years old.

Available forms and strengths

• Capsule
• Tablet
• Delayed-release capsule (fenofibric acid)

Side effects of Fenofibrate Capsule

Common

• Back pain
• Constipation
• Headache
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Stomach pain or discomfort
• Muscular pain or spasms
• Unusual tiredness or weakness
• Diarrhea
• Nausea
• Skin reactions, sensitivity to sunlight
• Sexual dysfunction

Serious

• Allergic reactions—skin rash, itching, hives, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, trouble breathing
• Blood clot—pain, swelling, or warmth in the leg, shortness of breath, chest pain
• Gallbladder problems—severe stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, yellowing of skin or eyes, clay-colored stool
• Liver injury—right upper belly pain, loss of appetite, nausea, light-colored stool, dark yellow or brown urine, yellowing of skin or eyes, unusual weakness or fatigue
• Muscle injury (myopathy or rhabdomyolysis)—unusual weakness or fatigue, muscle pain, dark yellow or brown urine, decrease in amount of urine, fever, muscle cramps
• Pancreatitis—severe stomach pain that spreads to your back or gets worse after eating or when touched, fever, nausea, vomiting
• Rash, fever, and swollen lymph nodes
• Redness, blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin, including inside the mouth
• Unusual bruising or bleeding
• Blood disorders—fever, shortness of breath, pale or yellowish skin, easy bruising or bleeding, frequent infection, unusual weakness or tiredness
• Severe skin reaction—fever, sore throat, burning eyes, skin pain, red or purple rash that spreads and blisters or peels
• Temporary paralysis of the muscles
• Difficulty breathing
• Severe abdominal pain
• Chest pain

Warnings and precautions

Fenofibrate can cause muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis), which can lead to kidney failure, especially in women, older adults, and people with kidney disease, diabetes, or poorly controlled underactive thyroid. This medicine may cause serious skin reactions that can occur weeks to months after starting the medication.

Do not take fenofibrate if you have liver disease, severe kidney disease, or gallbladder disease. Do not take this medicine together with another fibrate medicine, as this combination is not recommended. This medicine can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so protective clothing, sunscreen, and avoiding tanning beds are recommended.

This medicine may lower vitamin B12 levels, so talk to your care team about getting enough B12 while taking it. Do not use this medicine if you are allergic to peanuts, peanut oil, soy lecithin, or related products, since some formulations contain these ingredients.

It is not known if fenofibrate can harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, so they can weigh the benefits and risks. Do not take fenofibrate while breastfeeding and for at least 5 days after your last dose, since it is not known if it passes into breast milk or how it could affect a nursing baby.

Fenofibrate should not be used if your kidneys are not working well. Your doctor may test your kidney function before starting this medicine, and may prescribe a lower dose if you have kidney problems. Fenofibrate should not be used if your liver is not working well. Your doctor may test your liver function before you start this medicine.

Avoid drinking large amounts of alcohol while taking this medicine, since it can raise triglyceride levels and increase the risk of liver problems. Be careful when driving or using machines until you know how this medicine affects you, since it may cause dizziness in some people.

Storage

• Store at 20–25°C (68–77°F)
• Protect from moisture and excessive heat
• Keep in a cool, dry place
• Keep in the original, tightly closed container
• Keep out of reach of children

When to see a doctor

Get emergency help right away if you have signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as difficulty breathing, swelling of the face, lips, or throat, or a severe skin reaction with fever, sore throat, burning eyes, or a rash that spreads and blisters.

Call your doctor right away if you have unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, especially with fever, unusual tiredness, or dark-colored urine, as this could be a sign of serious muscle breakdown. Call your doctor right away if you notice yellowing of your skin or eyes, dark urine, light-colored stool, loss of appetite, or upper right belly pain, which could mean liver problems.

Call your doctor right away if you have sharp stomach pain that spreads to your back or shoulder blade, which could be a sign of pancreas or gallbladder problems. Call your doctor right away if you have chest pain, sudden cough, wheezing, rapid breathing, or coughing up blood, or swelling, warmth, or redness in an arm or leg, which could be signs of a blood clot.

If you think you have taken too much of this medicine, contact a poison control center or go to an emergency room right away. Call your doctor straight away if you become pregnant while taking this medicine.

Alternatives

• Gemfibrozil
• Atorvastatin
• Rosuvastatin
• Pravastatin
• Prescription Omega-3 Fatty Acids