Welchol lowers LDL cholesterol in boys, and in girls who have had a menstrual period, ages 10 to 17 years, with a condition known as heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia a genetic disorder that causes high cholesterol alone or with other cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins after inadequate control with diet alone. Welchol, along with diet and exercise, also lowers blood sugar levels in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus when added to other anti-diabetes medications metformin, sulfonylureas, or insulin.
Welchol should not be used to treat type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. Welchol has not been studied with all anti-diabetes medications. Welchol has not been studied in children younger than 10 years old or in girls who have not had a menstrual period. Tell your HCP if you have stomach or intestinal problems, including gastroparesis when the stomach takes too long to empty its contents , abnormal contractions of the digestive system, a history of major gastrointestinal tract surgery, if you have trouble swallowing, or if you have vitamin A, D, E, or K deficiencies.
Welchol has known interactions with cyclosporine, glimepiride, glipizide, glyburide, levothyroxine, certain birth control pills, olmesartan medoxomil, and metformin extended release ER.
Welchol has not been studied with all combinations of drugs and supplements. Please tell your HCP about all medications and supplements you may be taking before beginning Welchol, as your HCP may tell you to take your other medications and supplements 4 hours before taking Welchol.
Welchol for Oral Suspension is recommended for, but not limited to, use in appropriate pediatric patients as well as any patient who has difficulty swallowing. Phenylketonurics: Welchol for Oral Suspension contains 27 mg phenylalanine per 3. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.
Visit www. For patients having difficulty affording their Daiichi Sankyo medication, please call the Daiichi Sankyo Patient Assistance Program at for more information or visit www. Click here for Full Product Information for Welchol. While statins work in your liver, Welchol works in your intestines. It's a "bile acid sequestrant" indicated to lower LDL or "bad" cholesterol.
Bile acids are needed to help digest fat from the foods we eat. Welchol attaches to bile acids and removes some of them from the body. When levels are reduced, your liver needs to make more. Your liver takes cholesterol from the bloodstream to do so—lowering your "bad" cholesterol. Welchol also lowers your A1C. It's not known exactly how it does this, but studies have shown that, when added to metformin, sulfonylurea, or insulin therapy, Welchol helped significantly lower A1C levels in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Welchol may increase blood levels of metformin when taking in combination with metformin extended release ER. Check with your doctor about monitoring your blood sugar levels. Ask your doctor if Welchol is right for you. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
Use Welchol Colesevelam exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Do not use in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Use the medicine exactly as directed. You may have to take several tablets at a time each time you take colesevelam.
Tell your doctor if you have trouble swallowing the tablet whole. Colesevelam powder must be mixed with 8 ounces of water, fruit juice, or a diet soft drink. Stir and drink this mixture right away. Add a little more water to the glass, swirl gently and drink right away. Do not change the dose or timing of any other cholesterol or diabetes medications without your doctor's advice. Colesevelam is only part of a complete treatment program that may also include diet, exercise, and weight control.
You may need to follow a special diet to prevent constipation while using colesevelam. Follow all instructions of your doctor or dietitian. Take the medicine with food and a full glass of water as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose. Do not take two doses at one time. Health Topics. Health Tools. For the powdered form, the recommended dose is one 3. You should empty the contents of the packet into one cup 8 ounces of water, diet soda, or fruit juice and stir well.
After mixing, it is normal for the liquid to appear cloudy and not fully dissolved. The entire contents of the drink should be consumed, in conjunction with a meal. For tablets, the recommended dose is to take 6 tablets at one time daily, or divided as three tablets twice a day. Tablets should be taken with meals and a full glass of liquid. Due to its components, Welchol is not an option for everyone, including:.
There are some medical conditions that may need to be watched more closely while you are taking Welchol. Your healthcare provider may decide to start you on Welchol, but will need to monitor you to determine whether or not Welchol will be potentially harmful to you.
These medical conditions include:. Gastrointestinal side effects are the most common side effects experienced when using Welchol. These include:. Other side effects, such as muscle pain and sore throat, have also been reported in studies. If these side effects become bothersome, you should let your healthcare provider know.
He or she may give you something to treat the side effect, adjust your dose, or switch you to another cholesterol-lowering medication. The following drugs may interact with Welchol by decreasing the amount of the medication absorbed into your blood. As a rule, it is probably a good idea not to take any other medications or supplements four hours before or six hours after taking any bile acid resin drug, such as Welchol.
If you are required to take one of the drugs or supplements listed below, your healthcare provider may need to adjust your dose or the time you take it, monitor you more closely for side effects, or discontinue your use of it all together:. This is not a complete list, so you should make sure that you disclose all prescribed and over-the-counter medications, and natural products that you are taking. This will help your healthcare provider to identify any potential interactions between Welchol and your other medications.
Welchol is a medication that is mostly used to lower your LDL cholesterol but has not been shown to reduce cardiovascular disease in studies.
Additionally, because the powdered form of Welchol may be intolerable to your palate and the tablets may be hard to swallow, you should let your healthcare provider know if you are experiencing any problems with taking Welchol.
Because Welchol only impacts certain parts of your lipid profile, your healthcare provider may want to add additional lipid-lowering therapies — such as a statin or fibrate. Looking to start a diet to better manage your cholesterol?
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