Colestipol Administration Guidelines

Administration and Dosing

• The American College of Cardiology recommends that colestipol can be taken once daily or in divided doses without strict meal requirements, although taking it with meals may improve tolerability 1, 2
• Other medications must be taken at least 1 hour before or 4 hours after colestipol to prevent impaired absorption, particularly for medications like thyroid hormone replacement, warfarin, oral contraceptives, and phenytoin 1, 2
• The initial dose of colestipol can be 5 grams (granules) or 2 grams (tablets) once or twice daily, with gradual dose titration to minimize gastrointestinal side effects 3, 5
• The maximum dose of colestipol is 30 grams/day (granules) or 16 grams/day (tablets) 3, 4

Monitoring and Side Effects

• Patients taking colestipol should be monitored for triglyceride elevation, which may occur during treatment, as recommended by the American College of Cardiology 1