Lopid
- Generic Name: gemfibrozil
- Brand Name: Lopid
- Drug Class: Fibric Acid Agents
Lopid (Gemfibrozil) side effects drug center
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- Drug Comparison
Lopid Side Effects Center
What Is Lopid?
Lopid (gemfibrozil) is a lipid regulating agent used to treat very high cholesterol and triglyceride levels in people with pancreatitis, and is also used to lower the risk of stroke, heart attack, or other heart complications in people with high cholesterol and triglycerides who have not been helped by other treatments. Lopid is available in generic form.
What Are Side Effects of Lopid?
Common side effects of Lopid include:
- stomach upset,
- stomach/abdominal pain,
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- diarrhea,
- headache,
- dizziness,
- drowsiness,
- joint or muscle pain,
- loss of interest in sex,
- impotence,
- difficulty having an orgasm,
- numbness or tingly feeling,
- unusual taste, or
- cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat.
Lopid may infrequently cause gallstones and liver problems.
Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following unlikely, but serious side effects of Lopid including:
- severe stomach/abdominal pain,
- persistent nausea or vomiting,
- yellowing eyes or skin, and
- dark urine.
Dosage for Lopid
The recommended dose of Lopid for adults is 1200 mg administered in two divided doses 30 minutes before the morning and evening meals.
What Drugs, Substances, or Supplements Interact with Lopid?
Lopid may interact with blood thinners, insulin or oral diabetes medication, or other cholesterol-lowering drugs. Tell your doctor all medications you use.
Lopid During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Lopid is not recommended for use during pregnancy. It is unknown if this medication passes into breast milk. Because of the possible risk to the infant, breastfeeding while using this drug is not recommended.
Additional Information
Our Lopid (gemfibrozil) Tablets Side Effects Drug Center provides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication.
Lopid Consumer Information
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
In rare cases, gemfibrozil can cause a condition that results in the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue, leading to kidney failure. Call your doctor right away if you have unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness especially if you also have fever, unusual tiredness, and dark colored urine.
Also call your doctor at once if you have:
- sharp pain in your upper stomach (especially after eating);
- jaundice (yellowing of your skin or eyes);
- pain or burning when you urinate;
- blurred vision, eye pain, or seeing halos around lights; or
- low blood cell counts--pale skin, easy bruising, unusual bleeding, unusual tiredness, feeling light-headed or short of breath, cold hands and feet.
Common side effects may include:
- stomach pain, indigestion, diarrhea;
- numbness or tingly feeling;
- dizziness, drowsiness;
- blurred vision;
- muscle or joint pain; or
- loss of interest in sex, impotence.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Read the entire detailed patient monograph for Lopid (Gemfibrozil)
Lopid Professional Information
SIDE EFFECTS
In the double-blind controlled phase of the primary prevention component of the Helsinki Heart Study, 2046 patients received LOPID for up to five years. In that study, the following adverse reactions were statistically more frequent in subjects in the LOPID group:
| LOPID (N = 2046) | PLACEBO (N = 2035) | |
| Frequency in percent of subjects | ||
| Gastrointestinal reactions | 34.2 | 23.8 |
| Dyspepsia | 19.6 | 11.9 |
| Abdominal pain | 9.8 | 5.6 |
| Acute appendicitis | 1.2 | 0.6 |
| (histologically confirmed in most cases where data were available) | ||
| Atrial fibrillation | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Adverse events reported by more than 1% of subjects, but without a significant difference between groups: | ||
| Diarrhea | 7.2 | 6.5 |
| Fatigue | 3.8 | 3.5 |
| Nausea/Vomiting | 2.5 | 2.1 |
| Eczema | 1.9 | 1.2 |
| Rash | 1.7 | 1.3 |
| Vertigo | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| Constipation | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Headache | 1.2 | 1.1 |
Gallbladder surgery was performed in 0.9% of LOPID and 0.5% of placebo subjects in the primary prevention component, a 64% excess, which is not statistically different from the excess of gallbladder surgery observed in the clofibrate group compared to the placebo group of the WHO study. Gallbladder surgery was also performed more frequently in the LOPID group compared to the placebo group (1.9% versus 0.3%, p=0.07) in the secondary prevention component. A statistically significant increase in appendectomy in the gemfibrozil group was seen also in the secondary prevention component (6 on gemfibrozil versus 0 on placebo, p=0.014).
Nervous system and special senses adverse reactions were more common in the LOPID group. These included hypesthesia, paresthesias, and taste perversion. Other adverse reactions that were more common among LOPID treatment group subjects but where a causal relationship was not established include cataracts, peripheral vascular disease, and intracerebral hemorrhage.
From other studies it seems probable that LOPID is causally related to the occurrence of MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS (see WARNINGS), and to ABNORMAL LIVER FUNCTION TESTS and HEMATOLOGIC CHANGES (see PRECAUTIONS).
Reports of viral and bacterial infections (common cold, cough, urinary tract infections) were more common in gemfibrozil treated patients in other controlled clinical trials of 805 patients. Additional adverse reactions that have been reported for gemfibrozil are listed below by system. These are categorized according to whether a causal relationship to treatment with LOPID is probable or not established:
| CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP PROBABLE | CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP NOT ESTABLISHED | |
| General: | weight loss | |
| Cardiac: | extrasystoles | |
| Gastrointestinal: | cholestatic jaundice | pancreatitis |
| hepatoma | ||
| colitis | ||
| Central Nervous System: | dizziness | confusion |
| somnolence | convulsions | |
| paresthesia | syncope | |
| peripheral neuritis | ||
| decreased libido | ||
| depression | ||
| headache | ||
| Eye: | blurred vision | retinal edema |
| Genitourinary: | impotence | decreased male fertility |
| renal dysfunction | ||
| Musculoskeletal: | myopathy | |
| myasthenia | ||
| myalgia | ||
| painful extremities | ||
| arthralgia | ||
| synovitis | ||
| rhabdomyolysis (see WARNINGS and DRUG INTERACTIONS under PRECAUTIONS) | ||
| Clinical Laboratory: | increased creatine phosphokinase | positive antinuclear antibody |
| increased bilirubin | ||
| increased liver transaminases (AST, ALT) | ||
| increased alkaline phosphatase | ||
| Hematopoietic: | anemia | thrombocytopenia |
| leukopenia | ||
| bone marrow hypoplasia | ||
| eosinophilia | ||
| Immunologic: | angioedema | anaphylaxis |
| laryngeal edema | Lupus-like syndrome | |
| urticaria | vasculitis | |
| Integumentary: | exfoliative dermatitis | alopecia |
| rash | photosensitivity | |
| dermatitis | ||
| pruritus |
Additional adverse reactions that have been reported include cholecystitis and cholelithiasis (see WARNINGS).
Read the entire FDA prescribing information for Lopid (Gemfibrozil)
&Copy; Lopid Patient Information is supplied by Cerner Multum, Inc. and Lopid Consumer information is supplied by First Databank, Inc., used under license and subject to their respective copyrights.