Summary of medicine characteristics - COLESTYRAMINE LIGHT 4G POWDER FOR ORAL SUSPENSION
Colestyramine Light 4 g powder for oral suspension
2 QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE COMPOSITION
Each sachet contains 4 g anhydrous colestyramine (a basic anion-exchange resin).
Excipients with known effect:
Each sachet contains 30 mg aspartame (E 951), and 32.49 mg propylene glycol (E 1520) (as alginate).
For the full list of excipients, see section 6.1.
Powder for oral suspension.
4.1 Therapeutic indications
Colestyramine Light is used for:
1. Primary prevention of coronary heart disease in men between 35 and 59 years of age and with primary hypercholesterolaemia who have not responded to diet and other appropriate measures.
2. Reduction of plasma cholesterol in hypercholesterolaemia, particularly in those patients who have been diagnosed as Fredrickson’s Type II (high plasma cholesterol with normal or slightly elevated triglycerides).
3. Relief of pruritus associated with partial biliary obstruction and primary biliary cirrhosis.
4. Relief of diarrhoea associated with ileal resection, Crohn’s disease, vagotomy and diabetic vagal neuropathy.
5. Management of radiation-induced diarrhoea.
4.2 Posology and method of administration
Posology
Adults
1. For primary prevention of coronary heart disease and to reduce cholesterol:
After initial introduction over a three to four week period, 3 to 6 Colestyramine Light sachets per day, administered either as a single daily dose or in divided doses up to four times daily, according to dosage requirements and patient acceptability. Dosage may be modified according to response and can be increased to 9 sachets per day if necessary.
Occasional slight gastrointestinal upsets, e.g. constipation, may occur when starting Colestyramine Light. These usually pass with continued usage of Colestyramine Light and are minimised by starting therapy gradually.
| Final dose required | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
| Sachets per day | ||||
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
2. To relieve pruritus: One or two sachets daily are usually sufficient.
3. To relieve diarrhoea: As for reduction of cholesterol but it may be
possible to reduce this dosage. In all patients presenting with diarrhoea induced by bile acid malabsorption, if a response is not seen within 3 days, then alternative therapy should be initiated.
Doses of more than 24 g a day of colestyramine resin may interfere with normal fat absorption.
Children 6 – 12 years:
The initial dose is determined by the following formula:
Child’s Weight in Kg x Adult Dose
70
Subsequent dosage adjustment may be necessary where clinically indicated.
To minimise potential gastrointestinal side effects, it is desirable to begin all therapy in children with one dose of Colestyramine Light daily. The dosage is then increased gradually, every five to seven days to the desired level for effective control.
Children under 6 years:
Colestyramine Light should not be used in children under 6 years. There are no data to support its use.
Elderly:
No dosage adjustment is necessary.
Method of administration
As a precautionary measure, where concurrent drug therapy exists then such drugs should be administered at least one hour before or 4–6 hours after Colestyramine Light.
Colestyramine Light should not be taken in its dry form.
Colestyramine Light should be administered mixed with water or a suitable liquid, such as fruit juice, and stirred to a uniform consistency.
Colestyramine Light may also be mixed with skimmed milk, thin soups, pulpy fruits with high moisture content, e.g. apple sauce, etc.
4.3 Contraindications
Colestyramine Light is contraindicated in patients who have shown hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients listed in section 6.1.
In patients with complete biliary obstruction, since Colestyramine Light cannot be effective where bile is not secreted into the intestine.
4.4 Special warnings and precautions for use
Reduction of serum folate concentrations has been reported in children with familial hypercholesterolaemia. Supplementation with folic acid should be considered in these cases.
Since Colestyramine Light may interfere with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins, the diet may require supplementation with Vitamins A, D and K during prolonged high dose administration.
Chronic use of Colestyramine Light may be associated with increased bleeding tendency due to hypoprothrombinaemia associated with Vitamin K deficiency. This will usually respond promptly to parenteral Vitamin K administration. Recurrences can be prevented by oral administration of Vitamin K.
There is a possibility that prolonged use of colestyramine resin in high doses may produce hyperchloremic acidosis, since it is the chloride form of an anion exchange resin. This is especially true in younger and smaller patients where the relative dosage may be higher.
Colestyramine Light contains aspartame, a source of phenylalanine.
4.5 Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction
Colestyramine Light may delay or reduce the absorption of certain drugs (such as digitalis, tetracycline, chlorothiazide, warfarin and thyroxine). The response to concomitant medication should be closely monitored and appropriate adjustments made if necessary.
Colestyramine Light may interfere with the pharmacokinetics of drugs that undergo enterohepatic recirculation.
Patients should take other drugs at least one hour before or 4–6 hours after Colestyramine Light to minimise possible interference with their absorption.
4.6 Fertility, Pregnancy and lactation
Pregnancy and lactation
The safety of colestyramine in pregnancy and lactation has not been established and the possibility of interference with absorption of fat soluble vitamins should be considered.
Fertility
There are no data available on fertility.
4.7 Effects on ability to drive and use machines
Not relevant.
4.8 Undesirable effects
Frequency categories are defined according to the following convention: very common (>1/10), common (>1/100 to <1/10), uncommon (>1/1,000 to <1/100), rare (>1/10,000 to <1/1,000), very rare (<1/10,000), not known (cannot be estimated from the available data).
Blood and lymphatic system disorders
Uncommon:
Bleeding tendencies due to hypoprothrombinemia (Vitamin K deficiency) as well as Vitamin A (night blindness has been reported rarely) and D deficiencies.
Metabolism and nutrition disorders
Uncommon:
Anorexia, hyperchloremic acidosis in children.
Gastrointestinal disorders
Vey common:
Constipation. Predisposing factors for most of these complaints when Colestyramine Light is used as a cholesterol lowering agent are: high dose and increased age (more than 60 years old). Most instances of constipation are mild, transient and controlled with conventional therapy. Some patients require a temporary decrease in dosage or discontinuation of therapy.
Uncommon:
Abdominal discomfort, flatulence, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, heartburn, dyspepsia and steatorrhea.
Rare:
Reports of intestinal obstruction have been received postmarketing, including deaths in paediatric patients.
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders
Uncommon:
Rash and irritation of skin, tongue and perianal area.
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
Uncommon: Osteoporosis.
Reporting of suspected adverse reactions
Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.
4.9 Overdose
4.9 OverdoseOne case of medication error experienced heartburn and nausea after taking colestyramine 27 g three times a day for a week. The potential problem in overdosage would be obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract.
5.1 Pharmacodynamic properties
Pharmacotherapeutic group: Bile acid sequestrants, ATC code: C10AC01.
Colestyramine resin absorbs and combines with the bile acids in the intestine to form an insoluble complex which is excreted in the faeces. This results in a continuous, though partial, removal of bile acids from the enterohepatic circulation by preventing their reabsorption. The increased faecal loss of bile acids leads to an increased oxidation of cholesterol to bile acids and a decrease in serum cholesterol levels and low density lipoprotein serum levels.
Colestyramine is hydrophilic but it is not soluble in water, nor is it hydrolysed by digestive enzymes.
In patients with partial biliary obstruction, the reduction of serum bile acid levels reduces excess bile acids deposited in the dermal tissue with resultant decrease in pruritus.
5.2 Pharmacokinetic properties
The colestyramine resin in Colestyramine Light is not absorbed from the digestive tract.
5.3 Preclinical safety data
5.3 Preclinical safety dataNo further significant information.
6.1 List of excipients
Aspartame
Citric acid
Silica, colloidal anhydrous
Natural orange flavour
Propylene glycol alginate
Xanthan gum
6.2 Incompatibilities
Not applicable.
6.3 Shelf life
4 years.
6.4 Special precautions for storage
This medicinal product does not require any special storage conditions.
6.5 Nature and contents of container
Original packs containing 50 sachets composed of paper, polyethylene, aluminum and polyethylene.