Fénofibrate pour l'hyperlipidémie

About fenofibrate

Le lipide est un autre mot pour graisse. Le cholestérol et les triglycérides sont des types de lipides. Lorsque la concentration de lipides dans votre sang est trop élevée, cela s'appelle hyperlipidémie. Les lipides sont produits naturellement dans notre corps et sont également absorbés à partir des aliments que nous consommons. Si les niveaux de lipides sont trop élevés, l'excès de graisse se dépose sur les parois de nos vaisseaux sanguins. Cela peut entraîner le développement de plaques comme de petites bosses graisseuses à l'intérieur de la paroi de certains vaisseaux sanguins. Ces plaques peuvent réduire le flux sanguin et entraîner des maladies cardiaques, des AVC et des problèmes de circulation sanguine.

High levels of lipids do not make people feel ill, but they can cause the problems mentioned above if left untreated. By lowering the levels of fats, fenofibrate helps to prevent these long-term heart and circulation problems. Your treatment will be more successful if you also follow the healthy lifestyle advice given by your doctor.

It is likely that you will be prescribed fenofibrate if you have a high level of a lipid called triglyceride. It may also be given for other types of hyperlipidaemia, especially if other medicines (called statins) are not suitable for you.

Sometimes, more than one medicine is needed to help control high blood lipids. A brand of fenofibrate called Cholib® also contains a statin medicine called simvastatin. For people who need to take a fibrate and a statin medicine, taking a combination brand like this helps to reduce the total number of tablets needed each day.

Before taking fenofibrate

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine can only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking fenofibrate it is important that your doctor knows:

• Si vous êtes enceinte, essayez d'avoir un bébé ou allaitez.

• Si vous avez des problèmes avec le fonctionnement de vos reins, ou des problèmes avec le fonctionnement de votre foie.

• If you have problems with your gallbladder or pancreas.

• Si vous avez une glande thyroïde sous-active.

• Si vous prenez d'autres médicaments. Cela inclut tous les médicaments que vous prenez et qui sont disponibles à l'achat sans ordonnance, ainsi que les médicaments à base de plantes et les médecines complémentaires.

• If you have ever had an allergic reaction to a medicine. It is particularly important that you tell your doctor if you have ever had a bad skin reaction to a medicine called ketoprofen (used to treat pain and swelling).

How to take fenofibrate

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about fenofibrate, and it will also provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you could experience from taking it.

• Take fenofibrate exactly as your doctor tells you to. The usual dose is one 200 mg capsule (Lipantil®) or one 160 mg tablet (Supralip®) each day. Your dose, however, may be higher or lower than this.

• You should take fenofibrate with food, so taking your doses during a mealtime is ideal. This is because fenofibrate is absorbed better by your body when there is some food in your stomach. Some people find it helps to swallow the tablet/capsule with a drink of water.

• You can generally take fenofibrate at a time of day to suit you, but it is best to take your doses with the same meal each day. This will help remind you to take your tablets/capsules regularly.

• Si vous oubliez de prendre une dose, prenez-la dès que vous vous en souvenez. Si vous ne vous en souvenez que le lendemain, laissez de côté la dose oubliée de la veille et prenez la dose prévue normalement. Ne prenez pas deux doses en même temps pour compenser une dose oubliée.

Tirer le meilleur parti de votre traitement

• Try to keep your regular appointments with your doctor. This is so your doctor can check on your progress. You will need to have regular blood tests during the first year of your treatment with fenofibrate. These are to check that your liver stays healthy.

• Votre médecin vous donnera des conseils sur l'adoption d'une alimentation saine, l'évitement de la consommation excessive d'alcool, la réduction de la quantité de sel dans votre alimentation, l'arrêt du tabac et la pratique régulière d'exercice. Suivre ces conseils vous aidera également à réduire votre risque de développer des maladies cardiaques et vasculaires.

• Treatment with fenofibrate is usually long-term unless you experience an adverse effect. Continue to take the tablets/capsules unless you are advised otherwise by your doctor.

• Fenofibrate may cause your skin to become more sensitive to sunlight than normal. Until you know how your skin reacts, avoid strong sunlight and sunbeds, and use a sun cream with a high sun protection factor even on bright but cloudy days.

• There are several different strengths of fenofibrate capsules available. If you have been prescribed capsules (brand Lipantil®), each time you collect a new supply check to make sure they are the same strength of capsule as you have had before.

Can fenofibrate cause problems?

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the ones associated with fenofibrate. The best place to find a full list of the side-effects which can be associated with your medicine, is from the manufacturer's printed information leaflet supplied with the medicine. Alternatively, you can find an example of a manufacturer's information leaflet in the reference section below. Speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

Si vous ressentez d'autres symptômes que vous pensez être dus au médicament, parlez-en à votre médecin ou à votre pharmacien pour obtenir des conseils supplémentaires.

How to store fenofibrate

• Gardez tous les médicaments hors de la portée et de la vue des enfants.

• Conserver dans un endroit frais et sec, à l'abri de la chaleur directe et de la lumière.
  

Informations importantes sur tous les médicaments