Gemfibrozil side effects: Reason for Caution

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What-Gemfibrozil-Side-Effects

Did you know that Gemfibrozil’s side effects could take a toll on your Gall bladder, or even lead to leukemia?

Chances are, that your doctor never said any of the above-mentioned facts to you before he or she prescribed Gemfibrozil for controlling your high blood lipid levels.

Facts about Gemfibrozil:

  • Gemfibrozil is a fairly common drug being prescribed to keep not only the high levels of blood lipids under control but also to keep the serum triglycerides at bay.
  • It is also being widely used to ward off the commencement of heart trouble in patients who have been diagnosed with high levels of serum HDL cholesterol and comparatively lower levels of serum LDL cholesterol.
  • This particular drug is usually used in complementary therapy in addition to the dietary regulations for lipid control.
  • The most popular trade name is Lopid and is sold in 600 mg tablet form.
  • The usually recommended dosage is 1200 mg to be taken in divided doses, 2 times a day, after each major meal.

Scary facts about Gemfibrozil side effects:

  • The clinical trials of Gemfibrozil were conducted for a long period of 5 years on 2046 patients with high lipid levels in the blood.
  • Out of these 2046 people, a massive 64% of the people who were on Lopid had to undergo surgery on their Gall bladder due to various Gemfibrozil side effects.
  • Additionally, around 1.9 % of these Lopid using patients had to undergo gall bladder surgery FREQUENTLY
  • There was an increased need for undergoing surgery for removal of the Appendix in these Lopid using patients and it was connected intricately to the Gemfibrozil side effects
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  • Gemfibrozil usage over long periods of time was found to be associated with grave and life-threatening changes in the blood like Anemia, leukemia (Blood Cancer), bone marrow hyperplasia, and thrombocytopenia.

Routinely observed Gemfibrozil side effects :

  • The most common Gemfibrozil side effects are seen in the digestive system
  • A wide variety of symptoms are observed like difficulty or slowness in digesting food, bloating of the abdomen, pain in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, etc
  • There are a few associated bowel disorders like diarrhea and constipation
  • Most of the cases had inflammation of the Appendix and associated pain in the right side of the abdomen.
  • The other symptoms noted are severe weakness and a feeling of lack of energy to do even simple tasks.
  • Vertigo or attacks of dizziness
  • Skin troubles like rashes, development of eczema, and allergic manifestations

Other infrequent side effects of Gemfibrozil:

  • Bleeding within the brain (intracerebral hemorrhage)
  • Disorders of taste and sensations, like numbness and tingling in the extremities
  • Changes in the blood composition lead to leukemia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, etc
  • Inflammation of the duct of the gallbladder and blockage of the tube causing obstruction to bile flow
  • Inflammations of muscle tissue and conditions like Myalgia, rhabdomyolysis

Gemfibrozil can lead to many unwanted side effects in the body, a few of which are quite serious and life-threatening.

If you have an option of reducing the lipid levels and cholesterol levels of your body with safer alternative methods, you should definitely give them a try, rather than risking your health with such dangerous drugs.

To find out more about a safe and natural alternative to lower cholesterol click here.

Reference:
(1) http://www.rxlist.com/lopid-drug.htm

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