Prescription medicine
Colestipol Brand names: Colestid
Colestipol (Colestid) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1977. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 8 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $0.658 per colestipol HCl 1 g tablet in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the colestipol FDA label on DailyMed (effective February 19, 2024, Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.); the NDA 17563 record on Drugs@FDA; every colestipol label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of February 19, 2024; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageSince no drug is innocuous, strict attention should be paid to the indications and contraindications, particularly when selecting drugs for chronic long-term use.
Forms and strengths
- 1 g
- 5 g
- 5 g/5g
Film-coated tablet; tablet; suspension; granule for suspension.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- April 4, 1977 Colestid, Pfizer; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 7 first May 2, 2006; 6 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 10 of which 8 under generic applications, 1 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.658 per tablet Colestipol HCl 1 g tablet
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- No recall recorded
- FAERS reports
- 2,599 through July 30, 2026
What is colestipol used for?
From the label: indications and usageSince no drug is innocuous, strict attention should be paid to the indications and contraindications, particularly when selecting drugs for chronic long-term use. Colestipol hydrochloride tablets are indicated as adjunctive therapy to diet for the reduction of elevated serum total and LDL-C in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia (elevated LDL-C) who do not respond adequately to diet. Generally, colestipol hydrochloride tablets have no clinically significant effect on serum triglycerides, but with their use, triglyceride levels may be raised in some patients. […]
Conditions named in the indications of colestipol's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
FDA pharmacologic class: Bile Acid Sequestrant.
Source: FDA drug label (Colestipol hydrochloride), Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., effective February 19, 2024 (SPL set 71f12e0d-373a-4867-b37c-f24d99c5ce95), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for colestipol (Colestid)?
The FDA approved the first generic colestipol on May 2, 2006. 7 generic applications are approved; 6 of them carry a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale.
FDA's NDC Directory lists colestipol from 8 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application and from 1 brand labeler. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.
- 1977 earliest approval on file
- 2006 first generic approved
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for colestipol (Colestid)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.658 per Colestipol HCl 1 g tablet, about the same as a year earlier. The chart's scale runs from the lowest to the highest price shown, not from zero. NADAC is what retail pharmacies paid their wholesalers, per unit, in CMS's monthly survey; what a patient pays depends on insurance and the pharmacy.
- Colestipol HCl 1 g tablet (generic)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colestipol HCl 1 g tablet | Generic | $0.658 per tablet | $19.74 | -0.7% |
| Colestipol HCl granules | Generic | $0.269 per gram | n/a | +5% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
What does the colestipol label say about other medicines?
The colestipol label names 18 other medicines in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The labels of 30 other medicines name colestipol. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
| Medicine named | Section | What the label says |
|---|---|---|
| Aspirin | drug interactions | No depressant effect on blood levels in humans was noted when colestipol hydrochloride was administered with any of the following drugs: aspirin, clindamycin, clofibrate, methyldopa, nicotinic acid (niacin), tolbutamide, phenytoin or warfarin. |
| Chlorothiazide | drug interactions | Studies in humans show that the absorption of chlorothiazide as reflected in urinary excretion is markedly decreased even when administered one hour before colestipol hydrochloride. |
| Cholestyramine | drug interactions | A study has shown that cholestyramine binds bile acids and reduces mycophenolic acid exposure. |
| Clindamycin | drug interactions | No depressant effect on blood levels in humans was noted when colestipol hydrochloride was administered with any of the following drugs: aspirin, clindamycin, clofibrate, methyldopa, nicotinic acid (niacin), tolbutamide, phenytoin or warfarin. |
| Digoxin | drug interactions | Particular caution should be observed with digitalis preparations since there are conflicting results for the effect of colestipol hydrochloride on the availability of digoxin and digitoxin. |
| Furosemide | drug interactions | The absorption of tetracycline, furosemide, penicillin G, hydrochlorothiazide and gemfibrozil was significantly decreased when given simultaneously with colestipol hydrochloride; these drugs were not tested to determine the effect of administration one hour before colestipol hydrochloride. |
| Gemfibrozil | drug interactions | The absorption of tetracycline, furosemide, penicillin G, hydrochlorothiazide and gemfibrozil was significantly decreased when given simultaneously with colestipol hydrochloride; these drugs were not tested to determine the effect of administration one hour before colestipol hydrochloride. |
| Hydrochlorothiazide | drug interactions | The absorption of tetracycline, furosemide, penicillin G, hydrochlorothiazide and gemfibrozil was significantly decreased when given simultaneously with colestipol hydrochloride; these drugs were not tested to determine the effect of administration one hour before colestipol hydrochloride. |
| Hydrocortisone | drug interactions | Bile acid binding resins may also interfere with the absorption of oral phosphate supplements and hydrocortisone. |
| Methyldopa | drug interactions | No depressant effect on blood levels in humans was noted when colestipol hydrochloride was administered with any of the following drugs: aspirin, clindamycin, clofibrate, methyldopa, nicotinic acid (niacin), tolbutamide, phenytoin or warfarin. |
| Mycophenolate mofetil | drug interactions | As colestipol also binds bile acids, colestipol may reduce mycophenolic acid exposure and potentially reduce efficacy of mycophenolate mofetil. |
| Mycophenolic acid | drug interactions | A study has shown that cholestyramine binds bile acids and reduces mycophenolic acid exposure. |
| Niacin | drug interactions | No depressant effect on blood levels in humans was noted when colestipol hydrochloride was administered with any of the following drugs: aspirin, clindamycin, clofibrate, methyldopa, nicotinic acid (niacin), tolbutamide, phenytoin or warfarin. |
| Penicillin g | drug interactions | The absorption of tetracycline, furosemide, penicillin G, hydrochlorothiazide and gemfibrozil was significantly decreased when given simultaneously with colestipol hydrochloride; these drugs were not tested to determine the effect of administration one hour before colestipol hydrochloride. |
Every other medicine the colestipol label names
| Medicine named | Section | What the label says |
|---|---|---|
| Phenytoin | drug interactions | … clindamycin, clofibrate, methyldopa, nicotinic acid (niacin), tolbutamide, phenytoin or warfarin. |
| Propranolol | drug interactions | Repeated doses of colestipol hydrochloride given prior to a single dose of propranolol in human trials have been reported to decrease propranolol absorption. |
| Tetracycline | drug interactions | The absorption of tetracycline, furosemide, penicillin G, hydrochlorothiazide and gemfibrozil was significantly decreased when given simultaneously with colestipol hydrochloride; … |
| Warfarin | drug interactions | … clofibrate, methyldopa, nicotinic acid (niacin), tolbutamide, phenytoin or warfarin. |
Other labels that name colestipol
Source: FDA drug label (Colestipol hydrochloride), Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., effective February 19, 2024 (SPL set 71f12e0d-373a-4867-b37c-f24d99c5ce95), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for colestipol?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 2,599 reports that list colestipol among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 111 are coded as a death and 654 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is.
Reports received each year
The most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What else is labeled for the same conditions as colestipol?
15 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as colestipol or labeled mainly for the same use (high cholesterol), the same class first. High cholesterol lists all 25 medicines labeled for it, by any route. The first 8 are below. They are listed as records, not as substitutes: whether one can replace another is a prescriber's decision.
| Medicine | Shared indication | Generic labelers (oral) | Pharmacy cost | Shortage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cholestyramine | High cholesterol | 15 labelers | $0.834 per packet Cholestyramine packet | No current entry |
| Colesevelam | High cholesterol | 15 labelers | $0.262 per tablet 625 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Atorvastatin | High cholesterol | 61 labelers | $0.0228 per tablet 10 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Fenofibrate | High cholesterol | 54 labelers | $0.103 per tablet 160 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Lovastatin | High cholesterol | 19 labelers | $0.0436 per tablet 20 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Gemfibrozil | High cholesterol | 27 labelers | $0.104 per tablet 600 mg tablet | A presentation being discontinued |
| Pitavastatin | High cholesterol | 12 labelers | $0.954 per tablet 2 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Ezetimibe | High cholesterol | 23 labelers | $0.0667 per tablet 10 mg tablet | No current entry |
Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as colestipol
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does colestipol compare with medicines for the same use?
2 side-by-side pages set colestipol beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Alternatives to colestipol
- 15 medicines for the same use
- Other bile acid sequestrants
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Colestipol side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other