Taking Ursodiol But The Dosage Was Wrongly Filled By Pharmacy. Will The Elevated Dosage Will Be Harmful?

Posted on Thu, 1 Aug 2013

Question: i have been taking 500mg of ursodiol twice a day for a month but the dosage was wrongly filled by the pharmacy. I should have been taking only 300mg twice a day. Will the elevated dosage hurt me in any way.

Answered by Dr. omz (26 minutes later)

Hello

I am Dr.Omer and I am here to help you with your query

Ursodiol contains urodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) , and comes in 250 mg , 300 mg , 500 mg

Usual dose of UDCA is 10-15 mg / kg in divided 2 doses

This drug reduces cholesterol absorption and is used to dissolve (cholesterol) gallstones in patients who want an alternative to surgery.

It is the only FDA approved drug to treat primary biliary cirrhosis( due to diabetes).

It is also used for Prevention of gallstones in obese patients experiencing rapid weight loss

Following are the common side effects of UDCA

Central nervous system: Headache (up to 25%), dizziness (17%)

Gastrointestinal: Diarrhea (up to 27%), constipation (up to 26%), dyspepsia (17%), nausea (up to 17%), vomiting (up to 14%)

Neuromuscular & skeletal: Back pain (up to 12%)

Respiratory: symptoms i would recommend to stop taking UDCA , after consultation of your doctor

If you dont have any of the above then nothing to worry about and continue at 300 mg twice a day

Besides taking UDCA at a dose of 500 mg twice daily is a normal thing , and wont harm you in any way , even taken for a month

I hope this explains your query

Feel free to ask any further questions

TAke care

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj