Taking lomitapide
Read about taking lomitapide and the other treatments for HoFH.
A low fat diet is key to living with HoFH if you’re taking lomitapide.
Use this section to learn about all the things you can eat. You’ll find lots of tips and recipes to help you get started.
Why follow a low fat diet?
A low fat diet will help you to avoid the side effects of lomitapide which affect your digestive system, such as diarrhoea and feeling sick.
Getting support from a dietitian
You will probably see a dietitian if you’re taking lomitapide. If not, you can ask your doctor to refer you. A dietitian can:
• work out your maximum daily fat allowance (how much fat you can eat per day)
• support you in making changes to your diet
• discuss all the foods you can and can’t eat, taking all your preferences and lifestyle into account
• help you come up with new foods you could try
• help you get all the nutrients you need.
What is a low fat diet?
If you’re on lomitapide, no more than 20% (one fifth) of the energy you eat should come from fat. That’s a fair bit lower than for most people, who can get around 35% of their energy from fat.
How much energy you need and how much fat you can eat varies from person to person, so talk to your dietitian about what’s best for you.
As a general rule:
- The average adult woman needs around 2,000 calories per day
- The average adult man needs around 2,500 calories per day
You might need more than this if you are very active, or less if you are not very active.
Use the table to see how much fat this translates to:
| Energy needs in calories | Fat allowance in grams (20% of energy) |
| 1,500 | 33g |
| 2,000 | 44g |
| 2,500 | 56g |
| 3,000 | 67g |
It’s the total amount of fat that counts
There are different types of fat in the diet, and some are healthier than others. But the most important thing to look at is the total amount of fat, rather than worry too much about the type.
Things to avoid
Grapefruit and bitter (Seville) oranges
Lomitapide can interact with grapefruit and grapefruit juice so you need to avoid these.
Lomitapide can also interact with bitter (Seville) oranges, for example in marmalade. If you do choose to eat some, it should be only a very small amount, and 12 hours apart from your medicine.
If you're in any doubt, speak to your dietitian.
Alcohol
Alcohol can damage your liver if you’re taking lomitapide, so alcohol should be avoided.
There are lots of things you can still eat on a low fat diet, so the key is getting to know them.
