Cholesterol Lowering - Rosuvas (Brand name: crestor)

Common use

Crestor is a cholesterol-lowering medication which is used to lower cholesterol levels when diet and exercise alone have failed to work.

Dosage and direction

Take this medication with or without food, at any time once a day. Swallow each tablet whole with a drink of water/milk.
A common dose of Crestor is 5 to 40 mg. Dosage of 40 mg is used for patients not reaching LDL-C goal with 20 mg.
Hyperlipidemia, mixed dyslipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and atherosclerosis: Starting dose 10 mg. Cresor 20 mg is a starting dose for patients with LDL-C >190 mg/dL and aggressive lipid targets.
HoFH: Starting dose is 20 mg.
This drug is only a small part of a whole program of treatment that also includes diet, exercise, and weight control. Follow your diet, medication, and exercise routines very carefully.

Note: this instruction presented here just for review. It's very necessary to consult with your doctor before using. It will help you to get best results.

Precautions

Do not take if you have any liver problems or have ever had a disease which affected your liver; if you have any kidney problems; if you have been told that you have a condition affecting your muscles called myopathy; if you are taking the immunosuppressive drug, cyclosporin; if you are pregnant or if there is a possibility that you may become pregnant; if you are breast-feeding. Consult your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including those which you may have bought over the counter. In particular tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following: gemfibrozil, cyclosporin, warfarin, antacids, erythromycin or an oral contraceptive.

Contraindications

Crestor is contraindicated in patients:
- with hypersensitivity to rosuvastatin or to any of the excipients;
- with active liver disease;
- with severe renal impairment;
- with myopathy;
- when receiving concomitant ciclosporin;
- during pregnancy and lactation and in childbearing women  not using appropriate contraceptive measures;
The 40 mg dose is contraindicated in patients with pre-disposing factors for myopathy/rhabdomyolysis. Such factors include:
− moderate renal impairment;
− hypothyroidism;
− personal or family history of hereditary muscular disorders;
− previous history of muscular toxicity with another HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor or fibrate;
− alcohol abuse;
− situations where an increase in plasma levels may occur ;
− Asian patients;
− concomitant use of fibrates.

Possible side effect

They may include all types of an allergic reaction. Also the most possible side effects include:
muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness with fever or flu symptoms and dark colored urine;
urinating more or less than usual, or not at all;
nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
chest pain; or
swelling in your hands or feet.
Less serious include:
weakness, dizziness;
mild nausea, constipation, diarrhea;
sore throat, runny or stuffy nose;
memory loss;
headache; or
pain or burning when you urinate.
If you experience one of them stop using Crestor and tell your doctor as soon as possible. Also consult with your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual.

Drug interaction

Do not take this medicine with any of the following medications: herbal medicines like red yeast rice or other medicines for high cholesterol
This medicine may also interact with the following medications: alcohol, antacids containing aluminum hydroxide or magnesium hydroxide, cyclosporine, niacin, warfarin.
Also note that interaction between two medications does not always mean that you
must stop taking one of them. As usual it affects the the effect of drugs, so consult your doctor about the way these interactions are being managed or should be managed.

Missed dose

If you forgot to take your dose in time, please do it as soon as you remember. But do not take if it is too late or almost time for your next dose. Do not increase your recommended dose. Take your usual dose next day at the same time.

Overdose

The symptoms of a Crestor overdose are not known well. Most possible of them include: liver damage, kidney failure, pancreatitis, yellow skin (jaundice), serious breakdown of muscle (known as rhabdomyolysis). If you experience one of them call your doctor immediately.

Storage

Store at room temperature between 59-77 degrees F (15-25 degrees C) away from light and moisture, kids and pets. Do not use after expiration term.

Disclaimer

We provide only general information about medications which does not cover all directions, possible drug integrations, or precautions. Information on the site cannot be used for self-treatment and self-diagnosis. Any specific instructions for a particular patient should be agreed with your health care adviser or doctor in charge of the case. We disclaim reliability of this information and mistakes it could contain. We are not responsible for any direct, indirect, special or other indirect damage as a result of any use of the information on this site and also for consequences of self-treatment. alcohol abuse;

Please find the full description of Crestor at Drugs.com and general information at Wikipedia