Rosuvastatin

Rosuvastatin is a prescription medication used to treat high cholesterol levels and to prevent heart disease. Rosuvastatin belongs to a group of drugs called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, also known as statins. Statins help to lower cholesterol levels in the body.

This medication comes in tablet form and is taken by mouth once a day, with or without food.

Common side effects are headache, muscle ache, abdominal pain, weakness, and nausea.

Rosuvastatin is a prescription medicine used to lower "bad" cholesterol (LDL-C), increase "good" cholesterol (HDL-C) and decrease triglycerides.

Rosuvastatin may be found in some form under the following brand names:

• Crestor

Rosuvastatin can cause side effects in some people.

Serious side effects may include:

1. Muscle Problems. Call your health care professional right away if you experience unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness especially with fever. This may be an early sign of a rare muscle problem that could lead to serious kidney problems. The risk of muscle problems is greater in people who are 65 years of age or older, or who already have thyroid or kidney problems. The chance of muscle problems may be increased if you are taking certain other medicines with rosuvastatin.
2. Liver problems. Your health care professional should do blood tests to check your liver before you start taking rosuvastatin and if you have symptoms of liver problems while you take rosuvastatin. Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms of liver problems:

• feel unusually tired or weak
• loss of appetite
• upper belly pain
• dark urine
• yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes

The most common side effects may include:

• headache
• muscle aches and pains
• abdominal pain
• weakness
• nausea

Additionally, memory loss and confusion have been reported with rosuvastatin use.

This is not a complete list of side effects of rosuvastatin. Talk to your health care professional for a complete list or if you have side effects that bother you or that do not go away.

Tell your health care professional about all medicines you take or plan to take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Some medicines may interact with rosuvastatin, causing side effects. Especially tell your health care professional if you are taking medications for:

• your immune system
• cholesterol/triglycerides
• blood thinning
• HIV/AIDS
• preventing pregnancy

Know all of the medicines you take and what they look like. It’s always a good idea to check that you have the right prescription before you leave the pharmacy and before you take any medicine. Keep a list of your medicines with you to show your health care professional.

Statin medications, including rosuvastatin, carry a rare but serious risk of:

• liver damage
• memory loss or confusion
• increase in blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia)
• type 2 diabetes
• immune-mediated muscle breakdown

Certain statins can increase risk of muscle weakness as well. It is important to consult your physician to discuss the benefits and risks associated with using this medication.

Do not take rosuvastatin if you:

• are pregnant or think you may be pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant
• are breastfeeding 
• have liver problems
• have had an allergic reaction to rosuvastatin or are allergic to any of its ingredients. 

The safety and effectiveness of rosuvastatin have not been established in pediatric patients under the age of 10.

Although grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with other cholesterol-lowering medicines known as statins, leading to potentially dangerous effects, rosuvastatin does not appear to interact with grapefruit products.

Follow dietary (food) recommendations made by your doctor and dietitian which should include a healthy diet. 

Tell your health care professional if you:

• have a history of muscle pain or weakness
• are pregnant or think you may be pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant
• are breastfeeding
• drink more than 2 glasses of alcohol daily
• have liver problems
• have kidney problems
• have thyroid problems
• are Asian or of Asian descent

Tell your health care professional about all medicines you take or plan to take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. 

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

This medication falls into category X. Rosuvastatin may harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant, stop taking rosuvastatin and call your health care professional right away

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Rosuvastatin can pass into your breast milk and may harm your baby.

Take rosuvastatin exactly as prescribed by your health care professional. Do not change your dose or stop rosuvastatin without talking to your health care professional, even if you are feeling well.

Your health care professional may do blood tests to check your cholesterol levels before and during your treatment with rosuvastatin. Your dose of rosuvastatin may be changed based on these blood tests results.

Rosuvastatin can be taken at any time of day, with or without food.

Swallow the tablets whole.

Your health care professional may start you on a cholesterol lowering diet before giving you rosuvastatin. Stay on this diet when you take rosuvastatin.

Wait at least 2 hours after taking rosuvastatin to take an antacid that contains a combination of aluminum and magnesium hydroxide.

If you miss a dose of rosuvastatin, take it as soon as you remember. However, do not take 2 doses of rosuvastatin within 12 hours of each other.

Take rosuvastatin exactly as prescribed by your health care professional.

The dose range for rosuvastatin is 5 to 40 mg taken by mouth, once daily. The usual starting dose is 10-20 mg.

If you take too much this medication, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

If this medication is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, it is unlikely that an overdose will occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.

• Store rosuvastatin at room temperature, 68 to 77°F (20 to 25°C) and in a dry place.
• If your health care professional tells you to stop treatment or if your medicine is out of date, throw the medicine away.
• Keep rosuvastatin and all medicines in a secure place and out of the reach of children.