What is Crestor?
For patients interested in taking Crestor, you should understand that it’s an oral medication used to lower blood cholesterol levels, and it belongs to statins.
Recommendations for Use
Nowadays, Crestor is taken along with the right dieting plan to lower fats and bad cholesterol while increasing good cholesterol levels in the blood. This medicine works by decreasing the amount of cholesterol produced by the liver, thus, lowering the risk of having heart problems and preventing strokes. There are other lifestyle changes that should be made while taking it to make it work better, including regular exercises, no smoking, etc.
Crestor should be taken orally with and without food once a day, and your regular dosage depends on a set of important factors, such as your age, individual response and so on. Keep in mind that those antacids that contain magnesium and aluminum may decrease its absorption. Be sure to follow the recommendations of your doctor to be on a safe side and remember that it may take a few weeks before you get the most out of its use.
Precautions and Contraindications
Before taking Crestor, you need to tell doctors if you have any allergic reaction to its active ingredients. Besides, your physicians need to know everything about your past medical history, especially if you have kidney or liver problems, alcohol abuse, surgeries, etc. It’s necessary to limit the intake of alcoholic beverages when using this medication if you don’t want to end up with increased risk of having liver issues. Older patients can be more sensitive to Crestor side effects, especially when it comes to their muscle issues. This medicine can’t be taken during pregnancy because it may be harmful for unborn babies. Those patients who are planning to take this medicine should use reliable birth control forms during this kind of treatment. Besides, it’s not known whether it passes into the breast milk, but breastfeeding is not recommended because of possible risks.
Drug Interactions
Patients should understand that possible drug interactions may change the function of Crestor and boost the risk of developing serious adverse effects. You should make a list of other meds, including vitamins and supplements, before your visit to the hospital. It’s not allowed to stop, change or start taking this medication without the approval of your doctor. Some of the most common meds that may potentially interact with Crestor include blood thinners, cyclosporine, red yeast rice products, etc. The latter ones are not advisable because they contain lovastatin, and its combination with this medicine increases the risk of developing serious liver and muscle issues.
Side Effects
The good news is that most of those patients who take Crestor don’t develop any adverse effects, but its intake still results in some unwanted symptoms, just like other meds. In very rare cases people may develop certain memory issues and confusion. Another serious side effect associated with Crestor is foamy urine, and you need to go to the hospital at once. Its intake may also cause muscle problems that rarely result in quite serious medical conditions called autoimmune myopathy and rhabdomyolysis. In addition, you should watch for such side effects as dark urine, yellow skin, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and others. Take into account that serious allergic reactions are very rare, and their obvious signs include trouble breathing, dizziness, swelling, itching, rash and some others that should be stopped at once, so visit your physician if you notice any of them.