Buying Discount Lovastatin, and Information on Uses, Side Effects and Interactions

Details of drug characteristics, uses and benefits, side effects and interactions, plus links to check pricing and availability from online Mexican pharmacies.

Lovastatin Consumer Information

LOVASTATIN

Generic Name: lovastatin (LOE va stah tin)

Brand Names: Altocor, Mevacor

What is the most important information I should know about lovastatin?

• Do not take lovastatin without first talking to your doctor if you have liver disease.
• Alcohol and lovastatin can both be damaging to the liver. Discuss with your doctor the amount of alcohol you drink so that it can be determined if lovastatin is the best choice for lowering your cholesterol.
• Do not take lovastatin if you are pregnant, if you are planning a pregnancy, or if you are breast-feeding a baby.
• Contact you doctor immediately if you experience unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, especially if it is accompanied by a fever, flu-like symptoms, or yellowing of the skin or eyes.

What is lovastatin?

• Lovastatin blocks the production of cholesterol (a type of fat) in the body.
• Lovastatin is used to reduce the amounts of LDL (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol in the blood. These actions are important in the prevention of heart disease and hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart attack, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.
• Lovastatin may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking lovastatin?

• Do not take lovastatin without first talking to your doctor if you have liver disease.
• Before taking lovastatin, tell your doctor if you
• have kidney disease,
• drink alcoholic beverages,
• have a chronic muscular disease, or
• have a blood disorder.
• You may not be able to take lovastatin, or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if you have any of the conditions listed above.
• Lovastatin is in the FDA pregnancy category X. This means that lovastatin is known to cause birth defects if it is taken during pregnancy. Cholesterol is very important for the proper development of a baby. Do not take lovastatin if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment.
• It is not known whether lovastatin passes into breast milk. Do not take lovastatin without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

How should I take lovastatin?

• Take lovastatin exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not understand these directions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to explain them to you.
• Take each dose with a full glass of water.
• Do not crush or chew the extended-release lovastatin tablets (Altocor). Swallow them whole. They are specially formulated to release the medication slowly in the body.
• For the greatest effect, lovastatin is usually taken at bedtime or with an evening meal. If you take lovastatin several times daily, take it with meals. Follow your doctor's directions.
• Your doctor may want to monitor your liver function with blood tests before starting treatment with lovastatin, at six and twelve weeks after both the start of your treatment and any increase in dose, and periodically (every 6 months) thereafter. Depending on the results of these tests, your doctor can determine how much monitoring you will require.
• Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with lovastatin. The interaction could lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit and grapefruit juice with your doctor. Do not increase or decrease the amount of grapefruit products in your diet without first talking to your doctor.
• Eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. To see beneficial effects from lovastatin, avoid fatty, high-cholesterol foods.
• Do not stop taking lovastatin without first talking to your doctor. It may be weeks or months before beneficial effects are seen from this medication.
• Store lovastatin at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

• Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take only the next regularly scheduled dose. Do not take a double dose of this medication.

What happens if I overdose?

• Seek emergency medical attention.
• Symptoms of a lovastatin overdose include nausea, diarrhea, stomach distress, and indigestion.

What should I avoid while taking lovastatin?

• Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with lovastatin. The interaction could lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit and grapefruit juice with your doctor. Do not increase or decrease the amount of grapefruit products in your diet without first talking to your doctor.
• Alcohol and lovastatin can both be damaging to the liver. Discuss with your doctor the amount of alcohol you drink so that it can be determined if lovastatin is the best choice for lowering your cholesterol.

What are the possible side effects of lovastatin?

• If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking lovastatin and seek emergency medical attention or contact your doctor immediately:
• an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives);
• muscle aches, pain, or weakness;
• "flu-like" symptoms;
• decreased urine or rust-colored urine;
• blurred vision; or
• yellowing of the skin or eyes.
• Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Continue to take lovastatin and talk to your doctor if you experience
• gas, bloating, nausea, stomach upset, heartburn, abdominal pain, constipation, or diarrhea;
• cough;
• headache; or
• insomnia.
• Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

What other drugs will affect lovastatin?

• Do not take lovastatin without first talking to your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines:
• cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral);
• gemfibrozil (Lopid), clofibrate (Atromid-S), or fenofibrate (Tricor);
• niacin (Nicolar, Nicobid, Nicotinex, others);
• nefazodone (Serzone);
• clarithromycin (Biaxin);
• erythromycin (E-Mycin, E.E.S., Ery-Tab, Ilotycin, Eryc, PCE, Ilosone, others);
• itraconazole (Sporanox), fluconazole (Diflucan), or ketoconazole (Nizoral); or
• a protease inhibitor such as amprenavir (Agenerase), indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), ritonavir (Norvir), or saquinavir (Invirase, Fortovase).
• These medications may interact with lovastatin and cause damage to the muscles. You may not be able to take lovastatin or your may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if you are taking any of the medicines listed above.
• Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with lovastatin. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines, including herbal products.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist has additional information about lovastatin written for health professionals that you may read.
• Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

Limitations of This Information

Efforts have been made to ensure that the information provided here is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. This information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. This is an educational resource only intended to supplement but not to replace the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, please check with your doctor, nurse or local pharmacist. This site does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information provided here.

Full public license and copyright information is available separately from Cerner Multum, Inc.

Version: 9.03. Revision date: 5/30/03.