If you have high cholesterol, it may be hard for you and your doctor to decide on a choice for cholesterol lowering medication. Before you fill your doctor’s prescription, be informed about possible side effects and drug interactions. Crestor may not be the right cholesterol lowering medication for you.
What Is Crestor?
Crestor is a cholesterol lowering medication available by prescription only. It’s medical name is rosuvastatin calcium, and Crestor is in the group of cholesterol lowering medications called statins. Statin drugs have been found to be helpful in preventing heart attack and death because of high cholesterol levels. Crestor works in the liver to reduce the levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides while raising good cholesterol (HDL).
Why Is It Important to Keep a Healthy Cholesterol Level?
Cholesterol, especially the bad type, can lead to a build-up on the walls of your arteries called “plaque”. This causes narrowing of the arteries and reduces blood flow through the arteries. This narrowing of the arteries due to plaque build up is called atherosclerosis.
If you cannot manage high cholesterol levels with diet modification and exercise alone, you may be prescribed cholesterol lowering medication. Crestor has also been shown to be effective in reducing plaque that has already built up on arterial walls.
You need to follow a healthy diet and exercise while taking cholesterol lowering medications such as Crestor.
Issues and Risks of Taking Crestor as Your Cholesterol Lowering Medication
According to Jay S. Cohen, MD, in an article for MedicationSense.com1, Crestor has greater risks for side effects of all of the statin cholesterol lowering drugs.
Most of the statin producing drug companies are making their cholesterol lowering medications far above the dosage actually needed. Crestor is no different. As stated by Cohen, an effective Crestor dosage would be only 1 mg., but the minimum dosage available for Crestor is 5 mg1. This unnecessary increased dosage unfortunately also adds increased risks from taking Crestor.
Dangerous Side Effects. The AstraZeneca website for Crestor states side effects are infrequent2.. However, there is a risk of developing a rare disorder that causes first the breakdown of muscles, then kidney failure. Crestor can also cause liver damage.
If you are taking Crestor as your cholesterol lowering medication, notify your doctor immediately if you develop muscle pain or weakness. Other side effects to watch out for include flu-like symptoms and dark urine (which may indicate too much protein in the urine caused by muscle breakdown).
Drug Interactions. Crestor has way too many drug interactions to list here. You need to be concerned that other medications you are taking may cause a harmful reaction if combined with the cholesterol lowering drug Crestor.
To check possible drug to drug interactions with Crestor, you can check the Drugs.com website3. There is an entire page devoted to Crestor Drug Interactions with links to each drug to determine specific reactions when taken with Crestor3.
Insurance Companies and Crestor?
My husband’s insurance company made him switch from Lipitor to Crestor. I don’t know why they wouldn’t give him a better option. There are less expensive cholesterol lowering medications available with reduced risks of side effects. Now my husband has to see his doctor for frequent testing to check blood and urine for possible liver and kidney damage due to the insurance company’s choice to only allow the cholesterol lowering drug Crestor.
What Other Options Do I Have to Lower My Cholesterol?
If you have high cholesterol, dietary changes and exercise should be tried before starting a prescription cholesterol lowering medication such as Crestor. A low-fat diet high in fiber may actually help lower your cholesterol levels naturally. Increased intake of fish and fresh produce are also helpful.
Even if you are taking a cholesterol lowering drug such as Crestor, you will have to eat right and exercise. It makes sense to try these first without adding a risky prescription cholesterol lowering drug. If your cholesterol cannot be maintained with diet and exercise alone, there are other options available.
Ask your doctor about non-prescription supplements to help lower your cholesterol. Rachel de Carlos, a contributor for Associated Content, has a helpful article on the Top 5 Cholesterol Lowering Supplements4. You may want to try some or all of these with your doctor’s permission before attempting a statin drug such as Crestor.
It is important to keep your cholesterol in a healthy range. Cholesterol lowering drugs such as Crestor should only be used as a final option when all other methods have failed.
THIS ARTICLE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND SHOULD NOT REPLACE THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN.
1) Jay S. Cohen; Crestor Side Effects Make More Headlines – But Underlying Causes and Preventative Measures Are Again Ignored; www.medicationsense.com
2) AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP; Crestor: Side Effects; www.crestor.com
3) Drugs.com; Crestor Drug Interactions; www.drugs.com
4) Rachel de Carlos; Top 5 Cholesterol Lowering Supplements; www.associatedcontent.com
