What is rosuvastatin?

What is rosuvastatin?

Rosuvastatin is a prescription drug. It comes in the form of a tablet you take by mouth.Rosuvastatin is available as the brand-name drug Crestor. It’s also available as a generic drug. Generic drugs usually cost less than the brand-name version. In some cases, they may not be available in every strength or form as the brand-name drug.

This drug may be used as part of a combination therapy. This means you may need to take it with other medications.

Why it's used?

Rosuvastatin is used to reduce your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and increase your HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It also reduces your levels of triglycerides (fats in your blood). Improving your cholesterol levels helps prevent blockages from forming in your arteries. These blockages can cause serious problems, including heart attack or stroke.

How it works?

Rosuvastatin belongs to a class of drugs called statins. A class of drugs is a group of medications that work in a similar way. These drugs are often used to treat similar conditions.

Rosuvastatin works by blocking enzymes in your liver that make cholesterol. This lowers your levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. It also raises your levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.

What is the Side effects?

Like all medicines, rosuvastatin can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them. Side effects often improve as your body gets used to the medicine.One rare but serious side effect is unexplained muscle aches and pains, tenderness or weakness. This can happen a few weeks or months after you first start taking this medicine.Report any unexplained muscle aches and pains, tenderness or weakness to a doctor straight away.

Common side effects

These side effects happen in more than 1 in 100 people. Keep taking the medicine, but tell your doctor or pharmacist if these side effects bother you or do not go away: feeling sick, headaches, stomach pain, feeling weak or dizzy, constipation,  protein in your pee (if you're taking the higher 40mg dose).

Serious side effects

Serious side effects are rare and happen in less than 1 in 1,000 people. Stop taking rosuvastatin and call a doctor if you get:

muscle pain, tenderness, weakness or cramps - these can be signs of muscle breakdown and kidney damage;

yellow skin or the whites of your eyes turn yellow - these can be signs of liver problems;

severe stomach pain - this can be a sign of pancreas problems;

a cough, shortness of breath and weight loss - these can be signs of lung disease;

Less than 1 in 10,000 people may experience memory loss.

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