Lovastatin

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Lovastatin, drug used to reduce high blood cholesterol levels and slow the progression of coronary atherosclerosis, or hardening of the heart’s arteries. Lovastatin interferes with an enzyme in the liver responsible for making cholesterol, a fatlike substance that can both harden and clog the arteries. This drug reduces low-density lipoproteins (LDL), the type of cholesterol that increases the risk of coronary heart disease, and increases high-density lipoproteins (HDL), the type of cholesterol thought to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Available by prescription only, this drug is dispensed in 10-mg, 20-mg, and 40-mg tablets, which are taken orally. The initial adult dosage is 20 mg taken once a day, after which the dosage may be increased up to 40 mg twice a day. The maximum dosage should not exceed 80 mg daily. Effectiveness should be apparent within two weeks.

This drug should be taken with food, preferably with evening meals. It should not be used by persons who have had an allergic reaction to lovastatin; persons with active liver disease or active peptic ulcers; or pregnant or breast-feeding women. It should be used with caution by persons with reduced liver function and habitual users of alcohol. The safety and effectiveness of lovastatin for people under the age of 20 have not been established. Driving and other risk-related activities should be restricted if dizziness and blurred vision occur while taking this drug.

Common side effects of lovastatin include constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, gas, headache, heartburn, nausea, skin rash, and stomach pain. Less common side effects are blurred vision, fever, muscle aches or cramps, severe stomach pain, and unusual tiredness or weakness. Long-term use of this drug may result in abnormal liver function tests.

Lovastatin may interact adversely with certain drugs including clofibrate, cyclosporine, erythromycin and other macrolide antibiotics such as asithromycin and clarithromycin, gemfibrozil, niacin, and warfarin.

Brand Name:Mevacor

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