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When it comes to statin drugs, Crestor is just one choice.
For some people, lifestyle changes are all that are needed to control risk factors for coronary heart disease. However, when these measures fail to produce the desired results, medications can be added. Not only can drugs control blood lipids, but they can also help lower blood pressure as well as decrease the risk of blood clots and bouts of angina. Remember that continuing your lifestyle changes will help make these drugs more effective and may allow you to take a lower dose of medication, reducing your likelihood of experiencing side effects.
Statins are the most effective drugs for lowering total and LDL cholesterol levels. Statins produce a 25–55% reduction in LDL cholesterol, a 5–15% increase in HDL cholesterol, and a 10–25% reduction in triglycerides. Your doctor will consider a number of factors when selecting a statin drug for you, including your risk of a heart attack, the drug’s side effects, costs, interactions with other medications you may be on, and the time of day that the drug should be taken.
The advice on Crestor
Crestor (rosuvastatin) lowers LDL cholesterol more than the other statin drugs, but some experts have raised concerns about Crestor’s safety. Others have even called for Crestor’s withdrawal from the market.
A study at Tufts-New England Medical Center (and reported in the journal Circulation) analyzed reports of adverse effects of Crestor and compared them with reports made for three other popular statin drugs: Lipitor (atorvastatin), Zocor (simvastatin), and Pravachol (pravastatin). The investigators found that Crestor had a significantly higher rate of muscle and kidney complications than the other statin drugs during its first year of marketing (a period when doctors are most likely to report adverse effects.) Yet, the adverse effects of Crestor occurred at less than half the rate seen in patients taking Baycol (cerivastatin)—a statin drug that was taken off the market in 2001, because it was associated with severe muscle inflammation and kidney failure.
To reduce the risk of adverse effects from statin drugs, the study authors recommend that statins other than Crestor be tried first to lower LDL cholesterol levels. In addition, they say that statins should be sued at the lowest effective dose -- that is, the smallest dose that lowers LDL to target levels.
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