Is rosuvastatin a strong statin?
Living in the modern world can be both blessing and suffering. For example, many diseases in the past may not be treated as well as they are now but diseases that once seemed small or less in the past are making their comeback in the present. Diseases such as hypercholesterolaemia seem to be common findings in people living in the digital era despite the fact that this condition elevates risk for heart diseases. In this DoctorOnCall’s article, we will learn about rosuvastatin, a medicine used to treat cholesterol problems.
Rosuvastatin is a medicine belonging to the group of drugs known as statins. It is also known as an agent that helps in lowering lipid level in the body. Statins are known as HMG CoA reductase inhibitors that have been shown to prevent heart diseases or adverse events caused by the disease. It also has been shown to improve the blood vessel functions beside the cholesterol lowering effect.
Before we go further, you may want to understand a bit more on lipids first. The term lipid is used for describing the wide variety of fats in your body. The term includes cholesterol and triglycerides. In standard lipid blood tests, measurement of total cholesterol, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein) and triglycerides is important in diagnosing patients. Knowing these values also help both patient and physician to know if they are getting better or worse. Statins are often prescribed to treat issues regarding high cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides. In general, statins are prescribed to treat and/or prevent heart disease.
Some may ask if rosuvastatin is considered as a strong statin. Yes, rosuvastatin is considered as the most potent statin. This is based on the statin’s classification where rosuvastatin is considered as a high intensity statin which is able to reduce more than 50% of the lipid, specifically LDL. Rosuvastatin is indicated for treating hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipidaemia, mixed dyslipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia and prevention against cardiovascular disease. Some physicians may also prescribe rosuvastatin in preventing transient ischemic attack (TIA), non-cardioembolic stroke and before a noncardiac surgery to reduce cardiac risk.
No matter what reason patients are prescribed with rosuvastatin, it is important for patients to use the medication as prescribed by their healthcare provider. The dosage for the tablet available for rosuvastatin is 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg and 40 mg. The dosage given by the physician will be based on the patient’s needs that is evaluated from the LDL level and treatment goal. This is why it is important for patients to only take rosuvastatin based on the dosage directed by the physician.
Rosuvastatin should start to have an effect on reducing cholesterol within a week but it may take up to a month before the full effect can be seen. Thus, it is important for patients to take rosuvastatin regularly to ensure the medication can reach its optimal action and to ensure the high level of cholesterol decline. This means even if patients are feeling well, they need to continue taking rosuvastatin unless directed otherwise by their doctor. It is common for rosuvastatin to be taken in combination with other medication to further reduce cholesterol level in blood, especially in case of severe one. Patients are advised to take tablet rosuvastatin as a whole and avoid splitting, chewing or crushing as this may interfere with the way the drug works in the body.
If patients are treated for other conditions or taking medications for the health conditions aside from what is intended by statin prescription, patients need to inform their doctor about the disease or condition they are experiencing and to bring medication or even a supplement they are using to the doctor. This is to ensure rosuvastatin given would produce side effects or cause adverse interaction. Medicine such as antibiotics, antiviral, antacid used in indigestion, medication treating cholesterol such as fibrates, warfarin and clopidogrel and immunosuppressive such as cyclosporine, are among the many medication that can affect the way rosuvastatin works.
Similar to any other medication, there is a possible side effect that may affect a person when taking rosuvastatin. It is worth noting that side effects should not be a reason for a person to stop taking it and doctors already ensure the medication brings more benefits than harm. Common side effects include headaches, dizziness, stomach pain, constipation and nausea. Serious side effects are rare but if they occur, patients need to stop taking rosuvastatin and immediately get medical attention. Serious side effects are unexplained muscle pain, weakness or tenderness which could be a case of rhabdomyolysis, liver problems characterised by yellow-tinge on skin or the white eyes and dark colour urine, severe stomach pain, shortness of breath and sudden vision problems.
It can be concluded that rosuvastatin is a statin or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor that works in lowering the high level cholesterol or lipids. It is used for either treatment or prevention of cardiovascular disease. It is the strongest station available.
