Pravastatin Ratiopharm
Pravastatin ratiopharm is a statin medicine that lowers 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) and increases 'good' cholesterol (HDL) to help prevent heart disease and stroke.
Form
tabletti
Strength
20 mg
Active Ingredient
Pravastatin sodium
Manufacturer
Sandoz A/S
How to Use
Dosage
Adults typically take 10-40 mg once daily, preferably in the evening. Children (8-13 years) take 10-20 mg, and children (14-18 years) take 10-40 mg once daily. For kidney or liver issues, the dose is 10 mg once daily. After an organ transplant, the starting dose is 20 mg once daily, which may be increased to 40 mg.
Method
Take tablets with half a glass of water, with or without food. Tablets can be divided into equal doses.
Important
The maximum daily dose is 40 mg.
Possible Side Effects
COMMON
- •Dizziness, headache, sleep disturbances, insomnia
- •Blurred vision or double vision
- •Indigestion, heartburn, stomach pain or discomfort, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, gas
- •Skin itching or rash, hives, changes to hair or scalp, including hair loss
- •Pain when urinating, frequent urination, night-time urination
- •Sexual dysfunction
- •Fatigue
- •Muscle and joint pain
- •Tendonitis, which can lead to tendon rupture
RARE
- •Increased skin sensitivity to sunlight
- •Sensory disturbances like burning, tingling, or numbness, possibly nerve damage
- •Allergic condition with joint pain, rash, and fever (like lupus)
- •Muscle pain or weakness (myopathy), muscle inflammation (myositis, polymyositis)
- •Abnormal blood tests showing increased liver enzyme levels, which may indicate liver problems. Your doctor may check these values regularly.
- •Skin and muscle inflammation (dermatomyositis)
- •Persistent muscle weakness
- •Rash, including lichenoid rash (resembling lichen planus)
- •Myasthenia gravis (a disease causing general muscle weakness, sometimes affecting breathing muscles)
- •Ocular myasthenia (a disease causing weakness in eye muscles)
- •Muscle rupture
- •Nightmares
- •Memory loss
- •Depression
- •Breathing difficulties, including persistent cough and/or shortness of breath or fever
Important Warnings
- Do not take if you are allergic to pravastatin sodium or any other ingredients in this medicine.
- Do not take if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.
- Do not take if you have several abnormal liver function test results.
- Tell your doctor if you have kidney disease, an underactive thyroid, or regularly drink large amounts of alcohol.
- Inform your doctor if you or a close relative has a hereditary muscle disease or if you've had muscle side effects from other cholesterol-lowering medicines.
Show 4 more warnings
- Contact your doctor immediately if you experience unexplained or persistent muscle pain, tenderness, weakness, or cramps, especially if you also feel unwell or have a fever.
- Tell your doctor if you have myasthenia (a disease causing general muscle weakness, sometimes affecting breathing muscles) or ocular myasthenia (a disease causing weakness in eye muscles), as statins can sometimes worsen these conditions.
- If you have used fusidic acid (an antibiotic) in the last 7 days, you must temporarily stop taking Pravastatin ratiopharm to avoid severe muscle problems. Your doctor will tell you when it's safe to restart.
- Your doctor may check your liver function with blood tests before and during treatment.
Use in Elderly Patients
Category A
Suitable for older adults. Possible adverse effects include muscle pain and muscular weakness. (updated 17.4.2023)