Brand Name

Crestor {AstraZeneca}

Generic Name

rosuvastatin, pronounced roe SOO va sta tin

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Drug Guide

The information contained in the following drug guide is intended as an educational resource only. This guide is not exhaustive and does not contain all available information about this drug.This guide is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatment.

The information provided in this guide does not replace the need for the advice and services of medical professionals or the need for medical examination. Always talk to your physician or pharmacist before taking any prescription medication or over the counter drugs (including any supplements) or before making any changes to your treatment. Only your doctor, nurse or pharmacist can provide you with safe and effective advice regarding your drug treatment.

The use of the information in this guide is at your sole risk. This information is provided "AS IS" with no warranties to accuracy or timeliness.

**All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

What is Crestor?

Crestor is a medication that will help decrease the “bad” cholesterol in your blood, and increase the “good” cholesterol in your blood. Your doctor may also have prescribed Crestor for you to help reduce your risk of a heart attack or a stroke. Crestor is often prescribed alongside diet and exercise to help prevent heart disease.

Key Facts About Crestor

Crestor is in a class of medications called statins, which work by slowing down the production of cholesterol in your body. This helps to decrease the amount of cholesterol that may build up on the walls of your arteries, which could block the blood flow to your heart and brain.

Crestor may help to reduce your low-density lipoprotein {LDL}, also known as your “bad” cholesterol.

Crestor may help to raise your high-density lipoprotein {HDL}, also known as your “good” cholesterol.

Crestor may be prescribed to help lower your levels of a type of fat in the blood stream or the blood tissue, called triglycerides.

Your doctor may have prescribed Crestor to help you reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and other heart complications in people, especially if you have diabetes, heart disease, or other risk factors. Crestor may also be prescribed for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Crestor is approved to treat adults and children who are age 10 and older.

Before You Take Crestor

If you are allergic to rosuvastatin you should not take Crestor.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not yet known if Crestor may harm the fetus. Do not breastfeed while taking Crestor.

Before taking Crestor, tell your doctor if you have ever had kidney or liver disease, diabetes, or a thyroid disorder. Your doctor may order laboratory tests to see how well your liver is working even if you do not think you have liver disease. Your doctor may also want to be sure you are not developing liver disease while taking Crestor.

If you are Asian you should inform your doctor. Some people of Asian descent may absorb Crestor more quickly than other people. If you are of Asian descent your doctor may want to start you at a lower dose of Crestor.

Let your doctor know if you drink 2 or more alcoholic beverages daily. Alcohol can increase the risk of serious side effects if you are taking Crestor. Your consumption of alcohol may also raise your triglyceride levels.

Crestor can rarely cause a condition which results in the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue, which can lead to kidney failure. Contact your doctor immediately if you experience unexplained muscle pain, weakness, or tenderness, particularly if you also have unusual tiredness, a fever or dark colored urine.

You should avoid eating foods that are high in fat. Crestor is not as effective at lowering your cholesterol levels if you are not following a cholesterol-lowering diet plan and exercising.

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may lead to potentially harmful side effects if you are taking Crestor. Discuss your consumption of grapefruit products with your doctor.

Crestor Drug Interactions

You should inform your doctor if you are taking any of the following:

• Anticoagulants (Coumadin, warfarin, Jantoven)
• atazanavir (Reyataz)
• atorvastatin (Lipitor, Caduet)
• birth control pills
• clofibrate (Atromid-S)
• cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune)
• fenofibrate (Antara, Fenoglide, Lipofen, Lofibra, Tricor, Triglide)
• fenofibric acid (Fibricor, Trilipix)
• fluvastatin (Lescol)
• gemfibrozil (Lopid)
• ketoconazole (Nizoral)
• lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra)
• lovastatin (Altoprev, Mevacor)
• niacin products (Advicor, Niaspan, Niacor, Simcor, Slo-Niacin)
• pravastatin (Pravachol)
• ritonavir (Norvir)
• saquinavir (Invirase)
• simvastatin (Zocor, Vytorin)
• spironolactone (Aldactone, Aldactazide)

Other drugs you take that are not listed may interact with Crestor. You should tell your doctor about all of the medications you use. This includes prescription drugs, vitamins, supplements and herbal products, and over the counter medications. You should not begin taking a new medication without telling your doctor first.

Directions for Taking Crestor

Crestor is usually prescribed as a medication to take once daily, with or without food. You should take Crestor exactly as it is prescribed by your doctor. Your doctor may change your dose to make sure you get the best results from Crestor. You should follow the instructions on your prescription label and not take Crestor for longer than recommended by your doctor, or in larger or smaller doses.

If you experience uncontrolled seizures, a severe infection, extremely low blood pressure, an electrolyte imbalance, dehydration or a surgical/medical emergency you may need to stop taking Crestor for a short time. Your doctor will inform you of when you should begin taking Crestor again.

You may need to take Crestor on a long-term basis for the treatment of high cholesterol. It is important that you follow up with your doctor on a regular basis to be sure that Crestor is helping your condition and not causing you to have any adverse or harmful effects.

Crestor needs to be stored at room temperature, and away from light, moisture and heat.

If you miss a dose of Crestor you should attempt to take the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose do not take the missed dose, only take your regular dose.

Crestor Side Effects

If you experience any of the following adverse effects you should stop taking Crestor and seek emergency medical help immediately;

• confusion
• difficulty breathing
• exhaustion
• fever
• hives
• muscle pain or weakness
• swelling, especially of your face, lips, throat or tongue
• urinary abnormalities, such as urinating less often or not at all, or extremely dark colored urine.
• weight gain

Less serious side effects of Crestor may include:

• constipation
• depression
• headache
• indigestion
• insomnia
• joint pain
• muscle pain (mild)
• nightmares
• stomach pain

It should be noted that this is not a complete list of possible side effects of Crestor. You should contact your physician for a complete list and medical advice regarding these effects.

Crestor Description and Dosing

Crestor is available in tablets of 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, and 40 mg. The 5 milligram tablet is yellow and round. The 10 milligram tablet is pink and round. The 20 milligram tablet is also pink and round. The 40 milligram tablet is pink and oval. All of the tablets are film coated and have Crestor on one side of the tablet and the milligram size on the other side of the tablet.

The dosage of Crestor ranges from 5 mg to 40 mg once daily.

The starting dose of Crestor is usually 20 mg for adults.

Patients who have not met their LDL goal may be prescribed 40 mg once daily, after having started at 20 mg once daily.

Pediatric patients ages 10-17 are usually dosed between 5 mg and 20 mg daily. Doses greater than 20 mg have not been studied for pediatric patients in this age group.

All people taking Crestor should consult their doctor for specific dosing pertaining to them. Do not attempt to alter or change your dose without your physician’s consent.

If you suspect that you have overdosed with Crestor you should seek emergency help immediately.

Ingredients in Crestor:

The active ingredient in Crestor is rosuvastatin. Other ingredients include microcrystalline cellulose, hypromellose, lactose monohydrate and dibasic sodium phosphate

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The information contained in this drug guide is intended as an educational resource only. This guide is not exhaustive and does not contain all available information about this drug.This guide is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatment.

The information provided in this guide does not replace the need for the advice and services of medical professionals or the need for medical examination. Always talk to your physician or pharmacist before taking any prescription medication or over the counter drugs (including any supplements) or before making any changes to your treatment. Only your doctor, nurse or pharmacist can provide you with safe and effective advice regarding your drug treatment.

The use of the information in this guide is at your sole risk. This information is provided "AS IS" with no warranties to accuracy or timeliness.

**All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.