Crestor is in a group of drugs called “statins”. Crestor (Rosuvastatin) is used to modify abnormal levels of fatty substances in the blood called lipids, mainly high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. Crestor is used in combination with a diet plan when changes to diet and exercise alone have failed to lower high cholesterol and triglycerides. It increases the level of good cholesterol in the blood and lowers the level of bad cholesterol. The usual recommended start doses are 10mg and 20mg.
Manufacturer Information
The brand Crestor is manufactured by AstraZeneca and the generic Rosuvastatin is currently from Pharmaris Canada (PRZ-Rosuvastatin), PharmaScience in Canada (also known as Pms-Rosuvastatin, sometimes by Cobalt or by Actavis or Teva or Mylan or Sandoz). It may come from other international countries. Crestor and the generic Rosuvastatin are both available in tablets of 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, and 40 mg strengths.
Get medical help immediately if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction while taking Rosuvastatin.
• Difficulty breathing;
• Hives;
• Swelling of your face, lips, tongue or throat
Stop taking Crestor and call your doctor at once if you have one of these serious side effects:
• Confusion, memory problems;
• Fever, unusual tiredness, and dark colored urine;
• Increased thirst and urination, dry mouth, drowsiness, dry skin, blurred vision, weight loss;
• Nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, clay-colored stools, jaundice;
• Unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness;
Less serious side effects of Rosuvastatin may include headache, depressed mood, mild muscle pain, joint pain, sleep problems (insomnia), nightmares, constipation, mild nausea or stomach pain and indigestion.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Please call your doctor if you have any further concerns or questions.
Crestor can be taken with or without food at any time of the day. This medication increases the action of the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin) and it could increase the risk of bleeding from warfarin. Antacids reduce the absorption of Rosuvastatin and should be taken at least two hours after Rosuvastatin. Limit alcoholic beverages while you are on this medication. Daily use of alcohol may increase your risk for liver problems. This medication must not be used during pregnancy. Rosuvastatin may harm an unborn baby. It is important to prevent pregnancy while taking this medication. It is not known if this medication passes into breast milk, therefore, breast-feeding is not recommended while using this medication. There may be an interaction between Rosuvastatin and other medications such as antacids, anticoagulants, antifungal agents, birth control pills, cyclosporine, fenofibrate, gemfibrozil, lopinavir-ritonavir, niacin, etc. If you are taking any of these medications, speak to your doctor.