PRAVACHOL - Pravastatin Sodium

Pravachol Medication Used For

Pravachol (Pravastatin Sodium) is indicated to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction, reduce the risk of undergoing myocardial revascularization procedures, reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality, reduce the risk of total mortality by reducing coronary death, reduce the risk of myocardial infarction, reduce the risk of undergoing myocardial revascularization procedures, reduce the risk of stroke and stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) & slow the progression of coronary atherosclerosis.

Directions for Pravachol

Pravachol is available for oral administration as 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg, and 80 mg tablets. The recommended starting dose of Pravachol for adults is 40 mg once daily. If a daily dose of 40 mg does not achieve desired cholesterol levels, 80 mg once daily is recommended. In patients with a history of significant renal or hepatic dysfunction, a starting dose of 10 mg daily is recommended. For children 8 to 13 years of age, the recommended starting dose is 20 mg once daily while the same for adolscents 14 to 18 years of age is 40 mg once daily. The drug can be administered orally as a single dose at any time of the day, with or without food.

How Pravachol medicine works

Pravachol medication may elevate creatine phosphokinase and transaminase levels. This should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chest pain in a patient on therapy with pravastatin. Patients should be advised to report promptly unexplained muscle pain, tenderness or weakness, particularly if accompanied by malaise or fever. The patient should be placed on a standard cholesterol-lowering diet before receiving this medication and should continue on this diet during treatment.

Pravachol side effects

Pravachol might cause side effects in the form of constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, gas, headache, heartburn, nausea, skin rash, fever, muscle aches or cramps, severe stomach pain; unusual tiredness or weakness. In rare cases, decreased sexual ability & trouble in sleeping have also been reported.

Other Pravachol medication Information

Pravachol is one of a new class of lipid-lowering compounds, the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, which reduce cholesterol biosynthesis. Other commonly used names are Epistatin, Eptastatin, Mevinolin & Synvinolin. The maximal effect of a given dose of Pravachol is seen after 4 weeks and so it is advisable to conduct periodic lipid determinations during this period and dosage adjusted according to the patient's response to therapy and established treatment guidelines.