If you have high cholesterol levels, changes to your diet and lifestyle alone may not be enough to get your cholesterol levels down to acceptable levels. There are many medications that can help you lower your cholesterol levels, including lovastatin. These drugs may cause certain side effects, including stomach pain or cramping.
What is Lovastatin?
Lovastatin is a prescription medication that is used to improve cholesterol levels. It is usually prescribed for patients with high total and LDL cholesterol levels. Lovastatin works by blocking one of the enzymes that your liver needs to make cholesterol. By inhibiting cholesterol synthesis, lovastatin reduces the amount of cholesterol in your blood stream. This helps prevent a condition known as atherosclerosis and may even reverse this disease to a certain degree, helping to maintain your cardiovascular health.
Stomach Cramping
One of the side effects associated with lovastatin use is abdominal pain and cramping, Drugs.com notes. This pain is typically not severe, though it can cause significant discomfort. If other parts of your body also develop pain and cramping, it may be a sign that lovastatin is damaging your muscles and causing a condition known as rhabdomyolysis. If you experience cramping pain that includes other parts of your body, talk to your doctor immediately. Abdominal pain coupled with yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes may be a sign of liver damage, another potentially serious side effect of lovastatin.
Avoiding Stomach Cramps
Minimize your risk of developing stomach cramping while taking lovastatin by carefully following your doctor's directions for taking the medication. Swallow the pill whole and do not take more or less than your doctor recommends. Typically, you will start off with a low dose, MayoClinic.com explains, and your doctor will gradually increase your dose once your body adjusts. Typically, lovastatin is taken with your evening meal, which may also reduce stomach cramping.
Consult a Doctor
As EMedTV states, there is no way for a doctor to know who will get side effects from taking lovastatin or any other medication that the patient has not taken previously. If you start to feel ill or just have the sensation that something "isn't right," talk to your doctor. Your doctor can help you distinguish between mild side effects and those that require closer examination.
