Crestor (rosuvastatin) is a medication prescribed for the treatment of dyslipidemia--abnormal blood fat levels. Crestor decreases total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and triglycerides; it increases HDL-cholesterol (the good cholesterol). Crestor is in the statin drug group. Based on a 2009 research study by Dr. Erica Spatz and her colleagues published in "Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes," an estimated 14 million Americans currently take statin drug therapy. While usually well tolerated, there are warnings to be aware of if you are taking Crestor.
Myopathy
Myopathy is the general medical term for a muscle disorder. According to a study by Drs. Tisha Joy and Robert Hegele published in "The Annals of Internal Medicine" in 2009, roughly 10 percent of people on Crestor develop muscular side effects. The severity of the muscle effects range from muscle pain to breakdown of the muscular tissue, a condition called rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis may cause kidney failure as the contents of the muscle cells become toxic to the kidneys. Factors associated with increased risk for Crestor-associated myopathy include preexisting hypothyroidism, liver or kidney disease, alcoholism, excessive physical activity, a family history of myopathy, advancing age and taking a high dose of the drug. People taking Crestor should contact their doctor if muscle tenderness, pain or weakness occurs. If myopathy occurs while taking Crestor, your doctor will likely take you off the medication.
Liver Enzyme Elevation
All statin drugs including Crestor may cause temporary elevations in liver enzyme levels. In his article, "An Assessment of Statin Safety" published in 2006 in "The Journal of Managed Care," James McKenney, Pharm.D. reported significant liver enzyme elevations occur in less than 1 percent of people on moderate dose statin therapy and in 2 percent to 3 percent of persons on maximum dose therapy. Liver enzyme elevations associated with statin therapy do not cause symptoms. Your doctor will test your liver enzyme levels before starting you on Crestor, and will monitor your levels periodically while you take the medication. Significant liver injury related to statin therapy proves rare.
Proteinuria and Hematuria
Some people taking Crestor begin having protein or microscopic amounts of blood in their urine--proteinuria and hematuria, respectively. If you experience these abnormalities, your doctor will evaluate you to determine the cause and whether adjustments prove necessary in your treatment. Rarely, high-dose Crestor may cause acute renal failure.
Augmented Activity of Anticoagulants
Crestor can augment the anticoagulant activity of oral blood thinning medicines such as warfarin. If you take warfarin while beginning Crestor treatment, your doctor will check your blood clotting time (INR) regularly to determine if adjustments prove necessary in your warfarin dose.
References
- "Physicians' Desk Reference"; Kathleen Engel, Project Editor; 2008
- Drugs.com: Crestor, FDA Monograph
- "American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs"; Rosuvastatin-Associated Adverse Effects and Drug-Drug Interactions in the Clinical Setting of Dyslipidemia; M.S. Kostapanos, et al; February 2010
- Annals of Internal Medicine: Narrative Review--Statin-Related Myopathy
- Circulation: From Here to JUPITER--Identifying New Patients for Statin Therapy Using Data from the 1999--2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
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