Lescol

How does it work?

The drug in Lescol belongs to a family of drugs called statins. It prevents the production of cholesterol by the liver and consequently reduces the levels of cholesterol and other fats (triglycerides) in your body.

When and how do I take it?

Take Lescol in the evening or at bedtime, with or after meals, and swallow whole with a glass of water.

What’s the dose?

Adults:

The usual dose is 40 to 80mg per day. The maximum dose is 80 mg daily which may be taken as one tablet of Lescol XL 80 mg once daily or one capsule of Lescol 40 mg twice daily. In mild cases, Lescol 20 mg once daily may be prescribed. If you have undergone a heart catheterisation procedure in the past, your doctor may prescribe 40 mg Lescol twice a day.

Children/adolescents (aged 9 years and older):

• The recommended starting dose is 40mg once a day (1 capsule of Lescol 40mg).
• The dose can be increased to 80mg daily (one tablet of Lescol XL 80mg once daily or one capsule of Lescol 40mg twice daily).
• In mild cases, Lescol 20mg once daily may be prescribed.

Could it interact with other tablets?

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines. Remember also those not prescribed by a doctor. Lescol can be taken on its own or with other cholesterol-lowering medicines prescribed by your doctor. After intake of a resin (e.g. cholestyramine) wait at least 4 hours before taking Lescol.

Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are taking any of the following:

• Ciclosporin (a medicine used to suppress the immune system).
• Fibrates (e.g. Gemfibrozil, nicotinic acid or bile acid sequestrants (medicines used to lower bad cholesterol levels).
• Fluconazole (a medicine used to treat fungal infections).
• Erythromycin
• Rifampicin (an antibiotic)
• Phenytoin (a medicine used to treat epilepsy).
• Glibenclamide (a medicine used to treat diabetes).
• Oral anticoagulants, e.g. Warfarin (medicines used to reduce blood clotting).
• Colchicines

What are the possible risks or side-effects?

Common side effects include:

• Difficulty in sleeping
• headache
• stomach discomfort
• abdominal pain
• nausea.

Some rare or very rare effects could be serious:

If you have unexplained muscle pain, tenderness or weakness. These might be early signs of a potentially severe muscle degradation which can be avoided if your doctor stops your treatment with Lescol as quickly as possible. These side effects have also been found with similar drugs of this class (statins).

• If you have unusual tiredness or fever, yellowing of the skin and eyes, dark coloured urine (signs of hepatitis).
• If you have signs of skin reactions such as skin rash, hives, redness, itching, swelling of the face, eyelids, and lips.
• If you have skin swelling, difficulty in breathing, dizziness (signs of severe allergic reaction)
• If you bleed or bruise more easily than normal (signs of decreased number of platelets).
• If you have red or purple skin lesions (signs of blood vessel infl ammation).
• If you have red blotchy rash mainly on the face which may be accompanied by fatigue, fever, nausea, loss of appetite (signs of lupus erythematous-like reaction).
• If you have severe upper stomach pain (signs of inflamed pancreas).

If you experience any of these, tell your doctor straight away.

Can I drink alcohol while taking it?

• There are no known interactions between alcohol and Lescol.
• Always ask your pharmacist/doctor however as this may depend on what other medication you are taking.

What if I’m pregnant/breastfeeding?

Lescol cannot be given while pregnant or during breast feeding. Women of childbearing potential have to use effective contraception. If a patient becomes pregnant while taking Lescol, therapy should be discontinued.

If you have any more questions please ask your Pharmacist.

Remember to keep all medicines out of reach of children
Please Note: We have made every effort to ensure that the content of this information sheet is correct at time of publish, but remember that information about drugs may change. This sheet does not list all the uses and side-effects associated with this drug. For full details please see the drug information leaflet which comes with your medicine. Your doctor will assess your medical circumstances and draw your attention to any information or side-effects which may be relevant in your particular case.

References:

http://www.rxlist.com/lescol-drug.htm

http://www.drugs.com/lescol.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluvastatin

http://www.pharma.us.novartis.com/cs/www.pharma.us.novartis.com/product/pi/pdf/Lescol.pdf

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/heart-and-blood/medicines/lescol.html

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/drug-fluvastatin/article_em.htm