Patient Medication Information: uses, side effects, how to take - Pravastatin (Cobalt Pharmaceuticals)
ABOUT THIS MEDICATION
What the medication is used for:
PRAVASTATIN is available only with your physician's prescription. It is to be used as an adjunct to a medically recommended and carefully supervised diet for the long-term treatment of hypercholesterolemia and is not a substitute for such a diet. This has been shown to decrease the chances of experiencing a first or second heart attack, or stroke, and may help prevent heart disease if caused by cholesterol clogging the blood vessels, or slow the progression of atherosclerosis (hardening) of the arteries that nourish your heart, so-called coronary heart disease (CHD). In addition, depending on your condition, your physician may recommend an appropriate regimen of exercise, weight control and other measures.
What it does:
PRAVASTATIN lowers the level of cholesterol, particularly Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, in the blood. PRAVASTATIN reduces cholesterol production by the liver and induces some changes of cholesterol transport and disposition in the blood and tissues.
When it should not be used:
If you are pregnant, since its use in the event of pregnancy
may harm the unborn. Only female patients who are highly unlikely to conceive can be candidates for PRAVASTATIN treatment. In the event of pregnancy during treatment, PRAVASTATIN should be discontinued and the physician should be informed.
If you know that you are allergic to pravastatin or any of the
non-medicinal ingredients of PRAVASTATIN.
- If you have liver disease.
In adolescents and children since the safety of
PRAVASTATIN in this age group has not been established.
What the medicinal ingredient is:
Pravastatin sodium
What the important nonmedicinal ingredients are: The non-medicinal ingredients in PRAVASTATIN include croscarmellose sodium, lactose monohydrate, magnesium
aluminum silicate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, povidone, talc, red 30 iron oxide (10 mg only), yellow 10 iron oxide (20 mg only), lake blend green (40 mg only).
What dosage forms it comes in:
10 mg, 20 mg and 40 mg
WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
Use only as specifically directed. Do not alter the dosage unless ordered to do so by your physician. Check with your physician before discontinuing medication since this may result in an increase of your blood lipids.
BEFORE you use PRAVASTATIN talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you:
- are breast-feeding or intend to breast-feed,
- have thyroid problems,
- have a family history of muscular disorders,
- had any past problems with the muscles (pain, tenderness), after using an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor ("statin") such as atorvastatin (Lipitor®)1 fluvastatin (Lescol®)2, lovastatin (Mevacor®)3, pravastatin (Pravachol®)4, rosuvastatin (Crestor®)5 or simvastatin (Zocor®)3, or have developed an allergy or intolerance to them,
- have kidney or liver problems,
- diabetes,
- have undergone surgery or other tissue injury,
- do excessive physical exercise.
Pregnancy
Before using this medication, discuss the following with your doctor:
- Cholesterol compounds are essential elements for the development of a fetus.
- Cholesterol-lowering drugs can harm the fetus. If you are of child-bearing age, discuss with your doctor the potential hazards to the fetus and the importance of birth control methods.
- PRAVASTATIN should not be used by pregnant women. If you become pregnant, discontinue use immediately and discuss with your doctor.
1 Lipitor® is a registered trademark of Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals. 2 Lescol® is a registered trademark of Sandoz Canada Inc.
3 Mevacor® and Zocor® are registered trademarks of Merck & Co., Inc. 4 Pravachol® is a registered trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada. 5 Crestor® is a registered trademark of IPR Pharmaceuticals Inc. IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ
INTERACTIONS WITH THIS MEDICATION
PRAVASTATIN may interact with other drugs, including those you take without a prescription. You must tell your doctor or pharmacist about all drugs, including prescription and nonprescription, herbal products and supplements, you are taking or planning to take before you take PRAVASTATIN.
You should tell your doctor if you are taking other cholesterol lowering medication such as fibrates (gemfibrozil, fenofibrate), niacin, or ezetimibe. If you take these drugs and PRAVASTATIN together, you may be at an increased risk of myopathy (muscle disease with aching or weakness).
If you are taking a bile acid-binding resin (such as cholestyramine, colestipol), your doctor will recommend that you take PRAVASTATIN either one hour or more before or at least four hours following the resin. Taking them together causes lower amounts of PRAVASTATIN in the blood, making it less effective.
If you are taking cyclosporine, your doctor may need to adjust the dose of PRAVASTATIN.
Excessive alcohol intake should be avoided when taking PRAVASTATIN. Tell your doctor if you regularly drink three or more alcoholic drinks daily.
PROPER USE OF THIS MEDICATION
- Do not change the dose unless directed by a doctor.
PRAVASTATIN should be taken as a single dose at bedtime,
as prescribed by your physician.
Your physician will monitor your clinical condition and your
blood tests at regular intervals. It is important to have these check-ups done on schedule. Please keep your appointments accurately.
Notify your physician about any illness which may develop
during your treatment with PRAVASTATIN and about any new prescription or non-prescription medication you may take. If you require medical help for other reasons, inform the attending physician that you are taking PRAVASTATIN,
Notify your physician if you are going to have major surgery
or have sustained a severe injury,
Notify your physician of any muscle pain, tenderness or
weakness developing during treatment with PRAVASTATIN (see SIDE EFFECTS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM).
Usual dose:
The recommended starting dose is 20 mg once daily at bed time. Patients who require a large dose reduction in LDL-C may be started at 40 mg once daily. The dose of 80 mg once daily should be reserved for patients who do not achieve their treatment goal with lower doses. PRAVASTATIN may be taken without regard to meals.
Overdose:
There is no specific recommended therapy for overdose with PRAVASTATIN.
SIDE EFFECTS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM
Along with its intended action, any medication may cause unwanted effects.
Check with your physician as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occurs: aching muscles, muscle cramping, tiredness or weakness, fever and blurred vision.
Muscle effects
Side effects such as myalgia (muscle pain), myopathy (muscle disease with aching or weakness) , rhabdomyolosis (a muscle wasting disease), associated tenderness, and rare cases of rhabdomylosis leading to kidney failure have been reported with other drugs of this class, known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors ("statins"), including pravastatin sodium.
As these muscle problems are on rare occasions serious, you should contact your physician promptly if you experience any of the side effects listed in the Table below.
Possible side effects reported with some statins: breathing problems including persistent cough and/or shortness of breath or fever, mood problems including depression, problems sleeping including insomnia and nightmares and sexual problems.
In case of drug overdose, contact a health care practitioner, hospital emergency department or regional Poison Control Centre immediately, even if there are no symptoms.
| SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS, HOW OFTEN THEY HAPPEN AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM | ||||
| Symptom / effect | Talk with your doctor or pharmacist | Stop taking drug and call your doctor or pharmacist | ||
| Only if severe | In all cases | |||
| Rare | -muscle pain that you cannot explain
-generalized weakness, especially if you do not feel well (ie. Fever or fatigue) -brownish or discoloured urine | T T T T | ||
Other side effects may occasionally occur which usually do not require stopping treatment. They may come and go during treatment without any particular danger, but you should mention them to your physician, without undue delay, if they become persistent or bothersome. Such adverse experiences include abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, headache, dizziness and skin rashes.
This is not a complete list of side effects. For any unexpected effects while taking PRAVASTATIN, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
HOW TO STORE IT
PRAVASTATIN should be stored at room temperature (15-30ºC). Protect from exposure to light.
REPORTING SUSPECTED SIDE EFFECTS
You can report any suspected adverse reactions associated with the use of health products to the Canada Vigilance Program by one of the following 3 ways:
$ Report online at www.healthcanada.gc.ca/medeffect $ Call toll-free at 1-866-234-2345
$ Complete a Canada Vigilance Reporting Form and:
- Fax toll-free to 1-866-678-6789, or
Mail to: Canada Vigilance Program Health Canada
Postal Locator 0701D
Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9
Postage paid labels, Canada Vigilance Reporting Form and the adverse reaction reporting guidelines are available on the MedEffect™ Canada Web site at www.healthcanada.gc.ca/medeffect.
| NOTE: Should you require information related to the | |||
| management of side effects, contact your health professional. | |||
| The Canada Vigilance Program does not provide medical | |||
| advice | |||
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MORE INFORMATION
This document plus the full product monograph, prepared for health professionals is available by contacting the sponsor, Cobalt Pharmaceuticals Company, at: 1-866-254-6111.