The Food and Drug Administration Officials Tuesday added new safety alerts to the prescribing information of statins, cholesterol-reducing medications that are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the world, citing rare risks of memory loss, diabetes and muscle pain. With high dose use, the statins may cause more severe muscle pain.
Seeing more on an overview of benefits, cautions and possible side effects for common classes of cholesterol medications.
| Drug class and drug names | Benefits | Possible side effects and cautions |
|---|---|---|
| Statins Altoprev (lovastatin) Crestor (rosuvastatin) Lescol (fluvastatin) Lipitor (atorvastatin) Mevacor (lovastatin) Pravachol (pravastatin) Zocor (simvastatin) |
Decrease LDL and triglycerides; slightly increase HDL | Constipation, nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain, cramps, muscle soreness, pain and weakness; possible interaction with grapefruit juice |
| Bile acid binding resins Colestid (colestipol) Questran (cholestyramine sucrose) Welchol (colesevelam) |
Decrease LDL | Constipation, bloating, nausea, gas; may increase triglycerides |
| Cholesterol absorption inhibitors Zetia (ezetimibe) |
Decrease LDL; slightly decrease triglycerides; slightly increase HDL | Stomach pain, fatigue, muscle soreness |
| Combination cholesterol absorption inhibitor and statin Vytorin (ezetimibe-simvastatin) |
Decreases LDL and triglycerides; increases HDL | Stomach pain, fatigue, gas, constipation, abdominal pain, cramps, muscle soreness, pain and weakness; possible interaction with grapefruit juice |
| Fibrates Lofibra (fenofibrate) Lopid (gemfibrozil) TriCor (fenofibrate) |
Decrease triglycerides; increase HDL | Nausea, stomach pain, gallstones |
| Niacin Niaspan (prescription niacin) |
Decreases LDL and triglycerides; increases HDL | Facial and neck flushing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, gout, high blood sugar, peptic ulcers |
| Combination statin and niacin Advicor (niacin-lovastatin) |
Decreases LDL and triglycerides; increases HDL | Facial and neck flushing, dizziness, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating, chills; possible interaction with grapefruit juice |
| Omega-3 fatty acids Lovaza (prescription omega-3 fatty acid supplement) |
Decreases triglycerides | Belching, fishy taste, increased infection risk |