Fluvastatin

Fluvastatin Sodium

What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider?

Prior to taking fluvastatin, talk with your healthcare provider if you have:

Liver disease or liver failure
Kidney disease or kidney failure
Any allergies, including allergies to foods, dyes, or preservatives.

Let your healthcare provider know if you:

Are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant (see Lescol and Pregnancy)
Are breastfeeding (see Lescol and Breastfeeding)
Will be undergoing a procedure or surgery
Drink alcohol frequently.

Also, tell your healthcare provider about all other medicines you may be taking, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

(Click Precautions and Warnings of Fluvastatin for more information, including information on who should not take the drug.)

How Does Fluvastatin Work?

Fluvastatin is part of a class of drugs called statins. It works by blocking a particular enzyme (HMG-CoA reductase) that controls the rate of cholesterol production in the body. This causes the liver to make less cholesterol. Fluvastatin also:

Increases the liver's ability to collect and get rid of LDL cholesterol ("bad cholesterol")
Increases HDL cholesterol ("good cholesterol")
Decreases triglycerides.

Clinical Effects

In previous research studies, people taking fluvastatin 40 mg once in the evening were able to, on average, decrease LDL cholesterol by 25 percent, total cholesterol by 19 percent, and triglycerides by 14 percent. They were also able to increase HDL by 4 percent. The effects of fluvastatin on cholesterol and triglyceride levels were generally greater with higher daily doses.

(Fluvastatin Continued: Page 3)
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