Description

Mevacor ( Lovastatin ) is an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (also known as a statin) used in combination with a low-cholesterol and low-fat diet to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in your blood.

Manufacturer: Dr. Reddy		Average Delivery Time: 12 Days
Brand Name:		Exp. Date: Approx. March 2009

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Description

Lovastatin is used together with a proper diet to treat high cholesterol levels in the blood. Using this medicine may help prevent medical problems caused by such substances clogging the blood vessels. This medicine may also be used to prevent certain types of heart problems in patients with risk factors for heart problems .

Lovastatin belongs to the group of medicines called 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors. It works by blocking an enzyme that is needed by the body to make cholesterol, thereby reducing the amount of cholesterol in the blood .

Lovastatin is available only with your doctor's prescription .

Before prescribing medicine for your condition, your doctor will probably try to control your condition by prescribing a personal diet for you. Such a diet may be low in fats, sugars, and/or cholesterol. Many people are able to control their condition by carefully following their doctor's orders for proper diet and exercise. Medicine is prescribed only when additional help is needed and is effective only when a schedule of diet and exercise is properly followed .

Lovastatin should not be taken with large amounts of grapefruit juice or other grapefruit products because these may increase the concentrations of lovastatin in the body .

This product is available in the following dosage forms:
Tablet
Tablet, Extended Release

What Is Lovastatin Used For? -- An Overview

Lovastatin is a medication that has been licensed to treat several conditions. These lovastatin uses include the:

Treatment of high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia)
Treatment of high triglycerides
Prevention of heart disease.

There are several forms of lovastatin available: the brand name drug Mevacor®, the generic version called Lovastatin tablets, and the lovastatin extended-release tablets that are available under the brand name Altoprev®.

High Cholesterol or Triglycerides Treatment
Lovastatin is used for treating high cholesterol in people who cannot lower cholesterol through lifestyle changes. Lovastatin can lower total cholesterol and LDL ("bad cholesterol"), as well as increase HDL ("good cholesterol"). Lovastatin has also been shown to lower triglyceride levels in the blood.

Prevention of Heart Disease
Lovastatin is also used to decrease the chances of developing heart disease in people who do not have existing coronary heart disease but who do have high cholesterol. In this group, lovastatin has been shown to decrease the chances of:

A heart attack
Unstable angina
Needing a heart procedure, such as angioplasty or open heart surgery (known medically as coronary artery bypass surgery, or CABG).

It has also been shown to decrease the rate at which atherosclerosis develops in those with existing heart disease.