Lescol XL (fluvastatin)

Side effects

Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.

- Abdominal pain.
- Indigestion (dyspepsia).
- Nausea.
- Headache.
- Difficulty in sleeping (insomnia).
- Skin reactions such as rash and itch.
- Muscle pain and weakness.
- Alteration in results of liver function tests.
- Pins and needles (paraesthesia).
- Inflammation of the liver (hepatitis).
- Muscle inflammation.
- Muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis).

The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer. For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.

How can this medicine affect other medicines?

It is important to tell your doctor what medicines you are taking, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, before you start treatment with this medicine. Similarly, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medicines while taking this one, to ensure that the combination is safe.

There may be an increased risk of side effects on the muscles (myopathy) if fluvastatin is taken with any of the following medicines:

- fibrates for lowering cholesterol, eg bezafibrate, ciprofibrate, gemfibrozil
- ciclosporin
- colchicine
- daptomycin
- nicotinic acid (niacin)
- erythromycin.

Fluconazole may increase the blood level of fluvastatin. If you are prescribed this antifungal medicine while taking fluvastatin you should let your doctor know if you get any new or increased side effects.

Rifampicin decreases the blood level of fluvastatin. Your doctor may need to increase your fluvastatin dose if you are prescribed this antibiotic for long periods of time, for example to treat tuberculosis.

Colestyramine (Questran) decreases the absorption of fluvastatin from the gut if it is taken at the same time. This could make the fluvastatin less effective. If you are taking both these medicines, your dose of fluvastatin should be taken at least four hours after the colestyramine to prevent this happening.

Fluvastatin may increase the blood level of phenytoin used to treat epilepsy, and this could increase the risk of phenytoin side effects. Phenytoin may also increase the blood level of fluvastatin, and this could increase the risk of fluvastatin side effects on the muscles. If you are taking these medicines together your doctor may want to perform extra monitoring, particularly if your doses are changed, and you should let your doctor know if you experience any new or increased side effects.

The anti-blood-clotting effect of anticoagulants such as warfarin may be increased by fluvastatin. For this reason, if you are taking an anticoagulant your doctor may want to check your blood-clotting time (INR) when you start or stop treatment with fluvastatin, and if your fluvastatin dose is altered.

Fluvastatin may increase the blood level of glibenclamide, used to treat type 2 diabetes. As this may increase the effect of glibenclamide and therefore increase the chance of blood sugar dropping too low (hypoglycaemia), the manufacturer recommends that these medicines should not be used together.

Other medicines containing the same active ingredient

Lescol

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