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What Causes Diarrhoea After Taking Pravastatin?
Question: Hi. My new MD recently started me on Pravastatin to replace Zocor and 5000 units of Vitamin D-3 (because my D was low). Friday after 3 weeks of The vitamin D and a week of the Pravastatin I develop diarrhea. I took imodium (sic) Friday. I have had some diarrhea and loose stool continuing since then. Both of these have diarrhea as a side effect. And I am usually very sensitive to all drugs. What should I do? I still have Zocor. i see an MD on Friday.
Brief Answer:
You can use zocor
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I don't know what was the reason that your doctor changed your treatment from zocor to pravastatin. If there was any problem with zocor then you shouldn't use it before you consult your doctor.
Otherwise zocor can be used. Please take into account that pravachol is a less potent statin so the dosage should not be the same. Perhaps your doctor substituted one statin with another with the potency difference in mind. If your cholesterol was much lower than the target level, then using pravastatin might be a proper choice.
10mg of simvastatin are equal to 20mg of pravastatin.
I hope I've helped!
Contact me again, if you'd like more details.
Kind Regards!
You can use zocor
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I don't know what was the reason that your doctor changed your treatment from zocor to pravastatin. If there was any problem with zocor then you shouldn't use it before you consult your doctor.
Otherwise zocor can be used. Please take into account that pravachol is a less potent statin so the dosage should not be the same. Perhaps your doctor substituted one statin with another with the potency difference in mind. If your cholesterol was much lower than the target level, then using pravastatin might be a proper choice.
10mg of simvastatin are equal to 20mg of pravastatin.
I hope I've helped!
Contact me again, if you'd like more details.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I guess my more important question is:
- Is the 5000 unit dose of Vitamin D each day causing the diarrhea?
- Or was it the Pravastatin causing the diarrhea?
- Or both causing the diarrhea?
I need to know if I should stop either or both of the above drugs and go back to Zocor and some low dose of Vitamin D (which never affected me)
I never had a problem before taking these new recommendations.
This new Doctor also gave me Celebrex for back pain (had it for years).
I also take ---
Trazadone (sleep)
Diazapam (back at night)
Flomax and Proscar (prostate)
Tramadol (for a number of injuries from contact sports) I take very little 25mg when needed
None of these ever caused diarrhea and the MD took me off Zocor because I'd been on it a few years and was concerned it was too long. I didn't have any symptoms though.
Thanks for the follow up. I will take this to my old MD I am seeing on Friday.
Rich Rini
- Is the 5000 unit dose of Vitamin D each day causing the diarrhea?
- Or was it the Pravastatin causing the diarrhea?
- Or both causing the diarrhea?
I need to know if I should stop either or both of the above drugs and go back to Zocor and some low dose of Vitamin D (which never affected me)
I never had a problem before taking these new recommendations.
This new Doctor also gave me Celebrex for back pain (had it for years).
I also take ---
Trazadone (sleep)
Diazapam (back at night)
Flomax and Proscar (prostate)
Tramadol (for a number of injuries from contact sports) I take very little 25mg when needed
None of these ever caused diarrhea and the MD took me off Zocor because I'd been on it a few years and was concerned it was too long. I didn't have any symptoms though.
Thanks for the follow up. I will take this to my old MD I am seeing on Friday.
Rich Rini
Brief Answer:
Pravastatin may sometimes cause diarrhea
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
and thanks for the input!
Vitamin D3 itself is not supposed to cause diarrhea.
Pravastatin may cause diarrhea, although this is a rare event.
Using zocor for a long time is probably not a real problem. Statins are commonly used for a long time, although most of the studies have not gone for more than a few years. This is a matter of opinion though. I wouldn't change a drug that does its job and causes no trouble to my patient.
Regarding the rest of the drugs: since you've been using them without problems in the past, I can't consider them as a potential cause of diarrhea.
And a general advice: when starting new drugs, it's better to start one at a time and start the second (or third etc) after a couple of days or so, to give some time to the most immediate side-effects to appear. If you start all of the drugs at the same time, you'll get confused when you have a side-effect (like in your case). You wouldn't know, which one caused the trouble...
Kind Regards!
Pravastatin may sometimes cause diarrhea
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
and thanks for the input!
Vitamin D3 itself is not supposed to cause diarrhea.
Pravastatin may cause diarrhea, although this is a rare event.
Using zocor for a long time is probably not a real problem. Statins are commonly used for a long time, although most of the studies have not gone for more than a few years. This is a matter of opinion though. I wouldn't change a drug that does its job and causes no trouble to my patient.
Regarding the rest of the drugs: since you've been using them without problems in the past, I can't consider them as a potential cause of diarrhea.
And a general advice: when starting new drugs, it's better to start one at a time and start the second (or third etc) after a couple of days or so, to give some time to the most immediate side-effects to appear. If you start all of the drugs at the same time, you'll get confused when you have a side-effect (like in your case). You wouldn't know, which one caused the trouble...
Kind Regards!
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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