Hi,I am Dr. Shanthi.E (General & Family Physician). I will be looking into your question and guiding you through the process. Please write your question below.
I am on Pravastatin 80mg. my doctor said my Cholestoral was high. He wants me to stay on the Pravastatin 80 mg plus take Fenofibrate 134mg capsule Glo ? Patient education info sheet that i received says do not take this medicine with the Pravastatin as it may interact. Can you explain if I should take the Fenofibrate?
I understand your concern. Statins (all the cholesterol-lowering drugs ending in -statin) are the best and first line of treatment in the hipercholesterolemia. Another class of drugs for lowering cholesterol, currently used are the fibrates: gemfibrosil and fenofibrate. The concern about using a statin-fibrate combination is the increased risk for muscle damage. This side effect was originally observed when gemfibrosil was combined with a statin. However, fenofibrate does not use the same action pathway as gemfibrosil, and hence has a minimal effect when combined with statins, making it safe to use. At first, the general opinion was that all fibrates have this effect, but trials have shown that it does not apply in the case of fenofibrate. The patient education sheet may contain outdated information. In conclusion, I concur with your doctor's recommendation and encourage you to go ahead and take both medications as prescribed. Ultimately, the decision is up to you.
Wishing you good health and all the best.
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Can Fenofibrate Be Taken Along With Pravastatin?
Hello, I understand your concern. Statins (all the cholesterol-lowering drugs ending in -statin) are the best and first line of treatment in the hipercholesterolemia. Another class of drugs for lowering cholesterol, currently used are the fibrates: gemfibrosil and fenofibrate. The concern about using a statin-fibrate combination is the increased risk for muscle damage. This side effect was originally observed when gemfibrosil was combined with a statin. However, fenofibrate does not use the same action pathway as gemfibrosil, and hence has a minimal effect when combined with statins, making it safe to use. At first, the general opinion was that all fibrates have this effect, but trials have shown that it does not apply in the case of fenofibrate. The patient education sheet may contain outdated information. In conclusion, I concur with your doctor s recommendation and encourage you to go ahead and take both medications as prescribed. Ultimately, the decision is up to you. Wishing you good health and all the best.