Compare Lovastatin vs. pravastatin
Head-to-head comparisons of medication uses, side effects, ratings, and more.
Lowers cholesterol.
Mevacor (Lovastatin) can improve cholesterol, but it's not as strong as other statin medicines. Statin side effects can be difficult to deal with, but the benefits might outweigh the risks.
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3.4/ 5 average rating with 89 reviewsforLovastatin
Lowers cholesterol.
Pravachol (pravastatin) can improve cholesterol, but it's not as strong as other statin medicines. It does cause fewer side effects and is safer for your kidneys and liver.
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3.5/ 5 average rating with 426 reviewsforpravastatin
Upsides
- Lowers "bad" cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides (fats) and raises "good" cholesterol (HDL) in people who have trouble doing this through diet and exercise.
- Can lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death, particularly if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, or a history of smoking.
- Compared to other statins, Pravachol (pravastatin) has fewer interactions with medicines.
- Pravachol (pravastatin) is less likely to cause muscle and kidney damage than other statin medicines.
- If you have liver problems, Pravachol (pravastatin) is the safest statin to use.
- It's available as a generic.
Downsides
- Not the best choice for people who have very high cholesterol levels.
- Statins can cause digestive problems, blood sugar problems, muscle aches and stiffness, muscle injury, kidney damage, and liver damage. Some people have to stop taking this medicine because of these problems.
- You're at higher risk for these side effects if you are female, are 65 years or older, drink alcohol every day, take more than one medicine for cholesterol, or have liver disease, kidney disease, or diabetes.
- Not safe to use if you're pregnant.
- Pravachol (pravastatin) isn't as strong as other statins in lowering your cholesterol.
- You'll still need to eat a low fat diet and exercise regularly to get the full benefit of Pravachol (pravastatin).
Used for
- High cholesterol
- Hereditary high cholesterol diseases in adolescents
- Hardened coronary arteries
- Hardened coronary artery prevention
- High cholesterol with diabetes
- Heart failure
- Heart attack or pre-heart attack
- Heart bypass surgery
- Coronary angioplasty
- Stroke prevention
- Atrial fibrillation prevention
- Nephrotic syndrome (kidney problem)
Dosage forms
- Pill
- Extended release
- Pill
Price
Lowest price
$4.00
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$177.08
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Reviews
89 reviews so far
43%
saidit'sworth it
39%
saiditworked well
22%
saidit'sa big hassle
Have you used Mevacor (Lovastatin)?
Leave a review426 reviews so far
54%
saidit'sworth it
44%
saiditworked well
19%
saidit'sa big hassle
Have you used Pravachol (pravastatin)?
Leave a reviewSide effects
2possible side effects
- Elevations of CK levels11%
- Increase in serum transaminases2%
20possible side effects
- Muscle, joint or ligament/tendon pain10%
- Nausea, vomiting7%
- Diarrhea7%
- Headache6%
- Upper respiratory infection6%
- Chest pain5%
- Rash5%
- Dizziness4%
- Stuffy nose4%
- Muscle damage4%
- Flatulence3%
- Indigestion, heartburn3%
- Fatigue3%
- Cough3%
- Increased liver enzymes3%
- Abdominal swelling2%
- Influenza2%
- Muscle pain2%
- Sore throat2%
- Bile duct disease2%
Risks and risk factors
- Muscle pain
- Kidney disease
- High dose of Mevacor (Lovastatin)
- Combining with certain cholesterol-lowering drugs
- Older age and female gender
- Liver damage
- Heavy alcohol use
- History of chronic liver disease
- Harm to fetus
- Pregnancy
- Breast feeding
- Drug interactions
- Taking with certain drugs that increase the dose of Mevacor (Lovastatin) in the body
- Muscle weakness (autoimmune)
- Muscle damage
- Kidney disease
- An underactive thyroid
- Over age 65
- Female gender
- Taking other medicines to lower your cholesterol
- Liver damage
- Heavy alcohol use
- History of chronic liver disease
- Harm to fetus
- Pregnancy
- Breast feeding
- Endocrine function
- Spironolactone use
- Cimetidine use
- Ketoconazole use