Compare pravastatin vs. Vytorin
Head-to-head comparisons of medication uses, side effects, ratings, and more.
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
Lowers cholesterol.
Vytorin is expensive and is no more effective than simvastatin by itself.
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3.3/ 5 average rating with 99 reviewsforVytorin
Upsides
- 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.
- A 2-in-1 cholesterol-lowering combination medicine.
- Lowers "bad" cholesterol (LDL) and raises "good" cholesterol (HDL) in people who have trouble doing this through diet and exercise.
Downsides
- 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).
- In clinical studies, simvastatin/ezetimibe hasn't controlled cholesterol better than simvastatin alone.
- There's no generic available, so it can be expensive.
Used for
Dosage forms
- Pill
- Pill
Price
Lowest price
$182.61
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$69.50
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Reviews
426 reviews so far
54%
saidit'sworth it
44%
saiditworked well
19%
saidit'sa big hassle
Have you used Pravachol (pravastatin)?
Leave a review99 reviews so far
53%
saidit'sworth it
36%
saiditworked well
19%
saidit'sa big hassle
Have you used Vytorin (Ezetimibe / Simvastatin)?
Leave a reviewSide effects
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%
8possible side effects
- Headache6%
- Any side effect5%
- Increased ALT4%
- Myalgia4%
- Upper respiratory tract infection4%
- Diarrhea3%
- Influenza2%
- Pain in extremity2%
Risks and risk factors
- 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
- Muscle pain
- Asian patients taking high-dose niacin
- Liver damage
- Past history of liver disease
- heavy alcohol use
- High blood sugar
- Diabetes
- Increased risk for colds and flu
- Skin reactions
- Harm to fetus
- Pregnancy