Crestor (rosuvastatin) is a prescription drug used to lower cholesterol and help prevent heart attack and stroke. This drug can interact with alcohol and other medications. For example, Crestor can interact with warfarin and antacids.
Crestor is used to:
Crestor contains the active drug rosuvastatin. It comes as an oral tablet.
An interaction can occur because one substance causes another substance to have a different effect than expected. Interactions can also occur if you have certain health conditions.
Keep reading to learn about Crestor’s possible interactions. And for more information about Crestor, including details about its uses, see this article.
Certain health conditions or other factors could raise your risk of harm if you take Crestor. In such cases, your doctor may not prescribe Crestor for you. These are known as contraindications. The list below includes contraindications of Crestor.
If you have acute liver failure or liver cirrhosis. Crestor may cause liver problems. If you have acute (sudden) liver failure or cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), your doctor likely won’t prescribe Crestor for you. This is because the drug could worsen your liver condition. Talk with your doctor about other treatment options that may be safer for you.
If you’ve had an allergic reaction. If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Crestor or any of its ingredients, your doctor likely won’t prescribe Crestor. This is because taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better options for you.
Before you start taking Crestor, talk with your doctor if any of the factors above apply to you. Your doctor can determine whether Crestor is safe for you to take.
Crestor is not known to interact with alcohol. However, drinking excessively with Crestor can raise your risk of liver problems. It may also worsen certain other side effects you have from Crestor, such as headache or nausea.
If you drink alcohol, talk with your doctor about how much may be safe to consume while you’re taking Crestor.
Before you start taking Crestor, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any prescription, over-the-counter, or other drugs you take. Sharing this information with them may help prevent possible interactions. (To learn whether Crestor interacts with supplements, herbs, and vitamins, see the “Are there other interactions with Crestor?” section below.)
If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
The table below lists drugs that may interact with Crestor. Keep in mind that this table doesn’t include all drugs that may interact with Crestor. For more information about some of these interactions, see the “Drug interactions explained” section below.
Learn more about certain drug interactions that can occur with Crestor.
Interaction with other cholesterol drugs
Crestor can interact with other drugs prescribed to lower cholesterol. Your doctor may prescribe Crestor with one of these drugs if your cholesterol or triglyceride levels aren’t improved enough with Crestor alone.
Examples of other cholesterol drugs include:
What could happen
Taking Crestor with other cholesterol drugs can raise your risk of muscle-related side effects, such as muscle pain or weakness. It can also increase your risk of a rare side effect called rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of muscle tissue). Rhabdomyolysis can lead to kidney problems that may be fatal in rare cases.
What you can do
If your doctor prescribes Crestor with another cholesterol drug, they may prescribe a Crestor dosage that’s lower than usual. You should not take a higher dose of either medication than your doctor prescribes.
If you take Crestor with another cholesterol drug, talk with your doctor right away if you have any symptoms of muscle problems. These may include muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, especially if you also have a fever or feel unusually tired.
If you have muscle problems while taking Crestor with another cholesterol drug, your doctor will likely recommend that you stop taking both drugs.
Interaction with antacids
Crestor may interact with antacids, which are medications commonly used to relieve indigestion (upset stomach) or heartburn. They may be prescribed by your doctor, but you can also buy them over the counter.
Examples of antacid medications:
- aluminum hydroxide/magnesium hydroxide (Mylanta, Maalox, others)
- calcium carbonate (Tums, others)
- calcium carbonate/magnesium hydroxide (Rolaids, others)
What could happen
Taking an antacid at the same time of day as Crestor can prevent your body from absorbing Crestor properly. This could make Crestor less effective.
What you can do
You should not take an antacid within 2 hours of taking a dose of Crestor. If you need an indigestion remedy in the 2 hours before or after taking Crestor, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. They can recommend a medication that doesn’t interact with Crestor.
Interaction with warfarin
Crestor can interact with warfarin (Jantoven), a blood thinner doctors prescribe to treat or help prevent blood clots.
What could happen
Taking Crestor with warfarin could increase the blood-thinning effect of warfarin. This could raise your risk of bleeding.
What you can do
If your doctor prescribes Crestor with warfarin, they’ll usually order frequent blood tests to check your international normalized ratio (INR). INR is a measure of your blood clotting time.
Your doctor will likely check your INR before you start taking Crestor with warfarin. They’ll also likely check your INR after any changes to your dose of Crestor or warfarin.
Talk with your doctor right away if you notice any unusual bruising or bleeding while taking Crestor with warfarin. Your doctor may need to adjust your warfarin dosage.
Crestor may have other interactions. They could occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests. See below for details. Note that the information below doesn’t include all other possible interactions with Crestor.
Does Crestor interact with supplements?
Before you start taking Crestor, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any supplements, herbs, and vitamins you take. Sharing this information with them may help you avoid possible interactions.
If you have questions about interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Crestor and herbs
There are currently no reports of Crestor interacting with herbs. But this doesn’t mean that interactions with herbs won’t be recognized in the future.
For this reason, it’s still important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products while taking Crestor.
Crestor and vitamins
There are currently no reports of Crestor interacting with vitamins. But this doesn’t mean that vitamin interactions won’t be recognized in the future.
For this reason, it’s still important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products while taking Crestor.
Does Crestor interact with food?
There are currently no reports of Crestor interacting with food. If you have questions about eating certain foods during your treatment with Crestor, talk with your doctor.
Does Crestor interact with vaccines?
There are currently no reports of Crestor interacting with vaccines. If you have questions about getting certain vaccines during your treatment with Crestor, talk with your doctor.
Does Crestor interact with lab tests?
There are currently no reports of Crestor interacting with lab tests. If you have questions about having certain lab tests during your treatment with Crestor, talk with the healthcare professional ordering the test.
Does Crestor interact with cannabis or CBD?
There are currently no reports of Crestor interacting with cannabis (commonly called marijuana) or cannabis products such as cannabidiol (CBD). But as with any drug or supplement, talk with your doctor before using cannabis with Crestor.
Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.
Certain medical conditions or other health factors may raise the risk of interactions with Crestor. Before taking Crestor, talk with your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether Crestor is right for you.
Health conditions or other factors that might interact with Crestor include:
Liver problems. Crestor may cause liver problems in some people. If you have liver problems or have had them in the past, you may have a higher risk of this side effect with Crestor. Taking the drug could also worsen any liver problems you currently have.
If you have acute (sudden) liver failure or liver cirrhosis, your doctor will likely not prescribe Crestor for you. To learn more, see the “When should I avoid Crestor?” section above. And if you have a liver problem, talk with your doctor about whether this drug is right for you.
Kidney problems. Crestor may cause muscle-related side effects, such as muscle pain or weakness. In rare cases, it may also cause rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of muscle tissue), which can lead to kidney problems.
If you have kidney problems, you may have a higher risk of muscle-related side effects while taking Crestor. Talk with your doctor about whether Crestor is right for you. If you have severe kidney problems, your doctor may prescribe a Crestor dosage for you that’s lower than usual.
Underactive thyroid. Crestor may cause muscle-related side effects. If you have an underactive thyroid that’s not well managed, you may have a higher risk of these side effects. Talk with your doctor about whether Crestor is right for you.
Diabetes. Crestor may increase your blood sugar levels. If you have diabetes, talk with your doctor about whether you’ll need to check your blood sugar more often while taking Crestor.
Older age. Crestor can cause certain muscle-related side effects, such as muscle pain or weakness. In rare cases, it may also cause rhabdomyolysis, which can lead to kidney problems. If you’re age 65 years or older, you may have a higher risk of these muscle-related side effects from Crestor. Talk with your doctor about whether this drug is right for you.
Asian heritage. If you’re of Asian descent, you may have a higher risk of side effects with Crestor, including muscle-related side effects. Due to this risk, your doctor may prescribe a lower Crestor dosage for you than usual.
Pregnancy. Crestor is not safe to take during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant, talk with your doctor about other treatment options that may be better choices for you.
Breastfeeding. Crestor is not safe to take while breastfeeding. If you’re breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed, talk with your doctor about your options.
Allergic reaction. If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Crestor or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Crestor. This is because taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better choices for you.
Taking certain steps can help you avoid interactions with Crestor. Before starting treatment, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Things to discuss with them include:
- Whether you drink alcohol.
- Other medications you take, as well as any vitamins, supplements, and herbs. Your doctor or pharmacist can help you fill out a medication list.
- What to do if you start taking a new drug during your Crestor treatment.
It’s also important to understand Crestor’s label and other paperwork that may come with the drug. Colored stickers that describe interactions may be on the label. And the paperwork (sometimes called the patient package insert or medication guide) may have other details about interactions. (If you didn’t get paperwork with Crestor, ask your pharmacist to print a copy for you.)
If you have trouble reading or understanding this information, your doctor or pharmacist can help.
Taking Crestor exactly as prescribed can also help prevent interactions.
If you still have questions about Crestor and its possible interactions, talk with your doctor.
Questions you may want to ask include:
- Does my risk of interactions depend on my dosage of Crestor?
- If I take Crestor and have health conditions that raise my risk of side effects, will I be monitored more closely during treatment?
- Do other statin drugs have similar interactions?
To learn more about Crestor, see these articles:
To get information on different conditions and tips for improving your health, subscribe to any of Healthline’s newsletters. You may also want to check out the online communities at Bezzy. It’s a place where people with certain conditions can find support and connect with others.
Disclaimer: This article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.
Article source and credits to https://www.healthline.com/health/drugs/crestor-interactions