Crestor Side Effects Should Be Taken Seriously

Many Americans suffer from high cholesterol, a condition that is caused by a combination of fatty foods and genetics and can lead to more serious conditions, including heart disease and strokes – the most common killers in the United States. However, a series of drugs has recently aimed to change the prevalence of high cholesterol in many patients by lowering the cholesterol in the bloodstream. These drugs, called statin drugs, have proven to be effective and are gaining popularity in recent years. One of the most commonly-prescribed statin drug is Crestor.

Although these statin drugs have been beneficial to many patients with a risk of heart disease, Crestor side effects – some of which aren’t being taken seriously by patients or by the medical community. Crestor and other statins can cause headache, muscle pain and  weakness, nausea, kidney or liver problems, and abdominal pain. These side effects, especially the ones that have to do with the muscles, as well as another condition called Crestor rhabdomyolysis can be very serious.

When muscles break down, they release a chemical called myoglobin into the blood. The kidneys, whose job it is to process the blood, can break down myoglobin – but what it breaks down into can damage the kidneys very seriously, to the point that it could lead to kidney failure. Kidney failure can be fatal. This condition, rhabdomyolysis, is characterized by symptoms like unexplained muscle pain and weakness or muscle

tenderness and a fever, although the most important symptom to watch out for is red, brown, or otherwise darkened urine. Any patient who experiences this symptom should go to their doctor immediately.

Many patients do not take this side effect seriously, because muscle damage doesn’t seem dangerous to them, especially if their lifestyle is not particularly active. However, it is very serious – and the Crestor patients who have endured it will testify to that. Many patients of statin drugs are now filing  Crestor lawsuits against drug manufacturing companies, a move that could gain the plaintiffs millions of dollars in rewarded damages. This money can help cover medical costs not covered by insurance and can also take care of costs like lost wages. Crestor patients who are interested in filing a lawsuit should talk to their lawyers.