IM PO RTAN T IN FO RM ATIO N ABOU T C R ESTO R ® (R O SU VA STA TIN CA LCIU M )
Please read this summary carefully and then ask your health care professional about CRESTOR. No advertisement can provide all
the information needed to determine if a drug is right for you. This advertisement does not take the place of careful discussions
with your health care professional.
Only your health care professional has the training to help weigh the risks and benefits of a prescription drug.
WHAT IS CRESTOR?
CRESTOR is a prescription medicine that belongs to
a group
of cholesterol-lowering medicines called statins. Along w
ith
diet, CRESTOR lowers “bad”
cholesterol (LDL-C), increases
“good”
cholesterol (HDL-C), and also slows the progression
of atherosclerosis in
adults w
ith high cholesterol, as part of a
treatment plan to
lower cholesterol to
goal.
WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?
Cholesterol is a fatty substance, also called a lipid, normally
found in
your bloodstream
. Your body needs a certain amount
of cholesterol to
function properly. But high cholesterol can
lead to
health problems. LDL-C is called bad cholesterol
because if you have too
much in
your bloodstream
, it can
become a danger to
your health and can lead to
potentially
serious conditions. HDL-C is known as good cholesterol
because it may help remove excess cholesterol. Common
health factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking,
obesity, fam
ily history of early heart disease, and age can
make controlling your cholesterol even more important.
WHAT IS ATHEROSCLEROSIS?
Atherosclerosis is the progressive buildup of plaque in
the
arteries over time. One major cause is high levels of LDL-C.
Other health factors, such as fam
ily history, diabetes, high
blood pressure, or if you smoke or are overweight, may also
play a role in
the formation of plaque in
arteries. Often this
plaque starts building up in
arteries in
early adulthood and
gets worse over time.
HOW
DOES CRESTOR WORK?
Most of the cholesterol in
your blood is made in
the liver.
CRESTOR works by reducing cholesterol in
two ways:
CRESTOR blocks an enzyme in
the liver causing the liver to
make less cholesterol, and CRESTOR increases the uptake
and breakdown by the liver of cholesterol already in
the blood.
WHO SHOULD NOT TAKE CRESTOR?
Do not take CRESTOR if you
■ are pregnant orthink you may be pregnant, orare
planning to
become pregnant. CRESTOR may harm
your unborn baby. If you become pregnant, stop
taking CRESTOR and call your health care
professional right away
■ are breast-feeding. CRESTOR can pass into
your
breast m
ilk and may harm
your baby
■ have liver problems
■ have had an allergic reaction to
CRESTOR or are
allergic to
any of its ingredients. The active ingredient
is rosuvastatin calcium
. The inactive ingredients are
m
icrocrystalline cellulose, lactose monohydrate,
tribasic calcium
phosphate, crospovidone, magnesium
stearate, hypromellose, triacetin, titanium
dioxide,
yellow
ferric oxide, and red
ferric oxide
The safety and effectiveness of CRESTOR have not been
established in
children.
HOW
SHOULD I TAKE CRESTOR?
■ Take CRESTOR exactly as prescribed by your health care
professional. Do not change your dose or stop CRESTOR
w
ithout talking to
your health care professional, even if
you are feeling well
■ Your health care professional may do blood tests to
check
your cholesterol levels before and during your treatment
w
ith CRESTOR. Your dose of CRESTOR may be changed
based on these blood test results
■ CRESTOR can be taken at any time of day, w
ith or
w
ithout food
■ Swallow
the tablets whole
■ Your health care professional should start you on a
cholesterol-lowering diet before giving you CRESTOR.
Stay on this diet when you take CRESTOR
■ Wait at least 2 hours after taking CRESTOR to
take an
antacid that contains a combination of alum
inum
and
magnesium
hydroxide
■ If you m
iss a dose of CRESTOR, take it as soon as you
remember. However, do not take 2 doses of CRESTOR
within
12
hours of each other
■ If you take too much CRESTOR or overdose, call your
health care professional or Poison Control Center right
away or go to
the nearest emergency room
WHAT SHOULD I TELL MY
HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL
BEFORE TAKING CRESTOR?
Tell your health care professional if you
■ have a history of muscle pain or weakness
■ are pregnant or think you may be pregnant, or are
planning to become pregnant
■ are breast-feeding
■ drink more than
2
glasses of alcohol daily
■ have liver problems
■ have kidney problems
■ have thyroid problems
■ are Asian or of Asian descent
Tell your health care professional about all medicines you
take or plan to
take, including prescription and non-
prescription medicines, vitam
ins, and herbal supplements.
Some medicines may interact w
ith CRESTOR, causing side
effects. It is particularly important to
tell your health care
professional if you are taking or plan to
take medicines for
- your immune system
- cholesterol/triglycerides
- blood thinning
- HIV/AIDS
- preventing pregnancy
Know
all of the medicines you take and what they look like.
It's always a good idea to
check that you have the right
prescription before you leave the pharmacy and before you
take any medicine.
Keep a list of your medicines w
ith you to show
your health
care professional. If you need to
go to the hospital or have
surgery, tell all of your health care professionals about all
medicines that you are taking.
WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE SIDE
EFFECTS OF CRESTOR?
CRESTOR can cause side effects in
some people.
Serious side effects may include:
Muscle problems. Call your health care professional
right away if you experience unexplained muscle pain,
tenderness, or weakness, especially w
ith fever. This
may be an early sign of a rare muscle problem
that
could lead to
serious kidney problems. The risk of
muscle problems is greater in
people who are 65
years of age or older, or who already have thyroid or
kidney problems. The chance of muscle problems may
be increased if you are taking certain other medicines
w
ith CRESTOR.
Liver problems. Your health care professional should
do blood tests before you start taking CRESTOR and
during treatment to check for signs of possible
liver problems.
The most common side effects may include headache,
muscle aches and pains, abdominal pain, weakness,
and nausea.
This is not a complete list of side effects of CRESTOR.
Talk to
your health care professional for a complete list
or if you have side effects that bother you or that do not
go away.
HOW
DO I STORE CRESTOR?
Store CRESTOR at room
temperature, 68-77°F (20-25°C),
in
a dry place. If your health care professional tells you to
stop treatment or if your medicine is out of date, throw
the
medicine away. Keep CRESTOR and all medicines in a
secure place and out of the reach of children.
WHERE CAN I GET MORE
INFORMATION ABOUT CRESTOR?
Talk to
your health care professional. Full Prescribing
Information is available on
CRESTOR.COM
or by
calling 1-800-CRESTOR.
GENERAL INFORMATION
It is important to
take CRESTOR as prescribed and to
discuss
any health changes you experience while taking CRESTOR
w
ith your health care professional. Do
not use CRESTOR for
a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give
CRESTOR to
other people, even if they have the same
medical condition you have. It may harm
them
.
NOTE: This summary provides important information
about CRESTOR. For more information, please ask your
health care professional about the full Prescribing
Information and discuss it w
ith him
or her.
(continued)
Visit CRESTOR.COM or call the Information Center
at AstraZeneca toll-free at
1
-
800
-CREST
0
R.
CRESTOR
was licensed by AstraZeneca from
Shionogi &
Co. LTD
, Osaka, Japan. CRESTOR
is a registered
trademark
of the AstraZeneca group
of companies.
©
2009
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP. All rights reserved. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, W
ilm
ington, DE
19850
. Rev
4/09
278094
CRESTO R
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