Prescribing Crestor
Advice to doctors and GPs
What are the revised guidelines for prescription of crestor?
The Committee on Safety of Medicines has published a set of guidelines for doctors concerning the prescription of Crestor. These guidelines state that:
- All patients who are starting to take Crestor (rosuvastatin) should start at a dose level of either 5mg or 10mg per day, even if they have previously taken another statin.
- If an insufficient reduction in cholesterol is noted, the dose can be increased to 20mg / day, but only after the 10mg / day dose has been taken for 4 weeks.
- The 40mg / day dose should be reserved solely for people with very high cholesterol levels and a very high risk of heart disease.
- A cardiologist should monitor the care of anyone prescribed 40mg / day.
- Patients of Asian origin should always start with a dose of 5mg and the maximum dose for this group of people is 20mg.
- Patients who are currently taking 40mg a day should see their GP, who can will either reduce the dose to 20mg/ day or lower, or refer them to a cardiologist.
The Committee on Safety of Medicine states that if you are currently taking 10mg or 20mg of Crestor per day, no change is required to your treatment.
Crestor is indicated in following situations
- In addition to a following an appropriate diet, to reduce high total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, ApoB, non HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and to increase the level of HDL cholesterol in patients with primary hypercholesterolaemia (both heterozygous familial and nonfamilial) and mixed dyslipidaemia (Fredrickson Type IIa and IIb).
- In addition to a low fat diet to reduce serum Tryglyceride levels.
(Fredrickson Type IV); - In addition to other lipid lowering treatments (such as LDL aspheresis) in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia, to reduce high total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and ApoB.
According to the NCEP-ATPIII guidelines, individuals with an increased risk of coronary heart disease should follow an appropriate diet in additon to drug therapy. An appropriate diet is one that has a reduced saturated fat content.
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