Crestor
® (
rosuvastatin calcium) is a prescription medication approved to treat several conditions, including
high cholesterol. In general,
cholesterol treatment begins with lifestyle changes (weight loss, exercise, and diet). If lifestyle changes do not lower high
cholesterol, medicine (such as Crestor) may be necessary. As a
statin medication, Crestor works by blocking a particular enzyme, which controls the rate of cholesterol production in the body. This causes the liver to make less cholesterol.
The main goal of Crestor as a high
cholesterol medicine is to lower
LDL cholesterol levels enough to reduce your risk for developing problems related to high cholesterol, such as
heart disease or a
heart attack. The higher your risk, the lower your LDL goal will be. Because Crestor can lower LDL cholesterol (along with lowering total cholesterol and increasing
HDL), taking the medication can lower a person's risk for developing cholesterol-related health problems.
In previous research studies, people taking Crestor 10 mg were able to, on average:
- Decrease LDL cholesterol by 45 percent
- Decrease total cholesterol by 40 percent
- Raise HDL by 8 percent.
(Click Crestor for a more in-depth look at Crestor, a high cholesterol medicine. This Web article includes details on how Crestor works, potential side effects, general dosing guidelines, and what to tell your healthcare provider before using this medication.)
