What Is Crestor Used For?
Crestor® (the generic name is
rosuvastatin calcium) is a medication that has been licensed to treat several conditions. Crestor can be used:
- To lower cholesterol in those with high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia). Crestor is also used to help raise HDL (good cholesterol).
- To lower triglycerides in patients with high triglycerides (hypertriglyceridemia). Triglycerides are the chemical form in which most fats exist in the body.
- To treat dysbetalipoproteinemia, a rare genetic condition characterized by high cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
- As an add-on treatment for people with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia to help lower total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and ApoB cholesterol (another type of "bad cholesterol").
- To slow the progression of atherosclerosis (a hardening and narrowing of the arteries).
Crestor is part of a class of drugs called
statins. It works by blocking a particular enzyme, (HMG-CoA reductase) that controls the rate of cholesterol production in the body. This causes the liver to make less cholesterol. It also increases the liver's ability to collect and get rid of LDL cholesterol.
Through these effects, Crestor helps reduce the following forms of cholesterol and fats:
- Total cholesterol
- LDL cholesterol
- ApoB (a component of cholesterol that is linked to several heart disease risk factors)
- VLDL cholesterol (very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol)
- Triglycerides.
For people taking Crestor,
HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) generally increases.
The main goal of any high
cholesterol treatment is to lower your LDL cholesterol enough to reduce your risk for developing problems related to high cholesterol
(see Effects of High Cholesterol). The higher your risk, the lower your LDL goal will be.
Any
cholesterol treatment begins with lifestyle changes (weight loss, diet, and exercise). If lifestyle changes do not lower your cholesterol to a desirable level,
cholesterol medication, such as Crestor, may be necessary.
