What Are Differences Between Crestor and Lipitor?
Lipitor has been around longer than
Crestor and has been studied more thoroughly (and for longer periods of time). As a result, it is approved for several uses that Crestor is not. Such
Lipitor uses include:
- Reducing the risk for chest pain (angina)
- Reducing the risk for certain types of heart surgeries or procedures (such as bypass surgery)
- Treating high cholesterol due to heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia in boys ages 10 and older and girls ages 10 and older who have started their menstrual periods.
It is possible (perhaps even likely) that Crestor will eventually be approved for many of these uses, as it is studied more thoroughly and for longer periods of time.
Another important difference is the potential for interactions with grapefruit juice. Crestor does not appear to interact with grapefruit juice
(see Crestor and Grapefruit), while Lipitor does interact with grapefruit juice
(see Lipitor and Grapefruit).
Is Lipitor or Crestor Better?
One study compared Crestor with various
statins, including Lipitor. Crestor seemed to be a little more effective than Lipitor when directly compared (
Lipitor 10 mg vs. Crestor 10 mg,
Lipitor 20 mg vs. Crestor 20 mg, and
Lipitor 40 mg vs.
Crestor 40 mg). However, this study lasted only six weeks and was "open label" (both the patients and the healthcare providers knew which medications were given).
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