Pravachol and Liver Problems

Because Pravachol has been linked to liver conditions such as jaundice and hepatitis, many patients want to know more about Pravachol and liver problems. An increase in liver enzymes occurs in about 1.2 percent of people taking Pravachol, while other liver problems, including hepatitis, fatty change in the liver, or hepatoma, occur in less than 1 percent of patients. Possible symptoms of liver problems include nausea, stomach pain, and excessive tiredness.

 

Pravachol and Liver Problems: An Overview

As with any medication, there are a number of possible side effects that can occur while taking Pravachol® (pravastatin sodium), including possible problems with the liver. For people taking Pravachol, liver problems can include:
 
  • Increase in liver enzymes
  • Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver that can cause tiredness or a general feeling of illness)
  • Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes that can occur from liver damage)
  • Fatty change in the liver
  • Cirrhosis
  • Hepatoma (a type of liver cancer).
     
Increases in liver enzymes occur in about 1.2 percent of people taking Pravachol. Other liver problems mentioned above occur in less than 1 percent of patients. For these Pravachol side effects, it is difficult to tell whether the side effect is actually caused by the medication or something else.
 

Pravachol and Liver Problems: High Liver Enzymes

Liver enzymes are usually measured to see if a person has liver damage.
 They do not measure how well the liver is working. A number of things can increase liver enzymes, including certain medicines (such as antibiotics or certain anti-inflammatory medicines), alcohol, infections (such as mononucleosis or viral hepatitis), obesity, and diabetes.
 
Pravachol, along with the other statins, is also known to increase liver enzyme levels. This increase in liver enzymes, except in very rare cases, does not cause any symptoms. However, your doctor will measure your liver enzyme levels prior to you starting Pravachol and several months after you start. He or she will also measure your liver enzyme levels if your Pravachol dosage is increased.
 
If your liver enzymes are high, your doctor may continue to test them on a more frequent basis. If they remain high, your doctor may recommend lowering the dose of Pravachol or switching to another cholesterol medication. When Pravachol is stopped, the liver enzymes, in most cases, return to the pre-Pravachol levels.
 
(Pravachol and Liver Problems Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;