Crestor and Abdominal Pain

According to Crestor's website, Crestor "lowers the amount of total cholesterol that ends up in the bloodstream. Crestor can lower the LDL cholesterol up to 52 percent. It can also raise the amount of HDL cholesterol by up to 14 percent." Talk with your doctor to see if Crestor is right for you.

Definitions

• According to Rx List, Crestor is a "lipid-lowering agent for oral administration." Crestor helps to lower the bad cholesterol (the LDL) and raises the good cholesterol (HDL).

  Abdominal pain is defined by Mayo Clinic as being "pain and discomfort that occurs in your abdomen." Everyone at some point experiences pain in the abdomen. The pain can be described as sharp, dull, achy, mild, severe, acute or chronic.

Side Effects

• Crestor has several side effects including headache, myalgia (pain in a muscle or multiple muscles), asthenia (weakness or a lack of energy and strength) and nausea. If the myalgia or nausea is severe enough, talk with your doctor about discontinuing the medication. Other side effects that were reported are dizziness, hypersensitivity (including rash) and pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).

Crestor and Abdominal Pain

• Another side effect of Crestor is abdominal pain. If the abdominal pain is severe enough, talk with your doctor about changing dosage or stopping the medication.

  Abdominal pain may be caused by a number of things, including certain medications (like Crestor), indigestion, constipation, stomach flu, menstrual cramps, food poisoning, food allergies, gas, lactose intolerance, ulcers, pelvic inflammatory disease, hernia, gallstones and kidney stones, among many others.

Pancreatitis

• One of the major reported side effects of Crestor is pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is an inflammation of the pancreas. According to Medicine Net, symptoms of acute pancreatitis include pain in the upper abdomen, a swollen and tender abdomen, nausea, vomiting, fever and rapid pulse. The pain may be sudden and intense. The pain also may get worse upon eating food.

  Chronic pancreatitis, as per Medicine Net, does not resolve itself and "results in a slow destruction of the pancreas." This can be a life-threatening condition if not taken care of immediately. Both acute and chronic pancreatitis are severe and can lead to bleeding, infection and permanent tissue damage. Diagnosing pancreatitis involves having an abdominal ultrasound, a CT scan, MRI or a endoscopic ultrasound.

Precautions

• Before taking Crestor, talk with your doctor if you are allergic to it or any other statins, or if you have any other allergies. Crestor's inactive ingredients may cause an allergic reaction or other problems. Additionally, Crestor should not be used if you have certain medical conditions, such as active liver disease.

  According to Web MD, you should also disclose your full medical history to your doctor, especially if you have liver disease, kidney disease or alcohol use. As per Web MD, the elderly should also take precautions while taking this medication because "they may be more sensitive to its side effects, especially muscle injury."