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Can Crestor Cause Weight Loss?
Question: Hi,
I recently started Crestor, 5 mg./day (about two months ago) but had to stop it for about two weeks as i was on some other medications to treat respiratory infection. I have now been on it again for the past week. I have noticed some weight loss that is unusual for me, and I'm wondering if Crestor is to blame? I have lost about 7 pounds since being on the Crestor. Also, I was on Pravastatin to begin with last year, but had some serious muscle cramps with it so I was switched to Crestor. My cholesterol levels are in the borderline high range, and my only other risk factor is that my Lipoprotein(a) is really elevated at nearly 200. I am a 49 year old woman who has recently gone through menopause. I am 5'10" and weighed in at 141 before starting Crestor, and now I am about 135 lbs. In the past month, I was also on Tamiflu, an inhaled steroid (Arnuity Ellipta), Doxycycline, and Biaxin. Thank you for any advice.
I recently started Crestor, 5 mg./day (about two months ago) but had to stop it for about two weeks as i was on some other medications to treat respiratory infection. I have now been on it again for the past week. I have noticed some weight loss that is unusual for me, and I'm wondering if Crestor is to blame? I have lost about 7 pounds since being on the Crestor. Also, I was on Pravastatin to begin with last year, but had some serious muscle cramps with it so I was switched to Crestor. My cholesterol levels are in the borderline high range, and my only other risk factor is that my Lipoprotein(a) is really elevated at nearly 200. I am a 49 year old woman who has recently gone through menopause. I am 5'10" and weighed in at 141 before starting Crestor, and now I am about 135 lbs. In the past month, I was also on Tamiflu, an inhaled steroid (Arnuity Ellipta), Doxycycline, and Biaxin. Thank you for any advice.
Brief Answer:
Questions so that I can advise.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
You have multiple reasons that weight loss may have occurred. Do you know for sure that the weight loss correlated with starting Crestor, or is it possible that you lost the weight while you had influenza?
Other than weight loss, are you having any abnormal symptoms?
Has your appetite been less recently, and has the reduction in appetite correlated with anything specifically (having influenza, or any of the meds you took in the past month)?
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
Questions so that I can advise.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
You have multiple reasons that weight loss may have occurred. Do you know for sure that the weight loss correlated with starting Crestor, or is it possible that you lost the weight while you had influenza?
Other than weight loss, are you having any abnormal symptoms?
Has your appetite been less recently, and has the reduction in appetite correlated with anything specifically (having influenza, or any of the meds you took in the past month)?
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Hi,
I did have a flu several weeks ago that I had a fever for roughly five days with night sweats. I don’t recall losing weight then but usually I end up putting it back on after sickness. I’ve alse had some muscle weakness and it sure if it’s from lack of exercise for two months or the Crestor. I pulled a muscle in my chest rather easily.
Appetite is ok, but was reduced when I had flu
I did have a flu several weeks ago that I had a fever for roughly five days with night sweats. I don’t recall losing weight then but usually I end up putting it back on after sickness. I’ve alse had some muscle weakness and it sure if it’s from lack of exercise for two months or the Crestor. I pulled a muscle in my chest rather easily.
Appetite is ok, but was reduced when I had flu
Brief Answer:
Thoughts on this.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Crestor can cause weight gain and in some people weight loss. If you think that the Crestor may be involved in this unexpected weight loss, I recommend going into your doctor and having both a fasting blood glucose check and liver and muscle enzymes checked.
The reason for the glucose check is that diabetes can cause weight loss, and there is some association in the literature with statins and glucose control (although the effects are fairly small). But diabetes presents with symptoms other than weight loss only, such as marked increased thirst and urination.
The reason for checking the liver and muscle enzymes is to see if Crestor is adversely affecting you. But I have seen Biaxin also cause elevated liver enzymes.
Keep monitoring your weight, best to check (using the same scale) after you have gone to the bathroom in the morning, and before eating and dressing, so that those variables are controlled and you can get a better picture of what is going on.
It may just be that your body hasn't caught up yet with weight loss that may have happened while you had flu.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
Thoughts on this.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Crestor can cause weight gain and in some people weight loss. If you think that the Crestor may be involved in this unexpected weight loss, I recommend going into your doctor and having both a fasting blood glucose check and liver and muscle enzymes checked.
The reason for the glucose check is that diabetes can cause weight loss, and there is some association in the literature with statins and glucose control (although the effects are fairly small). But diabetes presents with symptoms other than weight loss only, such as marked increased thirst and urination.
The reason for checking the liver and muscle enzymes is to see if Crestor is adversely affecting you. But I have seen Biaxin also cause elevated liver enzymes.
Keep monitoring your weight, best to check (using the same scale) after you have gone to the bathroom in the morning, and before eating and dressing, so that those variables are controlled and you can get a better picture of what is going on.
It may just be that your body hasn't caught up yet with weight loss that may have happened while you had flu.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Ok - thank you for this. I have a physical scheduled later this week so I will ask my doctor to check those things. Are the potential negative effects of Crestor reversible if there is an issue with liver and muscle enzymes and glucose levels? I’m not a huge fan of being on these drugs but I do have a risk factor or two.
Brief Answer:
Information.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
What I can say in response to whether the side effects are reversible is that they usually are. But there haven't been many studies done on persistent side effects with the statins. Crestor tends to not cause as much trouble as some of the other statins, but it can still happen.
One other thing to ask to be checked when you go in (unless it was checked in the past few months) is your Vitamin D3 level. Because there is an increased risk of muscle problems from statins if Vitamin D is low.
I too am not a big fan of the statins but I'm not a cardiologist.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
Information.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
What I can say in response to whether the side effects are reversible is that they usually are. But there haven't been many studies done on persistent side effects with the statins. Crestor tends to not cause as much trouble as some of the other statins, but it can still happen.
One other thing to ask to be checked when you go in (unless it was checked in the past few months) is your Vitamin D3 level. Because there is an increased risk of muscle problems from statins if Vitamin D is low.
I too am not a big fan of the statins but I'm not a cardiologist.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you - ive also experience some shortness of breath while on Crestor and I’m wondering if this drug is causing these problems too. I had been having some intense muscle & joint pain in my upper chest from my usual routine - I aid my disabled son daily and can usually handle the load with no problem but I felt a strong pull in my sternum area when I was active last week. I’m a bit suspicious about the drug, especially since I had intense muscle pains while on provastatin.
Brief Answer:
Information.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
It is possible that the muscle and joint pain in your chest is from the Crestor. Regarding the shortness of breath, that is not a common one for rosuvastatin, but if you are having pain in the connective tissue of the chest wall from Crestor, it might be attributable to that. Chest pain and chest discomfort are listed as one of the less common side effects, but it is listed.
Other than your high lipoprotein (I'm assuming you mean LDL? Because HDL is also a lipoprotein but is actually protective) causing your total cholesterol to be high, do you have other cardiac risk factors?
These include:
Personal history of cardiovascular disease (heart attack, stroke)
Smoking
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Obesity
The family history of cardiovascular disease at a young age
Chronic kidney disease
Unhealthy diet (excessive simple carbohydrates, low fiber/low vegetable)
HIV and inflammatory diseases
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
Information.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
It is possible that the muscle and joint pain in your chest is from the Crestor. Regarding the shortness of breath, that is not a common one for rosuvastatin, but if you are having pain in the connective tissue of the chest wall from Crestor, it might be attributable to that. Chest pain and chest discomfort are listed as one of the less common side effects, but it is listed.
Other than your high lipoprotein (I'm assuming you mean LDL? Because HDL is also a lipoprotein but is actually protective) causing your total cholesterol to be high, do you have other cardiac risk factors?
These include:
Personal history of cardiovascular disease (heart attack, stroke)
Smoking
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Obesity
The family history of cardiovascular disease at a young age
Chronic kidney disease
Unhealthy diet (excessive simple carbohydrates, low fiber/low vegetable)
HIV and inflammatory diseases
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Yes my LDLs are high usually at 143 or146 and my HDL is ok at high 60s. Total number is often 220-230. The other risk factor is my unusually high lipoprotein(a) at 190. I’ve tried dietary and exercise but to no avail in effectively lowering any of these. My cardiologist said for me to stop Crestor for one week to see if my chest discomfort goes away. Yes, I think too the shortness of breath is due to tight muscles and such. Just strange. I may try red yeast rice as a last resort under my dr supervision. I also had an ultrasound of my carotid arteries and there was slight thickening in my left.
Brief Answer:
Some additional information.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
That sounds like a good idea to stop the Crestor for a week to see if your symptoms improve.
Hope I have answered your query.
Regards,
Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
Some additional information.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
That sounds like a good idea to stop the Crestor for a week to see if your symptoms improve.
Hope I have answered your query.
Regards,
Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh, General & Family Physician
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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