Show ratings & reviews for

2.9 Overall Rating

Effectiveness

Ease of Use

Satisfaction

Most voted positive review

62 People found this comment helpful

I have use Pravachol for over four years now. My total cholesterol lever has changed from 250 to 160. I have had no side effects from this drug.

Most voted negative review

10 People found this comment helpful

Provachol has been prescribed for me but I am afraid to take it because of the many side effects that all meds that are advertise have on your organs!!

Shared reviews and ratings

DC | 65-74 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
4/24/2023
Condition: Stroke Prevention
Overall rating 2.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

This is my second try at Pravachor. I couldn't tolerate another statin I had tried years before. My first Pravachor experience - diarrhea, flatulence, general fatigue. My second time around, several months later, my side effects are - so much fatigue I sit staring without even being able to think, I am taking several naps a day, I have walked an hour a day for years and now have to struggle to make 30 minutes because I have no energy, and expecially annoying is that I am having to get up ever 30 minutes to an hour to pee at night. The diarrhea has not started yet. I am not having any muscle pain. But how is being so fatigued I have no life and peeing so much I can't sleep supposed to be good for me? I don't know if I can keep this up. My doctor says keep taking it and "maybe the side effects will go away in 6 weeeks." I don't want to waste 6 weeks of my life. And no guarantee that the side effects will be gone. I think I would rather take my chances with higher cholesterol.Read More Read Less

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BJ | 45-54 | Male | On medication for 10 years or more | Patient
2/2/2023
Condition: Treatment to Prevent a Heart Attack
Overall rating 3.7
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Been taking Pravastatin 40 mg for about 10 years now. Yeah, I notice some aches and pains here and there but none of us is getting younger. Nothing that has ever prevented me from living the life I want to live, which is moderately/average activity (i.e.: desk job but weekend warrior, camping, hunting, fishing, and having a few beers.) My only issue is that it's become fairly ineffective at lowering my cholesterol, so my Doc bumped me up to 80mg. I could not tolerate the 80mg dose- after just 3 days, I was having that "out of body" feeling and falling asleep at my desk by 3pm every day....so we went back to 40mg and all is well again..except my cholesterol numbers. So now they want me to start Crestor 20mg and I'm nervous about that, given that the reviews on Crestor make it seem like you're signing your own death warrant. Read More Read Less

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Cher | 35-44 | On medication for 2 to less than 5 years | Patient
11/13/2022
Condition: High Cholesterol
Overall rating 1.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Prasavstatin 20 mg ..I do not recommend this to anyone ..it is pure poison..I spent over 4 years thinking that maybe it was normal to feel like I was in dreamland that my muscles would tense right up..vision was off kinda like a blur ..would have attacks cause my blood pressure would spike so low or very high..and doctors just said it was a panic attacks. ..just had blood work done cholesterol 7.8..not even working..my back was aching so bad I was always just in a hurry so I could go to sleep at night so I didn't feel like that..it's a terrible feeling..Read More Read Less

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Tom | 35-44 | Male | On medication for 1 to 6 months | Patient
7/30/2022
Condition: Combined High Blood Cholesterol and Triglyceride Level
Overall rating 4.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Tried Lipitor, Zocor, and Crestor. Lipitor was the worst; Crestor was more tolerable but still had side effects. So far so good with Pravachol -- no side effects. Pravachol is the only statin not metabolized via the cytochrome P450 (CYP) system, so for those who have had issues with other statins it is worth at least giving Pravachol a try.

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StellaL | 45-54 | Female | On medication for 6 months to less than 1 year | Caregiver
2/1/2022
Condition: High Cholesterol
Overall rating 3.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Yes it lowered my LDL and total cholesterol to 211 taking 20mg daily. Why only 20mg? Because at 40mg I suffered severe muscle and body aches. Pin prick sensations in my joints. Muscles felt so weak. Every day. I just couldn’t tolerate it. Still have some pain and weakness at 20mg. Trying to deal with it to get the benefits. But it’s hard. I tried another statin prior to Pravachol but had even worse side effects. Wish they would develop an affordable drug with the same benefits and not these side effects. Read More Read Less

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Chigrl | 45-54 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
8/6/2021
Condition: Other
Overall rating 1.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I was put on Pravastatin in order to reduce inflammation. I don't have high cholesterol. My doctor felt it was safe. I was only on it for four days and I had a severe reaction. Brain fog with visual vertigo, leg cramping, diarrhea, constipation, severe burning sensation on my face that radiated through my body. I have been off of it nearly a week after only taking 4 10mg pills and I am still experiencing side effects. My doctor does not understand why I would still be experiencing side effects at this point. I do not recommend Pravastatin. Read More Read Less

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MacTavish2000 | 55-64 | Male | Patient
4/25/2019
Condition: Combined High Blood Cholesterol and Triglyceride Level
Overall rating 4.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Headaches. Muscle pain. Leg weakness.

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Superfly | 35-44 | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
1/23/2017
Condition: High Cholesterol
Overall rating 3.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I have been taking 80 mg Pravachol for about two weeks now. So far, I have not experienced any of the side effects many people have reported. About its effectiveness, I have yet to find out in my next blood draw in a couple of months.

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suki65 | 45-54 | Female | On medication for 6 months to less than 1 year | Patient
10/10/2016
Condition: Combined High Blood Cholesterol and Triglyceride Level
Overall rating 1.7
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

muscle weakness dreadfull tried 4 statins all the same. try opti omega 3 ,plant sterols 3 a day, vitamink2 mk7,vitamin d ,my bones are repairing but not muscles. my cholesterol from 12.1 to 5.3 without statins. low fat diet and low sugar diet and herbal with no side effects

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rv | 45-54 | On medication for 1 to 6 months | Patient
4/8/2016
Condition: High Cholesterol
Overall rating 2.7
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

My doctor switched me from simvistatin to pravastatin because of the muscle weakness. However the weakness and leg pain is alot worse so I can barely walk after 8 hrs of work. I have been off of all cholesterol meds for 4 weeks to clear up the side effects with no relief, just more pain. I wasnt aware of the chance that the side effects may never go away so now not only do I need to figure out how to keep my cholesterol down, but how to learn to live with muscle weakness and pain. If anyone is considering this medication I suggest using in the smallest dose possible to start with to minimize the side effects but I dont recommend this drug.Read More Read Less

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Canashar | 55-64 | Female | On medication for 1 to 6 months | Patient
7/19/2015
Condition: High Cholesterol
Overall rating 2.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I took them for about 3 months. I have always been relatively fit and coordinated person. I soon experienced severe muscle weakness, muscle pain, muscle wasting and brain fog. I literally had to sit down walking from the kitchen to the bedroom, but for a while, I did not realize why. When questioned, the doctor said, and I quote: "You are just going to have to find a way to deal with these side effects, 'cause you are going to be on them the rest of your life". This statin induced muscle weakness resulted in two severe falls, a torn rotator cuff and a permanent dent in my skull!! I took myself off the statins, went on CoQ10. It took about 6 months for my strength to return. Please.....BE VERY CAREFUL with these statins. They were poison to my body. I wonder how many older Americans out there are feeling weak and are in pain due to these prescribed meds. Had my side effects not been as severe and come on so quickly, they may have been played off as simply getting old. Read More Read Less

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Anonymous | 55-64 | Male | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
3/26/2015
Condition: High Cholesterol
Overall rating 2.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I was taking another Crestor and it made my hips and shoulder joints ache. Took several months to make the connection. I stopped taking it and the joint pains got much better. Dr put me on generic Pravachol. Almost immediately the knee, joint, and should pain have returned, plus feeling generally lousy. Not positive this drug is the cause but I'm I'm going to stop taking it to see if I improve....again. PS it seems just recently statins are affecting me.

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gepe53 | 55-64 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
3/18/2014
Condition: High Cholesterol
Overall rating 1.7
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I took the generic RX of this drug,I had terrible pain in my hips and legs.While at the gym walking my legs gave out and I almost collapsed on the floor.It was aweful and no way Jose' will I take this crap again!!!

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Harriet | 75 or over | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
2/21/2014
Condition: High Cholesterol
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Switched from Lipitor after reading this drug reduces Diabetes risk up to 30% . Lipid levels need to be checked after two weeks.

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BeckyCC | 45-54 | Female | On medication for 2 to less than 5 years | Patient
12/16/2013
Condition: Combined High Blood Cholesterol and Triglyceride Level
Overall rating 2.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I took Pravastatin for about 2.5 years. It was moderately effective in keeping my cholesterol down--the main benefit was raising my "good" cholesterol and lowering the "bad." However, after about 2 years, I started having leg cramps during the night, and leg soreness during the day. It progressively got worse; like you had never exercised a day in your life and suddenly went out and ran a marathon! Talked to my pharmacist on a Friday, and she said stop taking it over the weekend and call the doctor at the first of the week. Well, by Monday or so, all the pain was gone. I quit taking it and refuse to take another statin drug.Read More Read Less

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JD | 65-74 | Male | On medication for 1 to 6 months | Patient
11/18/2013
Condition: High Cholesterol
Overall rating 4.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I have only been taking this drug for 4 months. It has lowered my overall cholesterol to about 90 and my LDL and HDL are all in satisfactory range. I have had absolutely no side effects thus far.

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steve | 65-74 | Male | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
11/4/2013
Condition: High Cholesterol
Overall rating 2.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

High level joint pains after only two weeks of use, fluid retention, feeling vague, inability to sleep, dark urine, feeling very tired, muscle weakness, reduced libido.

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rwvife | 65-74 | Female | On medication for 2 to less than 5 years | Patient
10/5/2013
Condition: Combined High Blood Cholesterol and Triglyceride Level
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

My cholesterol is now 159 & Triglycerides are 180

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Anonymous | 65-74 | Male | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
9/26/2013
Condition: Increased Triglycerides and Cholesterol
Overall rating 3.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Prescribed as a substitute when Lipitor caused aches and pains in sacrum and ilia. Stopping Lipitor for 2 weeks stopped the pain. (Just started taking Pravachol, so star ratings above are there just because they are required.)

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rodeogirl | 45-54 | Female | On medication for 2 to less than 5 years | Patient
7/27/2013
Condition: High Cholesterol
Overall rating 3.7
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

After being on this drug for 3 years ive noticed the last 2 years i hurt all the time and its all muscle pain. Its effecting my spine now and I went to dr last nite and he thinks its this med. I will be calling my dr on monday escially after reading all these review. Think its time to come off.

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