Pravastatin

Oxidative damage to LDL (“bad”) cholesterol is widely believed to contribute to heart disease. In a double-blind trial, lovastatin was found to increase oxidative damage to LDL cholesterol and vitamin E was reported to protect against such damage, though not to completely overcome the negative effect of lovastatin. This study suggests that people taking lovastatin might benefit from supplemental vitamin E.

One of the possible side effects of pravastatin is liver toxicity. Although no clinical studies substantiate its use with pravastatin, a milk thistle extract standardized to 70–80% silymarin may reduce the potential liver toxicity of pravastatin. The suggested use is 200 mg of the extract three times daily.

In a preliminary trial, taking an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (“statin”) for about three years significantly lowered triglyceride levels and raised levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol in people with high cholesterol who had also been supplementing with either 900 mg or 1,800 mg of EPA for three months. The authors of the study concluded that the combination of the statin and EPA may prevent coronary heart disease better than the drug alone. Since drugs in the statin family have similar mechanisms of action, people taking any statin drug may benefit from fish oil.

A magnesium- and aluminum-containing antacid was reported to interfere with atorvastatin absorption. People can avoid this interaction by taking atorvastatin two hours before or after any aluminum/magnesium-containing antacids. Some magnesium supplements such as magnesium hydroxide are also antacids.

A study of 37 people with high cholesterol treated with diet and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors found serum vitamin A levels increased over two years of therapy. It remains unclear whether this moderate increase suggests that people taking lovastatin have a particular need to restrict vitamin A supplementation.

Niacin is a vitamin used to lower cholesterol. Sixteen people with diabetes and high cholesterol were given pravastatin plus niacin to lower cholesterol. Niacin was added over a two week period, to a maximum amount of 500 mg three times per day. The combination of pravastatin plus niacin was continued for four weeks. Compared with pravastatin, niacin plus pravastatin resulted in significantly reduced cholesterol levels. Others have also shown that the combination of pravastatin and niacin is more effective in lowering cholesterol levels than is pravastatin alone. However, large amounts of niacin taken with pravastatin might cause serious muscle disorders (myopathy or rhabdomyolysis). Individuals taking pravastatin should consult a doctor before taking niacin.

In double-blind trials, treatment with pravastatin and other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors has resulted in depleted blood levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Supplementation with 90–100 mg CoQ10 per day has been shown to prevent reductions in blood levels of CoQ10 due to simvastatin, another drug in the same category as pravastatin. In a preliminary study, supplementation with 100 mg of CoQ10 per day reduced the severity of muscle pain by 40% in people with muscle pain caused by a statin drug.