As with any medicine, side effects are possible with Mevacor® (lovastatin). However, not everyone who takes the drug will develop problems. In fact, most people tolerate it well. If side effects do occur, they are usually minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or a healthcare professional. In research studies, up to 4.6 percent of people stopped taking Mevacor because of side effects.
If unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness develops while you are taking Mevacor, especially if you also have a fever or feel ill, it is important to contact your healthcare provider right away.
Mevacor has been studied extensively in clinical trials, with thousands of people having been evaluated. In these studies, side effects are documented and then compared to side effects that occur in a similar group of people taking a placebo (a "sugar pill" with no active ingredients). This way, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group taking the placebo.
Based on these studies, the most common Mevacor side effects include:
* Gas -- in up to 4.5 percent of people
* Constipation -- up to 3.5 percent
* Headache -- up to 3.2 percent
* Muscle pain, known medically as myalgia -- up to 3 percent (see Mevacor and Muscle Pain)
* Diarrhea -- up to 2.6 percent
* Abdominal pain -- up to 2.5 percent.
The following side effects also occurred in more than 1 percent of people and more often in the group taking Mevacor. These common side effects included but were not limited to:
* General feeling of weakness, known medically as asthenia
* Muscle cramps
* Dizziness
* Unexplained rash
* Blurred vision.
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