This can lead to severe muscle pain and kidney damage. The amount, or dose, you need for a statin to be effective is a factor, too. Common side effects of statins are headache, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea. In comparison, fluvastatin is considered a middle-of-the-road tablet that typically is best statin for people with moderately high blood cholesterol. A CAC score of zero is associated with a very low CVD event rate and those individuals are unlikely to benefit from statin therapy. Heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. Rhabdomyolysis can occur when you take statins in combination with certain drugs or if you take a high dose of statins.Occasionally, statin use could cause an increase in the level of enzymes that signal liver inflammation. However, side effects may be a concern, especially if you have effects that are painful or bothersome. I cite this study as one of the very first to examine the effectiveness of low doses of statins on cardiovascular disease risk independent of cholesterol effect. * A CAC score ≥100 is associated with an elevated risk of a CVD event (> 20%) regardless of traditional risk factors. 8 - 9 years: 5 - 10 mg once daily; 10 - 17 years: 5 - 20 mg once daily; May take … Asian patients: Consider starting dose of 5 mg. Limit dose to 20 mg. See statins in Asian patients for more. In patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, starting dose of 20 mg is recommended ; May take without regard to food; Dosing - Pediatric. Those who take statins should check with their doctors to see if it's safe to drink grapefruit juice, which can interact with the drugs. Dosage adjustment may be needed based on renal function, race, or drug interactions. Statins also are prescribed for preventing and treating atherosclerosis. Statins are a class of drugs prescribed to lower blood cholesterol. Most would consider statin doses in this range to be borderng on sub-therapeutic, yet even with this low statin dose, there resulted substantial lowering of cardiovascular disease mortality. Statin drugs can be valuable for managing your LDL and preventing heart disease. * Online CVD Risk Calculator Go to www.heart.org and search “cv risk calculator” for online web application. Precautions. Statin Dose Comparison The chart below shows statin doses expected to provide similar LDL reduction. The risk of very serious side effects is extremely low, and calculated in a few cases per million people taking statins. Your risk is less with lower doses of most statins. When choosing a statin dose, expected LDL reduction is not the only factor to consider. Your risk is less with lower doses of most statins. Fewer side effects pravastatin or rosuvastatin); consider routine CK monitoring. CONTRAINDICATIONS:-Hypersensitivity to active substance or any component of product-Active liver disease, which may include unexplained persistent elevations in hepatic transaminase … -Intermediate and Low Function SLCO1B1 Phenotype: Initiate therapy with a lower dose or consider an alternative statin (e.g. Serious side effects can occur.