diltiazem vs lovastatin

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Side-by-side comparison of diltiazem and lovastatin. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.

minor Known Drug Interaction

In a ten-subject randomized, open-label, 4-way crossover study, coadministration of diltiazem (120 mg BID diltiazem SR for 2 weeks) with a single 20 mg dose of lovastatin resulted in 3- to 4-fold increase in mean lovastatin AUC and C max versus lovastatin alone. Diltiazem plasma levels were not significantly affected by lovastatin or pravastatin.

Drug Class
diltiazem Calcium Channel Blocker
lovastatin HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor (Statin)
Type
diltiazem Prescription
lovastatin Prescription
Summary
diltiazem

Diltiazem is a medicine that helps lower high blood pressure and prevent chest pain. It belongs to a class of drugs called calcium channel blockers.

lovastatin

Lovastatin is a medicine that helps lower cholesterol levels in your blood. It belongs to a class of drugs called statins.

What It Treats
diltiazem

Diltiazem is used to treat high blood pressure. It can be used alone or with other blood pressure medicines. Diltiazem also helps manage chronic stable angina (chest pain) and angina caused by spasms in the heart's blood vessels.

lovastatin

Lovastatin is used to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart problems. It can help prevent heart attacks, unstable angina (chest pain), and the need for procedures to open blocked arteries. It's also used to slow down the hardening of arteries in people who already have heart disease. Lovastatin can also be used in children 10-17 years of age with high cholesterol due to genetic causes.

How It Works
diltiazem

Diltiazem works by relaxing blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure. It also reduces the heart's workload, which can prevent chest pain. This medicine blocks calcium from entering heart and blood vessel cells.

lovastatin

Lovastatin works by blocking a substance your body needs to make cholesterol. This helps to lower the amount of cholesterol in your blood. Lowering cholesterol helps to prevent heart disease and stroke.

Common Side Effects
diltiazem
  • Swelling in your ankles or feet
  • Headache
  • Dizziness
  • Slow heart rate
  • Constipation
lovastatin
  • Abdominal pain
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea
  • Gas
  • Nausea
FAERS Reports
diltiazem
  • Dyspnoea 3,202
  • Fatigue 2,638
  • Nausea 2,372
  • Pain 2,365
  • Dizziness 2,091
lovastatin
  • Fatigue 1,518
  • Nausea 1,396
  • Diarrhoea 1,251
  • Dyspnoea 1,209
  • Dizziness 1,147
Serious Warnings
diltiazem

Diltiazem can interact with other heart medications. Tell your doctor if you take beta-blockers or digoxin. Using diltiazem with these drugs can cause heart problems. Your doctor may need to adjust your dosages.

lovastatin

Lovastatin can cause muscle problems, including muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis), which can lead to kidney damage. The risk is higher if you take certain other medicines with lovastatin. You should not take lovastatin if you have liver problems or are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Pregnancy
diltiazem

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. It is not known if diltiazem will harm your unborn baby. Diltiazem passes into breast milk, so talk to your doctor about breastfeeding while taking this medicine.

lovastatin

You should not take lovastatin if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. It can harm your unborn baby. If you are a woman who could become pregnant, use effective birth control while taking lovastatin.

Also Compare, Nearby Drugs

How to Read This diltiazem vs lovastatin Comparison

diltiazem is classified in the Calcium Channel Blocker drug class, while lovastatin sits within the HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor (Statin) class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.

Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, diltiazem has 12,668 submissions while lovastatin has 6,521. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to diltiazem blocks the enzymes that normally break down lovastatin, leading to higher amounts of the drug in your body.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.

A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for diltiazem or lovastatin.

Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.