gemfibrozil vs lovastatin
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Side-by-side comparison of gemfibrozil and lovastatin. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
moderate Known Drug Interaction
Gemfibrozil Other fibrates Niacin (nicotinic acid) (≥ 1 g/day) Other Drug Interactions Cyclosporine The risk of myopathy/rhabdomyolysis is increased by concomitant administration of cyclosporine (see WARNINGS , Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis ).
Lopid
Mevacor, Altoprev
Gemfibrozil is a medicine that helps lower high triglyceride levels in your blood. It can also help reduce the risk of heart disease in some people.
Lovastatin is a medicine that helps lower cholesterol levels in your blood. It belongs to a class of drugs called statins.
This medicine is used to treat very high triglyceride levels in adults when diet alone doesn't work. High triglycerides can increase your risk of pancreatitis. Gemfibrozil can also lower the risk of heart disease in some people with specific cholesterol problems.
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.
Gemfibrozil belongs to a class of drugs called fibrates. It works by decreasing the amount of triglycerides your body makes. It also helps to increase HDL (good) cholesterol.
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.
- • Upset stomach
- • Indigestion
- • Abdominal pain
- • Abdominal pain
- • Constipation
- • Diarrhea
- • Gas
- • Nausea
- Nausea 883
- Fatigue 825
- Diarrhoea 726
- Pain 693
- Dizziness 617
- Fatigue 1,518
- Nausea 1,396
- Diarrhoea 1,251
- Dyspnoea 1,209
- Dizziness 1,147
This medicine may increase your risk of gallbladder problems, including the need for surgery. Before taking gemfibrozil, tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems. You should not take this medicine with simvastatin, repaglinide, dasabuvir, or selexipag.
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.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. It is not known if gemfibrozil can harm your unborn baby. It is also not known if gemfibrozil passes into breast milk.
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.
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How to Read This gemfibrozil vs lovastatin Comparison
gemfibrozil is classified in the Fibrate 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, gemfibrozil has 3,744 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 moderate interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to taking these two medicines together makes it much more likely that you will experience severe muscle damage.. 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 gemfibrozil or lovastatin.
Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.