Fluvastatin and Clarithromycin Interaction
Drug interaction information between Fluvastatin and Clarithromycin.
Fluvastatin and Clarithromycin have a documented major interaction in FDA labeling.
FDA drug labeling documents a major-severity interaction between Fluvastatin and Clarithromycin. Major interactions are generally avoided, moderate ones may need monitoring or a dose adjustment, and minor ones are usually low-risk. This page shows the documented mechanism and guidance. Label-documented interactions are not a complete safety review, so always confirm your own medications with a pharmacist or doctor. Educational information, not medical advice.
How They Interact
Clarithromycin can affect how your body handles cholesterol medications, though it does not significantly change the levels of fluvastatin.
What To Do
No dose adjustment is required for fluvastatin, but you should report any new muscle pain to your doctor.
FDA Label Information
Gastroprokinetic Agents: Cisapride Contraindicated Cisapride: [See Contraindications ( 4.2 )] Lipid-lowering agents: Lomitapide Lovastatin Simvastatin Contraindicated Lomitapide, Lovastatin, Simvastatin: Clarithromycin may increase the exposure of these drugs by inhibition of CYP3A metabolism, thereby increasing the risk of toxicities from these drugs [see Contraindications ( 4.5 ) and Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] Atorvastatin, Pravastatin, Fluvastatin: [See Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] Atorvastatin Pravastatin Use With Caution Fluvastatin No Dose Adjustment Hypoglycemic Agents:...
Fluvastatin Also Interacts With
- Cyclosporine moderate
- Glyburide moderate
- Gemfibrozil moderate
- Niacin moderate
- Phenytoin moderate
Clarithromycin Also Interacts With
- Quetiapine major
- Pioglitazone major
- Fluconazole major
- Cyclosporine major
- Lurasidone major
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I take Fluvastatin and Clarithromycin together?
This is a major interaction. No dose adjustment is required for fluvastatin, but you should report any new muscle pain to your doctor.
How serious is the interaction between Fluvastatin and Clarithromycin?
This interaction is classified as "major" severity by the FDA. Major interactions may be life-threatening or cause serious side effects.
Why do Fluvastatin and Clarithromycin interact?
Clarithromycin can affect how your body handles cholesterol medications, though it does not significantly change the levels of fluvastatin.
Understanding the Fluvastatin and Clarithromycin Interaction
FDA-approved prescribing information for these two drugs flags their combination as a major-severity interaction. Fluvastatin belongs to the HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor (Statin) class and Clarithromycin belongs to the Macrolide Antibiotic class - two categories that can collide when co-prescribed. The mechanism described in FDA labeling is: Clarithromycin can affect how your body handles cholesterol medications, though it does not significantly change the levels of fluvastatin. Severity tiers matter: major flags generally advise avoidance, moderate flags often require monitoring or dose adjustment, and minor flags may only call for awareness.
Context around a specific patient determines real-world impact. Fluvastatin has 12 total documented interactions on file in this dataset, and Clarithromycin has 81. Each additional medication compounds the interaction surface, which is why pharmacists run full-profile checks rather than evaluating one pair at a time. FDA-derived guidance for this pair is: No dose adjustment is required for fluvastatin, but you should report any new muscle pain to your doctor. Timing of doses, renal and hepatic function, age, and other concurrent prescriptions all shape whether a labeled interaction matters clinically.
An interaction flag is not a verdict. A large share of labeled interactions are managed routinely in clinical practice, the fix may be as simple as spacing doses or adding a monitoring test. Others require the prescriber to choose a different medication entirely. This page surfaces FDA-sourced labeling and openFDA data for educational purposes only; it is not medical advice and cannot account for your full clinical picture. Never start, stop, or adjust either Fluvastatin or Clarithromycin based on a web page, speak with your prescriber or pharmacist before making any change.
Sources: FDA Drug Labels (SPL) via openFDA (2026). This is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider about drug interactions.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.