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Lovastatin User Reviews & Ratings

Brand names: Altoprev

Lovastatin has an average rating of 6.4 out of 10 from a total of 19 reviews on Drugs.com. 58% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 32% reported a negative experience.

Condition Avg. Rating Reviews Compare
High Cholesterol  
6.3
 15 reviews for High Cholesterol 55 medications
High Cholesterol, Familial Heterozygous  
6.8
 4 reviews for High Cholesterol, Familial Heterozygous 20 medications
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Reviews for Lovastatin

  • Anonymous
  • March 2, 2011

Altoprev (lovastatin) for High Cholesterol "I have never had any major side effects with this medicine. I would say it is probably the best on the market, though it is expensive. When I was on another medication related to statins my eyes were RED, and they hurt. My heart ached and I felt like my days were numbed. I asked my doctor to switch me back to Altoprev and I am back to normal, full of energy, my eyes are clear and the heart pains went away. I highly recommend this to anyone suffering from high cholesterol."

10 / 10
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91 Report
  • wwaldok
  • November 1, 2011

Mevacor (lovastatin) for High Cholesterol "Lowered cholesterol about 65% as well as Lipitor. Had eventual adverse effects after 1.5 years of use. Caused extreme joint and muscle tendon pain in the fingers, hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, thighs and knees. This was with the typical starting dosage for Mevacor. Lipitor has NOT had any side effects for me in over a decade of use. Different statins have different effects on different individuals, but Mevacor's side effects were crippling for me until I discontinued use. About a year later, I began 20 mg of Lipitor."

1 / 10
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64 Report
  • missp...
  • May 5, 2008

Altoprev (lovastatin) for High Cholesterol, Familial Heterozygous "Altoprev is the ONLY statin drug I can tolerate. It is due to the timed-release of the drug over 24 hours. I do not recieve that whopping dose of the drug all at once. However, my ins. Rx. coverage wil not cover it. I do not get to take it regularly, due to fixed income. It is 160.00 a month. But this is the drug for me and I get it filled about every other month. "

9 / 10
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52 Report

Frequently asked questions

  • Tina
  • Taken for 10 years or more
  • April 15, 2023

For High Cholesterol "Lovastatin practically crippled me. After taking it for 20 years I began having side effects. It started out with my shoulders and arms in excruciating pain at night when I could barely pick the covers up over me. That lasted about three months then I got new symptoms in addition to my extremely painful arms and shoulders. I could no longer twist the lids off caps or lift a half-a-gallon water jug. My legs were becoming so weak I couldn’t lift myself from a sitting position without experiencing pain. My PCP told me to stay on the drug because the “benefits outweigh the risks“. I researched statins on my own and found what I was experiencing was leading to something serious. I went off them immediately; took about 4-6 weeks for my muscles back to normal. Went to a kidney doctor (not my primary doctor) telling her my experience. She put me on Exetimbe (a non-steroid drug for cholesterol). I have no side effects after 2 months and counting :)"

6 / 10
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6 Report
  • Russ
  • Taken for 10 years or more
  • April 18, 2018

For High Cholesterol "I have taken 20mg lovastatin for over 25 years. Wondering if I really needed it, so stopped taking it for 6 months last year and blood work was all bad: Chol 196 to 243 HDL 52 to 49 LDL 106 to 145 Trig 188 to 246 All of the above varied very little during the 25+ years on the drug, so back on it for nearly a year and looking forward to next blood work. Also, never experienced any side effects that I'm aware of."

8 / 10
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19 Report

Are you taking this medicine?

  • Chery...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • July 20, 2022

For High Cholesterol "Went to new doctor. He wanted to put me on Crestor. Said I had slight plaque build up. I was on Crestor for 3 months. Worse leg cramps ever. My PVC’s got worse. Back on lovastatin. No more night leg cramps. Hair stopped falling out. Bald spot filling in. Energy is off and on then but better. I will stay on Lovastatin. Cholesterol is still low."

9 / 10
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5 Report
  • Peter...
  • July 12, 2017

For High Cholesterol "Two pills almost killed me. Left me bedridden for a week. I couldn't even lift my arm to call 911. After 5 days, managed to call my doctor. They dismissed my symptoms. I hadn't drank or urinated for days. When I finally did, my pee was Brown (this stuff destroyed your muscles). I will NEVER take another statin as long as I live."

1 / 10
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13 Report
  • gig
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 13, 2017

For High Cholesterol "10th day in of taking this, woke up to severe muscle pain in both legs, shoulder hand and wrist, now at 3 wk mark. Still in pain have been using a walker to get around, showing slight improvement, how long does this take to get back to normal, it's been horrible."

2 / 10
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12 Report
  • Janette...
  • January 2, 2018

For High Cholesterol "I've lost 25lbs. in the past 6 months. The weekend after Thanksgiving I got a strange pain in my stomach and threw up, felt sick for the next 2 days so I thought I had the flu. I never really did get my appetite back. The day after Christmas the same pain came back, which made me throw up 10 times worse. I am now due for my physical, but that is why I was asking, since I lost weight, would 20mg lovastatin be making me sick?"

8 / 10
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7 Report
  • Denny
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • February 21, 2021

For High Cholesterol "Lovastatin has helped me keep my cholesterol in check. I have had no side effects whatsoever. I also have two friends taking it. One, like me, has been taking it very long term with no side effects. The other had muscular issues and switched to something else but I don't know what it was. For me, it's been great!"

9 / 10
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4 Report
  • Sherry
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • January 6, 2022

For High Cholesterol, Familial Heterozygous "I have started using Lovastatin for about three month I was doing well on this medication until I started noticing facial swelling thigh swelling and my lower right foot just above my ankle is also swollen. Today I called my PCP for an appointment."

7 / 10
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2 Report
  • Holtz
  • February 28, 2011

For High Cholesterol "Has caused chronic pain, muscle cramps, loss of muscle. "

1 / 10
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47 Report
  • Zanes...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • January 14, 2014

Mevacor (lovastatin) for High Cholesterol "This worked better than Lipitor. I changed due to cost and my blood work is beyond excellent. I've had no adverse side effects. "

10 / 10
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34 Report
  • tyler
  • August 13, 2008

Mevacor (lovastatin) for High Cholesterol, Familial Heterozygous "I have been on lovastatin for many years. I started with Mevacor and then tried later statins, but seemed to experience minor muscle aches from the newer ones and I requested to stay on lovastatin. "

9 / 10
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42 Report
  • Horse...
  • March 30, 2012

For High Cholesterol "Constipation is my number one problem. I drink 8oz of prune juice every other day and the problem is 100% solved."

9 / 10
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27 Report
  • icebr...
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • November 7, 2015

For High Cholesterol "switched from lip.to lov.when i retired and lost my drug plan.blood work is the same with either drug .no side effects so far have been using it for 6 yrs."

10 / 10
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18 Report
  • Cant...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • December 5, 2015

For High Cholesterol "Started out fine but after 3 weeks I started to experience sharp pains in my chest and abdomen. Still need to see doctor."

1 / 10
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10 Report
  • hakush
  • June 29, 2009

For High Cholesterol, Familial Heterozygous "I used this Statin for almost a year (20mg/day), didn't work for me (my total was 266-275). "

2 / 10
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15 Report
  • reelab
  • November 23, 2015

For High Cholesterol "cool"

10 / 10
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3 Report

Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.