Lovastatin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Lovastatin is a hmg-coa reductase inhibitor sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for coronary artery disease, hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipoproteinemias. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Hmg-Coa Reductase Inhibitor
- Treats
- Coronary Artery Disease, Hypercholesterolemia and Hyperlipoproteinemias
- Available as
- Tablet
- Sold as
- 2 products — Mevacor and Lovastatin
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $1 for a 30-count supply — not your price
How lovastatin is dosed
From the FDA label for Lovastatin (application ANDA078296). Other lovastatin products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
The patient should be placed on a standard cholesterol-lowering diet before receiving lovastatin tablets USP and should continue on this diet during treatment with lovastatin tablets USP (see NCEP Treatment Guidelines for details on dietary therapy). Lovastatin tablets USP should be given with meals. Adult Patients The usual recommended starting dose is 20 mg once a day given with the evening meal. The recommended dosing range of lovastatin is 10 to 80 mg / day in single or two divided doses; the maximum recommended dose is 80 mg / day. Doses should be individualized according to the recommended goal of therapy (see NCEP Guidelines and CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY ). Patients requiring reductions in LDL-C of 20% or more to achieve their goal (see INDICATIONS AND USAGE ) should be started on 20 mg/day of lovastatin tablets. A starting dose of 10 mg of lovastatin may be considered for patients requiring smaller reductions. Adjustments should be made at intervals of 4 weeks or more. Cholesterol levels should be monitored periodically and consideration should be given to reducing the dosage of lovastatin tablets if cholesterol levels fall significantly below the targeted range. Dosage in Patients taking Danazol, Diltiazem, Dronedarone or Verapamil In patients taking danazol, diltiazem, dronedarone or verapamil concomitantly with lovastatin, therapy should begin with 10 mg of lovastatin…
Lovastatin side effects
Phase III Clinical Studies In Phase III controlled clinical studies involving 613 patients treated with lovastatin, the adverse experience profile was similar to that shown below for the 8,245-patient EXCEL study (see Expanded Clinical Evaluation of Lovastatin [EXCEL] Study ). Persistent increases of serum transaminases have been noted (see WARNINGS, Liver Dysfunction ). About 11% of patients had elevations of CK levels of at least twice the normal value on one or more occasions. The corresponding values for the control agent cholestyramine was 9 percent. This was attributable to the noncardiac fraction of CK. Large increases in CK have sometimes been reported (see WARNINGS, Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis ). Expanded Clinical Evaluation of Lovastatin (EXCEL) Study Lovastatin was compared to placebo in 8,245 patients with hypercholesterolemia (total-C 240 to 300 mg / dL [6.2 to 7.8 mmol / L]) in the randomized, double-blind, parallel, 48-week EXCEL study. Clinical adverse experiences reported as possibly, probably or definitely drug-related in ≥1% in any treatment group are shown in the table below. For no event was the incidence on drug and placebo statistically different. Placebo ( N = 1663 ) % Lovastatin 20 mg q . p . m . ( N = 1642 ) % Lovastatin 40 mg q . p . m . ( N = 1645 ) % Lovastatin 20 mg b . i . d . ( N = 1646 ) % Lovastatin 40 mg b . i . d . ( N = 1649 ) % Body As a Whole…
Who shouldn’t take lovastatin
Hypersensitivity to any component of this medication. Active liver disease or unexplained persistent elevations of serum transaminases (see WARNINGS ). Concomitant administration with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g., itraconazole, ketoconazole, posaconazole, voriconazole, HIV protease inhibitors, boceprevir, telaprevir, erythromycin, clarithromycin, telithromycin, nefazodone, and cobicistat-containing products) (see WARNINGS, Myopathy/Rhabdomyolysis ). Pregnancy and lactation (see PRECAUTIONS, Pregnancy and Nursing Mothers ). Atherosclerosis is a chronic process and the discontinuation of lipid-lowering drugs during pregnancy should have little impact on the outcome of long-term therapy of primary hypercholesterolemia. Moreover, cholesterol and other products of the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway are essential components for fetal development, including synthesis of steroids and cell membranes. Because of the ability of inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase such as lovastatin to decrease the synthesis of cholesterol and possibly other products of the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway, lovastatin is contraindicated during pregnancy and in nursing mothers. Lovastatin should be administered to women of childbearing age only when such patients are highly unlikely to conceive. If the patient becomes pregnant while taking this drug, lovastatin should be discontinued immediately and the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to the fetus (see PRECAUTIONS, Pregnancy ).
Lovastatin and food
Grapefruit & grapefruit juice
Avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice with this medicine unless your pharmacist or the label says it's fine — check, because not every drug in a class is affected the same way.
Grapefruit Juice and Some Drugs Don't Mix — U.S. FDA ↗
Every lovastatin product we track (2)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 70/100 | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $1 | View → | |
| 2 | 62/100 | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $1 | View → |
What lovastatin pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
How long lovastatin keeps
No lovastatin label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does lovastatin expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsLovastatin and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for lovastatin: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadNo relevant published information exists on the use of lovastatin during breastfeeding. Because of a concern with disruption of infant lipid metabolism, the consensus is that lovastatin should not be used during breastfeeding. However, others have argued that children homozygous for familial hypercholesterolemia are treated with statins beginning at 1 year of age, that statins have low oral bioavailability, and risks to the breastfed infant are low, especially with rosuvastatin and pravastatin. Until more data become available, an alternate drug may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised July 15, 2026. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about lovastatin
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 26,074 reports naming lovastatin, and the FDA flagged 57% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- fatigue1,572 reports
- nausea1,433 reports
- diarrhoea1,305 reports
- dyspnoea1,258 reports
- dizziness1,187 reports
- headache1,039 reports
- asthenia1,006 reports
- fall933 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean lovastatin caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.
Related guides
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Frequently asked questions
What is lovastatin?
Lovastatin is a cholesterol lowering agent isolated from a strain of Aspergillus terreus. After oral ingestion, lovastatin, which is an inactive lactone, is hydrolyzed to the corresponding β-hydroxyacid form.
What kind of drug is lovastatin?
The FDA classifies lovastatin as a hmg-coa reductase inhibitor. Statins block HMG-CoA reductase, the key enzyme the liver uses to make cholesterol. With less cholesterol being produced, the liver pulls more LDL ("bad") cholesterol out of the blood, lowering overall blood cholesterol levels. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take lovastatin with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run lovastatin against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is lovastatin sold under?
We track 2 lovastatin-containing products in the U.S.: Mevacor and Lovastatin. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does lovastatin come in?
Across the brands we track, lovastatin is currently marketed as tablet, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic lovastatin?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic lovastatin product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
What should I avoid while taking lovastatin?
Food: grapefruit and grapefruit juice (and, for some drugs, seville oranges) — see the food section above for what each one does and whether it means avoiding it or just being consistent. This is what the FDA label and our cited sources say — it is not a complete list. Your pharmacist can check your own combination.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Lovastatin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/lovastatin
- MLA
- “Lovastatin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/lovastatin.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for lovastatin on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.