Side Effects:

Common Headache, Stomach pain, Constipation, Feeling sick, Muscle pain, Weakness, Dizziness, Increased glucose level in blood.

Expert advice for Rheza Tablet
Rheza lowers "bad" cholesterol (LDL). It helps prevent heart attack and stroke. Regular exercise and low-fat diet further help to lower levels of fat in the blood. Rheza prevents one death in every 50 patients with heart disease treated over 4 to 5 years. It is better to take in the evening. In general, Rheza is safe. It may cause digestive problems like diarrhoea, gas. If any of these happen to you, take it with food. Notify your doctor if you are more tired than usual, do not feel hungry, or if you have yellow eyes, skin or dark urine. Notify your doctor if you experience muscle symptoms (pain or weakness), particularly if you have fever, a sick feeling or dark urine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What should I know about high cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a type of fat present in your blood. Your total cholesterol is made up of LDL and HDL cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is called “bad” cholesterol as it can build up in the wall of your blood vessels and slow or obstruct blood flow to your heart, brain, and other organs. This can cause heart diseases and stroke. HDL cholesterol is called “good” cholesterol as it prevents the bad cholesterol from building up in the blood vessels. Triglycerides also are harmful fats found in your blood.

Q. Is Rheza safe?
Clinical studies have shown that Rhezaw is well tolerated in patients even after long-term use and is relatively safe. However, it has its own side effects and hence should only be used in the dose, and for the duration as advised by your doctor.

Q. Is Rheza a blood thinner?
No, Rheza is not a blood thinner. It is a lipid-lowering medicine and belongs to a group of medicines known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.

Q. Can I take Rheza with ibuprofen?
Rheza can be safely taken with ibuprofen. There are no reported drug-drug interactions or harmful effects when they are used together.

Q. Can I take Rheza with magnesium?
Magnesium taken as a health supplement is not known to have any interaction with Rheza. However, taking the drug with antacids containing magnesium hydroxide can decrease the amount of Rheza in the body by half and the effectiveness of Rheza may decrease. So, antacids should be taken at least two hours after taking Rheza.

Q. Can I take Rheza with ranitidine?
Rheza can be taken with ranitidine. There are no reported drug-drug interactions or harmful effects when they are used together.

Q. Can you take Rheza with levothyroxine?
Levothyroxine is not known to have any interaction with Rheza. Consult your doctor before taking the two medicines together as the high cholesterol could be due to hypothyroidism for which you are given levothyroxine. Rheza should be used with caution in patients having high cholesterol due to hypothyroidism especially if the underlying disease is not properly treated.

Q. Does Rheza cause weight loss?
Rheza is not known to have any effect on weight. Weight loss with this drug has only been reported by some patient and is seen in some animal studies. But there are no human research studies to show weight loss with Rheza. However, if you notice any change in body weight during therapy, consult your doctor as it could be due to some underlying condition that needs attention.

Q. Does Rheza cause diabetes?
Rheza use is seen to be associated with an increase in blood sugar levels in clinical studies. The increase is similar to as seen in a diabetic patient and you may need treatment for the same. Consult your doctor before taking Rheza if you are a diabetic.

Q. Does Rheza cause erectile dysfunction?
Rheza use is not associated with erectile dysfunction. If you have this problem, this could be due to some other underlying condition and you may need to consult a doctor.

Q. Does Rheza lower triglycerides?
Yes, Rheza can lower triglyceride levels. It also lowers total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels and increase the HDL levels.

Q. Does Rheza cause weight gain?
Rheza is not known to cause weight gain. However, if you notice any change in body weight during therapy, consult your doctor as there could be some other underlying condition that needs attention like fluid overload (water retention) in the body due to some heart, kidney or liver disease.

Q. Does Rheza cause dry mouth?
Rheza is not known to cause dry mouth. Common side effects seen with its use are musculoskeletal (bone, muscle or joint) pain, allergic reaction, headache, nausea, dyspepsia, nasopharyngitis, increased liver enzymes, increased creatine phosphokinase (CPK) level in blood, diarrhea, flatulence, constipation, joint swelling and increased glucose level in blood

Q. Does Rheza cause high blood pressure?
Rheza is not known to increase blood pressure. Common side effects seen with its use are musculoskeletal (bone, muscle or joint) pain, allergic reaction, headache, nausea, dyspepsia, nasopharyngitis, increased liver enzymes, increased creatine phosphokinase (CPK) level in blood, diarrhea, flatulence, constipation, joint swelling and increased glucose level in blood.

Q. Does Rheza cause hair loss?
Rheza use is not associated with hair loss. Common side effects seen with its use are muscle damage, musculoskeletal (bone, muscle or joint) pain, allergic reaction, headache, nausea, dyspepsia, nasopharyngitis, increased liver enzymes, increased creatine phosphokinase (CPK) level in blood, diarrhea, flatulence, constipation, joint swelling and increased glucose level in blood.

Q. Does Rheza cause muscle pain?
Muscle pain is one of the common side effects associated with Rheza use. Be careful and look for any muscle symptoms like muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness or dark colored urine. If you have any of these symptoms, stop taking Rheza and immediately inform your doctor. These symptoms could be due to muscle breakdown and release of muscle proteins into the blood stream (this condition is known as rhabdomyolysis) and this can lead to problems like kidney failure.

Q. Can I take Rheza with grapefruit juice?
Yes, Rheza can be taken with grapefruit juice. No drug-drug interactions or any harmful effects have been reported when they are used together.

Q. Can I take Rheza with clopidogrel?
Rheza can be taken along with clopidogrel. Rheza does not interfere with the antiplatelet action of clopidogrel.However, a high dose of clopidogrel can increase the Rheza blood concentration by 2-fold causing more chances of the side effects, so a dose adjustment for Rheza may be needed.

Q. Can I use Rheza with vitamin D?
Yes, Rheza can be taken along with vitamin D. No drug-drug interactions or any harmful effects have been reported when they are used together.

Q. Can the use of Rheza increase vitamin D levels in your body?
Rheza has shown to increase vitamin D levels in many clinical research studies. In some studies, the rise has been up to three times the base level. However, the mechanism by which it increases the vitamin D levels is still not clear.

Q. Why should Rheza be taken at night?
Rheza acts by blocking an enzyme which is important for cholesterol synthesis in our body. The activity of this enzyme is more at night time, so, it is advisable to take Rheza in the evening hours after a meal or just before going to bed to have maximum effect. However, Rheza being a longer acting statin can be taken at any time of day.

Q. Can I take Rheza with quetiapine?
Yes, Rheza can be used along with quetiapine. No drug-drug interactions or any harmful effects have been reported when they are used together.

Q. Can I take Rheza with coenzyme q10?
Rheza can be taken with coenzyme Q10. According to some clinical studies, coenzyme Q10 can help in decreasing the muscle damage caused by Rheza while some of the studies say that it has no role in preventing muscle damage. Also, Rheza has been thought to decrease the levels of coenzyme Q10. So, it is advised sometimes to use coenzyme Q10 along with Rheza to decrease its side effects.

Q. Can I take Rheza with diphenhydramine?
Yes, Rheza can be used along with diphenhydramine. No drug-drug interactions or any harmful effects have been reported when they are used together.

Q. Can I take Rheza with pantoprazole?
Yes, Rheza can be used along with pantoprazole. No drug-drug interactions or any harmful effects have been reported when they are used together.

Q. Is it safe to take Rheza with gemfibrozil?
Concomitant use of Rheza with gemfibrozil should be avoided. Gemfibrozil can increase the blood levels of Rheza and damage your muscles. If you are taking both the drugs, be careful and look for any muscle symptoms. Inform your doctor if you have muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness or dark colored urine.

Q. What is the benefit of taking Rheza with ezetimibe?
Rheza, when used with ezetimibe, helps in a better decrease in LDLcholesterol and triglyceride levels compared to Rheza alone and without any increase in side effects. This combination is very beneficial in high-risk cardiovascular disease patients as its use can decrease the risk of atherosclerotic plaque rupture and heart attack. However, ezetimibe can increase the blood levels of Rheza, so a dose adjustment may be needed when they are used together.

Q. Is Rheza useful in the management of cancer?
Rheza is not approved for use in the treatment of cancer. Some research studies have shown that Rheza can stop the growth of cancer cells and when given after surgery, it can kill the remaining cancer cells if any and can help in preventing cancer from coming back. Clinical research studies are going on for its use in patients of colon cancer as it may prevent the formation of polyps and the recurrence of colon cancer but this use is still under research and not approved.

Q. Is Rheza beneficial in the treatment of obesity?
Rheza is not indicated for the treatment of weight loss (obesity). Weight loss with this drug has only been reported by some patient and is seen in some animal studies. But there are no human research studies to show weight loss with Rheza.

Q. Can I take Rheza for dyslipidemia?
Yes, Rheza is very useful in the treatment of dyslipidemia, a lipid disorder with very high or very low lipid levels in the blood. Most common lipid disorder is hyperlipidemia in which the patient has high levels of bad lipids (low-density lipoprotein, or LDL) and triglycerides, and low levels of good lipids (high-density lipoprotein, or HDL) in the blood. Rheza along with exercise and a low-fat diet decreases the LDL levels and increases the HDL levels and decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke on long-term use.

Q. Does Rheza play any role in the management of stroke?
Rheza is seen to be useful in preventing new episodes of ischemic stroke in the brain. Ischemic stroke occurs when there is a blockage of the blood vessel of the brain decreasing blood flow to a particular area of the brain. This blockage occurs due to plaque formation (deposition in the arteries where cholesterol combines with fat, calcium, and fibrin). Rheza decreases the chances of plaque formation by lowering the cholesterol levels in the body and hence low-fat the risk of new episodes of stroke. It is not routinely prescribed for the prevention of hemorrhagic stroke.

Q. Does Rheza play any role in the management of stroke?
Rheza is found to be useful in preventing new episodes of ischemic stroke in the brain. Ischemic stroke occurs when there is a blockage of the blood vessel of the brain decreasing blood flow to a particular area of the brain. This blockage occurs due to plaque formation (deposition in the arteries where cholesterol combines with fat, calcium, and fibrin). Rheza decreases the chances of plaque formation by lowering the cholesterol levels in the body and hence lowers the risk of new episodes of stroke. It is not routinely prescribed for the prevention of hemorrhagic stroke.

Q. Can I take Rheza with Febuxostat?
Rheza can be taken with febuxostat. Rheza is used to lower bad cholesterol and Febuxostat is used to lower uric acid levels in patients with gout. Many patients of high cholesterol levels also have high uric acid levels. There are no human studies available on this interaction. However, animal research shows that when given together, febuxostat can increase the blood levels of Rheza causing a higher risk of its side effects like muscle pain and muscle damage. So, a dose adjustment of Rheza may be needed when given along with febuxostat.

Q. Does Rheza play any role in the management of sepsis-associated Acute (or Adult) respiratory distress syndrome?
Rheza is not used in the treatment of sepsis associated Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is a condition in which there is inflammation of the lung leading to severe organ failure and this could be due to an underlying infection (sepsis). It is seen in some human research studies that there is no useful effect of Rheza in treatment of the sepsis associated ARDS. Rather, it may cause damage to liver and kidney in these patients.

Q. Is there any benefit of taking vitamin C with Rheza?
Rheza can be safely taken with vitamin C. There are no drug-drug interactions reported between the two and no harmful effects have been seen. Rheza is a cholesterol lowering agent used to treat hyperlipidemia. Vitamin C also acts as an anti-oxidant and few studies have shown that vitamin C can also help to lower bad cholesterol. So, using them together can actually be beneficial to lower the blood cholesterol levels.

Q. Can I take calcium supplements with Rheza?
Rheza should not be taken with calcium supplements as calcium can decrease its absorption and hence lowers the blood levels of Rheza. This can lead to a decrease in efficacy of Rheza to lower blood cholesterol levels. To avoid this effect, there should be a gap of at least 2 hours between the two medicines.

Q. Is Rheza a narcotic substance?
No, Rheza is not a narcotic substance. It's a prescription medicine and is available on providing a valid prescription by a doctor.

Q. Is Rheza a nitrate?
No, Rheza is not a nitrate. It is a lipid-lowering medicine and belongs to a group of medicines known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.

Q. Is Rheza a diuretic?
No, Rheza is not a diuretic. It is a lipid-lowering medicine and is used to lower increased levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. A diuretic is a medicine, which removes excess water and electrolytes from the body through urine.

Q. Is Rheza a beta blocker?
No, Rheza is not a beta blocker. It is a lipid-lowering medicine and is used to lower increased levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.