Advicor
Name Advicor
Purpose To decrease total cholesterol, LDL, &
triglycerides, and raise HDL.
Action Advicor inhibits the production of cholesterol and triglycerides. It
also
facilitates the removal of LDL cholesterol from the blood.
Dose The recommended dosing range is 500mg/20mg – 2000mg/40mg orally at bedtime
with some low-fat food. In order to
reduce “flushing” (i.e. warmth, redness, itching and/or tingling), we recommend
you take an aspirin or ibuprofen 30 minutes before taking Advicor, enjoy a
lowfat snack with a COLD non-alcoholic beverage, and then take Advicor
at bedtime. Do not crush,
break, or chew Advicor or take it on an empty stomach or
with grapefruit juice.
Week 1-4 Advicor 500mg/20mg 1
tablet at bedtime.
Week 5-8 Advicor 500/20mg 2 tablets at bedtime.
Week 9 and following: Personalized
dosing.
Take only the dose prescribed for you. Do not substitute/change the
dose of this medication without consulting the Lipid Clinic.
You should not take Advicor if
any of the following apply:
You are hypersensitive to Niacin or Lovastatin. You have active liver disease, unexplained elevated liver enzymes, uncontrolled Diabetes, or active Peptic Ulcer disease. You take Erythromycin-type antibiotics (eg. Ery-tab, E-Mycin, or Biaxin), the immunosuppressant Cyclosporine (eg. Sandimmune or Neoral), azole-type antifungal drugs (eg. Sporanox, Diflucan, or Nizoral), the antidepressant Serzone (Nefazodone), or HIV protease inhibitors Patients with gout should exercise caution when taking Advicor. You should be cautious about taking Advicor with Lopid (Gemfibrozil) or Tricor; combinations of these medications may be prescribed with careful monitoring.
Possible side effects: Call the Lipid clinic or your doctor if you
experience:
blurred vision,
muscle/joint aches, headaches, or dizziness. Report muscle pain, tenderness, or
brown urine to us immediately, particularly if accompanied by fever and/or
weakness. Please notify us if you are taking vitamins/supplements that contain
more than 100mg of niacin.
Lab tests: In addition to a lipid profile,
the blood tests AST and ALT will be done periodically to help assess liver
function.
Special instructions:
Avoid alcohol,
especially around the time of Advicor
Have lab test done
promptly.
If you are taking
Coumadin, prothrombin times should be monitored closely.
PRECAUTION: Women capable of
childbearing must have a pregnancy test (serum HCG)
before starting this medication. This is a category X drug and not
recommended for use
during pregnancy or lactation.