Pravastatin Uses

Pravastatin is used to lower the risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack), the need for heart surgery (revascularization procedures), death due to cardiovascular disease, stroke, or transient ischemic attacks and to slow the progression of coronary atherosclerosis in adults with coronary heart disease (CHD). It is also used to lower these risk factors in adults at risk of developing heart disease. 

Pravastatin is also used, along with a healthy diet, in adults with primary hyperlipidemia (elevated LDL or bad cholesterol levels), hypertriglyceridemia (elevated triglyceride levels), and primary dysbetalipoproteinemia. 

Pediatric patients aged 8 years and above may be prescribed pravastatin, along with a healthy diet, to treat heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH), a type of primary hypercholesterolemia (inherited disorder) in which there are high LDL cholesterol levels (homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia is a rarer but more severe form of the condition).

There may be other uses of pravastatin. Your health care professional or health system pharmacists can give you further pravastatin drug information.

Pravastatin Mechanism of Action

Pravastatin blocks an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase and interrupts cholesterol biosynthesis in the body. Elevated cholesterol levels can lead to plaque formation in the blood vessels, which can block blood flow to the heart, brain, and other organs. Therefore, pravastatin lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering cholesterol levels. 

Pravastatin Doses

Pravastatin comes in the form of 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg, and 80 mg tablets. The usual dose is as follows: 

Adults: 

• The recommended starting pravastatin dose is 40 mg to 80 mg once daily. This may be increased at 4-week intervals based on response.

Pediatric patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia: 

• Patients 8 to 13 years of age: The recommended dose is 20 mg once daily.
• Patients 14 to 18 years of age: The recommended starting dose is 40 mg once daily.

Patients with severe renal impairment (kidney disease) are started at a lower dose of pravastatin 10 mg once daily. The maximum recommended dose of pravastatin in patients with severe renal impairment is 40 mg once daily.