Crestor Rhabdomyolysis and Kidney Failure Lawsuits

Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) has been linked to rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure. Crestor, a synthetic lipid-lowering agent, is a prescription drug used to treat patients with high cholesterol. Manufactured by AstraZeneca and approved by the FDA in August 2003, Crestor is one of a handful of cholesterol-lowering drugs referred to as statins.

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Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) Information

Crestor, a synthetic lipid-lowering agent, is a prescription drug used to treat patients with high cholesterol. Crestor is one of a handful of cholesterol-lowering drugs referred to as statins. Crestor tablets for oral administration contain 5, 10, 20, or 40 mg of rosuvastatin calcium. Rosuvastatin is an inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. This enzyme catalyzes the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonate, an early and rate-limiting step in cholesterol biosynthesis. Crestor is manufactured by AstraZeneca and was approved by the FDA in August 2003.

Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen calls Crestor a "more dangerous" cholesterol-lowering drug than other statins on the market. This warning is ominous given the recall of Baycol, a statin manufactured by Bayer Corporation. The FDA removed Baycol from the market following similar evidence of serious side effects.

Crestor Complications and Warnings

Crestor should only be administered to women of child bearing ages, only when those patients are highly unlikely to get pregnant and have been properly informed of the potential hazards to the fetus and the child. Safety in pregnant women has not been established. If a Crestor user becomes pregnant while on Crestor, then Crestor should be discontinued immediately and apprised of the potential hazards to the fetus and born child. Because of the potential for adverse reactions in nursing infants, women taking Crestor should not breast-feed. Crestor should be used with caution in patients who consume alcohol or have a history of liver disease.

Crestor Problems - Muscle Pain and Dark Urine

What is Rhabdomyolysis?
Rhabdomyolysis is a condition that results from direct muscle injury or an altered metabolic relationship between energy production and energy consumption in muscle.

What is Myoglobin?
Myoglobin is an oxygen-binding protein pigment found in the skeletal muscle.

When the skeletal muscle is damaged, the myoglobin is released into the bloodstream. It is then filtered out of the bloodstream by the kidneys. Myoglobin may occlude the structures of the kidney, causing damage such as acute tubular necrosis or kidney failure.

Myoglobin also breaks down into potentially toxic compounds, which can lead to kidney failure. Necrotic skeletal muscle (dead tissue) may cause massive fluid shifts from the bloodstream into the muscle, reducing the relative fluid volume of the body and leading to shock and reduced blood flow to the kidneys. Common symptoms include abnormally dark colored urine, almost dark tea or cola colored, muscle tenderness, muscle weakness, stiffness, muscle aching, joint pain and fatigue. Not all or any symptoms are required to be diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis.