perscription drugs

  hi doc. can you please tell m the long term effects of
  taking pravachol and norvasc.thanks. jimmy c.

[CCF Cardio MD - MTR]

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Dear Jimmy, thank you for your question.  Pravachol is a cholesterol lowering medication known as a statin.  Statins can rarely cause liver and muscle damage, so blood tests are done periodically after statins are started.  If these blood tests are normal after 6 months, then there is little chance that these side effects will occur.  Noravasc is a calcium channel blocker that has no serious long-term side effects.  Generally, both drugs are well-tolerated in the long-term.

I hope you find this information useful.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions.  Good luck.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter.   The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.