pravastatin
2 interactions related to pravastatin
pravastatin + red yeast rice
Red yeast rice contains monacolin K, a compound chemically identical to the statin lovastatin. Taking it alongside pravastatin means two HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors are active at the same time, so their cholesterol-lowering statin effect and their potential for muscle injury (muscle pain, and rarely rhabdomyolysis) add together. Because pravastatin is water-soluble and is not broken down by the CYP3A4 enzyme, this is not a metabolic (drug-processing) interaction — it is simply the additive effect of stacking two statin-type ingredients, made harder to gauge by red yeast rice's variable, unlabeled monacolin content.
pravastatin + grapefruit
Unlike simvastatin, lovastatin, and atorvastatin, pravastatin is not significantly broken down by the gut enzyme CYP3A4 that grapefruit blocks. Controlled pharmacokinetic studies show grapefruit juice does not meaningfully change pravastatin levels, so grapefruit in normal dietary amounts is fine with this statin.