What dose of lovastatin is equivalent to 40 mg of pravastatin?

• A. 10 mg
• B. 20 mg
• C. 40 mg
• D. 80 mg

Answer: (C)

When comparing the doses of lovastatin and pravastatin, it's important to understand their relative potencies as cholesterol-lowering agents. Both of these medications fall under the class of statins, but they have different dosing equivalencies due to their varying strengths and effects on LDL cholesterol.

In this scenario, a dose of 40 mg of pravastatin is established as a reference point. Clinical guidelines and studies have indicated that lovastatin is typically less potent than pravastatin when examining the reduction of LDL cholesterol. As such, for every 40 mg of pravastatin, approximately 40 mg of lovastatin is needed to achieve a similar LDL-lowering effect.

Therefore, when studying the equivalent dosing, choosing 40 mg of lovastatin aligns correctly with the 40 mg of pravastatin in terms of expected cholesterol-lowering outcome. This information is particularly useful for healthcare professionals when switching patients between different statin therapies.