Hi Dreamgirl :)
Here is a link to a good pharm site with info about Pravastatin, where I get most of my med info:
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/pravast_ad.htm
I cannot tolerate statins myself, and believe you me, I have tried. I have hypercholesterolemia. This is an inherited disorder that causes extreme cholesterol. If I posted my numbers, you wouldn't believe me.
Your possible gastro side effects from this med, is not too common, because I have read about many adverse reactions to statins. I have spent many hours searching this subject, trying to understand why I cannot take them. They could very well be causing your stomach to hurt, but I think that is rare.
I have discovered that there seems to be 2 main types of serious adverse reactions.
1) You get almost immediate "unexplained muscle pain" (as per the caution in all the commercials). It usually takes me 3 days. If you do not stop quickly, you can develop rhabdomyolysis. For some people, statins causes a break down in muscle tissue. The injured muscles in return release enzymes, that are filtered by the kidneys. These enzymes block or "clog" the filtering network within the kidneys, resulting in kidney failure and possible death.
I always feel like I have been kicked in my groin. It happens in the same location with each statin I have tried. If I go beyond this muscle pain and continue to take the statin, like I have only done with Crestor, I get very ill and have extreme kidney pain and total fatigue that sends me to bed. I was too sick to go to the doc when this happened. When I did manage to go, which was about 5 days after stopping the Crestor, my kidneys checked out ok.
2) The other type of adverse reaction seems to come on slow. People notice a general fatigue, muscle weakness and lethargy. They do not know what is causing their problem. Some try to stop all non-essential meds, one at a time, using the process of elimination to determine if it is one of their meds. They discover that the statin is the culprit. Sometimes their doc will tell them that he suspects it could be the statin they are taking.
Statins are known to cause liver damage in some people. That's why your doc tests your liver function every 3 months or so. Some of these people, with high liver enzymes, never feel any adverse effects. The doc just reduces their dose or ask them to stop for awhile.
It is a well known fact, but disputed by some doctors still, that statins and fenofibrates can cause peripheral neuropathy, or damage to the nerves in the arms and/or legs and feet. I believe that Tricor, a type of fenofibrate that carries the same warnings as the statins, caused this in myself. If you stop this med in time, the PN can get much better, or go away.
Your symptoms could be heart related. Did they induce angina in you when they inserted your stents? My doc told me on the cath table, after finding two blockages that needed stenting, that placing the stents would momentarily stop the blood flow to my heart muscle and cause angina. When the angina occurred he said "have you ever felt this at home?". I said oh heck yes. I am so glad that I truly know what angina is, or feels like. I hope you aren't mistaking "high stomach pain" for angina.
RJ