What is atorvastatin?
Atorvastatin is a cholesterol-lowering medication that blocks the production of cholesterol (a type of fat) in the body. Atorvastatin reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and total cholesterol in the blood. Lowering your cholesterol can help prevent heart disease and hardening of the arteries, conditions that can lead to heart attack, stroke, and vascular disease. Atorvastatin is used to treat high cholesterol. Atorvastatin is also used to lower the risk of stroke, heart attack, or other heart complications in people with coronary heart disease or type 2 diabetes.
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What is the price of this medication and similar alternatives?
Pricing information provided by drugstore.com.
| Lipitor 10MG TABS | PFIZER U.S. | 30/$81.89 or 90/$237.99 |
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What are the possible side effects of atorvastatin?
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic
reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Stop using atorvastatin and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious
side effects:
Less serious side effects may include:
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mild stomach pain, gas, bloating, stomach upset, heartburn;
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nausea, stomach pain or upset;
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constipation, bloating, gas;
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stuffy nose;
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itching, skin rash; or
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muscle pain.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell
your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.
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How should I take atorvastatin?
Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label. Take atorvastatin with a full glass of water. Atorvastatin can be taken with or without food. Atorvastatin is usually taken once a day. Try to take your dose at the same time each day. Follow your doctor's instructions. To be sure this medication is helping your condition, your blood will need to be tested on a regular basis. Your liver function may also need to be tested. Do not miss any scheduled appointments.
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What is the most important information I should know about atorvastatin?
In rare cases, atorvastatin can cause a condition that results in the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue. This condition can lead to kidney failure. Call your doctor at once if you have unexplained muscle pain or tenderness, muscle weakness, fever or flu symptoms, and dark colored urine. This medication can cause birth defects in an unborn baby. Do not use if you are pregnant. Use an effective form of birth control, and tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.
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What happens if I miss a dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take only the next regularly scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
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What other drugs will affect atorvastatin?
Many drugs can interact with atorvastatin. Below is just a partial list. Tell your doctor if you are using: digoxin (digitalis, Lanoxin, Lanoxicaps); erythromycin (E-Mycin, E.E.S., Ery-Tab, others) or clarithromycin (Biaxin); gemfibrozil (Lopid), clofibrate (Atromid-S), or fenofibrate (Tricor); niacin (Nicolar, Nicobid, Slo-Niacin, others); an antifungal medication such as itraconazole (Sporanox), fluconazole (Diflucan), or ketoconazole (Nizoral); drugs that weaken your immune system such as cancer medicine or steroids, cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune, Gengraf), sirolimus (Rapamune), tacrolimus (Prograf), and others;
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Can I take this if I am pregnant or trying to get pregnant or if I am breastfeeding?
Atorvastatin has been assigned to pregnancy category X by the FDA. Animal studies have not revealed evidence of teratogenicity. However, other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors have been associated with teratogenic effects. There are no controlled data in human pregnancy. Atorvastatin use is considered contraindicated in pregnancy.
Doses of 20, 100, or 225 mg/kg/day of atorvastatin from day 7 of gestation through day 21 of weaning resulted in decreased pup survival at birth, developmental delays, and pinnae detachment and eye opening alterations.
Other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors have been associated with increased fetal skeletal malformations. Additionally, the VATER association (vertebral anomalies, anal atresia, esophageal fistula with esophageal atresia, renal and radial dysplasia) was reported in an infant girl whose mother received lovastatin 10 mg daily and dextroamphetamine 10 mg daily during the first trimester of pregnancy for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and progressive weight gain. Both drugs were discontinued five weeks later, at approximately 9 weeks gestation, when pregnancy was confirmed.
There are no data on the excretion of atorvastatin into human milk. The manufacturer recommends that due to the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants, a decision should be made to discontinue nursing or discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother.
Based on animal data, atorvastatin is likely to be excreted into human milk. Nursing animal pups of mothers administered atorvastatin had plasma and liver drug levels 50% and 40%, respectively, of that of their mother's milk.
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Who should NOT use this medication?
- Active liver disease or unexplained, persistent elevations of serum aminotransferases.
- Pregnancy or lactation. Administer to women of childbearing age only when such patients are highly unlikely to conceive and have been informed of the potential hazards.
- Known hypersensitivity to atorvastatin or any ingredient in the formulation.
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What happens if I overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine. An overdose of atorvastatin is not expected to produce life-threatening symptoms.
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What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking atorvastatin?
Do not use this medication if you are allergic to atorvastatin, if you are pregnant or breast-feeding, or if you have liver disease. Before taking atorvastatin, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have: diabetes; underactive thyroid; kidney disease; or a muscle disorder. If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take atorvastatin. FDA pregnancy category X. This medication can cause birth defects. Do not use atorvastatin if you are pregnant. Tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant during treatment. Use an effective form of birth control while you are using this medication.
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Can I stop taking the medication if I feel better?
As a general rule, you should always take your medications exactly as prescribed and do not change the dosage or stop taking the medication without first discussing it with your healthcare provider.
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I am on so many medications; do I have to take them all?
This is called polypharmacy—many different medications being used at the same time by one person. Sometimes, being on multiple medications is acceptable and appropriate but at other times it may be problematic. If you are receiving your medications from multiple physicians you need to ensure that they all know what medications you are taking. The best way to do this is to make a list of all the medications you are currently using, including all nutritional supplements, homeopathic remedies, vitamins and over-the-counter drugs (if possible, also include all the diseases you have been diagnosed with). Give a copy to every doctor who takes care of you so they have it on file, this way they can avoid duplicating medications and perhaps even try to consolidate some. After every doctor's visit remember to update the list accordingly. Also, as much as you possibly can, try to use the same pharmacy to fill all your prescriptions, this way any potential drug interactions can be caught and averted.
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Where can I get more information?
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