Atorvastatin
About Atorvastatin
Atorvastatin helps reduce bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, LDL) and triglyceride levels, thereby reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke in the future. When the blood's cholesterol levels are out of balance (unhealthy), it can lead to high cholesterol, sometimes referred to as hyperlipidemia or dyslipidemia. High blood cholesterol causes your arteries to get smaller and become blocked, which ultimately leads to cardiac conditions like heart attacks and strokes.
Atorvastatin contains rosuvastatin, which works by blocking liver enzymes, causing the liver to make less cholesterol. Thus, Atorvastatin lowers the level of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood when lifestyle changes (like a low-fat diet) on their own have failed. It also improves your body’s ability to remove bad cholesterol from your blood.
Not everyone who is taking Atorvastatin will get these side effects. The possible side effects of Atorvastatin may include myalgia (muscle pain), asthenia (fatigue), nausea, headache, abdominal pain, muscle weakness, and daytime drowsiness. Most of these side effects of Atorvastatin do not require medical attention and gradually resolve over time. However, if the side effects are persistent, reach out to your doctor.
Take Atorvastatin as advised. Your physician will decide the dosage based on your medical condition. You can take Atorvastatin with or without food. It is advised not to take more than the recommended dose of Atorvastatin. Do not chew, crush, or break the medicine. It is crucial to have your lipid profile checked regularly.
Inform your physician if you are allergic to Atorvastatin. Before starting the dose of Atorvastatin, tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, are pregnant or breastfeeding, have diabetes, severe lung disease, or have musculoskeletal disorders (like myopathy and rhabdomyolysis). You should avoid taking Atorvastatin with immune system affecting medicine (cyclosporine) or anti-HIV medicines (lopinavir, ritonavir, or atazanavir) as it might have a serious effect.
Atorvastatin is only one part of a comprehensive treatment program that should include a healthy, low-fat diet, regular exercise, and weight reduction. You can normally eat while taking this medicine, but avoid high-fat foods. It is advised to avoid smoking and alcohol intake, as they can lead to other side effects.
Uses of Atorvastatin
• Cholesterol Management: Atorvastatin is primarily used to lower high cholesterol levels in patients, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.
• Prevention of Heart Attacks and Strokes: By improving cholesterol levels, Atorvastatin is beneficial in reducing the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes in individuals with existing heart conditions or risk factors.
• Prevention of Atherosclerosis: Atorvastatin aids in slowing the progression of atherosclerosis, a condition where arteries become narrowed or blocked, thereby improving overall vascular health.
• Management of Hyperlipidemia: Atorvastatin is used to treat hyperlipidemia, a condition characterized by abnormally high levels of lipids (fats) in the blood, helping to maintain lipid levels within a normal range.
Medicinal Benefits
- Atorvastatin taken with dietary measures helps treat high cholesterol, especially for heart patients when initial dietary measures fail to lower cholesterol.
- It helps lower the bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases the level of good cholesterol (HDL) in the state of dyslipidaemia or hyperlipidemia.
- Atorvastatin is considered more effective compared to other statins.
- Atorvastatin also lowers the amount of fat or cholesterol deposition (plaque) in the heart's arteries, thereby reducing the chance of having a heart attack or stroke in the future.
- Atorvastatin can also be prescribed for people with a family history of raised cholesterol in coronary heart disease or long-term health conditions of type 1, type 2 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.
Directions for Use
• Atorvastatin can be taken with or without food as advised by your doctor. • Follow your doctor's instructions on the dosage and timing of this medication. • Swallow Atorvastatin as a whole with a glass of water. • Do not crush, break, or chew it.
Storage
Side Effects of Atorvastatin
- Headache
- Blurred Vision
- Muscle Weakness
- Allergic Reactions
- Increased glucose levels
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Joint Swelling
- Back Pain
Drug Warnings
- Atorvastatin is not recommended if you are allergic to it.
- Atorvastatin may cause a breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue, leading to kidney failure. This condition usually occurs in the elderly, people with kidney disease, and poorly controlled hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).
- You should contact a doctor before if you have had an allergic reaction to Atorvastatin, have a liver problem (jaundice, liver cirrhosis), or kidney problems, have severe lung disease, have a previous heart attack or stroke caused by bleeding in the brain, or have hypothyroidism.
- Also inform your doctor if you have a muscle disorder (fibromyalgia) or damaged muscle tissue (rhabdomyolysis).
- It is recommended that you have a liver enzyme test regularly if you are regularly taking Atorvastatin.
- Inform your doctor if you are an alcoholic, as excess alcohol intake may cause serious side effects.
- Atorvastatin is not recommended for use in children below 10 years of age as its safety is not established.
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interactions: This medicine may have interaction with antibiotics (like cephalexin, tetracycline, gentamicin), antifungals (like miconazole, fluconazole, and ketoconazole), HIV medicines (like abacavir, retrovir, and tenofovir), hepatitis C medicines (like ribavirin, elbasvir), anti-arthritis pills (cyclosporin), heart rate-controlling pills (amiodarone) and anti-hypertensive drugs (like verapamil, diltiazem).
Food-Drug Interactions: Atorvastatin may interact with grapefruit. It increases the concentration of Atorvastatin in your body.
Drug-Disease Interactions: Patients with serious liver disease (jaundice), kidney disease, lung disease, and muscle weakness (rhabdomyolysis) should be closely monitored while having treatment with Atorvastatin.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
unsafeDo not drink too much while taking this medicine. drinking a lot of alcohol you may more likely to get muscle and liver side effects.
Pregnancy
consult your doctorAtorvastatin is not recommended during pregnancy. Contact your doctor before taking Atorvastatin.
Breast Feeding
consult your doctorBreastfeeding is not recommended. Contact your doctor before taking Atorvastatin.
Driving
consult your doctorAtorvastatin has negligible influence on the ability to drive and use machines.
Liver
cautionAtorvastatin to be taken with caution, especially if you have a history of liver disease. The dose may have to be adjusted by your doctor.
Kidney
cautionAtorvastatin to be taken with caution, especially if you have a history of kidney disease. The dose may have to be adjusted by your doctor.
Children
unsafeAtorvastatin is not recommended in the treatment of children below the age of 10 years.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Try aromatherapy, yoga, meditation to help relax your body and mind.
- Try to do breathing exercises to get more oxygen.
- Eat a healthy diet especially rich in soluble fibre like beans, legumes, whole grain, flax, apples, and citrus fruits.
- Try to replace most of your saturated fats with unsaturated fats that can reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol quickly like avocados, olive oil, fatty fish, and nuts contain lots of heart-healthy unsaturated fats, so it’s beneficial to eat them regularly.
- Try to adopt a Mediterranean-style diet rich in olive oil, fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and fish, and low in red meat and most dairy.
- Try to give priority to more fruits and veggies in your daily meal as these contain antioxidants which help to lower LDL.
- Minimize the intake of added sugar. The American Heart Association (ADA) recommends, one should not eat more than 100 calories (25 grams) of added sugar for women and children, and no more than 150 calories (37.5 grams) for men every day.
- American Heart Association recommends that sodium chloride (table salt) should intake not exceed more than 2,300 mg per day as part of a healthy eating pattern.
- As a precautionary measure, do not consume alcohol and quit smoking.
Special Advise
- Suppose muscle fatigue or muscle pain affects your daily activity. Try to contact the doctor if you have muscle weakness or fatigue.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
High cholesterol: Cholesterol is a waxy substance produced by the liver to protect nerves, make tissue, and various hormones. Our body also receives cholesterol from food, like cooking oils, eggs, meats, and dairy products. Excess cholesterol is bad for our health. There are two types of cholesterol: ' bad cholesterol' and 'good cholesterol'. Bad cholesterol comprises low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides (TG), while good cholesterol consists of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Usually, there are no specific symptoms of raised or high cholesterol levels but a large deposition of cholesterol in the arteries (plaque) or heart blockage. Blocked artery or plaque formation in the heart's arteries can lead to chest pain (angina), heart attack, or stroke. So it is advisable to have complete cholesterol tests (lipid profile tests) at least once a year. It will help you closely monitor your heart health and risk of heart attack and stroke.
FAQs
Atorvastatin is used to treat high cholesterol. It helps lower the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol in the blood and increase the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or good cholesterol.
Yes. Muscle weakness can be the long-term side effect of Atorvastatin. You may have muscle fatigue or muscle pain which affects your daily activity. Try to contact the doctor if you have muscle weakness or fatigue.
No, there is no evidence that atorvastatin is addictive.
Atorvastatin can raise your blood sugar a little. If you already have type 2 diabetes, please consult your doctor. Your doctor may adjust the dosage of Atorvastatin.
There is no strong evidence to suggest that taking Atorvastatin will reduce fertility in either men or women. However, it is advisable to consult a doctor before taking it if you're likely to get pregnant or pregnant.
Increase your daily diet with fibre, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish, and cut saturated fat as well. Stop smoking and drinking and try to work out every day as well.
No, you should not stop taking Atorvastatin without consulting your doctor. Please take advice from the doctor before quitting.
Yoghurt is a probiotic that can help lower the raised cholesterol level if taken with Atorvastatin. Yoghurt eaters have a better metabolic profile than those who don't eat yoghurt.
There is no firm clinical evidence that states that intake of Atorvastatin causes harm to the baby. However, Atorvastatin passes into the breast milk and may harm the baby. So, you should consult a doctor if you are a nursing mother and taking Atorvastatin.
People affected with hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), muscle weakness, joint pain, kidney disease, diabetes, liver disease, uncontrolled epilepsy, high or low potassium level, or severely low blood pressure.
Atorvastatin is recommended to be taken in the evening because your body makes the most cholesterol at night. It is best to take it at the same time each day to maintain an even level in your blood. You can take it with or without food, depending on your preference and how well you tolerate it.
Atorvastatin contains the active ingredient atorvastatin. This medication belongs to a class of drugs called statins, which are used to lower cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood.
High cholesterol is a condition in which there is too much cholesterol in the blood. This can lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease and stroke. Knowing your cholesterol levels and taking steps to manage them can help you stay healthy.
Yes, Atorvastatin can cause muscle problems or injury in some individuals. This is because statins, like atorvastatin, can sometimes lead to muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness. Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience any unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness while taking Atorvastatin.
Yes, Atorvastatin is used to lower cholesterol. It contains atorvastatin, a statin medication that helps reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides in the blood while increasing good cholesterol (HDL) levels. By lowering cholesterol, Atorvastatin helps reduce the risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes.
Atorvastatin is not recommended for children. The safety and efficacy of Atorvastatin in pediatric patients have not been well established, and it is typically prescribed for adults to manage high cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. If there is a specific need for cholesterol management in children, a healthcare provider may consider alternative treatments or lower doses of statins that are more suitable for pediatric use. Consult your doctor before giving any medication to children to ensure it is safe and appropriate for their specific needs.
No, Atorvastatin is not a blood thinner. It contains atorvastatin, a statin medication used to lower cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. Blood thinners help prevent blood clots by reducing the blood's ability to clot.
The duration of taking Atorvastatin can vary depending on your specific condition and your healthcare provider's recommendations. Generally, it is prescribed for long-term use, even for the rest of your life, to manage cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. It is important to follow your doctor's instructions and not stop taking the medication without consulting them, even if you feel better.
Yes, Atorvastatin is considered safe for long-term use when taken as prescribed by your healthcare provider. It is commonly used to manage cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. However, having regular check-ups with your doctor to monitor your cholesterol levels and overall health while taking this medication is essential.
Atorvastatin, which contains atorvastatin, is not typically associated with weight loss. Its primary function is to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. However, some people may experience side effects such as nausea, diarrhoea, or loss of appetite, which could lead to weight loss. If you notice any significant changes in your weight while taking this medication, it is essential to consult your doctor.
It is not recommended to take alcohol with Atorvastatin. Drinking alcohol while taking this medication can increase the risk of liver problems and may also exacerbate side effects such as muscle pain or weakness.
Memory loss is a rare side effect of Atorvastatin (atorvastatin). While it is not common, some individuals may experience cognitive issues, including memory loss or confusion, while taking statins. If you notice any unusual symptoms or cognitive changes while taking this medication, consult your doctor for further evaluation and guidance.
Yes, Atorvastatin can cause tiredness or fatigue in some individuals. This is due to atorvastatin, the active ingredient in Atorvastatin. If you experience persistent tiredness or fatigue while taking this medication, it's essential to consult your healthcare provider for further evaluation and guidance.
In a few cases, Atorvastatin may cause some side effects like allergic reactions, hyperglycaemia (excess of glucose in the bloodstream), headache, blurred vision, pain, constipation, nausea, diarrhoea, muscle spasms, joint swelling, and back pain. Most of these side effects of Atorvastatin do not require medical attention and gradually resolve over time. Consult your doctor immediately if you have yellowing eye/skin (jaundice), dark urine, or repeated unexplained muscular pain.
