The class of drugs known as statins includes atorvastatin. If you have high blood cholesterol, it is used to lower it and to prevent heart disease, including heart attacks and strokes.
If you have a family history of heart disease or a chronic illness like type 1 or type 2 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, your doctor may also advise you to take atorvastatin.
This medication can only be obtained with a prescription. It comes in tablet form, with chewable tablets available for those who have trouble swallowing.
Need To Know
- Atorvastatin is typically taken once daily.
- The most frequent adverse effects are headaches, nausea, diarrhea, and symptoms of the common cold.
- If you are pregnant, avoid taking atorvastatin.
- Within four weeks, your cholesterol levels ought to start to decline if you take your medication as directed by your doctor. Even if you feel good, keep taking atorvastatin since you will still benefit from it. Most people who have high cholesterol are symptom-free.
- Try to limit your daily intake of grapefruit juice to one litre. It can raise the level of atorvastatin in your blood if you consume too much of it. The risk of adverse consequences may rise as a result.
Can anyone take atorvastatin?
The majority of grownups and kids who are at least 10 years old can take atorvastatin.
Those who might not be able to take atorvastatin
For some people, atorvastatin is not a good choice. In order to ensure your safety, let your doctor know if you:
- have a history of drug allergies to atorvastatin or any other medication
- a liver or renal condition
- Think you might be pregnant, are pregnant, or are breastfeeding
- have lung disease
- a history of a stroke brought on by blood clots in the brain
- consume a lot of alcohol on a regular basis
- have an underactive thyroid
- have experienced muscle side effects from taking a statin in the past, or have ever
- had a muscle disorder (including fibromyalgia).
Aspartame is a substance found in the chewable pills of Lipitor. Consult with your doctor. If you have phenylketonuria, a rare genetic condition of protein metabolism, consult your doctor before taking them.
Atorvastatin side effects
Atorvastatin can have side effects, like all medications, but not everyone has them. Statins have varying effects on various persons.
As your body adjusts to the medication after the initial few days, some side effects could get better.
Typical side effects
More than one in 100 patients experience these atorvastatin adverse effects often. You can take the following actions to assist you deal with them:
- Feeling sick (nausea) or indigestion
- Headaches
- Nosebleeds
- Sore throat
- Cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, blocked nose or sneezing
- Constipation or farting (flatulence)
- Diarrhoea
If this advice does not help and any of these side effects continue or bother you, keep taking the medicine, but tell your doctor or pharmacist.
Severe effects
If any of the following apply, stop taking atorvastatin and call 111 or your doctor.
- If you have inexplicable muscle discomfort, tenderness, weakness, or cramping, these could be symptoms of renal disease and muscle deterioration.
- If the whites of your eyes or skin turn yellow, though this may be less noticeable on people with brown or black complexion, or if you have light poop and dark urine, these could be symptoms of liver issues.
- Erythema multiforme may be present if you develop a skin rash with pink or red blotches, especially on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet.
- The presence of acute pancreatitis may be indicated by your extreme stomach discomfort
- cough, and shortness of breath.
Regularly consuming large amounts of alcohol raises your risk of developing liver issues and atorvastatin adverse effects.
Consult your doctor first if you believe atorvastatin is giving you side symptoms that are making you want to stop taking it.
They might not be caused by the medication, but rather by another issue. Your physician might advise reducing your dosage or switching your medication.
Severe allergic response
Anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, can occasionally occur after taking atorvastatin.
