In most cases, muscle and joint pain will go away once you stop taking Lipitor. Mild side effects of many drugs may go away within a few days to a couple of weeks. But if they become bothersome, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Here’s a short list of some of the mild side effects that Lipitor can cause. To learn about other mild side effects, talk with your doctor or pharmacist, or read Lipitor’s prescribing information.
Serious side effects from atorvastatin oral tablets can occur, but they aren’t common. If you have serious side effects from atorvastatin oral tablets, call your doctor right away. But if you think you’re having a medical emergency, you should call 911 or your local emergency number. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you more about the potential side effects of atorvastatin oral tablets.
- If you experience any of the symptoms above, seek medical care right away.
- Atorvastatin hasn’t been approved for use in children younger than 18 years for the prevention of heart disease.
- Taking a medication with certain vaccines, foods, and other things can affect how the medication works.
- They can offer advice about your birth control needs while using this drug.
You can also ask your pharmacist for information on how to dispose of your medication. How long a medication remains good can depend on many factors, including how and where you store the medication. To learn more about saving money on prescriptions, check out this article. No, you should not crush, split, or chew Lipitor tablets. If you have trouble swallowing the tablets, be sure to talk with your pharmacist or doctor about this.
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) are lipid-lowering medications used in the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of coronary heart disease. Atorvastatin competitively inhibits 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. By preventing the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonate, statin medications decrease cholesterol production in the liver.
However, it factors into the decision as to whether statins are the best or only options available. Cases of alcohol use disorder also require caution, since liver injury may occur when statins are added to the mix. St. John’s Wort is a supplement commonly used to treat depression and other mental health conditions. For these reasons, it’s important that you discuss your medical history and everything you are taking with your healthcare provider before you start taking a statin. Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use atorvastatin only for the indication prescribed. Take atorvastatin calcium exactly as prescribed by your doctor.
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Lipitor basics
Lipitor may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors that affect your health. Talk with your doctor about your health history before you take Lipitor. Lipitor and Livalo are both statins, which help lower cholesterol levels in your body. For lowering cholesterol in children with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH), the recommended dosage is 10 mg to 20 mg, taken once per day. In rare cases, rhabdomyolysis may cause permanent kidney damage (including kidney failure) and can even be fatal.
How to take atorvastatin
If you have mild muscle or joint pain, your doctor may lower your dose of Lipitor. Or they may prescribe a different drug to treat your condition. Staying well hydrated and increasing exercise intensity and frequency at a slow and steady pace can help minimize joint and muscle pain. Serious side effects from Lipitor can occur, but they aren’t common. If you have serious side effects from Lipitor, call your doctor right away. But, if you think you’re having a medical emergency, you should call 911 or your local emergency number.
These medications have similarities and a few differences. For instance, they each have a different active ingredient. Atorvastatin, rosuvastatin (Crestor), pravastatin (Pravachol), and lovastatin are all considered statin drugs. Your doctor can tell you about the risks and benefits of treatment with atorvastatin.
Lipitor generic
Doing so could raise your risk of side effects from Lipitor. If you’d like to know more about Lipitor and Crestor, check out this article. Also, talk the dangers of mixing trazodone and alcohol with your doctor for more information about how these drugs are alike and different. This is based on Lipitor’s half-life, which is around 14 hours.
However, they can cause problems if you have certain medical conditions or if you’re taking another medication or supplement with the statin. You should avoid eating grapefruit or pomelo or drinking grapefruit juice when taking most statins. Although grapefruit is believed to have little or no interaction with Crestor (rosuvastatin), it may best be avoided until discussed with a healthcare provider. Fibrates are another class of medications prescribed to lower high cholesterol.
What to do in case you take too much Lipitor
Your child’s doctor may ultimately prescribe 10–20 mg once per day. Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use. The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. If you become pregnant while taking Lipitor, adult children of alcoholics stop taking the drug and call your doctor right away. Your doctor can prescribe a cholesterol medication that’s safe to use during pregnancy. While taking Lipitor, you should not eat large amounts of grapefruit or drink more than 1.2 liters of grapefruit juice per day.