In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Do not drink large amounts of grapefruit juice (1.2 liters or more) while taking atorvastatin. Large amounts of grapefruit juice can increase your risk of developing serious muscle problems. Atorvastatin may interact with other medicines and supplements.
Drug Interactions
Some barriers to successful statin therapy include experiencing adverse effects, a lack of understanding of the importance of statin therapy, and cost; these factors may prevent patients from taking these medications as prescribed. It is also crucial for the interprofessional team to emphasize the importance of lifestyle modification in treating hyperlipidemia. This includes eating a proper, healthy diet, engaging in regular exercise or activity, and losing weight if necessary. A dietitian or nutritionist can be a valuable addition to the healthcare team, helping guide patients through the required dietary changes.
Atorvastatin Tablets
Talk to your care team about the use of this medication in children. While it may be prescribed for children as young as 10 years for selected conditions, precautions do apply. This medicine may be used for other purposes; ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have questions. Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor may order certain lab tests during your treatment , especially if you develop symptoms of liver damage.
International Patients
The tablet is usually taken once a day with or without food. The suspension is usually taken once a day on an empty stomach (at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal).Take atorvastatin at around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Limit the amount of alcohol you drink while taking atorvastatin. The risk of liver damage may be increased if you drink significant amounts of alcohol.
Medical uses
Do not share atorvastatin with other people, even if they have the same condition as you. Your pharmacist can tell you all of the ingredients in the specific atorvastatin products they stock. While less common, the most serious side effects of atorvastatin are described below, along with what to do if they happen.
Atorvastatin oral suspension should be stored at room temperature between 68 F to 77 F (20 C to 25 C). It can be exposed to temperatures between 59 F to 86 F (15 C to 30 C), for shorter periods of time, such as when transporting it. Use within the first 60 days of opening, then throw away any remaining medicine. Taking this medication is only part of a total heart healthy program. Ask your care team if there are other changes you can make to improve your overall health.
- A dietitian or nutritionist can be a valuable addition to the healthcare team, helping guide patients through the required dietary changes.
- Tell your healthcare provider if you have any of the following.
- This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter OTC) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.
- The activity reviews the warnings, adverse event profile, toxicity, and key considerations, including monitoring and relevant drug interactions.
The nationwide recall covers atorvastatin calcium tablets in 10-, 20-, 40-, and 80-milligram doses. According to FDA data, 10-milligram tablets were packaged in 90-, 500-, and 1,000-count bottles—amounting to 141,984 bottles included in the recall. Larger-count bottles of the higher-dose tablets were also affected. Give your health care provider a list of all the medicines, herbs, non-prescription drugs, or dietary supplements you use. Also tell them if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs.
Notably, the emphasis lies on empowering healthcare professionals, highlighting the essential role of the interprofessional healthcare team in managing atorvastatin therapy for hyperlipidemia and reducing cardiovascular risk. All interprofessional healthcare team members can help identify barriers to adherence. Additional education and counseling around patient concerns and medication benefits may help improve compliance.41 Healthcare team members must communicate across disciplinary lines to optimize patient care and therapy. Atorvastatin is commonly prescribed by primary care physicians and advanced practice providers for the management of general dyslipidemia and routine lipid monitoring. When treatment goals are unmet or familial hypercholesterolemia is suspected, cardiologists and lipidologists are involved for specialized evaluation and therapeutic adjustment.
If there is a concern about the health of your liver, your healthcare provider may do tests to determine if it is working well enough to take this medicine. The most common atorvastatin side effects are listed below. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any of these side effects that bother you.
Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter OTC) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements. Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant. If you think you have become pregnant while using the medicine, tell your doctor right away.
All female patients of childbearing age should receive counseling on the potential risks atorvastatin oral side effects to a fetus should they become pregnant while on atorvastatin. This risk is most pronounced in the first trimester, so current guidelines recommend ceasing statin therapy for at least 3 months before becoming pregnant. The patient should discontinue this medication immediately if they become pregnant. If patients require atorvastatin therapy, they should receive direction to discontinue breastfeeding. This activity aims to equip healthcare professionals with the essential knowledge and tools necessary for delivering excellent patient care during atorvastatin administration, thereby advancing patient outcomes and care standards. A comprehensive understanding of atorvastatin equips healthcare professionals with a scientific foundation for the practical management of dyslipidemias and related cardiovascular conditions.
Does atorvastatin interact with foods or drinks?
- People with Child Pugh stage B liver disease show a 16-fold increase in Cmax and an 11-fold increase in AUC.
- Blood tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.
- Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur.
- People who are allergic to any of the following should not take atorvastatin.
- In rare but severe cases, such as statin-induced rhabdomyolysis, critical care physicians manage the acute complications and provide supportive care.
- If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
Tell your healthcare provider about all medicines that you take or have recently taken. Take atorvastatin oral suspension on an empty stomach 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal. Use an accurate measuring device to measure your dose of atorvastatin oral suspension. A household spoon is not an accurate measuring device and may cause you to take the wrong dose.
Drinking more than 2 alcoholic drinks every day with this medication can increase the risk of side effects. Take it as directed on the label at the same time every day. Keep taking it unless your care team tells you to stop. Call your doctor right away if you have dark-colored urine, fever, muscle cramps or spasms, muscle pain or stiffness, or unusual tiredness or weakness. These could be symptoms of a serious muscle problem called rhabdomyolysis, which can cause kidney problems.
What side effects may I notice from receiving this medication?
Keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines, vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements you are taking. Bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to the hospital. You should carry the list with you in case of emergencies. If you miss a dose of the suspension, take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is less than 12 hours until your next scheduled dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Administration of atorvastatin with food produces a 25% reduction in Cmax (rate of absorption) and a 9% reduction in AUC (extent of absorption), although food does not affect the plasma LDL-C-lowering efficacy of atorvastatin. Evening dose administration is known to reduce the Cmax and AUC by 30% each. However, time of administration does not affect the plasma LDL-C-lowering efficacy of atorvastatin.