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Lipitor

Atorvastatin Calcium

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3.9

3.9 Effectiveness

5.1 Side Effects

3.1 Holistic Benefits

RateADrug users have reported 8 side effects and 1 holistic benefit for this medication.

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Treatment Information

Description | Uses & Side Effects | Warnings

Generic Name: Atorvastatin (a-TOR-va-STAT-in) Brand Name: Lipitor.
Lipitor is the trade name of atorvastatin and is a cholesterol-reducing medicine which works by blocking the production of cholesterol in the human body. Lipitor works mostly by decreasing the LDL levels in the blood and ultimately decreases the total cholesterol levels. The main purpose that Lipitor serves by decreasing the LDL levels in the blood stream is prevention of heart attack. Heart attacks occur when the arteries get clogged by cholesterol. Some other problems that could result from increased levels of cholesterol in the blood stream include stroke and various forms of vascular diseases. Therefore it is extremely important to decrease high cholesterol levels and avoid cardiovascular diseases. Lipitor also helps combat other conditions like coronary heart disease, type II diabetes and other heart conditions. To derive maximum benefits of Lipitor it is equally important to follow a healthy diet and exercise regime because Lipitor cannot replace either of the two mentioned above.

Lipitor contain the following ingredients:
Active ingredient- atorvastatin calcium
Inactive ingredients: calcium carbonate, USP;
candelilla wax, FCC; croscarmellose sodium, NF;
hydroxypropyl cellulose, NF; lactose monohydrate,
NF; magnesium stearate, NF; microcrystalline
cellulose, NF; Opadry White YS-1-7040 (hypromellose,
polyethylene glycol, talc, titanium dioxide);
polysorbate 80, NF; simethicone emulsion

Common Uses:

Lipitor is a drug used to lower or decrease cholesterol. In addition to following a healthy diet and exercise program Lipitor has been found to be most effective and listed below are some of the salient features of Lipitor:
•Helps decrease LDL or bad cholesterol by about 39-60%
•Helps lower the triglyceride level in the bloodstream by about 19-37%
•Helps increase the HDL levels by about 5-9%
Lipitor can start becoming effective within two weeks. The results will be noticed when one checks cholesterol levels.
In addition to the above it has been amply proven that Lipitor protects the heart by decreasing the risk of attack, stroke, and various forms of cardiovascular surgeries.
Besides the above, Lipitor has been researched for over 15 years and points, one must note that extensive research has been followed diligently prior to introducing it into the market.

Off Label Uses:

Currently there are no known off-label uses of Lipitor.

Side Effects:
There are a number of side effects with Lipitor that you should report immediately to your healthcare provider. These include, but are not limited to:

Signs of liver damage, such as yellow eyes or skin, upper right abdominal pain, dark urine, and elevated liver enzymes.

Muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, especially if you also have a fever or feel ill, since these may be signs of serious breakdown of muscle, known as rhabdomyolysis.
Significant, unexplained changes in the amount of urine you produce (which may be a sign of kidney problems)

Signs of an allergic reaction, such as:

A rash
Itching
Hives
Wheezing or difficulty breathing
Swelling of the mouth, tongue, or throat.

Cautions / Warnings:

Some precautions and warnings to be aware of prior to taking Lipitor include the following:

Lipitor can potentially interact with a number of other medications.
If you are an alcoholic or drink alcohol frequently, discuss this with your healthcare provider prior to starting Lipitor. Alcohol can affect the way the liver works, indirectly affecting Lipitor.

Do not eat grapefruit, drink grapefruit juice, or take supplements containing grapefruit while taking Lipitor.

Statins have been known to cause an increase in liver enzymes. Therefore, doctors typically recommend that you have a blood test that assesses your liver function before starting Lipitor, again 12 weeks after treatment has started, and then periodically thereafter.

In rare cases, rhabdomyolysis (the severe breakdown of muscles) has been reported with Lipitor and other statins. Make sure to contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience any muscle pain, weakness, or tenderness, especially if it is accompanied by a fever or if you feel ill.

Lipitor is a pregnancy Category X medicine, meaning that it could potentially cause harm to your unborn child. Therefore, doctors do not recommend this drug for women who are pregnant. If you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, talk to your healthcare provider immediately.

If you are nursing, you should not take Lipitor. Ask your healthcare provider whether to stop nursing or stop taking the drug.

Drug Interactions:
Lipitor Drug Interactions
Some drugs that may interact negatively with Lipitor include birth control pills, fibrates, and fluconazole. Interactions also may occur with medications such as niacin and digoxin.

Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium) can potentially interact with a number of other medicines. Products that can cause drug interactions with Lipitor include:

Birth control pills (oral contraceptives)
Certain antibiotics, such as:

Erythromycin
Clarithromycin (Biaxin®)
Rifampin (Rifadin®)
Telithromycin (Ketek®)

Certain antifungal medications, including:

Fluconazole (Diflucan®)
Ketoconazole (Nizoral®)
Itraconazole (Sporanox®)
Miconazole
Posaconazole (Noxafil®)
Voriconazole (VFEND®)

Cyclosporine (Gengraf®, Neoral®, Sandimmune®)
Digoxin (Digitek®, Lanoxin®, Lanoxicaps®)
Diltiazem (Cardizem®, Cardizem CD®, Cardizem LA®, Cartia XT®, Dilacor XR®, Dilt-CD®, Diltia XT®, Dilt-XR®, Taztia XT®, Tiazac®)
Efavirenz (Sustiva®)
Fibrates (Lopid®, TriCor®, Triglide™, Antara™, Lofibra®, Lipofen™)
Grapefruit juice
Niacin (nicotinic acid, Niacor®, Nicolar®)
Other statin medications, such as:

Fluvastatin (Lescol®, Lescol® XL)
Lovastatin (Altoprev™, Mevacor®)
Pravastatin (Pravachol®)
Simvastatin (Zocor®)
Rosuvastatin (Crestor®)

Protease inhibitors, such as:

Amprenavir (Agenerase®)
Atazanavir (Reyataz®)
Darunavir (Prezista®)
Fosamprenavir (Lexiva®)
Indinavir (Crixivan®)
Lopinavir and ritonavir (Kaletra®)
Nelfinavir (Viracept®)
Ritonavir (Norvir®)
Saquinavir (Fortovase®, Invirase®)
Tipranavir (Aptivus®).

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Brands	Effectiveness	Holistic Benefits	Side Effects	Number of Ratings
Lovastatin	9	5.66	2.07	8
Crestor	7.75	5.16	2.37	28
Zocor	7.45	5.38	1.68	22
Simvastatin	6.31	4.46	2.79	48
Lipitor	4.93	3.75	4.08	74

View All	About these Scores
	Choose a condition to compare treatments based on user feedback. You can sort by Effectiveness, Holistic Benefits or Side Effects RateADrug user scores, or the number of Ratings. Scores gain significance with the number of ratings, so please share your experiences - rate your drug! Close

Effectiveness of Lipitor by Condition

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High Cholesterol

Stroke

Heart Disease

Atherosclerosis & Arterial Disease

Dementia

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Effectiveness on "High Cholesterol"

About these Results
Out of 100% of people surveyed, these results show the distribution in percentages of how users rate the effectiveness of their medication. Click on the various conditions to see how the effectiveness ratings change. Close

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How effective is Lipitor?

Reported Changes in Health and Well-Being

Since taking Lipitor, RateADrug survey participants noticed these changes in their health:

Effect on:	Much Worse	Worse	No Change	Better	Much Better
Appetite	8.1%	9.7%	75.8%	3.2%	3.2%
Balance/Equilibrium	7.8%	23.4%	67.2%	1.6%	0%
Blood Pressure	1.7%	5.1%	88.1%	5.1%	0%
Breathing	4.6%	12.3%	78.5%	3.1%	1.5%
Confidence	12.5%	6.2%	78.1%	1.6%	1.6%
Coordination/Motor Skills	9.4%	15.6%	73.4%	0%	1.6%
Digestion	12.5%	20.3%	65.6%	1.6%	0%
Emotional Well-being	10.3%	13.2%	70.6%	4.4%	1.5%
Energy	16.2%	17.6%	61.8%	2.9%	1.5%
Eyesight	4.7%	14.1%	81.2%	0%	0%
Memory	12.7%	17.5%	69.8%	0%	0%
Mental Clarity	11.5%	9.8%	77%	1.6%	0%
Pain	15.6%	10.9%	70.3%	0%	3.1%
Patience	12.3%	10.8%	73.8%	1.5%	1.5%
Sexual Health	11.9%	14.9%	70.1%	1.5%	1.5%
Skin Complexion	3.3%	3.3%	91.7%	1.7%	0%
Sleep	12.1%	21.2%	62.1%	3%	1.5%
Stress Level	14.1%	15.6%	68.8%	1.6%	0%

About these Scores
Out of 100% of people surveyed, these results show the distribution in percentages of negative or positive changes in health and well-being experienced by users for all of the categories listed. Close

Commonly Reported Side Effects Ratings

RateADrug survey participants experienced these commonly reported side effects:

Effect on:	None	Mild	Moderate	Strong	Severe
Abdominal Cramping	75.9%	0%	3.4%	6.9%	13.8%
Allergic Reaction	86.6%	1.5%	3%	4.5%	4.5%
Amnesia / Memory Loss	75.7%	8.1%	2.7%	8.1%	5.4%
Anemia	92.4%	6.1%	0%	1.5%	0%
Anxiety	60%	40%	0%	0%	0%
Asthma	89.9%	2.9%	4.3%	2.9%	0%
Back Pain	60%	8.8%	7.5%	13.8%	10%
Bloating	69.2%	7.7%	19.2%	3.8%	0%
Blurred Vision	80%	0%	0%	20%	0%
Cold Symptoms	82.4%	5.4%	5.4%	5.4%	1.4%
Constipation	73.2%	5.6%	8.5%	5.6%	7%
Diarrhea	79.5%	11%	4.1%	4.1%	1.4%
Dizziness	79.4%	0%	14.7%	2.9%	2.9%
Drowsiness	77%	6.8%	6.8%	2.7%	6.8%
Dry Mouth	67.1%	14.5%	9.2%	3.9%	5.3%
Falls	84.1%	4.3%	2.9%	7.2%	1.4%
Fatigue	82.4%	0%	5.9%	8.8%	2.9%
Gas	65.8%	6.6%	13.2%	11.8%	2.6%
Headache	62.9%	11.4%	14.3%	11.4%	0%
Hearing Loss	80%	2.9%	11.4%	5.7%	0%
Hot Flashes / Flushing	77.8%	7.4%	11.1%	3.7%	0%
Increased Appetite	96.9%	0%	0%	3.1%	0%
Insomnia	80%	0%	10%	6.7%	3.3%
Kidney Failure	87.5%	12.5%	0%	0%	0%
Liver Failure	96.9%	3.1%	0%	0%	0%
Muscle / Joint Pain	48.4%	9.7%	12.9%	16.1%	12.9%
Muscle Cramping	64.5%	0%	12.9%	12.9%	9.7%
Nausea	84.4%	6.2%	9.4%	0%	0%
Sore Throat	90.6%	9.4%	0%	0%	0%
Tingling Sensations	71.9%	12.5%	0%	9.4%	6.2%
Vomiting	90.6%	6.2%	0%	3.1%	0%

About these Scores
Out of 100% of people surveyed, these results show the distribution in percentages of the severity of side effects experienced by users. Scores gain significance with the number of ratings, so please share your experiences - rate your drug! Close

Other Possible Side Effects Ratings

RateADrug survey participants experienced less commonly reported side effects:

Effect on:	None	Mild	Moderate	Strong	Severe
Abdominal Cramping	83.3%	5.6%	2.8%	5.6%	2.8%
Amnesia / Memory Loss	0%	0%	66.7%	0%	33.3%
Bloating	75.7%	13.5%	5.4%	2.7%	2.7%
Concentration / Focus Problems	76.9%	7.7%	9.6%	0%	5.8%
Discolored Urine	86.5%	5.8%	5.8%	1.9%	0%
Dizziness	65.9%	7.3%	12.2%	4.9%	9.8%
Fatigue	60.5%	4.7%	11.6%	11.6%	11.6%
Headache	80.6%	5.6%	0%	5.6%	8.3%
Hearing Loss	79.5%	5.1%	2.6%	10.3%	2.6%
Hot Flashes / Flushing	77.8%	5.6%	13.9%	0%	2.8%
Increased Appetite	86.1%	0%	5.6%	5.6%	2.8%
Insomnia	80.6%	2.8%	2.8%	8.3%	5.6%
Jaundice	97%	0%	0%	3%	0%
Kidney Failure	96.9%	0%	3.1%	0%	0%
Liver Failure	97%	3%	0%	0%	0%
Muscle / Joint Pain	51%	6.1%	8.2%	14.3%	20.4%
Muscle Cramping	52%	12%	4%	10%	22%
Nausea	73.2%	12.2%	9.8%	2.4%	2.4%
Nerve Pain / Damage	81.1%	5.7%	5.7%	1.9%	5.7%
Rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of muscle fibers)	86.5%	3.8%	5.8%	0%	3.8%
Skin Rash	90.9%	0%	0%	6.1%	3%
Sore Throat	84.2%	7.9%	7.9%	0%	0%
Tenderness	0%	0%	100%	0%	0%
Tingling Sensations	62.2%	6.7%	6.7%	17.8%	6.7%
Vomiting	93.9%	0%	0%	3%	3%

About these Scores
Out of 100% of people surveyed, these results show the distribution in percentages of the severity of side effects experienced by users. Scores gain significance with the number of ratings, so please share your experiences - rate your drug! Close

Episodes since taking Lipitor

Since taking Lipitor Rate a Drug survey participants reported these episodes:

Auto Accident	1%
Fall	7.1%
Hospitalization	5.1%

Seizure	1%
Stroke	3.1%

About these Results
Out of 100% of people surveyed, these results show the percentage of users who have experienced any of these episodes while taking their medication. Close

How does your experience compare with other Lipitor users?

User Comments about Lipitor

25 Feb 2010	i have diabetics and had high cholestoral and triglicerides before i took lipitor —Posted by Anonymous Respond Display Name: Email: (Required) Notify me of new comments Email me monthly survey results Sending... I agree to the Terms of Use
25 Feb 2010	I took Lipitor for six months and my cholesterol dropped significantly. What I liked the most was that I experienced no side effects. I have nothing bad to say about this medication. —Posted by Anonymous Respond Display Name: Email: (Required) Notify me of new comments Email me monthly survey results Sending... I agree to the Terms of Use
24 Feb 2010	At first it really helped with lowering my cholesterol but as time went on, i began to have really bad pains in my arms. when i stopped taking it, i couldnt even move it was so bad. —Posted by Anonymous Respond Display Name: Email: (Required) Notify me of new comments Email me monthly survey results Sending... I agree to the Terms of Use
18 Feb 2010	Lipitor was suggested to me by my family doctor. At first I was concerned because I had heard alot about people suffering strokes because of these medications. After a few months of using Lipitor it still hasn't given me any problems or concerns. —Posted by Anonymous Respond Display Name: Email: (Required) Notify me of new comments Email me monthly survey results Sending... I agree to the Terms of Use
14 Feb 2010	This medication caused severve muscle cramping and I had to stop taking it. —Posted by Anonymous Respond Display Name: Email: (Required) Notify me of new comments Email me monthly survey results Sending... I agree to the Terms of Use

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