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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Before Using
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:
In addition to its helpful effects in treating your medical problem, this type of medicine may have some harmful effects.
Allergies
Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.
Pediatric
This medicine is safe to use in boys and some girls 10 to 17 years of age for treating certain types of high cholesterol.
Geriatric
This medicine has been tested in a limited number of patients 65 years of age or older and has not been shown to cause different problems in older people than it does in younger adults. However, blood levels of atorvastatin tend to be higher in older people than they do in younger adults.
Pregnancy
| Pregnancy Category | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|
| All Trimesters | X | Studies in animals or pregnant women have demonstrated positive evidence of fetal abnormalities. This drug should not be used in women who are or may become pregnant because the risk clearly outweighs any possible benefit. |
Breastfeeding
There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.
Drug Interactions
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Atazanavir
- Bezafibrate
- Ciprofibrate
- Clarithromycin
- Clofibrate
- Dalfopristin
- Diltiazem
- Erythromycin
- Fenofibrate
- Fluconazole
- Fusidic Acid
- Gemfibrozil
- Itraconazole
- Ketoconazole
- Mibefradil
- Nefazodone
- Niacin
- Quinupristin
- Rituximab
- Telithromycin
- Tipranavir
- Troleandomycin
- Verapamil
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Aliskiren
- Amprenavir
- Black Cohosh
- Bosentan
- Colchicine
- Cyclosporine
- Darunavir
- Digoxin
- Efavirenz
- Eltrombopag
- Etravirine
- Fosamprenavir
- Fosphenytoin
- Indinavir
- Lopinavir
- Nelfinavir
- Oat Bran
- Pectin
- Phenytoin
- Pioglitazone
- Rifampin
- Saquinavir
- St John's Wort
- Voriconazole
Other Interactions
Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.
Using this medicine with any of the following may cause an increased risk of certain side effects but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.
- Grapefruit Juice
Other Medical Problems
The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
- Alcohol abuse (or history of) or
- Liver disease, history—Use with caution. These conditions may increase the amount of atorvastatin in your blood .
- Convulsions (seizures), not well-controlled, or
- Electrolyte or metabolic enzyme deficiencies or disorders or
- Infection, severe or
- Low blood pressure or
- Major surgery or trauma, recent—Patients with these conditions may be at risk of developing muscle problems (causing the release of muscle pigment into the urine) that may lead to kidney failure.
- Kidney disease, severe—Use with caution. This medicine may make the condition worse .
- Liver disease, active or
- Liver enzymes, persistently high levels—This medicine should not be used in these conditions. Use of this medicine may make liver problems worse .
- Stroke, recent or
- Transient ischemic attack (TIA), recent—Atorvastatin may increase the risk of stroke in patients with any of these conditions .
