High cholesterol levels increase the risk for heart disease, stroke, and other heart-related complications.
Lipitor can also raise the levels of HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol) in your blood.
The drug is sometimes prescribed to people with an existing heart condition to lower their risk of experiencing a heart attack or other cardiac event.
Additionally, Lipitor may be prescribed as a preventive drug for people with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), a history of smoking, or other conditions that could increase their risk for heart complications.
Lipitor History
Statins are the most widely-prescribed class of drugs in the United States, and Lipitor is the top-selling prescription drug of all time, exceeding $130 billion in sales.More than 29 million people in the United States have been prescribed Lipitor.
Pfizer manufactures Lipitor, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996.
In 2014, the company denied liability for lawsuits by women who claimed that Lipitor gave them type 2 diabetes, stating that the women may have other risk factors that make them vulnerable to the disease, such as high blood pressure or obesity.
The lawsuits follow a 2012 call by the FDA to change the labeling on the drug to include a warning about the drug's link to high blood sugar and increased risk for type 2 diabetes.
In a study of more than 470,000 patients newly treated with a statin, researchers found that Lipitor presented the highest diabetes risk.
Additional studies reported that diabetes risk is higher for certain groups, including the elderly, women, and Asians.
Lipitor Warnings
Before taking Lipitor, tell your doctor if you have a thyroid disorder, muscle pain or weakness, a history of liver or kidney disease, or if you drink more than two alcoholic beverages a day.Lipitor will not be as effective in lowering your cholesterol if you do not follow a cholesterol-lowering diet plan, so it's important to avoid eating foods that are high in fat or cholesterol.
It's also important to stick to an exercise routine, and to keep your weight under control.
Children and people with liver problems should not take Lipitor. Liver complications linked to Lipitor include hepatitis, fatty changes to the liver, and cirrhosis. Symptoms related to Lipitor liver injury include the following:
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Pain in the right upper abdomen
- Dark urine
- Yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice)
If you feel any unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness — particularly if you have any of these along with a fever, or if these muscle signs or symptoms persist after discontinuing Lipitor — call your doctor.
In rare cases, Lipitor can cause a condition that results in the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue, leading to kidney failure. Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following:
- Unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness
- A fever
- Unusual tiredness
- Dark-colored urine
Pregnancy and Lipitor
Lipitor and other statins should not be used during pregnancy because of the risk of harm to the fetus.If you are of childbearing age and are prescribed Lipitor, be sure to use an effective method of birth control to prevent pregnancy.
If you become pregnant while taking Lipitor, stop taking the drug and call your doctor immediately.
Lipitor should not be taken while breastfeeding, because it can pass into breast milk and may harm a breastfeeding infant.
Lipitor Side Effects
- Unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness
- Confusion, memory problems, or other cognitive issues
- Fever, unusual tiredness, and dark-colored urine
- Swelling, weight gain, urinating less than usual or not at all
- Increased thirst, increased urination, hunger, dry mouth, fruity breath odor, drowsiness, dry skin, blurred vision, weight loss
- Nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
Allergic Reaction to Lipitor
Get emergency medical help if you take Lipitor and have signs of a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) including hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.Lipitor Interactions
Lipitor and Alcohol
Drinking alcohol while taking Lipitor can raise triglyceride levels and may increase your risk of liver damage.Therefore, you should not drink alcohol while taking Lipitor.
Lipitor and Drug Interactions
There are many drugs that can interact with Lipitor.Tell your doctor about any prescription, non-prescription, over-the-counter (OTC), illegal and recreational drugs, herbal remedies, nutritional and dietary supplements, and all other drugs and treatments you use.
The following are some drugs that may interact with Lipitor:
- Diltiazem (Cardizem, Cartia, Dilacor, Diltia, Diltzac, Taztia, Tiazac)
- Gemfibrozil (Lopid), fenofibric acid (Fibricor, Trilipix), or fenofibrate (Antara, Fenoglide, Lipofen, Lofibra, Tricor, Triglide)
- Telaprevir (Incivek)
- Antibiotics such as clarithromycin (Biaxin) or erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin, Pediazole)
- Antifungal medicines such as fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), or voriconazole (Vfend)
- HIV medications such as darunavir (Prexista), fosamprenavir (Lexiva), ritonavir (Norvir), lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra), nelfinavir (Viracept), saquinavir (Invirase), or tipranavir (Aptivus)
- Medicines that contain niacin (Advicor, Niaspan, Niacor, Simcor, Slo-Niacin, and others)
- Drugs that weaken your immune system, such as steroids, cancer medicine, or medicines used to prevent organ transplant rejection, such as cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune), sirolimus (Rapamune), or tacrolimus (Prograf)
- Warfarin
- Oral contraceptives
- Antacids
Lipitor and Grapefruit
If you are taking Lipitor, you should avoid grapefruit juice and any foods containing grapefruit.Grapefruit may cause levels of Lipitor in your bloodstream to rise to dangerous levels.
Lipitor Dosage
The dosage range of Lipitor is 10 to 80 milligrams (mg) once daily, and it is usually given as a 10 or 20 mg once daily.
However, depending on your condition and medical history, you may be prescribed 40 mg once a day.
Lipitor Overdose
If you or someone else takes too much Lipitor, call 9-1-1 or go to an emergency medical facility right away.Missed Dose of Lipitor
If you miss a dose of Lipitor, take it as soon as you remember unless it has been more than 12 hours since you missed your last dose.In this case, wait and take the next dose at your regular time.
Do not take two doses of Lipitor at the same time.
Lipitor Pictures
