Lipitor instructions

• Lipitor uses
• Lipitor dosage
• Lipitor side effects
• Warnings & precautions
• Drug interactions
• Missed dose

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Common Brand Name Lipitor

Generic Name: Atorvastatin

The following product information is not intended to replace the physician's or manufacturer's instructions.

Lipitor common medical uses:
Lipitor is used with diet changes (restriction of cholesterol and fat intake) to reduce the amount of cholesterol and certain fatty substances in the blood. Atorvastatin is in a class of medications called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins). It works by slowing the production of cholesterol in the body. Buildup of cholesterol and fats along the walls of the blood vessels (a process known as atherosclerosis) decreases blood flow and, therefore, the oxygen supply to the heart, brain, and other parts of the body. Lowering blood levels of cholesterol and fats may help to prevent heart disease, angina (chest pain), strokes, and heart attacks.

Dosage & How to use Lipitor:
Take Lipitor tablets by mouth. Follow the directions on the prescription label. Swallow the atorvastatin with a drink of water. Atorvastatin can be taken at anytime of the day with or without food. Take your doses at regular intervals. Do not take your medicine more often than directed.

The dose of Lipitor will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medication. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

Dosage: For oral dosage form (tablets):

• Adults: 10 milligrams (mg) once daily. Your doctor may increase your dose if needed.
• Children (10 to 17 years of age): 10 milligrams (mg) once daily. Your doctor may increase your dose if needed.
• Children (less than 10 years of age): Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.

Lipitor side effects:
Side effects that you should report to your health care professional as soon as possible:
Rare or uncommon:

• fast heartbeat
• decreased urination, difficulty passing urine
• persistent elevation of liver function tests
• muscle cramps, pain, stiffness, swelling, or weakness, especially if accompanied by unusual tiredness or fever
• redness, blistering, peeling or loosening of the skin, including inside the mouth
• difficulty swallowing
• skin rash, itching
• unusual tiredness or weakness

Side effects that usually do not require medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. However, check with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome:

• diarrhea, nausea, vomiting
• gas
• headache
• joint pain
• stomach upset or pain
• tiredness

Lipitor precautions:
Before taking Lipitor tell your doctor and pharmacist:

• if you are allergic to atorvastatin or any other medications.
• what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking. Be sure to mention any of the following: antifungal medications such as itraconazole (Sporanox) and ketoconazole (Nizoral); cimetidine (Tagamet); digoxin (Lanoxin); erythromycin (E.E.S., E-Mycin, Erythrocin); medications that suppress the immune system such as cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune); oral contraceptives (birth control pills); other cholesterol-lowering medications such as fenofibrate (Tricor), gemfibrozil (Lopid), and niacin (nicotinic acid, Niacor, Niaspan); and spironolactone (Aldactone). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
• if you drink large amounts of alcohol and if you have or have ever had liver or kidney disease.
• if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking atorvastatin, stop taking atorvastatin and call your doctor immediately. Atorvastatin may harm the fetus.
• if you are having surgery, including dental surgery *
• f you have a severe infection, surgery, an injury, low blood pressure, or seizures while taking atorvastatin.

Lipitor is only part of a total cholesterol-lowering program. Your doctor or dietician can suggest a low-cholesterol and low-fat diet that will reduce your risk of getting heart and blood vessel disease. Avoid alcohol and smoking, and keep a proper exercise schedule.

Drug Interactions:
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. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking Lipitor it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following medications:

• grapefruit juice
• alchohol-containing beverages
• barbiturates (examples: phenobarbital, butalbital, primidone)
• Antifungals, azole (fluconazole (Diflucan), miconazole injection (Monistat IV), ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox), voriconazole (Vfend))
• Cyclosporine (Sandimmune)
• Erythromycin (Erythrocin)
• Fibric Acid Derivatives, such as Clofibrate (Atromid-S), Fenofibrate ( Tricor), Gemfibrozil (Lopid)
• Niacin (nicotinic acid) in lipid-lowering dosesa (use of these medicines with Lipitor may increase the risk of developing muscle problems (causing the release of muscle pigment into the urine) that may lead to kidney failure)
• Digoxin (Lanoxin) (using this medicine with Lipitor may cause there to be more digoxin in your body)
• herbal medicines such as Went Yeast (Cholestin™) or St. John's Wort
• birth control pills
• medicine used to stop early pregnancy (mifepristone, RU-486 or Mifeprex™)
• rifampin, rifabutin, or rifapentine

Tell your prescriber or health care professional about all other medicines you are taking, including non-prescription medicines, nutritional supplements, or herbal products. Check with your health care professional before stopping or starting any of your medicines.

Missed dose:
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one.

Storage:
Keep out of the reach of children in a container that small children cannot open. Store at controlled room temperature between 20 to 25 degrees C (68 to 77 degrees F). Keep container tightly closed. Throw away any unused medicine after the expiration date.

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