side effects lipitor drugs

A:One of the side effects to lipitor is muscle aches and pains. Your doctor would be checking your blood frequently to be sure there is no muscle or body organ damage. I take mine at night, and by the next day the pain is over with. Talk openly with your doctor about these concerns.

A:What should I avoid while taking Lipitor? • Alcohol and Lipitor can both be damaging to the liver. Alcohol should be used only in moderation. Discuss the use of alcohol with your doctor so that the potential for liver problems can be determined. • Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with Lipitor. The interaction could lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit and grapefruit juice with your doctor. Do not increase or decrease the amount of grapefruit products in your diet without first talking to your doctor. What are the possible side effects of Lipitor? • Rare cases of muscle problems and liver problems have been associated with the use of Lipitor and other similar medicines. Contact your doctor immediately if you experience unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, especially if accompanied by a fever or flulike symptoms or yellowing of the skin or eyes, abdominal pain, unexplained fatigue, dark colored urine or pale colored stools. These may be early symptoms of muscle or liver problems. • If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking Lipitor and seek emergency medical attention or contact your doctor immediately: · an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives); · decreased urine or rust-colored urine; or · blurred vision. • Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Continue to take Lipitor and talk to your doctor if you experience · headache; · upset stomach or flatulence; or · a rash. • Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

A:Hopefully you won't have to go back on the Lipitor but my mother and father have suffered from very similiar effects. My husband and I were introduced to a nutritional juice called Monavie which we gave to my parents. The juice has completly leveled their cholesterol where the doctor has taken them off the Lipitor. The juice is made from a berry called the ACAI berry from the Amazon. If you want to read more about it you may enter Monavie.com and you will see how great this product is. Dr. Perricone which is the doctor that comes out on the Oprah show has made it the # 1 super food in his book because it has antioxidants and it helps with inflammation and all kinds of pain. You will not be sorry for trying this. My husband and I have been drinking it for 3 months now have become independent distributors because we love it so much (not to mention that the pay is great) and we definetly sleep 100% better and we don't wake up with any back pains. My mothers friend is diabetic and her levels have lowered by 100 points. If you want more info you may email us and we can send you more info. Hope this helps!

A:I was unable to find a recent report of deaths associated with Lipitor. I have included a link to the London Times that was reported on 03/06/05 discussing deaths associated with lipid medications in general. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1512613_1,00.html There seems to be a lot of hysteria associated with lipid-lowering medications commonly referred to as 'statins' of which Lipitor or atorvastatin is one. The main complication associated with these medications is a degenerative muscle condition called rhabdomyolysis - though actual cases of this is extremely rare. The main reason people discontinue cholesterol medications is due to general muscle aches - despite no objective lab studies to indicate a problem. It is known that these cholesterol medications can affect the mitochodria (powerhouses of the cell) in some people. It is surmised that this effect is the source of muscle aches - though muscle aches are a common general complaint. Additionally there may be interactions with other medications at the level of the liver enzyme pathways. So why do people are people prescribed these medications if there are risks? The answer is the overall significant reduction in mortality - especially noted in people who at risk for coronary artery disease, heart valvular disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. The risk reduction of dying from these diseases far outweighs the increase risk of taking the medications. I have attached a few abstracts of medical journals below that are pertinent to your question and my answer. I hope this helps. Good luck. There were 871 reports of statin-associated rhabdomyolysis in the 29-month time frame examined, representing 601 cases. The following number of cases were associated with each of the individual statins: simvastatin, 215 (35.8%); cerivastatin, 192 (31.9%); atorvastatin, 73 (12.2%); pravastatin, 71 (11.8%); lovastatin, 40 (6.7%); and fluvastatin, 10 (1.7%). Drugs that may have interacted with the statins were present in the following number of cases: mibefradil (n = 99), fibrates (n = 80), cyclosporine (n = 51), macrolide antibiotics (n = 42), warfarin (n = 33), digoxin (n = 26), and azole antifungals (n = 12). The reports of 62.1% of cases were classified as expedited. Statins were designated as the primary suspect in 72.0% of the cases. Death was listed as the outcome in 38 cases. The majority of reports (n = 556) were from health professionals. Ann Pharmacother. 2002 Feb;36(2):288-95 Lowering of LDL-cholesterol by 25 to 30% with statins resulted in a highly significant reduction of coronary event rates in 2 large primary prevention trials. In the West of Scotland Primary Prevention Study (WOSCOPS) hypercholesterolemic asymptomatic men were treated with either 40 mg of pravastatin or placebo, in the Airforce/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study (AFCAPS/TexCAPS) 6605 men and women with average levels of LDL-cholesterol and low levels of HDL-cholesterol were treated with either 20 to 40 mg of lovastatin or placebo. Moreover, in the WOSCOP study a marked reduction of total mortality was observed which approached the level of statistical significance. Several groups of experts have recently developed guidelines for the use of statins in prevention of atherosclerotic vascular disease. There are major differences in the goals for lowering of LDL-cholesterol and in the levels at which initiation of lipid lowering by drugs is advocated. In most of these recommendations graded target levels for LDL-cholesterol are suggested which are guided by the level of global risk. According to the recommendations of the American National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) LDL-cholesterol should be lowered below 130 mg/dl in asymptomatic individuals at high absolute risk and below 160 in individuals with a moderate increase in risk. The Joint Task Force of European and other Societies on Coronary Prevention recently developed guidelines, which suggest that in primary prevention lipid lowering by drugs should be restricted to individuals whose 10 year CHD risk exceeds 20% or will exceed 20% if projected to age 60. In these individuals LDL-cholesterol levels should be lowered to less than 115 mg/dl. The International Task Force for Prevention of Coronary heart disease recently published recommendations which suggest, that LDL-cholesterol should be reduced below 100 mg/dl in asymptomatic individuals at very high coronary risk, while it should be lowered below 135 mg/dl in individuals at moderately increased risk and below 160 mg/dl in subjects with a small increase in risk. In conclusion, results of 2 landmark trials in primary prevention of coronary heart disease demonstrated that lowering of LDL-cholesterol by statins is one of the most effective strategies to reduce coronary risk. It should be applied most aggressively in subjects at the highest overall risk. Nevertheless, non-pharmacologic measures are still considered as the preferred strategy for the reduction of coronary risk in the setting of primary prevention. Wien Med Wochenschr. 1999;149(5-6):129-38 A total of 289 (23.7%) patients in the atorvastatin group compared with 333 (27.7%) patients in the usual care group experienced a primary outcome (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval 0.71 to 0.97, p = 0.02). This reduction in morbidity was largely due to fewer non-fatal myocardial infarctions (4.3% vs. 7.7%, p = 0.0002). Levels of LDL-C were reduced more (34.3% vs. 23.3%, p < 0.0001) and National Cholesterol Education Program goals (LDL-C <100 mg/dl) more likely met at end-of-study visits (72.4% vs. 40.0%) in patients receiving atorvastatin compared with those receiving usual care An aggressive, focused statin therapy management strategy outperformed usual care in health maintenance organization and Veterans Administration clinic patients with Coronary Heart Disease. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2004 Nov 2;44(9):1772-9

A:I was prescribed Niaspan but could not take it because of side effects (itching, rashes, flushing feeling). Lipitor, Tricor, and Avapro are my combo and have been for many years.