Lipitor
Lipitor, also known by its generic name of atorvastatin, is a drug used to combat high cholesterol by lowering the levels of cholesterol in a person’s blood. Lipitor is a statin drug. Along with lipitor the statins class of medications also consist of mevacor (lovastatin), zocor (simvastatin), lescol (fluvastatin), pravachol (pravastatin).
The way in which statins work is by preventing the production of cholesterol by the liver by blocking the enzyme HMGCoA reductase that makes cholesterol. As well as lowering the total cholesterol the statins also lower LDL cholesterol, which is commonly believed to be the “bad cholesterol that is mainly responsible for coronary artery disease.
Before falling back on medicinal purposes to fight and treat high cholesterol a person will generally be put on a special diet as well as urged to exercise to reduce their cholesterol levels first, if this fails to work medication is then generally prescribed, one of which is lipitor. However certain diets and exercises are still strongly encouraged alongside the medications, the medications are also dosed based on your cholesterol level.
Lipitor comes in 10 mg, 20 mg, and 40 mg tablets and is generally prescribed to be taken once a day at any time of the day with or without food. Lipitor’s side effects tend to be rare since it is accepted well within the body. Side effects may include constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, gas, heartburn, and headache. Some more severe reactions could also occur, these include muscle inflammation, muscle breakdown that have been reported with other HMGCoA reductase antagonists so it is a possibility that it may occur with lipitor as well. In extreme cases in which the muscle breaks down and releases proteins into the blood that can congest the kidney and cause kidney failure. Lipitor has been known to cause problems within patients with alcohol induced liver damage as well as other liver diseases.
Disclaimer: Cliff Schaffer does not personally endorse or support any of the comments made within the writings of this article. |
