No, atorvastatin isn't a blood thinner. It's a statin drug that works to: help improve cholesterol problems. lower your risk for heart-related problems.
The short answer is YES, but very little. Cholesterol lowering drugs, often called “statins” are intended to lower an important component of your total blood cholesterol, the LDL or “low density lipoproteins”.
Atorvastatin belongs to the group of medicines called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, or statins. It works by blocking an enzyme that is needed by the body to make cholesterol, and this reduces the amount of cholesterol in the blood. This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.
Muscle pain and damage
One of the most common complaints of people taking statins is muscle pain. You may feel this pain as a soreness, tiredness or weakness in your muscles. The pain can be a mild discomfort, or it can be severe enough to make your daily activities difficult.
Finally, it is worth knowing that atorvastatin can reduce the activity of platelets, our blood cells responsible for producing blood clots.
Atorvastatin can stabilize atherosclerotic plaque, but it can not reverse atheromatous plaque.
You might be familiar with statins. More than one in four Americans over 40 take these cholesterol-lowering drugs, for good reason: By reducing blockage in blood vessels, statins reduce the chances of cardiovascular disease (better known as heart disease) and strokes.
Worsening liver problems and liver failure
Though rare, atorvastatin (Lipitor) can cause serious liver problems that can lead to liver failure. You'll need to get blood tests to check your liver health before and during treatment to make sure their liver is working properly.
Most cholesterol is created at night, when the body is closer to a fasting state. Because atorvastatin is prescribed to block the production of excess cholesterol, it's often recommended to be taken at night - though it will generally work if you take it during the day, too.
If you're taking a statin medication to lower your cholesterol, you will need to keep taking your prescription, or your cholesterol will likely go back up. Stopping your statin can put you at risk of having heart disease and other preventable health problems like stroke and heart attack from high cholesterol.
Statin use is associated with increased calorie intake and consequent weight gain.
Descriptions. Atorvastatin is used together with a proper diet to lower cholesterol and triglyceride (fats) levels in the blood. This medicine may help prevent medical problems (eg, chest pain, heart attack, or stroke) that are caused by fats clogging the blood vessels.
Anticoagulants, such as heparin or warfarin (also called Coumadin), slow down your body's process of making clots. Antiplatelets, such as aspirin and clopidogrel, prevent blood cells called platelets from clumping together to form a clot.
Results: Statin users had an elevated risk of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, which was especially apparent in the first year of treatment (1-year adjusted hazard ratio 1.19; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15-1.23).
In addition to their effect on lipid levels, these drugs seem to have antithrombotic properties. In a retrospective, subgroup analysis by the Heart Estrogen Replacement Study (HERS)6 investigators, statin use was associated with a 50% risk reduction of venous thromboembolism (VTE).
Do not suddenly stop taking your prescribed medication without talking with your doctor first. If you have side effects from the medication, your doctor might adjust your dosage or recommend a different statin or other combination of medications.
Your morning coffee may make Lipitor less effective
A 2008 study on rats suggests caffeinated coffee may reduce one of the cardioprotective benefits of atorvastatin. That's because caffeine is a nonspecific adenosine receptor blocker. Adenosine receptor activation is essential for Lipitor to work.
Interactions between your drugs
No interactions were found between atorvastatin and Paracetamol.
The benefit of high-dose atorvastatin has been sustained for at least 5 years. Conclusion: After an ACS, high-dose atorvastatin should be continued for at least 5 years. High-dose atorvastatin demonstrated a reduction in coronary events but dose reductions and higher discontinuation rates were also noted.
Adults—At first, 10 or 20 milligrams (mg) once a day. Some patients may need to start at 40 mg per day. Your doctor may increase your dose as needed. However, the dose is usually not more than 80 mg per day.
Check with your doctor whether there's a particular time of day you should take your statin. You usually have to continue taking statins for life because if you stop taking them, your cholesterol will return to a high level.
The key is lowering LDL and making lifestyle changes.
"Making plaque disappear is not possible, but we can shrink and stabilize it," says cardiologist Dr. Christopher Cannon, a Harvard Medical School professor. Plaque forms when cholesterol (above, in yellow) lodges in the wall of the artery.
Modification of the lipid profile with statins has been shown to increase endothelium-dependent vasodilation. Theoretically, this could reduce vascular resistance and improve blood flow through collateral vessels of the lower extremity.
You can “unclog” your arteries with natural methods, including diet, exercise, and stress management. Quitting smoking, if you smoke, can also help reverse plaque.