You can choose to take it at any time, as long as you stick to the same time every day. This prevents your blood levels from becoming too high or too low. Sometimes doctors may recommend taking it in the evening. This is because your body makes most cholesterol at night.
For most statins, manufacturers don't recommend a specific time of day to take your dose. But studies have found that some statins work better when taken in the evening. This may be because the liver makes the most cholesterol when we're eating the least — at night.
Avoid eating foods high in fat or cholesterol, or atorvastatin will not be as effective. Avoid drinking alcohol. It can raise triglyceride levels and may increase your risk of liver damage. Grapefruit may interact with atorvastatin and lead to unwanted side effects.
Serious side effects
you get unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, weakness or cramps – these can be signs of muscle breakdown and kidney damage.
Atorvastatin oral tablet doesn't cause drowsiness, but it can cause other side effects.
So, why do people take statins at night? Many statins work more effectively when they are taken at night. This is because the enzyme which makes the cholesterol is more active at night. Also, the half-life, or the amount of time it takes for half the dose to leave your body, of some statins is short.
You can choose to take it at any time, as long as you stick to the same time every day. This prevents your blood levels from becoming too high or too low. Sometimes doctors may recommend taking it in the evening. This is because your body makes most cholesterol at night.
Does atorvastatin cause weight gain? Atorvastatin does not cause weight gain as a side effect. However, some researchers have noted a link between statin medications and weight gain. While there are many potential reasons for this, one belief is that this association is due to moral hazard.
You usually have to continue taking statins for life because if you stop taking them, your cholesterol will return to a high level. If you forget to take your dose, do not take an extra one to make up for it.
If you've made lifestyle changes through diet and exercise that have lowered your cholesterol levels, you may not need to continue taking a statin. These changes can help reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, or blocked arteries while allowing you to take one less medication.
Grapefruit juice can affect some statins and increase your risk of side effects. A doctor may advise you to avoid it completely or only consume small quantities. The doctor will also ask you how much alcohol you drink before prescribing statins.
Atorvastatin competitively inhibits 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. By preventing the conversion of HMG-CoA to mevalonate, statin medications decrease cholesterol production in the liver.
The dosing and timing of statins can depend on the type of statin you've been prescribed. While it is typically recommended to take short-acting statins at night, long-acting statins like atorvastatin can be taken at any time of the day.
Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs have been reported to cause nocturia and other lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), such as urinary frequency and urgency, in some people, although not all studies have found a connection and it's not clear how statins might cause this effect.
5. The cholesterol-lowering action of alternate-day statins is as effective as daily dosing in many individuals.
As a general guide, total cholesterol levels should be: 5mmol/L or less for healthy adults. 4mmol/L or less for those at high risk.
High cholesterol levels are considered: too high: between 5 and 6.4mmol/l. very high: between 6.5 and 7.8mmol/l. extremely high: above 7.8mmol/l.
Atorvastatin is in a class of medications called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins). It works by slowing the production of cholesterol in the body to decrease the amount of cholesterol that may build up on the walls of the arteries and block blood flow to the heart, brain, and other parts of the body.
The use of statins may be connected to weight gain, but there's no clinical evidence as to why this weight gain occurs.
Clinical studies revealed Lipitor can damage liver function, and the FDA has received rare post-marketing reports of both fatal and nonfatal liver failure. Other reported liver problems include jaundice, hepatitis, chronic liver damage and fatty changes to the liver.
The top-selling statins are atorvastatin (Lipitor), lovastatin (Mevacor), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor). How they can cause insomnia: The most common side effect of all types of statins is muscle pain, which can keep people who take them awake at night and unable to rest.
However, many doctors do hear complaints of insomnia and sleep disturbance from patients taking statins. The best explanation is the 'nocebo' effect – the opposite of the placebo effect.
Atorvastatin may cause liver problems and using it with substantial quantities of ethanol may increase that risk. You should limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications.