Is long term use of atorvastatin harmful?

Long-term atorvastatin treatment leads to alterations in behavior, cognition, and hippocampal biochemistry.

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What are the long term effects of taking atorvastatin?

Very rarely, statins can cause life-threatening muscle damage called rhabdomyolysis (rab-doe-my-OL-ih-sis). Rhabdomyolysis can cause severe muscle pain, liver damage, kidney failure and death. The risk of very serious side effects is extremely low, and calculated in a few cases per million people taking statins.

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Can atorvastatin be taken lifelong?

Statins are typically very successful at lowering cholesterol, but they only work as long as you're taking them. Therefore, most people who begin taking a statin medication will likely take it for the rest of their lives.

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What are the dangers of taking atorvastatin?

Side effects of atorvastatin
  • Feeling sick (nausea) or indigestion. Stick to simple meals and do not eat rich or spicy food. ...
  • Headaches. Make sure you rest and drink plenty of fluids. ...
  • Nosebleeds. ...
  • Sore throat. ...
  • Cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, blocked nose or sneezing. ...
  • Constipation or farting (flatulence) ...
  • Diarrhoea.

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Are statins OK to take long term?

“Statins have a solid track record. In monitoring people taking statins for decades, we've found that they're safe and most people tolerate them well without any problems. But still, these misconceptions persist.”

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Study Confirms What Many Patients Taking Statins Have Said for Years | NBC Nightly News

33 related questions found

Can you get off statins once you start?

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.

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When should statins be stopped?

Statins are drugs that lower your cholesterol. But if you are age 75 or older and you haven't had symptoms of heart disease, statins may be a bad idea. Here's why: Adults age 75 and older may not need statins.

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Is 20 mg of atorvastatin a lot?

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.

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Can atorvastatin damage your liver?

Statins may occasionally be associated with mild transaminase elevations but can also result in life-threatening liver injury. Atorvastatin is the most common cause of clinically significant liver injury in this drug class.

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Why would a doctor stop atorvastatin?

Dr. Carimi says muscle-related complications are the most common side effect from taking statins. “The most common reason people stop taking statins is because of side effects, like muscle aches, but many have muscle pains from other causes and stop taking the medication in error,” Dr. Carimi says.

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What can I take instead of statins to lower cholesterol?

7 cholesterol-lowering alternatives to statins
  • Fibrates. Mostly used for lowering triglyceride levels in patients whose levels are very high and could cause pancreatitis. ...
  • Plant stanols and sterols. ...
  • Cholestyramine and other bile acid-binding resins. ...
  • Niacin. ...
  • Policosanol. ...
  • Red yeast rice extract (RYRE) ...
  • Natural products.

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How can I safely come off statins?

Anyone who wants to stop taking a statin should talk to a doctor. In some cases, coming off these drugs can be dangerous. The doctor may suggest reducing the dosage, combining the statin with another cholesterol lowering drug, or switching to another drug entirely.

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Should I avoid atorvastatin?

Statins should be taken with caution if you're at an increased risk of developing a rare side effect called myopathy, which is where the tissues of your muscles become damaged and painful. Severe myopathy (rhabdomyolysis) can lead to kidney damage. Things that can increase this risk include: being over 70 years old.

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Does atorvastatin affect the brain?

Statins have been linked to short-term reversible cognitive impairment since early safety and tolerability testing [13]. During a phase I clinical trial of atorvastatin, escalating doses showed a dose-dependent adverse reaction of mild, transient, restlessness, euphoria, and mental confusion [13].

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Does atorvastatin clear arteries?

A: Yes. There have been several clinical studies — many of them done here at Cleveland Clinic — that show statins can reverse plaque buildup. Two statins in particular, atorvastatin, which is sold under the brand name Lipitor, and rosuvastatin, which is sold under the brand name Crestor, are the strongest statins.

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Can atorvastatin cause weight gain?

No, weight gain and hair loss are not side effects of Lipitor. But there may be a link between taking statin medications such as Lipitor and an increase in appetite. An older study showed that people taking statins consumed more calories and fat than people not taking such drugs.

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What should I avoid when taking atorvastatin?

Cautions with other medicines
  • antibiotics such as erythromycin, clarithromycin, rifampicin or fusidic acid.
  • antifungals such as ketoconazole, voriconazole or fluconazole.
  • some HIV medicines.
  • some hepatitis C medicines.
  • warfarin, a medicine to help prevent blood clots.

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How long should I take atorvastatin?

Depending on the reason why you're taking atorvastatin, you may have to take it for a long time, even for the rest of your life. You may want to stop atorvastatin if you think you're having side effects.

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Why is atorvastatin better taken 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.

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Is atorvastatin 20 mg a blood thinner?

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.

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Is there a new drug to replace statins?

PCSK-9 inhibitors thus reduce cholesterol levels by maintaining higher levels of LDL receptors that remove cholesterol from the blood. Currently, PCSK-9 inhibitors are limited in use as they must be administered as shots. Further research into them could expand their use as an alternative to statins.

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What should a 70 year old cholesterol be?

After having their cholesterol tested, seniors should be given a number between 190 and 260. Healthy seniors should keep their total cholesterol below 200 and their LDL cholesterol around 100. If your elderly loved one's LDL cholesterol level is above 160, he or she must start making sweeping lifestyle changes.

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What happens if I suddenly stop taking atorvastatin?

If you quit cold turkey, your body can go into shock. It is not recommended that you stop statins suddenly if you have a history of heart attack or stroke, as it can put you at a higher risk of recurrent heart attack. You should speak with your doctor before stopping the medicine under any circumstance.

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Can I take atorvastatin every other day?

Alternate-day treatment with atorvastatin is comparable in efficacy and safety to the established daily treatment regimen, thus being a cost effective alternative.

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Why do people not want to take statins?

Fear of side effects and perceived side effects are the most common reasons for declining or discontinuing statin therapy. Willingness to take a statin is high, among both patients who have declined statin therapy and those who have never been offered one.

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