Lipitor, Atorvastatin, is a medicine used to reduce cholesterol levels in the body. In some cases, it’s also administered to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke or other complications related to heart in patients with type-2 diabetes or coronary heart problems. Lipitor is a prescription medicine which is prescribed as a part of a total treatment program which also comprises exercise, diet targeted at weight loss and is generally prescribed only after other non medical methods like dieting and exercising fail to have control over cholesterol levels.

Contraindications
Lipitor is seriously contraindicated against use n persons with active liver ailments like hepatic encephalopathy, cholestasis, jaundice and hepatitis. It’s the same for pregnant and breast-feeding mothers too. It’s contraindicated also for inexplicable elevations in ALT or AST levels

Precaution is essential when using Lipitor as it may possibly bring about rhabdomyolysis which may critically turn into acute renal failure because of myoglobinuria. Use of Lipitor must be discontinued at once whenever rhabdomyolysis is suspected as well as when a patient is diagnosed for high degrees of CPK or if myopathy happens to be suspected and/or diagnosed. The chances for getting a myopathy is greater than before through the co- administration of cyclosporine, fibric acid derivatives, erythromycin, niacin, as well as azole antifungals

Lipitor in pregnancy can set off injuries to fetal growth due to the significance of cholesterol as well as several things inside the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway for fetal development, including steroid synthesis and cell membrane production. It is not recommended that nursing mothers take Lipitor owing to the possibility of dangerous reactions of nursing babies, as experiments by using mice point out that Lipitor is potential to be secreted into human milk.

Side Effects and Cautions
Although minimal, side effects of Lipitor are not to be ignored in certain cases which necessitate serial testing of liver enzymes. If patients are diagnosed as having muscular inflammation, the drug must be stopped. About 1-10% of users of Lipitor feel weakness, dizziness and Insomnia. Other adverse effects include pain in the stomach, chest or back, allergic reaction, abnormal heartbeat, dizziness, arthritis, bronchitis, indigestion, gas, constipation, diarrhea, flu, fluid retention, headache, infection, inflammation of nasal passages and sinus, nausea, rash, infection of the urinary tract. Although rare, some patients have recorded troubled memory functions, nerve and muscle pain problems. Other side effects that are recorded include nephritis, postural hypotension, migraine, myasthenia gravis, thrombocytopenia and the like.

One true and note worthy point here is the niggling side effects of Lipitor have had a majority of people discontinue Lipitor. You may need to adjust your Lipitor dosage or temporarily discontinue it but discuss any abnormalities with your doctor as soon as you notice them.

Interactions
Inform your doctor of any medications you might be taking, even if it’s without prescription because many medicines interact with Atorvastatin, Lipitor, adversely. Here is a partial list: digoxin used in certain heart problems, antibiotics like clarithromycin, erythromycin and rifampicin, oral contraceptives, other cholesterol busters and/or triglycerides. Apparently harmless medicines like antacids can decrease plasma concentrations of Lipitor while Vitamin D can bring about the active metabolite in the drug.