Before Using

Drug information provided by: IBM Micromedex

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of atorvastatin in children 10 to 17 years of age. However, safety and efficacy have not been established in children younger than 10 years of age to treat homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) and heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) and in children to treat other types of high cholesterol.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of atorvastatin in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related kidney, liver, heart problems, or increased risk of muscle problems, which may require caution in patients receiving atorvastatin.

Breastfeeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Drug Interactions

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

  • Posaconazole
  • Ritonavir

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Abametapir
  • Atazanavir
  • Bezafibrate
  • Ceritinib
  • Ciprofibrate
  • Clarithromycin
  • Clofibrate
  • Colchicine
  • Conivaptan
  • Cyclosporine
  • Dalfopristin
  • Danazol
  • Daptomycin
  • Darolutamide
  • Darunavir
  • Digoxin
  • Diltiazem
  • Elbasvir
  • Enasidenib
  • Encorafenib
  • Erythromycin
  • Fedratinib
  • Fenofibrate
  • Fenofibric Acid
  • Fexinidazole
  • Fluconazole
  • Fosamprenavir
  • Fosnetupitant
  • Fusidic Acid
  • Gemfibrozil
  • Glecaprevir
  • Grazoprevir
  • Indinavir
  • Isavuconazonium Sulfate
  • Itraconazole
  • Ketoconazole
  • Ledipasvir
  • Leflunomide
  • Letermovir
  • Levoketoconazole
  • Lopinavir
  • Mibefradil
  • Midostaurin
  • Nefazodone
  • Nelfinavir
  • Netupitant
  • Niacin
  • Nirmatrelvir
  • Palbociclib
  • Pibrentasvir
  • Piperaquine
  • Quinupristin
  • Saquinavir
  • Simeprevir
  • Telaprevir
  • Telithromycin
  • Teriflunomide
  • Tipranavir
  • Troleandomycin
  • Verapamil

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Amiodarone
  • Amprenavir
  • Azithromycin
  • Bexarotene
  • Black Cohosh
  • Boceprevir
  • Bosentan
  • Clopidogrel
  • Cobicistat
  • Efavirenz
  • Eltrombopag
  • Etravirine
  • Fosphenytoin
  • Fostemsavir
  • Interferon Beta
  • Oat Bran
  • Pectin
  • Phenytoin
  • Pioglitazone
  • Quinine
  • Rifampin
  • St John's Wort
  • Voriconazole

Other Interactions

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following is usually not recommended, but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.

  • Grapefruit Juice

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

  • Alcohol abuse, or history of or
  • Diabetes or
  • Hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) or
  • Liver disease, history—Use with caution. May cause side effects to become worse.
  • Convulsions (seizures), not well-controlled or
  • Electrolyte disorders, severe or
  • Endocrine disorders, severe or
  • Hypotension (low blood pressure) or
  • Kidney disease, severe or
  • Metabolic disorders, severe or
  • Sepsis (severe infection)—Patients with these conditions may be at risk of developing muscle and kidney problems.
  • Liver disease (eg, liver failure, decompensated cirrhosis)—Should not be used in patients with these conditions.
  • Stroke, recent or
  • Transient ischemic attack (TIA), recent—Atorvastatin may increase the risk of stroke in patients with these conditions.

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Portions of this document last updated: March 01, 2023

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