Atorvastatin at a glance
Medicine class
Statin (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor).
Main roles
Treats raised cholesterol and helps prevent cardiovascular events in eligible people.
Food
May be taken with or without food.
Available forms
Selected UK products include film-coated tablets, chewable tablets and an oral suspension.
What is Atorvastatin used for?
Selected UK products are licensed alongside diet and other appropriate risk-factor measures for:
Primary hypercholesterolaemia, including heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia, or combined mixed hyperlipidaemia in adults and people aged 10 years or older when non-medicine measures are inadequate.
Reducing total and LDL cholesterol in adults with homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia, alongside other lipid-lowering treatment or where that treatment is unavailable.
Preventing a first cardiovascular event in adults assessed as being at high risk, alongside correction of other risk factors.
How does Atorvastatin work?
Atorvastatin blocks HMG-CoA reductase, a liver enzyme needed to make cholesterol. The liver then increases LDL receptors, removing more LDL cholesterol from the blood, while production of LDL particles and other atherogenic lipids also falls.
Atorvastatin preparations and strengths
Chewable tablet
Route: Oral
Strengths: 10 mg, 20 mg
Oral suspension
Route: Oral
Strengths: 4 mg/mL
Tablet
Route: Oral
Strengths: 10 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg, 40 mg, 60 mg, 80 mg
How to take Atorvastatin
Follow the product label and prescriber's instructions. Atorvastatin may be taken with or without food.
Swallow film-coated tablets with water.
Chewable Lipitor tablets may be chewed or swallowed whole with water.
Shake the oral suspension well before use and measure it with the supplied oral syringe; wash the syringe with water afterwards.
Avoid large quantities of grapefruit juice because they may increase atorvastatin exposure and side effects.
Atorvastatin side effects
Common or expected effects
- Headache
- Nausea, indigestion, constipation, diarrhoea or wind
- Muscle aches, joint pain, muscle spasms or back pain
- Sore throat or nosebleeds
- Raised blood glucose or abnormal liver blood tests
Get urgent medical advice
- Severe muscle inflammation or breakdown, sometimes causing weakness and dark urine
- Liver inflammation or failure, which may cause jaundice
- Pancreatitis causing severe abdominal pain
- Severe allergic reaction, including facial or airway swelling
- Severe blistering or peeling skin reactions
Atorvastatin in pregnancy
Selected UK product licences contraindicate atorvastatin during pregnancy and require appropriate contraception for people who could become pregnant. Contact the prescriber promptly if pregnancy is planned, suspected or confirmed. Available data have not shown a clear increase in birth defects, but evidence is insufficient to confirm safety.
Atorvastatin while breastfeeding
Selected product licences contraindicate use while breastfeeding. UK specialist advice recognises that atorvastatin may sometimes be used cautiously after individual assessment if treatment cannot reasonably be postponed. This applies to full-term, healthy infants and recommends monitoring feeding, growth, weight gain and possible gastrointestinal effects. Discuss this with a prescriber or pharmacist.
Atorvastatin interactions
Atorvastatin is affected by CYP3A4 and several drug transporters. Check new prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines and supplements with a pharmacist or prescriber.
Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir
Concomitant use is contraindicated because atorvastatin exposure and muscle toxicity risk can increase substantially.
Clarithromycin, erythromycin and potent azole antifungals
These can increase atorvastatin concentrations and myopathy risk; alternative treatment, interruption or closer monitoring may be required.
Common questions about Atorvastatin
Answers are fully visible for fast scanning and source review.
Can atorvastatin be taken with food?
Yes. Selected products can be taken with or without food.
Can atorvastatin tablets be chewed?
Only tablets specifically labelled as chewable should be chewed. Film-coated tablets should be swallowed as directed in their leaflet.
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.