Serious Lipitor side effects include muscle disease called myopathy and muscle breakdown called rhabdomyolysis, which can lead to kidney damage and kidney failure. The risk of these complications rises when patients take atorvastatin at the same time as certain antibiotics, antivirals and antifungals.
What are the long term side effects of Lipitor?
Lipitor can cause severe and even life-threatening side effects including:
- Muscle damage (myopathy)
- Severe muscle damage (rhabdomyolysis) leading to possible kidney failure.
- Liver dysfunction.
- Tendon rupture.
- Blood disorders (low blood cell counts)
- Lung injury and scarring.
What can I take instead of Lipitor?
Cholesterol-Lowering Treatment Options That Aren’t Statins
- Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
- Fluvastatin (Lescol)
- Simvastatin (Zocor)
- Rosuvastatin (Crestor)
- Pravastatin (Pravachol)
- Lovastatin (Mevacor)
- Pitavastatin (Livalo)
Can Lipitor cause weight gain?
Weight gain or weight loss (not side effects) Weight gain isn’t a side effect of Lipitor. However, Lipitor belongs to a class of medications known as statins, which have been linked to weight gain. Some researchers have found that people who use statins tend to take in more calories than those who don’t.
Can you drink coffee while taking Lipitor?
Caffeine is a nonspecific adenosine receptor blocker, and thus drinking CC may block the myocardial protective effects of statins.
Does lipitor cause weight gain?
Weight gain isn’t a side effect of Lipitor. However, Lipitor belongs to a class of medications known as statins, which have been linked to weight gain. Some researchers have found that people who use statins tend to take in more calories than those who don’t. This includes getting more calories from fat.
Is Lipitor a bad drug?
Pfizer spokesman Bryant Haskins says that while Lipitor is among the world’s safest drugs, it can — rarely — cause serious side effects. And the company, he says, makes these risks perfectly clear to doctors and to patients. “This is an extremely safe drug.
How dangerous is Lipitor?
if you drink more than 2 alcoholic beverages daily. Lipitor can cause the breakdown of muscle tissue, which can lead to kidney failure. This happens more often in women, in older adults, or people who have kidney disease or poorly controlled hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).
What are the side effects of high cholesterol medication?
High cholesterol medications can cause the following problems: This includes stomachache, gas, stomach cramping, abdominal pain, and constipation. Diarrhea and stomach ache may also be accompanied by other complications. Inflammation of the muscles is a big side effect of using statins.
