atorvastatin side effects liver

Full Answer

What are the dangers of taking atorvastatin?

• Blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin
• chills
• dark-colored urine
• diarrhea
• joint pain
• large, hive-like swelling on the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, or sex organs
• red skin lesions, often with a purple center sore
• red, irritated eyes
• sore throat
• sores, ulcers, or white spots in the mouth or on the lips

Is atorvastatin bad for liver?

While atorvastatin, simvastatin, lovastatin, and pravastatin can frequently affect liver function blood tests, they do not tend to cause concerning liver damage. Clinical studies on animals reveal that very high doses of statins may cause liver toxicity, but typical doses of these drug were not associated with significant liver injury.

What should I know before taking atorvastatin?

What are some things I need to know or do while I take atorvastatin?

• Tell all of your health care providers that you take atorvastatin. ...
• If you have high blood sugar (diabetes), you will need to watch your blood sugar closely.
• Have blood work checked as you have been told by the doctor. ...
• Follow the diet and workout plan that your doctor told you about.

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What happens when you stop taking atorvastatin?

• ezetimibe, another cholesterol medication
• a fibric acid supplement such as fenofibric acid, which can lower LDL levels and increase HDL levels
• a slow-release niacin supplement, which can lower LDL levels, increase HDL levels, and lower triglyceride levels

Can atorvastatin cause liver damage?

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.

Is atorvastatin hard on the liver?

Of all statins, simvastatin and atorvastatin are responsible for most reported incidents of liver damage, but this is likely just due to the fact that they are prescribed the most. The Spanish Hepatotoxicity Registry identified 858 cases of drug-induce liver injury.

Can statins damage your liver?

Statins should not be taken if you have severe liver disease or if blood tests suggest that your liver may not be working properly. This is because statins can affect your liver, and this is more likely to cause serious problems if you already have a severely damaged liver.

Can atorvastatin cause elevated liver enzymes?

Asymptomatic hepatic enzyme elevations are the most common forms of hepatic side effects associated with atorvastatin, which do not necessarily indicate hepatic damage. In retrospective analyses, the incidence of persistent elevations of serum transaminases is 0.5% in the atorvastatin-treated population [9].

Which statin is safest for liver?

Although statins are generally well tolerated, reports about statin-induced liver injury can be found mainly for atorvastatin and simvastatin. However, this might be coincidental since these two statins are also the two most commonly prescribed ones (8).

What is the most serious side effect of atorvastatin?

Common Lipitor side effects are diarrhea, upset stomach, muscle and joint pain, and changes in some blood tests, according to Pfizer Inc. The drug label also warns of serious side effects such as liver problems and muscle problems that can lead to kidney failure.

Can atorvastatin cause fatty liver?

Our results show that atorvastatin therapy not only decreased plasmatic levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, but also induced a reduction of liver steatosis, inflammation and hepatocellular damage, without increasing plasmatic aminotransferase levels.

What is the downside of atorvastatin?

While statins are highly effective and safe for most people, they have been linked to muscle pain, digestive problems and mental fuzziness in some people who take them and may rarely cause liver damage.

Why you should not take atorvastatin?

Statins such as atorvastatin (Lipitor) can cause digestive problems, blood sugar problems, muscle aches and stiffness, muscle injury, kidney damage, or liver damage. Some people need to stop taking this medicine if these problems occur.

How often do statins cause liver damage?

The incidence of true liver injury caused by statin therapy is low (about 1 percent).

Which statin does not affect liver?

Large randomized trials have proven the safety of low to moderate doses of lovastatin, pravastatin, simvastatin, atorvastatin, and rosuvastatin, showing no significantly increased risk of liver biochemistry abnormalities.

When should you check liver function after starting statins?

The FDA now says that you should have a liver function test soon after starting to take a statin or after switching to a new one. If everything is fine, no further blood test is needed unless a problem arises.

Does atorvastatin cause dizziness?

Along with its needed effects, atorvastatin may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking atorvastatin: Less common or rare. Cough. difficulty with swallowing. dizziness.

Does atorvastatin need medical attention?

Side effects not requiring immediate medical attention. Some side effects of atorvastatin may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine.

OVERVIEW

Atorvastatin is a commonly used cholesterol lowering agent (statin) that is associated with mild, asymptomatic and self-limited serum aminotransferase elevations during therapy and rarely with clinically apparent acute liver injury.

CASE REPORTS

A 71 year old woman was found to have marked elevations in serum ALT and alkaline phosphatase 6 weeks after switching from simvastatin to atorvastatin (80 mg/day) for hyperlipidemia. Her serum ALT levels had been normal on simvastatin (Table). She was asymptomatic and serum bilirubin levels were normal.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abbreviations used: ANA, antinuclear antibody; HDL, high density lipoprotein; LDL, low density lipoprotein; OD, odds ratio.

Atorvastatin (Lipitor) Uses

Drug Class: Statins, Lipid-Lowering Agents, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors

Atorvastatin (Lipitor) Side Effects

Here is a simple mnemonic to remember the main side effects of atorvastatin.

Liver Side Effects - Atorvastatin

The first letter in the “LIPITOR” mnemonic is “L”, which stands for “Liver Effects”.

Increased Blood Sugar - Atorvastatin

The next letter in the “LIPITOR” mnemonic is the first “I”, which stands for “Increased Blood Sugar”.

Muscle and Joint Pain - Atorvastatin

The next side effect in the “LIPITOR” mnemonic is the “P”, which stands for “Pain”.

Impaired Memory - Atorvastatin

The next side effect in the “LIPITOR” mnemonic is the second “I”, which stands for “Impaired Memory”.

Tiredness and Fatigue - Atorvastatin

The next letter in the “LIPITOR” mnemonic is “T”, which stands for “Tiredness”.

What are the symptoms of liver damage?

Patients who take Lipitor should be vigilant for symptoms of liver damage and contact a doctor immediately if the following symptoms occur: Unusual fatigue, lethargy, or weakness. Decreased appetite.

How many deaths from statins?

They found that statins “possibly or probably caused” 14 deaths, 7 liver transplants, and 9 severe liver injuries. The FDA recommends that new patients who are starting Lipitor should have their liver enzyme levels tested to check whether they are at high risk of liver damage. However, they have concluded that “serious liver injury ...

What percentage of deaths from diabetes involve cirrhosis of the liver?

Some studies have found that 12.5% of deaths in patients with diabetes involve cirrhosis of the liver (severe scarring and organ damage). Furthermore, Diabetes Care published a study in 2007 that cautioned: “Diabetes, by most estimates, is now the most common cause of liver disease in the U.S.”.

Does atorvastatin cause liver damage?

Lipitor and Liver Damage. Lipitor (atorvastatin) is a cholesterol-lowering statin created by Pfizer that has been linked to liver damage, elevated liver enzyme levels, liver failure, and death. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned about the risk of liver damage in 2009 and again in 2012. After reviewing studies and adverse event ...

Does lipitor raise liver enzymes?

This complication occurs when damaged liver tissue releases enzymes in the bloodstream. However, the exact mechanism of how Lipitor elevates liver enzyme levels is unknown.

Does lipitor cause diabetes?

Another serious side effect of Lipitor is high blood-sugar levels, which can increase the risk of type-2 diabetes in Lipitor patients. People who take Lipitor and have type-2 diabetes may also have a significantly higher risk of liver damage. Some studies have found that 12.5% of deaths in patients with diabetes involve cirrhosis of the liver ...

Less Common Or Rare

Incidence Not Known

More Common

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Less Common