| What would I need to know about taking Atorvastatin? The new cholesterol-lowering drugs, the statins, do prevent cardio-vascular disease, but this is due to other mechanisms than cholesterol-lowering. Unfortunately, they also stimulate cancer in rodents. If you think this is written by another internet crackpot, take a look at Dr. Ravnskov's credentials and the reviews of his book. Who should not take Atorvastatin tablets? If you take Atorvastatin with certain other medicines, they may affect one another. Atorvastatin may interact with certain other cholesterol-lowering drugs, some antibiotics, and antifungal medications. It may also interact with less-frequently prescribed medications as immunosuppressives (given after transplants). Be sure to tell your doctor or pharmacist about all prescription and nonprescription drugs you are taking. Who should not take Atorvastatin tablets? Cholesterol is not a deadly poison, but a substance vital to the cells of all mammals. There are no such things as good or bad cholesterol, but mental stress, physical activity and change of body weight may influence the level of blood cholesterol. A high cholesterol is not dangerous by itself, but may reflect an unhealthy condition, or it may be totally innocent. The only effective way to lower cholesterol is with drugs, but neither heart mortality or total mortality have been improved with drugs the effect of which is cholesterol-lowering only. On the contrary, these drugs are dangerous to your health and may shorten your life. Atorvastatin is a prescription drug in one of the newest classes of cholesterol-lowering medications, called statins. These drugs have been used widely for the last five years. For people with high cholesterol, Atorvastatin, in combination with a low-fat diet, can reduce your LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. How does Atorvastatin work? Read Dr. Ravnskov´s thought-provoking paper "High cholesterol may protect against infections and atherosclerosis", recently published in the prestigious Quarterly Journal of Medicine Take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one. What are the effects of Atorvastatin tablets? Atorvastatin is a very effective medicine for lowering high LDL cholesterol—the main target of cholesterol-lowering therapy. Your doctor will determine how much your LDL cholesterol needs to be lowered, based on your overall risk of heart disease. Atorvastatin also effectively lowers high blood-triglyceride levels. The only effective way to lower cholesterol is with drugs, but neither heart mortality or total mortality have been improved with drugs the effect of which is cholesterol-lowering only. On the contrary, these drugs are dangerous to your health and may shorten your life. Evidence from the new cholesterol-lowering trial PROSPER, that statin treatment causes cancer. |