I know that liver needs to be checked and if you get muscle pains you need to discontinue. But say none of these are problems. Do we know that these drugs are safe for long term. Have they been tested on human for long term?. One need to stay on them for forever. And the way these doctors are behaving now a days, they prescribe them even for moderately high cholesterol situations. My doctor tells me that lipitor should be put in tap water so that EVERYBODY can have it!!
2006-07-31 04:57:42 · 13 answers · asked by Thing Real 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
Hi Real - (no, Garlique doesn't have the same effect.) There are side effects to everything. Lipitor or atorvastatin is no exception. Atorvastatin is an HMG CoA reductase inhibitor. Atorvastatin blocks the production of cholesterol (a type of fat) in the body.
Atorvastatin is used to reduce the amounts of LDL (bad) cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides (another type of fat), and apolipoprotein B (a protein needed to make cholesterol) in your blood. Atorvastatin is also used to increase the level of HDL (good) cholesterol in your blood.
Here's what a health website said about the side effects:
-Rare cases of muscle problems and liver problems have been associated with the use of atorvastatin and other similar medicines.
-Contact your doctor immediately if you experience unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, especially if accompanied by a fever or flulike symptoms or yellowing of the skin or eyes, abdominal pain, unexplained fatigue, dark colored urine or pale colored stools. These may be early symptoms of muscle or liver problems.
- Do not take atorvastatin without first talking to your doctor if you have liver disease.
-Alcohol and atorvastatin can both be damaging to the liver. Alcohol should be used only in moderation. Discuss the use of alcohol with your doctor so that the potential for liver problems can be determined.
-Do not take atorvastatin if you are pregnant, could become pregnant during treatment, or if you are breast-feeding a baby.
You asked about side effects, but drug interaction needs to be addressed, too. If you're taking an anti-fungal medication (like intraconazole/Diflucan or Sporanox), birth control pills, patch, or implants; erythromycin, niacin and others, there's a problem and your doctor will have to do special monitoring of you. Lipitor, as effective as it is, is not for everyone. Data is limited because, to date, there haven't been any clinical trials whether it prevents myocardial infarction (heart attack) and cardiac death.
(last year nursing student)
2006-07-31 05:00:25 · answer #1 · answered by Serena 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any doctor who says that is an idiot. Doctors get perks for subscribing statin drugs like lipitor. To answer your question NO lipitor is not safe. Cholesterol does not cause heart disease anyway. It's not necessary for anyone to take cholesterol lowering drugs. Actually it's healthier if you cholesterol is a little high. If it's real high then that may mean something else is going on in your body to cause your liver to product so much cholesterol like for example if your thyroid is not work well your cholesterol will go up.
http://www.mercola.com/2005/oct/13/pfizer_sued_for_false_lipitor_claims.htm
http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/statin.html
2006-08-01 04:51:06 · answer #2 · answered by Outdoors G 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes Lipitor is a medication used to help lower cholesterol. It is used to bring high levels down to within normal range. As far as long term, yes you may need to be on it a year or so, but once your levels come down then generally the doctor will switch you to something else for a little bit. Once levels are stable for six months yhen you can controll your cholesterol levels simply through diet (proper eating habits) and exercise.
2006-07-31 05:06:52 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Natural Cholesterol Guide?
2016-05-18 02:25:30 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know about the long term effects. I use it because I have very high cholesterol, not controlled by diet because it is mostly genetic. I do have to get my liver checked.
As for the statement about putting in drinking water, Your doctor should never have made such an irresponsible statement.
2006-07-31 05:02:08 · answer #5 · answered by shirley_corsini 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
some docs go overboard, but it is relatively harmless. considereing the drugs been on the market for a few years and survived trials it should be ok. go to fda.org and look at what they have to do to get these drugs past the trial stage. they have to prove it won't hurt you. sometimes things show up later, but there are about 5 years of data out there so far.
2006-07-31 05:17:03 · answer #6 · answered by shiara_blade 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The thing that a lot of people don't understand is that these drugs go through rigorous testing before they hit the market. The reason the drug manufacturers for certain medications are being sued is not because they didn't do adequate testing, but because they did adequate testing, didn't like the results, and swept it under the rug. They are tested for YEARS before they hit the market. Trust me.
2006-07-31 05:23:00 · answer #7 · answered by Lisa H 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's true that Lipitor is the best anticholesterol drug on the drug-selling market!! You can get it at your pharmacist! lol!
2006-07-31 05:00:45 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hugs from the right people can have healing powers for some ailments. BA- It has been awhile since I danced like nobody was watching.
2016-03-16 09:33:15 · answer #9 · answered by Michele 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
put lipitor in and see what you get
any med can hurt you or be good for you
2006-07-31 05:04:34 · answer #10 · answered by nightsky1331 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋