Prescription Lipitor (value) Drug Information

You should not take Lipitor if you are allergic to atorvastatin, if you are pregnant or breast-feeding, or if you have liver disease. Stop taking Lipitor and tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant. Before taking Lipitor, tell your doctor if you have a thyroid disorder, muscle pain or weakness, a history of liver or kidney disease, or if you drink more than 2 alcoholic beverages daily. In rare cases, Lipitor can cause a condition that results in the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue, leading to kidney failure. Call your doctor right away if you have unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness especially if you also have fever, unusual tiredness, and dark colored urine. Avoid eating foods that are high in fat or cholesterol. Lipitor will not be as effective in lowering your cholesterol if you do not follow a cholesterol-lowering diet plan. Avoid drinking alcohol. It can raise triglyceride levels and may increase your risk of liver damage. Lipitor is only part of a complete program of treatment that also includes diet, exercise, and weight control. Follow your diet, medication, and exercise routines very closely. To make sure you can safely take Lipitor, tell your doctor if you have any of these other conditions: history of liver disease; history of kidney disease; muscle pain or weakness; a thyroid disorder; or if you drink more than 2 alcoholic beverages daily. In rare cases, Lipitor can cause a condition that results in the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue, leading to kidney failure. This condition may be more likely to occur in older adults and in people who have kidney disease or poorly controlled hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) diltiazem (Cardizem, Cartia, Dilacor, Diltia, Diltzac, Taztia, Tiazac); gemfibrozil (Lopid), fenofibric acid (Fibricor, Trilipix), or fenofibrate (Antara, Fenoglide, Lipofen, Lofibra, Tricor, Triglide); telaprevir (Incivek); antibiotics such as clarithromycin (Biaxin) or erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin, Pediazole); antifungal medicines such as fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), or voriconazole (Vfend); HIV medications such as darunavir (Prexista), fosamprenavir (Lexiva), ritonavir (Norvir), lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra), nelfinavir (Viracept), saquinavir (Invirase), or tipranavir (Aptivus); medicines that contain niacin (Advicor, Niaspan, Niacor, Simcor, Slo-Niacin, and others); or drugs that weaken your immune system, such as steroids, cancer medicine, or medicines used to prevent organ transplant rejection, such as cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune), sirolimus (Rapamune), or tacrolimus (Prograf). FDA pregnancy category X. Lipitor can harm an unborn baby or cause birth defects. Do not take Lipitor if you are pregnant. Stop taking this medication and tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant. Use effective birth control to avoid pregnancy while you are taking Lipitor. Atorvastatin may pass into breast milk and could harm a nursing baby. Do not breast-feed while you are taking Lipitor.