You should not take atorvastatin if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have liver disease.
Stop taking this medication and tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant.
Serious drug interactions can occur when certain medicines are used together with atorvastatin. Tell each of your healthcare providers about all medicines you use now, and any medicine you start or stop using.
In rare cases, atorvastatin can cause a condition that results in the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue, potentially 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. Atorvastatin will not be as effective in lowering your cholesterol if you do not follow a cholesterol-lowering diet plan.
Atorvastatin 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.
Before taking this medicine
You should not use atorvastatin if you are allergic to it, or if you have:
liver disease; or
if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Atorvastatin can harm an unborn baby or cause birth defects. Do not use if you are pregnant. Stop taking this medicine and tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant. Use effective birth control to prevent pregnancy while you are taking this medicine.
Atorvastatin may pass into breast milk and could harm a nursing baby. Do not breastfeed while you are taking this medicine.
To make sure this medicine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have ever had:
liver problems;
muscle pain or weakness;
kidney disease;
diabetes;
a thyroid disorder; or
if you drink more than 2 alcoholic beverages daily.
Atorvastatin can cause a condition that results in the breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue, potentially 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).
Atorvastatin is not approved for use by anyone younger than 10 years old.
