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. These actions are important in reducing the risk of hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart attacks, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.
Atorvastatin may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.
What should I discuss with my doctor before taking atorvastatin?
Do not take atorvastatin without first talking to your doctor if you have liver disease.
Before taking atorvastatin, tell your doctor if you
drink alcoholic beverages,
have a chronic muscular disease,
require major surgery, or
have a blood disorder.
You may not be able to take atorvastatin, or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if you have any of the conditions listed above.
Atorvastatin is in the FDA pregnancy category X. This means that atorvastatin is known to cause birth defects if it is taken during pregnancy. Do not take atorvastatin if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment.
It is not known whether atorvastatin passes into breast milk. Do not take this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
How should I take atorvastatin?
Take atorvastatin exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not understand these directions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to explain them to you.
Take each dose with a full glass of water.
Atorvastatin can be taken with or without food.
Atorvastatin is usually taken once a day. Try to take your dose at the same time each day. Follow your doctor's instructions.
Your doctor may want to monitor your liver function with blood tests before starting treatment with atorvastatin, at twelve weeks after both the start of your treatment and any increase in dose, and periodically (every 6 months) thereafter. Depending on the results of these tests, your doctor can determine how much monitoring you will require.
Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with atorvastatin. The interaction could lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit and grapefruit juice with your doctor. Do not increase or decrease the amount of grapefruit products in your diet without first talking to your doctor.
Eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. To realize beneficial effects from atorvastatin, avoid fatty, high-cholesterol foods.
It is important to take atorvastatin regularly to get the most benefit.
Do not stop taking atorvastatin without first talking to your doctor. Atorvastatin may need to be taken on a long-term basis for the treatment of high cholesterol.
Your doctor may want you to have blood tests or other medical evaluations during treatment with atorvastatin to monitor progress and side effects.
Store atorvastatin at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
What happens if I miss a dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take only the next regularly scheduled dose. Do not take a double dose of this medication.
What happens if I overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention if an overdose is suspected.
The symptoms of an atorvastatin overdose are not known.
What should I avoid while taking atorvastatin?
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.
Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with atorvastatin. The interaction could lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit and grapefruit juice with your doctor. Do not increase or decrease the amount of grapefruit products in your diet without first talking to your doctor.
What are the possible side effects of atorvastatin?
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.
If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking atorvastatin and seek emergency medical attention or contact your doctor immediately:
an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives);
decreased urine or rust-colored urine; or
blurred vision.
Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur. Continue to take atorvastatin and talk to your doctor if you experience
headache;
upset stomach or flatulence; or
a rash.
Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.
certain antibiotics such as clarithromycin, erythromycin, or troleandomycin
colestipol
cyclosporine
diltiazem
fenofibrate
gemfibrozil
grapefruit juice
herbal medicines such as St. John's Wort or Went Yeast/Red Rice Yeast
imatinib, STI-571
medicines for fungal infections (examples: fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole, voriconazole)
medicines for treating HIV infection
niacin
nefazodone
oxcarbazepine
phenytoin
pioglitazone
rifampin, rifabutin, or rifapentine
telithromycin
verapamil
What is the shelf life of the pills?
The expiry date is mentioned on each blister. It is different for different batches. The shelf life is 2 years from the date of manufacture and would differ from batch to batch depending on when they were manufactured.
FDA's BPA Blessing Fails to Allay Critics' Fears
The US
Food and Drug Administration's (http://www.fda.gov) apparent willingness to embrace the results of industry-funded studies on the safety of
Bisphenol-A (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A), or BPA, has opponents of the controversial chemical howling..
Exercise Pills: Time in a Bottle?
With health experts advising that an
hour a day (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2008/07/exercise-its-an.html) is needed to maintain weight loss, many people who are already short on sleep (and, yes, that
makes you fat (http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/2594/) too), are excited that researchers have discovered how to deliver exercise benefits in a pill..
California Law Melts Arguments of Trans Fat Defenders
Health advocates are cheering California's new ban on the use of
trans fats in restaurant food by 2010 and in retail baked goods by 2011 -- an action that was strongly opposed by the restaurant industry. Their opposition was understandable on one level: Making foods with trans fats is cheaper. But that's where the argument for trans fats really starts and ends. Saving money is the only advantage -- and there are many serious disadvantages..
Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects the lives of many middle-aged men and their partners. The term erectile dysfunction covers a range of disorders, but usually refers to the inability to obtain an adequate erection for satisfactory sexual activity.
Although erectile dysfunction, formerly called impotence, is more common in men older than 65, it can occur at any age. An occasional episode of erectile dysfunction happens to most men and is normal. As men age, it's also normal to experience changes in erectile function. Erections may take longer to develop, may not be as rigid or may require more direct stimulation to be achieved. Men may also notice that orgasms are less intense, the volume of ejaculate is reduced and recovery time increases between erections. Erectile dysfunction may also be a sign of a physical or emotional problem that requires treatment.
Erectile dysfunction was once a taboo subject, but more men are seeking help. Doctors are gaining a better understanding of what causes erectile dysfunction and are finding new and better treatments.
This Website discusses all about erectile dysfunction, physiology of the normal erection and the pathophysiology, and treatment of ED.
What is Erectile Dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction or impotence is a sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis for satisfactory sexual intercourse regardless of the capability of ejaculation. There are various underlying causes, such as diabetes, many of which are medically reversible.
The causes may be physiological or psychological. Psychological impotence can often be helped by almost anything that the patient believes in; there is a very strong placebo effect.
Due to its embarrassing nature and the shame felt by sufferers, the subject was taboo for a long time, and is the subject of many urban legends. Folk remedies have long been advocated, with some being advertised widely since the 1930s. The introduction of perhaps the first pharmacologically effective remedy for impotence, sildenafil (trade name Viagra), in the 1990s caused a wave of public attention, propelled in part by the news-worthiness of stories about it and heavy advertising.
The Latin term impotentia coeundi describes simple inability to insert the penis into the vagina. It is now mostly replaced by more precise terms.
Signs and symptoms:
Erectile dysfunction is characterized by the inability to maintain erection. Normal erections during sleep and in the early morning suggest a psychogenic cause, while loss of these erections may signify underlying disease, often cardiovascular in origin. Other things leading to erectile dysfunction are diabetes mellitus (causing neuropathy) or hypogonadism (decreased testosterone levels due to disease affecting the testicles or the pituitary gland).
Here are some causes of Erectile Dysfunction:
* Arousal: The first step is sexual arousal, which men obtain from the senses of sight, touch, hearing and smell, and from thoughts.
* Nervous system response: The brain communicates the sexual excitation to the body's nervous system, which activates increased blood flow to the penis.
* Blood vessel response:. A relaxing action occurs in the blood vessels that supply the penis, allowing more blood to flow into the shafts that produce the erection.
Physiology of normal erections:
Penile erections involve an integration of complex physiologic processes involving the CNS, peripheral nervous system, and hormonal and vascular systems. Any abnormality involving these systems, whether from medication or disease, has a significant impact on the ability to develop and sustain an erection, ejaculate, and experience orgasm. Tumescence, the vascular filling of the cavernous bodies, relies on neural and hormonal mechanisms operating at various levels of the neural axis. This is unique among visceral functions because it requires central neurological input.
Andersson et al summarized some of the information related to the pathways involved in erectile function. The degree of contraction of corpus cavernosal smooth muscle determines the functional state of the penis. The balance between contraction and relaxation is controlled by central and peripheral factors that involve many transmitters and transmitter systems. At the cellular level, smooth muscle relaxation occurs following the release of acetylcholine from the parasympathetic nerves.
Pathophysiology of erectile dysfunction:
Erectile Dysfunction is essentially a vascular disease. It is often associated with other vascular diseases and conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. Other conditions associated with Erectile Dysfunction include neurologic disorders, endocrinopathies, benign prostatic hyperplasia, and depression. Conditions associated with reduced nerve and endothelium function, such as aging, hypertension, smoking, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes, alter the balance between contraction and relaxation factors. These conditions cause circulatory and structural changes in penile tissues, resulting in arterial insufficiency and defective smooth muscle relaxation. In some patients, sexual dysfunction may be the presenting symptom of these disorders.
Treatment:
Sildenafil Citrate is the way to treat Erectile Dysfunction. Generic Viagra contains sildenafil citrate and contains same ingredients like branded drug.
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