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Below are Lipitor (Atorvastatin) reviews, ratings, comments submitted by patients and caregivers. Based on a total of 42 ratings/reviews, Lipitor has an overall score of 6.76. The effectiveness score is 7.62 and the side effect score is 7.43. The scores are on ten point scale: 10 - best, 1 - worst. This information is not vetted and should not be cosidered as clinical evidence. | Lipitor review by 44 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | incontinence |
Dosage & duration: | | 4mg taken daily for the period of 3 years - ongoing |
Other conditions: | | continual lack of control over bladder due to chemical imbalance |
Other drugs taken: | | none | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | regulated bladder control to allow patient (me) to return to a regular life and not have to modify all movements by where the nearest bathroon is located. |
Side effects: | | none |
Comments: | | Single capsule taken in morning. |
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| Lipitor review by 67 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | elevated cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 20mg taken 1 daily for the period of 10 years |
Other conditions: | | none |
Other drugs taken: | | asprin | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | lowered lipid levesl |
Side effects: | | none |
Comments: | | none |
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| Lipitor review by 75 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken once a day for the period of 13 months |
Other conditions: | | diabetes and high blood pressure |
Other drugs taken: | | norvasc,insulin,allegra and trivial | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | Lowered cholesterol well |
Side effects: | | Aching and weak muscles |
Comments: | | Changed to another drug. Now taking Crestor |
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| Lipitor review by care giver of 40 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | High blood pressure |
Dosage & duration: | | 50 milligrams (dosage frequency: daily) for the period of one year |
Other conditions: | | High cholesterol, slightly overweight |
Other drugs taken: | | very small daily doses of tetra-hydro-cannabinol | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | Noticeably lowered blood pressure and stress level when taken. If the patient missed a dose, he became more easily agitated. When the Lipitor was administered, agitation would subside within 1/2 an hour. The patient has a family history of hypertension, heart disease and sleep apnea. Therefore, controlling hypertension is a major concern for this patient and may actually save his life. |
Side effects: | | Erectile function seemed to be mildly affected by this drug. Sexual performance became slightly more challenging once the patient began taking this medication and was noticeably improved when the patient missed a dose. |
Comments: | | Lipitor was administered in pill form. The patient received the prescription from a sliding scale clinic. The patient also received a cardiogram, which revealed a 30% blockage. Alcohol consumption, diet, and exercise are the primary barriers to this patient's health improvement. He consumes an average of ~6 alcoholic beverages per day. His diet includes many whole grains and vegetables, but also a large amount of fat and cholesterol. The patient exercises sparatically and becomes fatigued quickly during physical activity. Patient smoked for several years, but quit approximately 2 years ago. |
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| Lipitor review by 48 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 20mg taken daily for the period of 2 years |
Other conditions: | | none |
Other drugs taken: | | none | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | lower cholesterol |
Side effects: | | none |
Comments: | | daily with water at nite. and every three month blood test for liver issues. |
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| Lipitor review by 42 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 30mg taken once per day for the period of 12 months |
Other conditions: | | n/a |
Other drugs taken: | | n/a | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | general gradual lowering of cholesterol levels over a period of twelve months |
Side effects: | | mild eye irritatation that gradully got worse over the period of 12 months |
Comments: | | the prescribed lipitor was taken for cholesterol for 12 months at 30mg per day once eye irritaition started stopped taking the liptor and the irritation stopped started taking lipitor again and eye irritation returned |
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| Lipitor review by 42 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 30mg taken once per day for the period of 12 months |
Other conditions: | | n/a |
Other drugs taken: | | n/a | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | general gradual lowering of cholesterol levels over a period of twelve months |
Side effects: | | mild eye irritatation that gradully got worse over the period of 12 months |
Comments: | | the prescribed lipitor was taken for cholesterol for 12 months at 30mg per day once eye irritaition started stopped taking the liptor and the irritation stopped started taking lipitor again and eye irritation returned |
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| Lipitor review by 66 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | Reduce cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 20 mg taken daily for the period of 1 yer |
Other conditions: | | None |
Other drugs taken: | | None | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | Reduced cholesterol 35 points to 185, down from 230. I also increased exercise and reduced red meats and eliminated french fries. |
Side effects: | | I didn't observe any side effects. |
Comments: | | Pretty simple! Take one tablet each morning. I also changed my morning diet from having fruit and an oat bran muffin to having fruit and oatmeal cereal (whole rolled oats fortified with one tablespoon of oat bran and two tablespoons of dried cranberries). |
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| Lipitor review by 50 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Marginally Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | High Colorestoral |
Dosage & duration: | | unknown (dosage frequency: daily) for the period of 1 year |
Other conditions: | | High blood pressure, diabites |
Other drugs taken: | | none | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | My cholesterol was lowered by about 15 points. I did not seem to do anything else nor was it supposed to. |
Side effects: | | There were no discernible side effects. I took the drug for a year and i did not notice any side effects or changes after I stopped taking the drug. |
Comments: | | I had High cholesterol and was considered to be at risk for heart attack. This drug was supposed to lower my cholesterol level which would reduce any heart plaque that might be building up in my arteries. I lowered my cholesterol somewhat but ultimately my diet did much more to change my counts. |
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| Lipitor review by care giver of 48 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Marginally Effective |
Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 3 mg taken once a day for the period of 3 months |
Other conditions: | | temper problem |
Other drugs taken: | | none | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | This medication is manufactured to lower the bad cholesterol levels.
Therefore it is produced to dicrease the risk of heart attack and stroke. After first month of usage the blood test should be performed . The dosage shall be adjusted accordingly and another three months treatment shall follow before another bloood test is done. |
Side effects: | | I have observed the side effects on my husband, whom I have to remind every dayto take this pill. First of all, he felt really sick, very nausceus. He had diarrhea for about first 3 weeks of treatment and although he is very physically active because he is a farmer, therefore he excercise most of the day, the doctor told him it was not enough, he had to excerciseeven more. |
Comments: | | This medication was prescribed to my husband byhis doctor becasue he had shown for several years increased and then high cholesterol levels. He was presrcibed some another cholesterol lowering drug, but it was making him so sick, he asked doctor for Lipitor, because he saw a commercial on TV. First, he got 30 days supply, one pill a day, then blood test was performed and dosage adjusted, actually confirmed. It appears he has less side effects with this drug than with previous one. He shall excercise, but he is very physically active, so he does not. The blood test has shown some decrease in bad cholesterol, but not enough and the doctor insists he must excercise more, but he does not. He is due next blood test, but had no time to go there , yet. He is on this pill for about 3-4 months. |
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| Lipitor review by 32 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | High Cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 25mg (the lowest does possible) taken once daily for the period of 1 year |
Other conditions: | | boderline diabetic |
Other drugs taken: | | none | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | When I was taking the medication it did lower my cholesterol. I cannot recall my exact cholesterol levels but they were high because at 30 years old my DR prescribed Lipitor. When my Dr. resteted my cholesterol levels he was impressed. Lipitor worked wonderfully and I was out of "dangerous" cholesterol levels. |
Side effects: | | There were no side effects. |
Comments: | | I took the pill once a day for 1 year. |
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| Lipitor review by 55 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Marginally Effective |
Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high c |
Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken daiily for the period of 3months |
Other conditions: | | high blood pressure |
Other drugs taken: | | diazide and htcz | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | none tho my doctor told me that it would lower my cholesterol if I took it and ate less red meat and more fish. But I don't like fish and love red meat so just eat low fat meat now like chicken. |
Side effects: | | extreme lethargy and muscle pain - my doctor said it would go away in a few wekks but when it didn't I had to stop because I could not work feeling like this. |
Comments: | | had sorta high cholesterol, started on this by my doctor but stopped when above occured. See above. |
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| Lipitor review by 62 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | HYPERLIPIDEMIA |
Dosage & duration: | | 10MG taken daily for the period of CONTINUOUSLY |
Other conditions: | | NONE |
Other drugs taken: | | 81MG ASPIRIN | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | LOWERED my cholesterol. This medication also lowered my LDL cholesterol while raising HDL |
Side effects: | | none |
Comments: | | required nightly administration. I was advised to drink a glass of water with each tablet. I was advised to eliminate grape fruit from my diet while taking lipitor. I was advised to have a blood test performed every 4 months to test for liver function |
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| Lipitor review by 62 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken daily for the period of continuously for 5 years |
Other conditions: | | none |
Other drugs taken: | | 81 mg aspirin | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | lowered total blood cholesterol levels. In particular, my LDL (low cholesterol) was lowered significantly, while HDL (good cholesterol) was elevated. |
Side effects: | | There were no negative side effects of this treatment |
Comments: | | the cholesterol lowering medication (Lipitor) is taken once a day at bedtime. It was recommended that a full glass of water be taken with administration of each tablet of Lipitor. In addition, blood tests are required every 4 to 6 months to test liver functions. |
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| Lipitor review by 54 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Ineffective |
Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 20 mg taken daily for the period of 3 weeks |
Other conditions: | | None |
Other drugs taken: | | None | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | My cholesterol levels were very high. Te plan was to take Lipitor for one month and then see if the levels were lower. No benefits were identified because I could not take take the medicine long enough to get a second cholesterol test to measure for measuring any decrease in my cholesterol levels. After having side effects, I did try to lower the dosage to 10m by cutting the pills in half, but still felt the bad effects. |
Side effects: | | At first, I did not associate my increasing tiredness and general lack of energy with the medicine. I just thought I was getting sick with a virus. Then, as time went on, I started to also experience muscle soreness and tightness. By the time I started to think the way I was feeling might be related to the Lipitor, I realized, besides the physical symptoms, I was in a state of depression. As soon as I quit taking the pills, all the bad symptoms cleared. A few days later, I tried taking less (half), but, again started feeling bad. |
Comments: | | As previously stated, because my cholesterol levels were high, the doctor said I should take Lipitor for one month and then we would retest the cholesterol levels to see if the medicine was effective in lowering the levels. But, because I was unable to take the Lipitor for the entire month, the second cholesterol test was never taken. After taking the Lipitor for about 10 days, I stopped taking it. A few days later, I did try to take just half a pill. But within days, the side effects started to return. |
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| Lipitor review by 55 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 40 (dosage frequency: once a day) for the period of five years |
Other conditions: | | heart damage, pustular psorisis |
Other drugs taken: | | toprol xl | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | lowered cholesterol to normal limits, i feel with this drug and changes in my earing habits ,ihave added years to mt life. it is said to protect the heart . i have had a heart attack, so according to my dr. this is good preventive medecine. |
Side effects: | | loose stools infrequently |
Comments: | | between the lipitor and toprol and one aspirin a day, i have not experienced any heart problems in the last five years. i aslo strength train and cardio via treadmill 3x a week. |
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| Lipitor review by 46 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken daily for the period of 4 weeks |
Other conditions: | | n/a |
Other drugs taken: | | n/a | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | Lipitor is the only statin proven to provide a combination of impressive average LDL lowering of 39 percent to 60 percent, significant and proven cardiovascular event reductions, and a well-established safety profile across a broad range of patients.
It is the most prescribed cholesterol-lowering therapy in the world, with nearly 144 million patient-years of experience. Lipitor is supported by an extensive clinical trial program involving more than 400 ongoing and completed trials with more than 80,000 patients.
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Side effects: | | On 10 mg. didnt seem to have any side effects and my cholestrol went from 256 to 190 in 30 days-I was amazed but then after another month my cholestrol went back up to 235 and my doctor decided to bump up my dose to 20 mg. |
Comments: | | I received the lipitor for 4 weeks. |
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| Lipitor review by 49 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Marginally Effective |
Side effects: | | Extremely Severe Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | High Cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 20mg taken once a day for the period of 6 months |
Other conditions: | | non |
Other drugs taken: | | non | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | The benefits were to reduce my cholesterol |
Side effects: | | I took 20mg once a day for two months, But did not feel right,was experiencing
Confusion, Stumbeling, Forgetting words, Not being able to pronounce some words, joint pain, urinary urgency... and the need to alway go,started having tingleing anywhere on your body (hands feet, fingers, toes, face, arms, legs and so on), swelling of your feet or hands stealed energy felt like a ninety year old women esepecially in the morning. |
Comments: | | One tablet a day 20 mg then reduced to 10 after 3 months. No other health issues.
I Stopped taking the drug. |
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| Lipitor review by 48 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | cholesterol levels |
Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken 1/day for the period of continuous |
Other conditions: | | None |
Other drugs taken: | | None | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | Reduced cholesterol levels after approximately four months. Have been taking the medication for approximately forty eight months on a regular daily basis. |
Side effects: | | There were no side effects. Annual liver function and lipid tests are required by the physician. |
Comments: | | As stated above, initial blood tests to determine cholesterol levels. Then was put on a maintenance dose of the Lipitor and I have been taking it for approximately forty eight months. No side effects. Annual blood test to determine if there are negative effects on the liver functions. |
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| Lipitor review by 55 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | Cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken daily for the period of 3 Years |
Other conditions: | | High blood pressure |
Other drugs taken: | | HCtz | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | I am taking Lipitor to lower my cholesterol level. It did lower it by a few points. I am taking it more as a preventative medicine. |
Side effects: | | I didn't have any side effects so none that I am aware of. |
Comments: | | I am taking one 10 mg pill once a day for the past three years not only to lower my cholesterol level but also as a preventative medicine. |
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| Lipitor review by 64 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken 1/day for the period of 2 years |
Other conditions: | | allergy |
Other drugs taken: | | singular | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | The daily itchy throat and coughing spells have stopped. I no longer have to carry cough drops with me for daily attacks. I can now visit my children's homes who have cats and dogs. Before taking this medication, cats caused sever asthma, itchy eyes, nasal congestion. Taking a regimine of singular every day, prevents these symptoms upon interaction with cats. Prior to taking singular, exposure to a home with dogs caused symptoms similar to flu..achiness, rhinitis, sneezing and runny nose. After singular...symptom free. My doctor advised that there is no risk in taking the medication long term, so I plan to continue its prophylactic effect. |
Side effects: | | Dry nasal passages are the major side effect. This is no so bad, since I use a nasal moisturizer to help with this side effect. I do notice that when I take singular at bedtime I experience tingling in my legs, and when I don't take it, there is none...so this may be a possible side effect. I experience dry lips, but not sure if that is a result of taking singular. |
Comments: | | Not sure what this means...I am surprised and happy with prevention of allergy symptoms. I see my allergist once a year to be sure that it is safe and can be taken with other meds. He asked if I wanted to discontinue it, since I was doing so well, and I said no...only if there is a risk with long term usage. He said there was no risk. |
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| Lipitor review by 55 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high cholestrol |
Dosage & duration: | | 40mg taken daily for the period of on going |
Other conditions: | | insomnia |
Other drugs taken: | | neuronto=in | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | i was told that i have high cholestrol and was very concerned about it so my doctor prescribed Lipitor. I had taken other drugs to lower my cholestrol, but they did not work as well as Lipitor, after taking the lipitor for 3 months my numbers dropped from 311 to 174. that was my goal and it worked... yay |
Side effects: | | there were no side effects for me |
Comments: | | take one pill daily to lower my cholestrol |
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| Lipitor review by 71 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Ineffective |
Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | Cholesterol slightly elevated |
Dosage & duration: | | 20 mg taken daily for the period of 2 weeks |
Other conditions: | | Recent mitral valve replacement, mild congestive heart failure, high blood pressure |
Other drugs taken: | | clindamycin hcl, diovan, furosemide, metoprolol succinae, potassium chloride | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | I didn't take the product long enough to evaluate the benefits. I quit because of side effects. |
Side effects: | | Very painful muscles, it took a while to even get them going in the morning. |
Comments: | | When my cholesterol was found to be slightly elevated, my cardiologist put me on Lipitor. The first week was fine. The beginning of the second week I began to have sore muscles all over. By the end of the second week this was so bad I could hardly get out of bed in the morning. So I quit the Lipitor (did not consult the doctor on this); in the AARP magazine (or else newsletter, not sure which) there was a question for the medical doctor about possible natural replacements for the statin medications and he recommended Red Yeast Rice. I found a product with that and a few other cholesterol-lowering supplements (primarily CoQ-10) ad have been taking that with no side effects. I am due for another blood test in a couple of weeks, so we will see how well it has been working. |
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| Lipitor review by 51 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
Side effects: | | Extremely Severe Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | High Cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken daily for the period of one month |
Other conditions: | | migraines |
Other drugs taken: | | vitamins | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | lowered cholesterol |
Side effects: | | I experienced severe pain in my muscles and joints. I was very active when I started the medication and shortly after taking the Lipitor, it became difficult to get out of bed and my activity level significantly lowered because of the pain. After I stopped taking the Lipitor, most of the pain stopped. The muscle pain is gone, but some of the joint pain has continued. |
Comments: | | The doctor perscribed the Lipitor for my high cholesterol. I questioned it because though my overall chloesterol was high, my HDL was high and my triglycerides were very low. Lipitor lowered both LDL and HDL. |
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| Lipitor review by 51 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken once per day for the period of 2 years to date |
Other conditions: | | none |
Other drugs taken: | | none | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | serum cholesterol lowered from 320 (combined ldl and hdl) to 188 after six months of initiated treatment. Cholesterol levels high due to genetic predisposition. Patient is petite (5'1" and 110lbs) and physically active. |
Side effects: | | none |
Comments: | | Treatment consists of one 10mg dose of lipitor taken just before retiring at night. Blood tests every six months to ensure liver health is unaffected. |
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| Lipitor review by 67 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 20mg taken 1 a day for the period of 6 months |
Other conditions: | | muscle problems, liver and kidney problesm |
Other drugs taken: | | synthroid | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | No. They were harmful to me. |
Side effects: | | Yes. All kinds of side effects and several trips to Quest for blood work to find out what was happening to my body. On 10/31/07 these were my readings My AST was 384 instead of 10-35, My Alt was 655 instead of 6-40, By 5/1/08 after I stopped taking it for 7 months my readings were AST 37 and ALT 76 a big improvement |
Comments: | | I couldn't walk because of muscle problems. Then it attacked my kidney and bladder. Drs thought I had cancer.
Reduced dosage from 20 mg to 10mg. Had to get off it and through away about $200.00 worth of pills. |
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| Lipitor review by 57 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | High Cholestral |
Dosage & duration: | | 30 MGs taken once a day for the period of still on it |
Other conditions: | | low thyroid |
Other drugs taken: | | Synthroid | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | I started taking 30 MG's of Lipitor for one year; the next year I reduced to 20 MG's and have done so well, I am now (and for the past 3 yrs.) on 10 MGs per day. I have no side effects at all from this drug; and have blood workup done yearly. |
Side effects: | | No side effects |
Comments: | | Treatment details were listed above |
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| Lipitor review by 42 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high cholesteol |
Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken 1x daily for the period of still taking |
Other conditions: | | none |
Other drugs taken: | | none | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | My blood tests indicated that I had high cholesterol. I started taking this soon after, and approx. one month into taking this product, my cholesterol numbers have dramatically decreased. My physician attributes this to lipitor as well as diet and exercise. I have not experienced any side effects. |
Side effects: | | I have been fortunate not to have experienced any side effects while taking this medication. |
Comments: | | none |
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| Lipitor review by 45 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | Mild Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 20 mg taken 1 per day for the period of 5 years |
Other conditions: | | hiatal hernia |
Other drugs taken: | | Nexium | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | I no longer suffered from heartburn and acid reflux. One pill per day allows me to enjoy eating again and have no adverse effects from any type of food. At least none that I am aware of. |
Side effects: | | I have had no ill effects from the Lipitor or the Nexium. However, my liver function numbers have increased slightly since being on Lipitor but that was expected to some degree. I have been advise to lose about 20 pounds and we'll test again to see if they drop. |
Comments: | | I have blood drawn for cholesterol and liver function tests every 6 months, some times more frequent if my doctor doesn't like the numbers. Otherwise my cholesterol has been lowered considerably and I have no other side effects that I'm aware of. |
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| Lipitor review by 49 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | High cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken daily for the period of 2 1/2 - 3 years |
Other conditions: | | acne |
Other drugs taken: | | none | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | Overall cholesterol dropped from 270 to 180. HDL went up, LDL went down to optimal ratios. My cholesterol numbers changed very quickly, within little over a month. Obviously, it's a very effective drug for me. |
Side effects: | | No detectable side effects. I hope that there are no long-term liver problems due to this drug, and at this time, there are no indications of any problems in this area. |
Comments: | | One 10 mg pill, 1x per day.
I also received a blood test for liver abnormality at one month, three months, and one year, after beginning treatment. I now receive a blood test for liver abnormalities every 1 1/2 to 2 years, along with the rest of my regular bloodwork at normal checkups. So far, there have been no indications of any problems.
I'm also taking 200 mg per day of co q10 to replace what the Liptor diminishes. I do wish that my physician had mentioned this to me when he prescribed the Lipitor, but I actually found out about co q10 and lipitor through reading Dr Oz and Rizen's book "You, Staying Young". Upon asking my doctor about the co q10, he was familiar with it in relation to Lipitor usage, but never brought it up on his own. I realize that I would have continued taking Lipitor without any co q10 addition if I hadn't stumbled upon those facts by accident myself, and wish that when a physician prescribes a medication that they would also suggest any other supplements that should be taken or avoided along with the prescription.
Overall, this drug has been very successful for me. As I understand it, most people have to take a much higher dose than i do to obtain similar benefits, so I'm fortunate in this area, as I don't like to take much medication. |
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| Lipitor review by care giver of 65 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 20mg/day taken 1 day for the period of 5 years |
Other conditions: | | none |
Other drugs taken: | | none | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | It lowered the cholesterol levels overall but it is hard to tell if it was really necessary as numbers picked for "normal" ranges seem rather arbitrary. some people naturally produce more cholesterol. |
Side effects: | | Severely damaged liver therefore impairing the ability of the body to eliminate toxins adequately.
As such is most likely the cause for the Parkinson disease that established recently. |
Comments: | | A standard treatment with lipitor was followed with regular visits to doctor for checkup. |
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| Lipitor review by 72 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high colesterol level |
Dosage & duration: | | 10mg taken 1x a day for the period of 6 years |
Other conditions: | | pre diabetic |
Other drugs taken: | | baby aspirin | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | presumably my high colesterol was lowered as a result of taking this medication. |
Side effects: | | I did not feel any side effects. my doctor regularly takes a blood test to make sure that there are no unseen effects but that did not happen for me. |
Comments: | | I was advised to take 10 mg once a day in the evening after dinner. The only reccommendation was not to have grapefruit as that might affect the potency of the medication. |
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| Lipitor review by care giver of 73 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | High cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 20 mg taken 1 x day for the period of 8 years |
Other conditions: | | Hypertension |
Other drugs taken: | | Atenolol | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | Has successfully lowered and maintained patient's cholesterol levels for over nine years. Follow-up with 6 month bloodwork shows the liver to be stable - no evidents deleterious effects on the liver. |
Side effects: | | Leg and foot pain. When researched through forums and blogs, discovered that many experience moderate to severe leg pain with Lipitor. My husband could not recall when the leg and foot pains started and further research indicated that no-flush Niacin (500 mg, 2 x day) along with Policosanol (20 mg 1 x day) could be very effective in lowering cholesterol; therefore, Lipitor was stopped and for six months the laternative routine was started. A recent bloodwork indicated a 30% increase of cholesterol and my husband resumed taking Lipitor. By the way, his leg and foot pains did not diminish when he stopped taking Lipitor. |
Comments: | | Please note "treatment side effects" |
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| Lipitor review by 49 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | High cholesteral |
Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken daily for the period of daily |
Other conditions: | | none |
Other drugs taken: | | none | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | It lowered my cholesteral considerably. My total cholesteral was over 300 and my LDLs were over 200, but after being on Lipitor for three months, my total cholesteral is now 186 and my LDL is 86, so I am in good shape. In addition, I have experienced NO side effects whatsoever, so I am pleased. The only drawback is that it does not come in generic form, so my co-pay is $40.00 per month. |
Side effects: | | I experienced NO side effects whatsoever. I have been on many medications over the last 10 years and normally experience at least some small side effect, but have not with Lipitor. I do get my liver function tested every few months, and so far it has been fine. This is not a problem for me as the benefits outweigh any hassle of getting tested. |
Comments: | | I take 10 mg of Lipitor daily and get a liver function test every three months. So far, this has been fine, but I will need to be tested continually as long as I take Lipitor. I don't mind this, as the benefit of having a healthy cholesteral level is more important to me than any hassle of getting tested. If at some point my liver function appears to be unhealthy, I'm guessing my doctor will have to reevaluate my situation, but for now, it's fine. |
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| Lipitor review by 60 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 5 mgm taken once daily for the period of 12 months |
Other conditions: | | None |
Other drugs taken: | | Prempro | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | Benefits to taking Lipitor was that it helped reduce my total cholesterol numbers. While that was a positive, the side-effects began to make me question the overall reduction in cholesterol numbers. |
Side effects: | | When I first started taking Lipitor I did not notice any side effects. Approx. three months into taking the drug, however, I started noticing upset stomach. At first I thought perhaps the caffeine in my coffee was creating the upset as I started drinking more than one cup daily. I cutback on the coffee and did not notice a difference in stomach issues. Approximately 6-8 months into taking the drug, I began to experience some discomfort in the legs. As a distance walker I analyzed my workout routine to see if I had added something different but had not. I quit taking the drug 12 months (give or take) after starting. |
Comments: | | Treatment was simple: take on tablet daily at bedtime. The drug was (and did) to help reduce my overall cholesterol numbers. |
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| Lipitor review by care giver of 56 year old male patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | N/A (dosage frequency: daily) for the period of 7 years |
Other conditions: | | diabetes |
Other drugs taken: | | N/A | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | reduce high blood pressure. patient is now receiving good cholesterol readings. having to take this drug has encouraged the patient to improve on their diet. they have cut down on fat, salt and sweets. because of this his health has improved tremendously. |
Side effects: | | patient experiences constipation and gas on occasion. patient is concerned as to whether or not the drug has affected his muscles. |
Comments: | | patient is under the impression that the drug must be taken for their entire life. |
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| Lipitor review by 48 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Highly Effective |
Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken daily for the period of 2 years |
Other conditions: | | none |
Other drugs taken: | | none | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | Lipitor did lower my total cholesterol count, triglycerides, and bad cholesterol as well as raising my good cholesterol. I was happy with the results. |
Side effects: | | Severe leg cramps, mental fuzziness, weakness, stiff joints. |
Comments: | | Treatment was to administer Lipitor 10 mg daily, watch diet by eating lots of fruits and vegetables, eat fish and decrease amount of red meat. Continue with exercise daily for at least 30 minutes each day. |
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| Lipitor review by 65 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | High cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken once a day for the period of One year |
Other conditions: | | None |
Other drugs taken: | | None | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | It did lower my cholesterol slightly, but that may have also been du to a change in my diet. |
Side effects: | | I had quite a few side effects, which is why I discontinued using it and switched to a natural remedy. Some of the side effects I experienced included chronic constipation, difficulty digesting food and sporadic stomach pain. I found it difficult to enjoy eating food as I often felt a heavy feeling in my stomach after meals which was very unpleasant. |
Comments: | | I took the Lipitor initially with morning meals and was not having a good result (regarding my digestion) so my doctor had me switch to taking it on an empty stomach, which did not seem to help much. Overall, I am happy to not need this drug anymore. |
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| Lipitor review by 54 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 20mg taken one daily for the period of 18 months |
Other conditions: | | hypertention |
Other drugs taken: | | enalapril maleate | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | enalapril was suitable for me as it was effective at lowering my b/p. also of all the medication i had been treated with enalapril was the most suitable. |
Side effects: | | i developed a sort of dry cough which lasted or some months but now I find that side effect is not as bad. |
Comments: | | i take 20mg in the morning and 20mg at night |
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| Lipitor review by 53 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Ineffective |
Side effects: | | Extremely Severe Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | High Cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 20 mg taken daily for the period of 2 weeks |
Other conditions: | | mitral valve murmer |
Other drugs taken: | | none | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | I did not take the drug long enough to see any substantial beneficial effects |
Side effects: | | I developed terrible weakness and pain in bilateral knees. I went from being extremely active to being unable to walk up a flight of stairs. It felt as though my knees would crumble under me.By the second week, I could barely walk up more than 3 steps. My doctor took me off the medication immediately, but the effects lasted about 6 months. |
Comments: | | My physician then tried a series of different medications for cholesterol. I was on Crestor, Simvastatin, and Zocor, all with the same side effect. My physician then ordered a lipid blood test to determine if the type of lipid found in my blood would promote cardiac disease, which thank goodness it didn't. I have a family history of elevated cholesterol: all the women in the family are on one of the cholesterol lowering medications: I am the only one in my family that experienced the above side effects. |
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| Lipitor review by 52 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high cholesterol |
Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken once daily for the period of 6 months |
Other conditions: | | hypothyroidism |
Other drugs taken: | | armour thyroid and omacor | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | My overall cholesterol reduced to just over 4, but not LDL which still remained high within that total. This in my opinion is due to my thyroid condition. |
Side effects: | | After several months with no side effects I suddenly had continuous bad muscular neck pain and stiffness (particularly at night) which got better when I stopped the statin. |
Comments: | | My cardiologist orginally prescribed atorvastatin and Omacor (at my asking about Omega 3 efficacy) due to my having a completed blocked artery in my heart (discovered on an ebt scan by my thyroid doc). I have since tried other statins but have not stayed on any of them very long due to lack of results in bringing down my LDL and side effects such as stomach pain. |
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| Lipitor review by 63 year old female patient | | Rating |
Overall rating: | | |
Effectiveness: | | Considerably Effective |
Side effects: | | No Side Effects | | Treatment Info |
Condition / reason: | | high blood cholesterol levels |
Dosage & duration: | | 10 mg taken once a day for the period of 6 years |
Other conditions: | | season allergies |
Other drugs taken: | | baby aspirin, Claritin, multivitamin | | Reported Results |
Benefits: | | My blood cholesterol decreased from 260 to 190-210 and my LDLs dropped and now hover around 100 mg/dl; always had high HDL levels of 84-92. Needed to keep my VLDLs low too. |
Side effects: | | No side effects |
Comments: | | high cholesterol, 260, at menopause and 2 younger brothers with heart attacks in early 50s. Both brothers had high blood VLDLs. So took Lipitor to keep blood cholesterol levels down because of family history of high blood cholesterol on both maternal and paternal sides of family. |
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