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Are you wondering whether Atorvarstatin is
the right medication for you? This
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medication does have some side effects
that are concerning especially in older
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adults! This video will examine the drug
Atorvastatin, educate about side effects
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and tell you what warning signs to look
out for which are potentially deadly!
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Welcome to THINK YOUR HEALTH! On this channel
we'll give you tips and advice as well
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as educate you about health-related
medical concepts to promote healthy
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aging and if you're new here consider
subscribing. Next we are going to look at
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the ten most common questions regarding
Atorvastatin including the drugs most
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common side effects. So the first
question is what is Atorvastatin? Atorvastatin is a lipid lowering drug to
lower cholesterol. Your body makes a
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wax-like fat-like substance called
cholesterol in your liver. Triglycerides,
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another fat is also made in your liver.
They are also found in foods. You need
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some cholesterol for good health but too
much is not good for you. Cholesterol and
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triglycerides can clog your blood
vessels and make it hard for your blood
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to get to your heart. It is especially
important to lower your cholesterol if
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you have heart disease or diabetes. Atorvarstatin is used together with your diet
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to lower blood levels of bad cholesterol
also called LDL to increase levels of
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good cholesterol also called HDL and to
lower triglycerides which is another
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type of fat found in your blood.
Why is my doctor recommending Atorvasatin? Atorvastatin
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certain is used to treat
high cholesterol and to lower the risk
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of stroke, heart attack or other heart
complications in people with type 2
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diabetes and coronary heart disease. It
is also used to slow the progression of
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heart disease as well
renal disease. Atorvastatin takes a
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couple of weeks to take effect. So, how
does it work? How does Atorvastatin
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work? Atorvastatin belongs to the
family of medications called Statins
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They are also called HMG-COA reductase
inhibitors. They work by blocking
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the production of cholesterol in the
liver by the enzyme HMG co-reductase. How
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should I take Atorvastatin?
Atorvastatin comes as a tablet so you can
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take it by mouth and it comes in the
following doses 10 milligrams 20
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milligrams 40 milligrams and 80
milligrams and it should usually be taken once
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a day with food or without food
but take Atorvastatin usually around
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the same time every day. And the reason
is Atorvarstatin is usually given at night time
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because the cholesterol making enzyme is
more active at night. Also the half life
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of the amount of time it takes for half
the dose to leave your body of some
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Statins as short. If you're unable to take
the dose at nighttime stick to taking
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the medication at least at the same time
every day. What happens if I miss a dose?
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Use the drug as soon as you can, however,
if you're more than 12 hours late for
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the dose skip the dose and go back to
the normal time you take the drug.
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Do not use two doses at one time.
What sort I avoid of while taking Atorvastatin. Avoid eating foods high in
fat or cholesterol or Atorvastatin will
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not be as effective. And avoid drinking
alcohol it can raise triglycerides and
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may increase your risk of liver damage.
Grapefruit may interact with Atorvastatin and lead to unwanted side effects
Grapefruit contains a chemical that
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interferes with your body's ability to
break down or metabolize certain Statin
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medications. When Statin takers eat
large amounts of grapefruit the levels
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of statins in their blood can increase
raising the possibility of side effects.
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So, what other drugs can
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effect Atorvastatin? The following drugs can
interact with the Atorvastatin, however,
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this list is not exhaustive, so, please
talk to your Doctor or pharmacist to see
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what is the right choice for you. Diltiazem
which is a heart medication, Gemfibrozil
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which is a medication to lower your
triglycerides. Antibiotics such as
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Clarithromycin or Erythromycin, anti fungal
medication such as Fluconazole, HIV
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medications,medicines that contain
Niacin drugs that can weaken the immune
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system such as steroids, cancer
medications or medications used to
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prevent organ transplant rejection such
as Cyclosporine, oral contraceptives Antacids, supplements such as St. John's Wort
or red yeast rice. Who should absolutely
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not take this medication ! You should not
use Atorvastatin if you're allergic to
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it or if you have liver disease or if
you're pregnant or breastfeeding. This
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medication can cause birth defects or
harm the unborn baby. So do not use it if
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you're pregnant,
STOP taking a Atorvastatin and tell your
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Doctor right away if you become pregnant.
Tell your doctor if you ever had any of
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these problems before taking Atorvastatin
such as liver problems,muscle
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weakness, kidney disease, diabetes, thyroid
disorder or your drinking more than two
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alcoholic beverages daily. What are the
most common side effects? All drugs can
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cause side effects so talk to your
doctor or provider if you have the
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following side effects or any other side
effects that bother you or do not go
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away. GI side effects such as diarrhea
joint pain, muscle pain or tenderness,
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upset stomach, nose or throat irritation,
trouble sleeping, headaches. With my
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patients we usually reduce the dose and
monitor symptoms for the next couple of
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weeks to ascertain if the symptoms are dose
related; if very severe we stop the drug
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all together to see if the symptoms
resolve.
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Another strategy you
use dosing every other day or every
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other day regimens and even every other
week regimens have been also evaluated
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as strategies for improving
tolerability. So what a serious side
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effects caused by Atorvastatin? Although
rare some people may have very bad and
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sometimes deadly side effects when
taking this drug. Tell your doctor or
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get medical help right away. If you
have any of the following symptoms or
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signs that may be related to a very bad
side effect; signs of an allergic
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reaction such as rash, hives, wheezing
tightness in the chest or throat trouble
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breathing, trouble swallowing or talking
swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue
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or throat. Signs of a UTI: Urinary tract
infections like blood in the urine
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burning or pain while passing
urine. Feeling very weak or tired, feeling
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confused, memory problems or memory loss.
This drug may also cause muscle pain or
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tenderness or weakness and sometimes a very
bad muscle problem that may happen that
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may lead to kidney problems. This is a
medical condition called a Rhabdomyolysis which can if left untreated
lead to death. Call the doctor right away
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if you have muscle pain or tenderness or
weakness that is not normal.
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Sometimes deadly liver problems have
happened with this drug. Call your Doctor
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right away if you have signs and
symptoms of liver problems such as dark
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urine, feeling tired and hungry,
upset stomach, pain in your stomach area
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light colored stools, throwing up, yellow skin
or yellow eyes. Can Atorvastatin be
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used in older adults? There is benefit from
Statin therapy to healthy individuals 75
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years of age or above. Statin therapy for
these individuals with establish
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cardiovascular disease that is having
history for stroke or mini stroke also
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known as TIAA or heart attack in the past.
In my all the patients we start with a
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low dose and
treat carefully monitoring for side
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effects; however, the decision whether to
treat high cholesterol in an older
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individual should be individualized
based on both chronological age and
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biological age. But in older adults there's
no clear evidence that high cholesterol
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leads to heart disease or death; in fact
some studies show the opposite that all
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the people with the lowest cholesterol
levels usually have the highest risk of
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death. Moreover, older adults with a limited
life span, multiple co-morbidities
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affecting overall function and cognition,
multiple prescription drugs with the
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potential for drug drug interactions are
probably not good candidates for drug
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therapy, Ultimately the decision to
initiate or discontinue a Statin in an
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older adult must be individualized, shared
decision-making should be taken into
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account especially patient preferences
and the benefits versus risk for that
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individual should be taken into account.
So now here's a bonus section. 3 bonus
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facts. So long after stopping Atorvastatin will
the muscle pains tend to cease. Usually,
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it's about four weeks. Cognitive
impairment is also listed as a potential
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side effect and as a doctor who
specializes in treating older adults
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especially with the lack of randomized
control trials I do take this list of
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side effects seriously when reported by
my older adults. So can Atorvastatin
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cause increased blood sugar levels?
Multiple trials were suggestive of the
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increased blood glucose levels after
long-term statin use.This prompted
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the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to
include the risk of diabetes in their
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product label of statins. So talk to your
Doctor about whether a Stain is the right
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choice for you given your other medical
problems. So, Question of the day? Have you had one of the side effects mentioned
in this video and what did you do about
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it?
Well go ahead and leave your answers and
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comments below.Thank you for checking
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00:11:10
Closer Closer the video is already
finished so what we do you rather have, Atorvastatin
00:11:15
or this pack of chips
