What is atorvastatin?
- Type of drug: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, or ‘statin’
- Use: hyperlipidaemia (cholesterol too high)
- Dose: 10-80 mg once a day
- Side-effects: joint and muscle pain (myositis); acute kidney injury (AKI) due to rhabdomyolysis
- Monitor: cholesterol.
Note 1. Other statins include Simvastatin.
Note 2. If muscle pain or weakness, occur during treatment, a blood test for creatine kinase (CK) should be carried out.
Other resources
CKD drug side-effects
CKD patient information (CKD Explained 30+ core articles)
Atorvastatin (BNF)
This is a review article: McIver, 2024
Last Reviewed on 5 May 2024