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Atorvastatin Uses
In the case of atorvastatin, uses of the drug include treating high cholesterol and high triglycerides. Other uses involve taking the medication to help prevent heart and blood vessel disease. In some instances, doctors prescribe medications to treat conditions for which they have not been licensed. This is known as an "off-label" use. At this time, there are no known off-label uses for atorvastatin.
Atorvastatin calcium (Lipitor®), a medication that is sold under the brand name Lipitor®, has been licensed to treat several conditions. These atorvastatin uses include:
- Treatment of high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia)
- Treatment of high triglycerides
- Prevention of heart or blood vessel disease (known as cardiovascular disease) in people at risk for such problems
- Reducing the risk of heart disease complications in people that already have heart disease.
High Cholesterol or Triglycerides Treatment
Doctors prescribe atorvastatin to treat high cholesterol in those people who cannot lower cholesterol sufficiently through lifestyle changes alone. Atorvastatin can lower total cholesterol and LDL ("bad cholesterol") and raise HDL ("good cholesterol"). Atorvastatin can also decrease triglyceride levels in the blood.
Prevention of Heart Disease and Blood Vessel Disease
Healthcare providers also prescribe atorvastatin for people with multiple heart disease risk factors but who currently do not have coronary heart disease. Atorvastatin has been shown to decrease the chances of:
- A heart attack
- Stroke
- Angina (chest pain)
- Needing a heart procedure, such as angioplasty or open heart surgery.
Doctors may use atorvastatin to reduce the chances of a heart attack or stroke in people with type 2 diabetes and other risk factors for heart disease.
In people who already have heart disease, atorvastatin is approved to reduce the risk of the following problems:
- A non-fatal heart attack
- A stroke
- Angina (chest pain)
- Needing a heart procedure, such as angioplasty or open heart surgery
- Hospitalization for congestive heart failure (CHF).
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD