Your patient information sheet indicates that atorvastatin can be taken at any time of day with or without food, with the proviso that it should be taken about the same time each day. I take mine at night, my wife takes hers after breakfast. The question arises because some statins, like simvastatin, have to be taken at night, because they are short acting as you say and therefore do their job better overnight when the body makes most cholesterol. Coincidently there is an article on the BHF website this month which discuss the optimum time to take heart meds.
Hi there I don't think 5.8 is particularly high, but in diabetes they prefer it to be less than 5. I am on a statin for different reasons i.e. I have periphoral arterial disease (PAD) and statins have been found to be extremely beneficial to that condition. My cholesterol is only 4 with my bad cholesterol being 0.5.
Your body makes most of its cholesterol during the night while you sleep. Therefore I take my Simvastatin always around 9pm.
Hi I'm on atorvastatin along with several other meds and have had a triple bypass. My Dr told me it was okay to take it at any time not just evening so I have been taking in in the morning with my other tablets . This works for me last blood test it was down to 3.2 and Dr was pleased . Maybe give the surgery a phone to double check as some of my tablets are different to yours but it is hard sometimes to remember all the different tablets at different times 😊
I have been taking it now for 24 years. I take mine last thing at night I leave them all in a little container next to my kettle and take it before I switch off the kettle before going to bed. I needed to get into a routine because,, like you, I had trouble getting into a routine at first. I take all my other tablets then too. Otherwise I would forget! Good luck.
I used to take Atorvastatin 40mg in the evening, I did a spell in hospital and they used to give me it in the morning and I've stuck with that ever since. The only thing I take in the evening is Ramipril, I was told to do that.
I did once read that the liver mainly works on cholesterol levels at night, hence that was a good time to take it, but that it could also cause sleep disturbance and dreams. I did actually start to have vivid dreams (not nightmares) at night about the same time as I started Atorvastatin, but I haven't heard anyone else mention this.
Anyway, I don't think it matters when you take it. To be honest, I don't even know if I need it, my cholesterol levels have never been high, but I never noticed any side effects.
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Thank you Trainspotter56 for your reply if it's good enough for the hospital to give at night it's good enough for me 😀
Hi my cholesterol is very low and always has been but I was told that I must take it for life. I had an Nstemi in Feb 2022 My LAD artery was 99% diseased,
Apparently the reason you have been advised to take a statin, is due to the current NICE/NHS thinking in that anyone who has had a heart 'event' such as a heart attack should be offered a statin as secondary prevention irrespective of their lipid profile.
I have been taking Atorvastatin for 24 years for high cholesterol. Last year I was diagnosed with CAD. I’m glad I was already on them for so long now as I feel they may have prevented me from developing CAD earlier.
I had taken my Atorvastatin at night for years, as directed by GP.
Then had a spell in hospital this year with heart failure and they gave me all my medication in the morning.
I questioned both the heart specialist's and pharmacist about Atorvastatin and both confirmed it was fine to take any time of day, thankfully, as I was always forgetting when taking it at night.
This way makes it far more convenient for me and less chance of forgetting any meds.
I have been taking Atorvastatin for 2vyears now and for first 8 months I took it at night as directed by GP. Due to sleeping issues and wondering if Atorvaststin was causing them, I started to take it in the morning. When my blood was tested three months later my cholesterol had gone up by a whole point and it was suggested I increase the dose. Rather than do that , I went back to taking it at night and three months later the blood test showed my cholesterol was back down into normal range. Everyone's metabolism is unique in how they respond to medication, but in my case clearly the timing of taking the Atorvastatin did impact on its effectiveness.
hi did the sleep issues go away the longer you took the atorvastatin. I find just a tiny dose of 5mg morning or evening and I’m awake the entire night. Without it i sleep no problem. (Can’t take Rouvastatin as I get severe muscle pains from it)
Mostly I sleep fine now, but I established that my issues with sleep were not related to the atorvastatin. I only take 40mg, and taking it at night is preferable to increasing the dose. I did try Rosuvastatin but that really upset my tummy.
You could try it,from what I gather they cause muscle aches which is why better to take at night,otherwise I have an app that reminds me to take my pills throughout the day as I forget
Gp told me I could take it in a morning with my others which I have been doing for 2 years. He said its better to take it when I want then not at all. It has worked
I take statin and bisoprolol. A hospitol pharmacist told me to take the statin before bed, separated from bisoprolol and other meds. It has become a routine because I take it before a 'bed drink'.
Co-incidentally there was an excellent article in BHF's Health Matters newsletter, which landed in my inbox yesterday, on when to take statins and the reasons for the timings. Two should be taken at night, simvastatin was one, I cannot remember the other, and the others can be taken at any time, but should be the same time every day.
To help you remember can you set a reminder alarm, or alternatively take them last thing at leaving the packet by the bed to remind you.
If you are on this site you may well already get Health Matters and I am preaching to the converted. If not, you are missing an excellent informative fortnightly read. Newsletter is a misnomer, there are links to numerous articles. Publicity for the best health info over!
I take mine at night along with my amlodipine, then I take isosorbide mononitrate, aspirin and ramipril in the morning, have no real problems with those times, Adrian.
I’ve been on antorvastatin since June my first prescription stated only taken at night, however I was put on all the other usual suspects.
That meant taking 4 tablets a day, which became 5 because the didn’t have one in he right dosage.
Now I’m anti pills, I don’t even take paracetamol for a headache, unfortunately I’ve seen the results of being prescribed one after another, all of a sudden one is prescribed to counter act the side effects of another and before you know it you’ve got more medication in your cupboard than Boots have, other pharmacies are available.
However I’m awaiting a bypass for narrowing of the arteries on one side of my heart so have had to go with the consultation.
However back to point, this makes me want to get all meds out of the way, I take all mine after breakfast in the morning .
My cholesterol is 3.2 as of September when I has my angiogram .
I believe atorvastatin can be taken in the morning as it can last in your system through the day and night all though most of your cholesterol is produced during the night.
I was told to take mine at night time and that’s what I do, before I get into bed I take my Ramipril and my Atorvastatin and in the morning when I get up my bisoprolol stand another couple of meds, I get them out the night before so I do t miss them
Yep it seems to vary by website. I’d previously read that 20g of rolled oats gives 1g of beta glucan. Either way it’s a great start to the day and it’s the only breakfast that keeps me full until lunch with zero snacking. I also drink at least 1 litre in the morning and afternoon so I’m sure that swells the rolled oats and helps with feeling full.
The pills only work if you take them, so I take all mine in the morning - socks on pills in. I also use a pill reminder app.As someone else has said see BHF for recommendations on timing.
I use the Apple Health app to track my medication and also set a daily repeating alarm. My GP advised me to take my statin last thing at night and so I keep the tablets by my bed. This is not a sarcastic comment - but the meds really do work best when you take them every day at the same time.
I keep 1 x Dronedarone (Multaq) and 1 x statin in my wallet in case I’m ever out in the evening and Ive forgotten to take them with me.
Hi, I take Atorvastatin each evening as it states on the box to do that. I would go according to the instructions on the box your medication comes in. Best wishes, Pam
Between my wife and I, we have a small pharmacy of drugs to take each day! When I got home from my triple bypass, my brother in law suggested I separate the drugs I take at night from the drugs I take in the morning. He got a couple of plastic trays and put them in the kitchen drawer I have my open blister packs in, separated into morning and night. It has worked well and may help others remember. Paul
Thanks for that info ... reading your reply i decided to buy one of those it has AM and PM for 7 days so i have sorted my meds into them. It does make it easier than getting the boexes out everytime i need to take them 😃 so thank you once again
I take mine at night, just before bedtime, when I brush my teeth, so it’s a little routine which helps me remember. The instructions on the label say to take at night, so that’s what I do. However, I read that article yesterday and Atorvastatin is one of two (can’t remember the name of the other one) that they say can be taken in the morning, so if that suits you better it will probably be ok - though perhaps check with your surgery or pharmacist to be sure.
I was told to take my statins before bed, because your body produces more cholesterol during the night. BHF also advise that you take them at night too.
Hi, it's generally an instruction to take at night as the body produces more cholesterol at night. I take 80mg Atovastatin early evening with some food. Meds on an empty stomach are not good, unless specifically stated.
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