Atorvastatin

[dahon]

I have recently been prescribed Atorvastatin 10mg taking it late evening but I get the sensation that it worsens my RLS. Has anyone else had any experience using this Atorvastatin. Maybe it would be better to take it in the morning ?

[ChrisColumbus]

Any potential changes to prescribed medicines must be discussed with a doctor before taking any action.

Some have no evident adverse reaction to atorvastatin (RLS or otherwise), some do but find that the adverse effects ease with time, some do but find that taking it in the morning helps, some like me cannot tolerate atorvastatin at all (because of severe RLS, joint and muscle pains, extreme tiredness).

I found rosuvastatin still troublesome for RLS but less so.

There are drug alternatives for those who can't tolerate statins, and plant-based diet changes that can be effective without drugs.

healthunlocked.com/rlsuk/po...

And there have been various studies questioning both the need to reduce cholesterol in the first place and the effectiveness of statins in reducing the risk of cardiac events, e.g.:

theconversation.com/benefit...

[SueJohnson]

Statins in general are known to make RLS worse for most. Nexlizet (Nustendi (UK) is a cholesterol lowering drug that is not a statin, but I don’t know if it exacerbates RLS symptoms. Ezetimibe (Zetia) - reduces cholesterol although It doesn't reduce cholesterol as fast as the statins, but according to Chris Columbus it didn't trigger his RLS and then there is Triglide (Fenofibrate, Fibricor, Lipantil, Lipofen, Supralip) and Bezafibrate (Bezalip) which are not statins which seems safe. You might want to discuss these with your doctor. A more difficult way to reduce cholesterol is to go vegan. My husband lowered his cholesterol from 221 to 131 this way.

If you take gabapentin or pregabalin you should be closely monitored as it can raise the bad LDL and lower the good HDL

[707twitcher]

I take a low dose (10mg) of Atorvastatin three days a week and it bothers my RLS if I take it at night. My doctor told me it doesn’t matter when I take it. Mornings work for me without RLS symptoms. But it does have a long half-life (17 hours I believe), so it could be a problem for some, even in the morning.

The reason I only take a minimal dosage is that I also use a PCSK-9 blocker. That’s a once every two weeks self injection. They are expensive, and insurance is reluctant to cover it. I had to tell my doctor that I couldn’t handle the side effects of three or four other statins before insurance covered it. It’s very effective at reducing LDL. It’s also the only med that lowers lp(a) - a small particle statin (genetic condition) that I believe caused my need for a triple bypass 3 years ago.

[Ewloe]

10mg is a low dose. I was told to take my statins at bedtime as they work better taken then.

[DicCarlson]

Oh those damn Statins! I couldn't tolerate any (lots of muscle pain). Docs have prescribed a PCSK9 inhibitor called Repatha. It works entirely different than Statins. I am giving myself another 3 months of diet modification and supplements before starting it. It is also expensive $250/mo, but my medicare insurance (USA) will cover it with a $40/mo copay.

healthline.com/health/pcsk9...

[707twitcher in reply to DicCarlson]

I use Repatha. It lowers my LDL from 140 to 90. My cardiologist wants it below 70, so the 3-day a week low dose statin gets me there. The cost is a shock, especially when you hit the Medicare “donut hole” later in the year.

[Cazzywatts]

I take atorvastatin and pramipexole and was advised by my gp to take atorvastatin in the morning as I take pramipexole at night.