Lorstat

This leaflet answers some common questions about LORSTAT.

It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.

All medicines have benefits and risks. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking LORSTAT against the benefits expected for you.

You may need to read it again.

LORSTAT is used to treat

Everyone has cholesterol and in their blood. It is a type of blood fat needed by the body for many things, such as building cell walls, making bile acids (which help to digest food) and some hormones. However, too much cholesterol can be a problem.

Cholesterol is present in many foods and is also made in your body by the liver. If your body makes too much cholesterol or you have too much cholesterol in your diet, then your cholesterol becomes too high.

High cholesterol is more likely to occur with certain diseases or if you have a family history of high cholesterol.

There are different types of cholesterol. LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, is the 'bad' cholesterol that can block your blood vessels. HDL, or high density lipoprotein cholesterol is the 'good' cholesterol that is thought to remove the 'bad' cholesterol from the blood vessels.

When you have high levels of cholesterol in your blood, it may 'stick' to the inside of your blood vessels instead of being carried to the parts of the body where it is needed. Over time, this can form hard areas (called plaques) on the walls of your blood vessels, making it more difficult for the blood to flow. Sometimes, the plaque can detach from the vessel wall and float in the bloodstream; it can then reach a smaller vessel and completely block it. This blocking of your blood vessels can lead to several types of blood vessel disease, heart attack, angina and stroke.

There is another type of fat called triglyceride, which is a source of energy. However, high levels of be associated with low level of 'good' cholesterol and may increase your risk of heart disease.

In some patients, LORSTAT is used to treat high cholesterol and high triglycerides together.

In most people, there are no symptoms of abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Your doctor can measure your levels with a simple blood test.

LORSTAT belongs to a group of medicines known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. It works by reducing the amount of cholesterol made by the liver. LORSTAT 'bad' cholesterol and can raise the 'good' cholesterol. LORSTAT also helps to protect you from a heart attack or stroke.

LORSTAT may be used alone, or in combination with other medicines, to treat your condition.

Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.

This medicine is not addictive.

This medicine is available only with a doctor's prescription.

This medicine is not expected to affect your ability to drive a car or operate machinery.

There is not enough information to recommend the use of this medicine for children.

Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include

It may affect your developing baby if you take it during pregnancy.

The active ingredient in LORSTAT passes into breast milk and there is a possibility that your baby may be affected.

Information of safety and effectiveness in children is limited.

If it has expired or is damaged, return it to your pharmacist for disposal.

Your doctor can discuss with you the risks and benefits involved.

Some medicines and LORSTAT may interfere with each other. These include:

These medicines may be affected by LORSTAT or may affect how well it works. You may need different amounts of your medicines, or you may need to take different medicines.

Your doctor and pharmacist have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while taking this medicine.

They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.

Take LORSTAT only when prescribed by your doctor.

Your doctor will tell you how many tablets you need to take each day. This may depend on your condition and whether or not you are taking any other medicines.

The usual dose of LORSTAT is between 10-80 mg taken once a day.

If you do not understand the instructions ask your doctor or pharmacist for help.

Taking it at the same time each day will have the best effect. It will also help you remember when to take it.

It does not matter if you take this medicine before or after food.

This medicine helps to control your condition, but does not cure it. It is important to keep taking your medicine even if you feel well.

This may increase the chance of you getting an unwanted side effect.

You may need urgent medical attention.

It may affect other medicines used during surgery.

It may interfere with the results of some tests.

Your doctor will ask you to have your liver function tested form time to time while you are taking LORSTAT to make sure the medicine is working and to prevent unwanted side effects.

Your cholesterol and triglyceride levels also need to be checked regularly while you are taking this medicine.

If you stop taking it suddenly, your condition may worsen or you may have unwanted side effects.

If possible, your doctor will gradually reduce the amount you take each day before stopping the medicine completely.

LORSTAT generally does not cause any problems with your ability to drive a car or operate machinery. However, as with many other medicines, LORSTAT may cause dizziness in some people. If you have any of these symptoms, do not drive, operate machinery or do anything else that could be dangerous.

Drinking large quantities of alcohol may increase your chance of LORSTAT causing liver problems.

Standing up slowly, especially when you get up from bed or chairs, will help your body get used to the change in position and blood pressure. If this problem continues or gets worse, talk to your doctor.

Grapefruit juice contains one or more constituents that alter the metabolism of some medicines, including LORSTAT. Therefore, drinking very large quantities of grapefruit juice (over 1 litre) each day increases the chance of LORSTAT causing side effects.

This medicine helps most people with lowering high cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of having a heart attack or stroke in people who have high blood pressure and coronary heart disease (CHD) or who are at risk of CHD, but it may have unwanted side effects in some people.

All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical attention if you get some of the side effects.

You may not experience any of them.

The above list includes the more common side effects of your medicine. They are usually mild and short-lived.

The above list includes serious side effects that may require medical attention. Serious side are rare.

The above list includes very serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation. These side effects are very rare.

Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people.

Some of these side effects (for example, changes in thyroid function, cholesterol level or blood pressure) can only be found when your doctor does tests from time to time to check your progress.

If you take the tablets out of the pack/bottle they may not keep well.

Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.

A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.

LORSTAT tablets are available in 4 different strengths:

Each blister pack contains 30 tablets. Discard blister pack 30 days after the first tablet is taken.

LORSTAT 10 mg contains 10.844 mg of atorvastatin calcium as the active ingredient.

LORSTAT 20 mg contains 21.688 mg of atorvastatin calcium as the active ingredient.

LORSTAT 40 mg contains 43.376 mg of atorvastatin calcium as the active ingredient.

LORSTAT 80 mg contains 86.751 mg of atorvastatin calcium as the active ingredient.

It also contains the following inactive ingredients:

This medicine contain lactose.