Atorvastatin is used together with diet to lower blood levels of "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, or LDL), to increase levels of "good" cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein, or HDL), and to lower triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood).
Usage
Side effects
Because overdoses with other statin medications do not seem to cause significant or long-lasting problems, an overdose is not predicted to cause severe effects
Pharmacology
Mechanism of action
Inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol synthesis (reduces the production of mevalonic acid from HMG-CoA); this then results in a compensatory increase in the expression of LDL receptors on hepatocyte membranes and a stimulation of LDL catabolism.
Half-Life Elimination
Parent drug: ~14 hours; Equipotent metabolites: 20 to 30 hours