Atorvastatin: What Is It For?

Atorvastatin is a drug that belongs to the drug family of statins. These drugs are widely used to lower cholesterol levels , in order to prevent cardiovascular diseases, as well as to treat dyslipidemia.

Excess cholesterol is a risk factor for the appearance of this type of disease, which is the main cause of death in developed countries. However, we must not forget that cholesterol is an essential substance for the proper functioning of the body, since it is the precursor of many hormones.

Therefore, it is essential to keep cholesterol levels within normal ranges. A deficit of it can also trigger serious health consequences. Therefore, it is very important to strictly follow the treatment guidelines established by the doctor in each case.

Learning more about cardiovascular disease

As we have well commented, atorvastatin aims to prevent cardiovascular diseases in those patients who present an elevation of cholesterol levels above what is considered normal.

Cardiovascular diseases are a group of pathologies that represent the leading cause of death in developed countries. Among them, we can talk about:

• Myocardial infarction.
• Heart failure.
• Cardiovascular hypertension.
• Peripheral vascular disease.
• Stroke or cerebrovascular disease.

Undoubtedly, the development of these diseases is associated with a series of risk factors that increase the chances of suffering from them. Among these risk factors, which we must always avoid, we find:

• Smoking: the smoking habit does not lead to more than accumulation of toxins and health diseases. Smokers are twice as likely to have a type of cardiovascular disease as a non-smoker.

• Sedentary lifestyle: the population of developed countries increasingly tends to perform less physical activity. As with tobacco, a lack of exercise doubles the chances of suffering from these diseases.
• Bad eating habits.

How does atorvastatin work in the body?

Atorvastatin, like the other statins, owes its effectiveness in preventing cardiovascular disease to its ability to selectively and competitively inhibit the enzyme responsible for cholesterol synthesis.

Specifically, we are referring to the enzyme hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. It is the enzyme responsible for converting HMG-CoA to mevalonate, which is the precursor of sterol compounds, such as cholesterol.

Thus, by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase, atorvastatin also reduces the amounts of mevalonate and consequently the amount of cholesterol that is stored in the liver.

In addition, it should be noted that this mechanism also affects the regulation of LDL receptors, which is known as bad cholesterol , and the uptake of these lipoproteins from the circulation.

The final consequence of all these processes is the reduction of bad cholesterol or LDL. The efficacy of the treatment is still being studied in different studies and clinical trials.

Adverse reactions of atorvastatin treatment

Despite being a well-tolerated drug, it is not exempt from producing a series of adverse effects. Adverse effects are understood as all those events that occur unwantedly and unintentionally with the treatment of a drug.

Adverse reactions that have been reported with atorvastatin administration have been mild and have normalized on their own. In this sense, among the most frequent, we can mention:

• Gastrointestinal problems, such as constipation, diarrhea, flatulence, dyspepsia, or abdominal pain.
• Headache.
• Sickness.
• Insomnia.

Furthermore, there are a number of adverse reactions that have been observed that represent the rare adverse reactions of atorvastatin treatment. However, not all of them are necessarily due to treatment with this medicine. These are, among others, those mentioned below:

• Dizziness
• Alopecia.
• Eruption.
• Thrombocytopenia
• Allergic reactions.
• Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.

Maintaining healthy habits is the best way to control LDL cholesterol

Atorvastatin is a drug that belongs to the statin family. Mainly, it is used for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

However, you should not forget that the best prevention is to follow healthy lifestyle habits, such as playing sports every day, having a balanced diet and avoiding toxic habits, such as tobacco.