Lipitor Side Effects: UTI, Nasal Inflammation, Joint Pain. Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States and the world, and having high cholesterol levels in your blood gives you a higher chance of getting it.
But how do you know that you have high blood cholesterol levels, when by itself, that condition poses no signs or symptoms? Without having yourself tested, you may not know that your cholesterol level is too high. And by the time you discover it, the condition may have reached the point where it has to be managed daily, to lessen its impact on your life. At this point, too, daily maintenance doses of drugs can strain your budget considerably.
Thankfully, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Nov. 30 approved the first generic version of the cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium tablets).
“This medication is widely used by people who must manage their high cholesterol over time, so it is important to have affordable treatment options,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “We are working very hard to get generic drugs to people as soon as the law will allow.”
Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. (link: http://www.ranbaxy.com/), a Gurgaon, India-based transnational pharmaceutical company, has been authorized to make generic atorvastatin calcium tablets in 10 milligram, 20 mg, 40 mg and 80 mg strengths. The drug will be manufactured by Ohm Laboratories in New Brunswick, N.J.
Do know that not all cholesterol in your blood is bad. There are several kinds of blood cholesterol, and you should know about three kinds: high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides. HDL is often dubbed the “good cholesterol” because it helps keep cholesterol from building up in the arteries. LDL, called the “bad cholesterol” is the type that builds up and causes blockage in the arteries, which can prevent blood from flowing freely to your heart and lead to heart attack. Triglycerides can lead to hardening of the arteries.
Atorvastatin is a statin—a drug that lowers cholesterol in the body by blocking an enzyme in the liver. Together with a low-fat diet, Atorvastatin is used to lower the LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. It can raise HDL cholesterol as well.
Atorvastatin is useful for people who already have heart disease or those even who have risk factors for heart disease—age, smoking, high blood pressure, low HDL, or a family history of early heart disease. It these people, the drug lowers the risk for heart attack, stroke, certain types of heart surgery and chest pain.
Lipitor Side Effects. Like all drugs, Lipitor has side effects. The most commonly reported adverse reactions in patients during clinical trials for Lipitor were: inflammation of the nasal passages, joint pain, diarrhea, and urinary tract infection. Generic drugs are often a more affordable alternative. As the generic manufacturing and packaging sites must pass the same quality standards as those of brand-name drugs, the generic drugs approved by the FDA have the same high quality and strength as brand-name drugs.
The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.
Lipitor Side Effects: UTI, Nasal Inflammation, Joint Pain posted 4 December 2011. Last updated on 4 December 2011.