Atorvastatin and Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Atorvastatin and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Thursday, April 3rd, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Atorvastatin and rheumatoid arthritis are linked because different studies have shown that the drug is beneficial for patients suffering from the disease. Atorvastatin is marketed under different names with the most popular being Lipitor and is a member of the statin class, widely used to lower cholesterol levels. It works by inhibiting the rate-determining enzyme found in hepatic tissue, which produces mevalonate. Mevalonate is a small molecule that is used in cholesterol synthesis and various other mevalonate derivates are also impacted by Atorvastatin.

Atorvastatin calcium tablets are marketed as Lipitor (in other countries you might find the names Sortis, Torvast, Tulip, Atorpic, Liprimar, Totalip or Torvacard) by Pfizer and are available in tablets of 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg. Oral administration is used and rheumatoid arthritis patients need to be monitored while taking the drug. Higher doses are not recommended as it was shown that the benefits are not that high when compared with various side effects that can be experienced. Atorvastatin is not a first line drug for treating rheumatoid arthritis and works better on the long run. Patients are also not using this medicine for too long and doctors are the only ones that should be asked questions about it because of the little known facts around the world.

Studies showed that an Atrovastatin dose of 40 mg each day for 6 months will suppress reactants that are acute-phase and this improves swollen joints and reduces cholesterol levels in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. On the other hand, there are some adverse drug reactions that need to be taken into account and might lead to a stop of treatment if experienced. Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and undergoing Atrovastatin treatment have shown diarrhea, passing gas, constipation, myalgia, higher than usual hepatic transaminase concentrations, insomnia, joint pain, dizziness or/and headaches. Less than 0.1 percent of patients will experience rhabdomyolysis and myopathy and risk is increased if the individual shows renal impairment, concomitant use of drugs that inhibit CYP3A4 and/or concurrent illness.

Atorvastatin is very popular among some doctor circles and although it can not be used alone, when linked with other drugs used for rheumatoid arthritis treatment, it has been showed to provide results. Only use it under strict medical monitoring and under the doctor’s prescription recommendations. Also, when any adverse drug effect appears, stop the treatment and tell your doctor as soon as possible. You do not want to make things worse.

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