| The new cholesterol-lowering drugs, the statins, do prevent cardio-vascular disease, but this is due to other mechanisms than cholesterol-lowering. Unfortunately, they also stimulate cancer in rodents. The only effective way to lower cholesterol is with drugs, but neither heart mortality or total mortality have been improved with drugs the effect of which is cholesterol-lowering only. On the contrary, these drugs are dangerous to your health and may shorten your life. Atorvastatin is a prescription drug in one of the newest classes of cholesterol-lowering medications, called statins. These drugs have been used widely for the last five years. For people with high cholesterol, Atorvastatin, in combination with a low-fat diet, can reduce your LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. How does Atorvastatin work? What is Atorvastatin? A high blood cholesterol is said to promote atherosclerosis and thus also coronary heart disease. But many studies have shown that people whose blood cholesterol is low become just as atherosclerotic as people whose cholesterol is high. In medical studies of people with high cholesterol, Atorvastatin, taken once a day, had the following effects at doses of 10 to 80 mg: Lowered total cholesterol by 29-45%. Lowered LDL cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol, by 39-60%. Increased HDL cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol, by 5-9%. Lowered triglyceride levels by 19-37%. Who should not take Atorvastatin tablets? |