Atorvastatin Teva Special Precautions

Talk to the doctor or pharmacist before taking Atorvastatin Teva Tablets: If patient is taking or has taken in the last 7 days a medicine called fusidic acid, (a medicine for bacterial infection) orally or by injection. The combination of fusidic acid and Atorvastatin Teva Tablets can lead to serious muscle problems (rhabdomyolysis).
If patient had a previous stroke with bleeding into the brain, or have small pockets of fluid in the brain from previous strokes.
If patient has kidney problems.
If patient has an under-active thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
If patient had repeated or unexplained muscle aches or pains, a personal history or family history of muscle problems.
If patient had previous muscular problems during treatment with other lipid-lowering medicines (e.g. other '-statin' or '-fibrate' medicines).
If patient regularly drinks a large amount of alcohol.
If patient has a history of liver disease.
If patient is older than 70 years.
While patient is on this medicine a doctor will monitor him/her closely if he/she has diabetes or are at risk of developing diabetes. Patient is likely to be at risk of developing diabetes if he/she has high levels of sugars and fats in the blood, is overweight and has high blood pressure.
Talk to the doctor or pharmacist before taking Atorvastatin Teva Tablets: If patient has severe respiratory failure.
If any of these apply to the patient, blood test will need to be carried out before and possibly during the patient's Atorvastatin Teva Tablets treatment to predict the risk of muscle-related side effects. The risk of muscle-related side effects e.g rhabdomyolysis is known to increase if certain medicines are taken at the same time as atorvastatin (see Interactions).
Also tell the doctor or pharmacist if patient has a muscle weakness that is constant. Additional tests and medicines may be needed to diagnose and treat this.
It is recommended that liver function tests should be performed before the initiation of Atorvastatin Teva Tablets and thereafter when clinically indicated.
There have been rare postmarketing reports of cognitive impairment (e.g., memory loss, forgetfulness, amnesia, memory impairment, confusion) associated with statin use. These cognitive issues have been reported for all statins. The reports are generally nonserious, and reversible upon statin discontinuation, with variable times to symptom onset (1 day to years) and symptom resolution (median of 3 weeks).
Increases in HbA1c and fasting serum glucose levels have been reported with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.
Co-administration of strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g. ciclosporin, telithromycin, clarithromycin, delavirdine, stiripentol, ketoconazole, voriconazole, itraconazole, posaconazole and HIV protease inhibitors including ritonavir, lopinavir, atazanavir, indinavir, darunavir, etc.) should be avoided if possible. In cases where coadministration of these medicinal products with atorvastatin cannot be avoided, lower starting and maximum doses of atorvastatin should be considered and appropriate clinical monitoring of the patient is recommended. In patients taking telaprevir, concomitant use of atorvastatin should be avoided. The dose of atorvastatin should not exceed 40 mg daily when taking with boceprevir and close clinical monitoring is recommended.
Driving and using machines: Normally this medicine does not affect patient's ability to drive or operate machines. However, do not drive if this medicine affects the ability to drive. Do not use any tools or machines if ability to use them is affected by this medicine.