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Common side effects

These common side effects of atorvastatin occur in more than one in 100 people:

• Feeling sick (nausea) or indigestion
• Headaches
• Nosebleeds
• A sore throat
• Cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, blocked nose or sneezing
• Constipation or flatulence
• Diarrhoea

The NHS stated: “Drinking a lot of alcohol regularly increases the chance of you having side effects with atorvastatin, and liver problems. If you think that atorvastatin is causing side effects and they’re making you want to stop taking it, talk to your doctor first.

“They may be caused by another problem and not the medicine. Your doctor may suggest lowering your dose or changing your medicine.”

Serious adverse reactions

Patients should discontinue atorvastatin immediately and contact their GP or ring 111 without delay if:

• Unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, weakness or cramps occur – these may indicate muscle breakdown and potential kidney damage
• Yellowing of the whites of the eyes or skin discolouration (which might be harder to detect on darker skin tones), or experiencing pale stools and dark urine – these could signal liver complications
• A skin rash appears with pink or red patches, particularly on the palms or soles – this might suggest erythema multiforme
• Severe abdominal pain develops – this could indicate acute pancreatitis
• A persistent cough, breathlessness and weight loss are experienced – these may point to lung disease
• Weakness in the limbs that worsens with activity, or experiencing double vision, drooping eyelids, swallowing difficulties or breathing problems – these could be indicators of myasthenia gravis