Taking atorvastatin with other medicines and herbal supplements

Cautions with other medicines

Some medicines can affect the way atorvastatin works and can increase the chances of you having serious side effects, such as muscle damage.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any of the following medicines:

• antibiotics such as erythromycin, clarithromycin, rifampicin or fusidic acid
• antifungals such as ketoconazole, voriconazole or fluconazole
• some HIV medicines
• some hepatitis C medicines
• warfarin, a medicine to help prevent blood clots
• ciclosporin, a medicine for psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis
• colchicine, a medicine for gout
• contraceptive pills, such as the combined pill
• verapamil, diltiazem or amlodipine, medicines for high blood pressure and heart problems
• amiodarone, a medicine that helps if you have an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation)

If you're taking atorvastatin and need to take one of these medicines, your doctor may:

• prescribe a lower dose of atorvastatin
• prescribe a different statin medicine
• recommend that you stop taking atorvastatin for a while

These are not all the medicines that can affect the way atorvastatin works. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicine packet or check with your pharmacist.

Mixing atorvastatin with herbal remedies and supplements

St John's wort, a herbal remedy taken for depression, reduces the amount of atorvastatin in your blood, so it does not work as well.

Talk to your doctor if you're thinking about starting St John's wort, as it will change how well atorvastatin works.

Sometimes, people take a supplement called CoQ10 with statins. There's no clear evidence that taking it at the same time as atorvastatin benefits your health.

If you decide to take a CoQ10 supplement, tell your doctor or pharmacist. Supplements can affect the way other medicines you're taking work.

There's not enough information to say that other herbal remedies and supplements are safe to take with atorvastatin. They're not tested in the same way as pharmacy and prescription medicines.