Atorvastatin is a medication that belongs to a group of medicines called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, or statins. It is used to lower cholesterol levels in the blood and to decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke. Atorvastatin works by slowing the production of cholesterol in the body to decrease the amount of cholesterol that may build up on the walls of the arteries and block blood flow to the heart, brain, and other parts of the body. It is usually taken once a day, and the most common side effects are headaches, feeling sick (nausea), diarrhea, and cold-like symptoms.

Atorvastatin is also used to decrease the amount of fatty substances such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and triglycerides in the blood and to increase the amount of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (good cholesterol) in the blood. It may also be used to decrease the amount of cholesterol and other fatty substances in the blood in children and teenagers 10 to 17 years of age who have familial heterozygous hypercholesterolemia (an inherited condition in which cholesterol cannot be removed from the body normally) .

In summary, atorvastatin is used to:

• Lower cholesterol levels in the blood
• Decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke
• Decrease the amount of fatty substances such as LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood
• Increase the amount of HDL cholesterol in the blood
• Decrease the amount of cholesterol and other fatty substances in the blood in children and teenagers 10 to 17 years of age who have familial heterozygous hypercholesterolemia.