Atorvastatin
- Class: Statin
- Used for: high cholesterol
- Say it: uh-TOR-vuh-stat-in
- Forms: tablet
Statins block HMG-CoA reductase, the first committed step of cholesterol synthesis. The liver then pulls LDL out of the blood to compensate — and that is what actually lowers the number.
The stem is the whole message: -statin means HMG-CoA reductase is blocked, so the liver makes less cholesterol and pulls LDL out of the blood to make up the difference. Learn the suffix once and every member here is the same mechanism at a different strength. All drug suffixes ›
The mechanism comic
One of five sample comics. The app has one for each of the 100 drugs.
Side effects
Common: muscle aches, raised liver enzymes, headache
Serious: rhabdomyolysis
Typical dose
10–80 mg once daily
40–80 mg is the high-intensity dose used after a heart attack. Any time of day.
Check yourself
How does Atorvastatin lower LDL in the blood?
- It blocks HMG-CoA reductase, so the liver takes up more LDL to compensate
- It binds cholesterol in the gut so it cannot be absorbed
- It blocks cholesterol absorption at the intestinal brush border
- It makes the kidney filter LDL out into the urine
Show answer
A. It blocks HMG-CoA reductase, so the liver takes up more LDL to compensate
The drug acts inside the liver cell, not in the blood. Starved of its own supply, the liver puts out more LDL receptors and clears LDL from the circulation — an indirect effect, and the one that matters.
See it, don't memorize it
The app has the mechanism comic and a patient case for Atorvastatin – plus the name link, the class mnemonic, pronunciation you can hear, and a self-check, for the top 100 drugs. One purchase, no subscription, no account.