Lipitor vs. Crestor: What’s the Difference?
Lipitor (atorvastatin) and Crestor (rosuvastatin) are medicines called statins that help lower cholesterol and protect your heart. But there are some differences between them, especially when it comes to muscle pain.
How Lipitor Works
Lipitor lowers cholesterol, but for some people, it can cause muscle aches. This happens because after you take Lipitor, some of the leftover medicine stays in your fat cells. If those fat cells are near your muscles, they can make the muscles sore. This is more likely to happen to women, older people, or people taking certain other medicines. For most people, the muscle pain goes away after about a week.
How Crestor is Different
Crestor was created to help people avoid the muscle aches that Lipitor can cause. It’s water-soluble, which means it doesn’t stay in your fat cells. Instead, after it does its job, it leaves your body when you pee. This means Crestor usually doesn’t cause muscle aches, and it’s considered a bit gentler for people who are sensitive to other statins like Lipitor.
Why Statins are Important
Statins like Lipitor and Crestor are great at lowering cholesterol and helping to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Doctors recommend them for people who already have heart problems or are at risk for them. But sometimes people stop taking statins because of side effects, like muscle pain. That can be a problem because it means they lose the heart-protecting benefits of statins.
What is Statin Intolerance?
Statin intolerance means a person can’t handle even the lowest dose of two or more statins because they cause muscle or joint pain, or liver problems. This happens to about 5-10% of people, especially older adults, women, or those taking stronger statins. The good news is, if you stop the medicine, the pain usually goes away within a month.
If statins are bothering you, talk to your doctor about these options:
1. Check for Drug Interactions
Sometimes, other medicines or even foods can keep statins from leaving your body, causing side effects. Things like drinking a lot of alcohol or taking certain heart or antibiotic medicines can make this happen. Talk to your doctor to see if any of your medications are interacting with your statin.
2. Try a Different Statin
Some statins, like Lipitor, are absorbed into your muscles more easily, which is why they can cause aches. Other statins, like Crestor and Pravachol, are water-soluble and don’t usually cause as much muscle pain. Ask your doctor about switching to one of these.
3. Take a Lower Dose
Even a small dose of a statin can help! You can start with a tiny amount, like 2.5 mg of Crestor once a week. If that feels okay, you can take it more often, like twice or three times a week. Slowly easing into the medication works for about 70% of people who thought they couldn’t tolerate statins.
4. Try a Different Medicine
If you still can’t take statins, there are other options. Medicines like ezetimibe (Zetia®) can lower cholesterol by about 15%. There are also powerful drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors (like Praluent® or Repatha®) that can lower cholesterol without causing muscle pain. However, these drugs can be more expensive.
Don’t Stop Statins Without Talking to Your Doctor
If you’re having side effects from statins, don’t stop taking them on your own. Always talk to your doctor first because stopping statins suddenly could increase your chance of having a heart attack.