Lipi-Cut®

Patient Information

Cholesterol and triglycerides are fats that are made in your body. They are also found in foods. You need some cholesterol for good health, but too much is not good for you. Cholesterol and triglycerides can clog your blood vessels. It is especially important to lower your cholesterol if you have heart disease, smoke, have diabetes or high blood pressure, are older, or if heart disease starts early in your family.

What Lipi-Cut^® is used for:

Lipi-Cut^®  is a prescription medicine that lowers cholesterol in your blood. It lowers the LDL-C ("bad" cholesterol) and triglycerides in your blood. It can raise your HDL-C ("good" cholesterol) as well. Lipi-Cut^®  is for adults and children over 10 whose cholesterol does not come down enough with exercise and a low-fat diet alone. Lipi-Cut^®  can lower the risk for heart attack, stroke, certain types of heart surgery, and chest pain in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease such as age, smoking, high blood pressure, low HDL-C, heart disease in the family. Lipi-Cut^®  can lower the risk for heart attack or stroke in patients with diabetes and risk factors such as eye problems, kidney problems, smoking, or high blood pressure.

Lipi-Cut^®  starts to work in about 2 weeks.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist before using Lipi-Cut^® if :

• You have muscle aches or weakness
• You drink more than 2 glasses of alcohol daily
• You have diabetes
• You have a thyroid problem
• You have kidney problems
• You are taken any other medicines

Know all the medicines you take. Keep a list of them with you to show your doctor and pharmacist.

Who should not take Lipi-Cut^®:

Do not take Lipi-Cut^® if:

• You are pregnant or think you may be pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant. Lipi-Cut^® may harm your unborn baby. If you get pregnant, stop taking Lipi-Cut^® and call your doctor right away.
• You are breast feeding. Lipi-Cut^® can pass into your breast milk and may harm your baby.
• You have liver problems.

You are allergic to Lipi-Cut^® or any of its ingredients. The active ingredient is atorvastatin

How to take your Lipi-Cut^®:

• Take Lipi-Cut^® exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not change your dose or stop Lipi-Cut^® without talking to your doctor. Your doctor may do blood tests to check your cholesterol levels during your treatment with Lipi-Cut^®. Your dose of Lipi-Cut^® may be changed based on these blood test results.
• Take Lipi-Cut^® each day at any time of day at about the same time each day. Lipi-Cut^® can be taken with or without food.
  Don't break Lipi-Cut^® tablets before taking.
• Your doctor should start you on a low-fat diet before giving you Lipi-Cut^®. Stay on this low-fat diet when you take Lipi-Cut^®.
• If you miss a dose of Lipi-Cut^®, take it as soon as you remember. Do not take Lipi-Cut^® if it has been more than 12 hours since you missed your last dose. Wait and take the next dose at your regular time. Do not take 2 doses of Lipi-Cut^® at the same time.
• If you take too much Lipi-Cut^® or overdose, call your doctor or Poison Control Center right away. Or go to the nearest emergency room.

• Lipi-Cut^® dosing has not been established in children under 10 years of age.

What to do if you forget to take a dose :

If you are taking this medicine regularly and you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible. However, if the next scheduled dose is within 6 hours, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not take double doses.

 While taking your medicine :

• Talk to your doctor before you start any new medicines. This includes prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Lipi-Cut^® and certain other medicines can interact causing serious side effects.
• Do not get pregnant. If you get pregnant, stop taking Lipi-Cut^® right away and call your doctor

Call your doctor right away if you have:

• Muscle problems like weakness, tenderness, or pain that happen without a good reason, especially if you also have a fever or feel more tired than usual. This may be an early sign of a rare muscle problem.
• Muscle problems that do not go away even after your doctor has advised you to stop taking Lipi-Cut^®. Your doctor may do further tests to diagnose the cause of your muscle problems.
• Allergic reactions including swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat that may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing which may require treatment right away.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Passing brown or dark-colored urine.
• You feel more tired than usual
• Your skin and whites of your eyes get yellow.
• Stomach pain.
• Allergic skin reactions.

What to do if you take too many tablets :

Remember ALL medicines can be dangerous. If you or anyone else takes a large number of Lipi-Cut^®tablets, seek medical advice at once. A large overdose can have serious effects and anyone who has taken too many tablets should go to the nearest hospital accident and emergency department immediately, taking the box to show the doctor.

Side effects :

In clinical studies, patients reported the following common side effects while taking Lipi-Cut^®: diarrhea, upset stomach, muscle and joint pain, and alterations in some laboratory blood tests.

The following additional side effects have been reported with Lipi-Cut^®: tiredness, tendon problems, memory loss, and confusion.Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have side effects that bother you or that will not go away.

Lipi-Cut^®can cause serious side effects. These side effects have happened only to a small number of people. Your doctor can monitor you for them. These side effects usually go away if your dose is lowered or Lipi-Cut^®is stopped. These serious side effects include:

• Muscle problems: Lipi-Cut^®can cause serious muscle problems that can lead to kidney problems, including kidney failure. You have a higher chance for muscle problems if you are taking certain other medicines with Lipi-Cut^®.
• Liver problems. Your doctor should do blood tests to check your liver before you start taking Lipi-Cut^®and if you have symptoms of liver problems while you take Lipi-Cut^®. Call your doctor right away if you have the following symptoms of liver problems:
  • feel tired or weak
  • loss of appetite
  • upper belly pain
  • dark amber colored urine
  • yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes

Reporting of side effects:

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed here.

You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.dorsapharma.com/ (ADR form)

By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.