Griffen asked
Should you take Lipitor with or without food? I can't find recommendations.
Answer
Per the prescribing information for Lipitor, it can be taken with or without food. However, food does affect absorption of Lipitor, but this should not have any impact on the cholesterol lowering ability of the drug.
Taking Lipitor With Food
Although it is recommended that Lipitor can be taken without regard to food, food intake does have a slight effect on absorption.
Studies show that food decreases the rate and extent of absorption (also known as bioavailability). The prescribing information states that food:
- Decreases the rate of absorption by about 25%.
- Decreases the extent of absorption by around 9%.
One study that tested Lipitor with food showed that maximum blood concentrations and the AUC (area under the curve) are decreased when taking with a meal. Nevertheless, the study states that these decreases in drug absorption do not effect how much Lipitor lowers LDL (i.e. bad cholesterol). Per the study:
"Changes in rate of atorvastatin absorption are not expected to have a clinically significant effect, as subsequent multiple‐dose clinical studies have shown that dose but not plasma atorvastatin concentration profiles correlates with lipid‐lowering effects."
In addition, the prescribing information for Lipitor states:
"LDL-C reduction is similar whether LIPITOR is given with or without food"So while food most certainly affects Lipitor absorption, it doesn't appear to have any effect on overall cholesterol lowering ability.
