What special precautions should I follow?
Before taking atorvastatin,

what is atorvastatin
Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to atorvastatin, any other medicines, or any of the ingredients in atorvastatin tablets. Ask your pharmacist for a list of ingredients.
Tell your doctor and pharmacist about the prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: Antifungal medications such as itraconazole (Sporanox) and ketoconazole (Nizoral); boceprevir (Victrelis); cimetidine (Tagamet); clarithromycin (Biaxin ); drugs containing cobicistat (Stribild); colchicine (Colcrys); digoxin (Lanoxin); efavirenz (Sustiva, in Atripla); oral contraceptives (birth control pills); other cholesterol-lowering pills Medications, such as fenofibrate (Tricor), gemfibrozil (Lopid), and niacin (Niacin, Niacor, Niaspan); certain HIV protease inhibitors, such as darunavir (Prezista), fosamprenavir (Lexiva), lopinavir (in Kaletra), nelfinavir (Viracept), ritonavir (Norvir, in Kaletra), saquinavir (Invirase), and tipranavir (Aptivus); Medicines that suppress the immune system, such as cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune); rifampicin (Rifadin, Rimactane); spironolactone (Aldactone); and telaprevir (Incivek). Your doctor may need to change your drug dose or monitor you carefully for side effects. Other drugs may interact with atorvastatin, so be sure to tell your doctor about all the drugs you are taking, even those that do not appear on this list.
Tell your doctor if you have liver disease. Even if you don't think you have liver disease, your doctor will order laboratory tests to find out how well your liver is working. Your doctor may tell you not to take atorvastatin if you have or have ever had liver disease, or if tests show that you may be developing liver disease.
Tell your doctor if you drink more than 2 alcoholic beverages per day, if you are 65 years or older, if you have ever had liver disease, and if you have or have had muscle soreness or weakness; diabetes, seizures, low blood pressure or thyroid or kidney disease.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. You should not become pregnant while taking atorvastatin. Talk to your doctor about birth control methods you can use during treatment. If you become pregnant while taking atorvastatin, stop taking atorvastatin and call your doctor at once. Atorvastatin may harm the fetus.

Do not breast-feed while taking this medication.

If you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell your doctor or dentist that you are taking atorvastatin. If you are hospitalized with a serious injury or infection, tell your treating doctor that you are taking atorvastatin.
Talk to your doctor about the safe use of alcoholic beverages while you are taking atorvastatin. Alcohol increases the risk of serious side effects.
What special dietary guidelines should I follow?
Eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. Be sure to follow all exercise and diet recommendations from your doctor or nutritionist. You can also visit the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) website for more dietary information at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/chol_tlc.pdf.

Avoid drinking large amounts [more than 1.2 liters (about 1 quart) per day] of grapefruit juice while taking atorvastatin.

What if I forget to take my medicine?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if it is less than 12 hours before your next scheduled dose, skip the missed dose and continue with your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed dose.