How should I take Lipitor?

• Take Lipitor exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not understand these directions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to explain them to you.
• Take each dose with a full glass of water.
• Lipitor can be taken with or without food.
• Lipitor is usually taken once a day. Try to take your dose at the same time each day. Follow your doctor's instructions.
• Your doctor may want to monitor your liver function with blood tests before starting treatment with Lipitor, at twelve weeks after both the start of your treatment and any increase in dose, and periodically (every 6 months) thereafter. Depending on the results of these tests, your doctor can determine how much monitoring you will require.
• Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with Lipitor. The interaction could lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit and grapefruit juice with your doctor. Do not increase or decrease the amount of grapefruit products in your diet without first talking to your doctor.
• Eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet. To realize beneficial effects from Lipitor, avoid fatty, high-cholesterol foods.
• It is important to take Lipitor regularly to get the most benefit.
• Do not stop taking Lipitor without first talking to your doctor. Lipitor may need to be taken on a long-term basis for the treatment of high cholesterol.
• Your doctor may want you to have blood tests or other medical evaluations during treatment with Lipitor to monitor progress and side effects.
• Store Lipitor at room temperature away from moisture and heat.