Cholesterol - High Cholesterol Message Board

Rev White · 03-23-2009, 04:31 PM

I'm a 43 year old black man that just had a heart attack, and weigh 175 lbs and 5'11 . When I was released from the hospital and the Dr. wrote a prescription for lipitor because my cholesterol was 250 but it was misplaced. when I went to my family Dr. today I informed her that I lost the lipitor prescription and needed another one, she said ok. I took it to the pharmacy and got it filled when I got home I notice that their was no Lipitor but their was a prescription for LOVASTATIN. Whats the difference between Lipitor and Lovostatin?

tjlhb · 03-23-2009, 07:17 PM

Lipitor is the trade name for atorvastatin, although it is still under patent, so there is no generic version.

Lovastatin is in the same family of drugs (known as statins), but is it not the same drug.

It looks like an error was made somewhere in writing or filling the prescription. Ask your doctor whether you were supposed to get Lipitor or lovastatin; if the answer is Lipitor, you may have to sort some things out between your doctor and pharmacy.

Rev White · 03-23-2009, 07:42 PM

Thanks tjlhb, I found out that the reason my Dr. wrote the prescription for the Lovastatin was for insurance reasons. They are both used to lower bad cholesterol and fats(e.g..,LDL),and raise good cholesterol (HDL) in the blood. The Lovastatin is more cost friendly.

tjlhb · 03-23-2009, 10:43 PM

You may wish to consider lifestyle changes as well:

To lower LDL:

Avoid trans-fat from hydrogenated oil.
Avoid saturated fat from red meat, dairy products, and coconut / palm oil.
Replace with unsaturated fat from nuts, fish, avocados, and non-hydrogenated vegetable oil other than coconut / palm oil.
Lose excess body fat.[*]

To raise HDL:

Increase exercise (consult with your doctor first since you have had a heart attack).
Avoid trans-fat from hydrogenated oil.

To lower VLDL / triglycerides:

Avoid sugars, simple carbohydrates, and alcohol.
Lose excess body fat.[*]

Note that some of the above may also help fight diabetes or high blood pressure which are also risk factors for heart attacks.

[*] Your height and weight are not considered overweight by the usual standards, but if you have a lot of soft stuff in the abdomen, it is possible that you have too much body fat there. Abdominal body fat is considered more of a health risk; if this applies to you, you may want to see if you can lose some of it.

ACE28 · 03-25-2009, 08:22 AM

LIPITOR is much more potent and can reduce cholesterol much more effectively. LOVASTATIN is an outdated generic drug that can cause more problems with drug interactions. LIPITOR is a brand drug and is much more effective, (but very expensive). The saying "You get what you pay for" comes to mind. If insurance copayments is a concern, You can ask your doctor about prescribing ZOCOR, which is more effective than LOVASTATIN and is also now available as a generic. To save money you can ask your doctor to prescribe a higher dosage and you can split the tablets in half.