What Causes Chance In ALT Levels When Medication Changed To Lipitor?

Posted on Thu, 19 Feb 2015

Question: My ALT is 112, AST is 76 and GGT is 49. I had been taking statin for years and then changed to lipitor. What caused the elevation of these blood tests? I also noticed that my stool color changed to very light greenish-grayish color.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Klerida Shehu (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Atorvastatin is the cause of your problems. I recommend to stop it ...

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thank you asking HCM.
I read carefully your query and understood your concerns.

Based on the data you provided I confirm an elevated ALT and AST which is a side effect of the statins. It' s a known fact that statin cause liver cell damage which is the cause behing high transaminases (AST, ALT).

You are reporting that you have taken statin for years now and recently changed to Lipitor. You should know that different statins has a different probability of liver damage. Atorvastatin (Lipitor) and rosuvastatin (Crestor) have the hightest probability to cause liver damage.

As long as your stool changed color to greenish-grayish I recommend to stop taking Lipitor for the moment and to continue with the scheduled ultrasound and doctor consultation.

Wish you health!
Dr. Klerida

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Ashwin Bhandari