HealthRX.com · Printable lab tracker
Lipitor and glutathione: liver and muscle lab tracker
Keep your Lipitor dose, the exact glutathione product and route, and each ALT, AST or CK result on one sheet, so a prescriber can see whether anything changed when the supplement started. It carries the Lipitor label's liver and muscle warning signs.
Your atorvastatin
Lipitor or atorvastatin dose (mg a day)10, 20, 40 or 80
Months on this dose
Other prescription medicinesinclude antibiotics, antifungals and any HIV or hepatitis C medicine
Grapefruit juice and alcohol, per day or week
Any past liver disease or raised liver tests
Your glutathione
Copy these from the bottle or the clinic's paperwork, not from memory.
Product name and maker
Formcapsule, liposomal liquid, sublingual, IV drip or injection
Amount per dose (mg) and how often
Date you started
If given by drip or injection: clinic, mg per session, sessions per month
Results over time
Ask for the printed numbers and the lab's normal range, not just "normal".
| Date drawn | ALT | AST | CK, if checked | Lipitor dose then | Glutathione form and dose then | Ordered by, and what was said |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Points from the Lipitor label and the glutathione pilot study
- In Lipitor's trials, 0.7% of patients had transaminases persistently above 3 times the upper limit of normal: 0.2% at 10 or 20 mg, 0.6% at 40 mg and 2.3% at 80 mg.[1]
- The label says to consider liver enzyme testing before starting Lipitor and when clinically indicated after that. It does not mention glutathione.[1]
- Muscle-problem risk is higher at age 65 or older, with uncontrolled hypothyroidism or kidney impairment, with certain other drugs and at higher Lipitor doses.[1]
- The label advises against more than 1.2 liters of grapefruit juice a day, and asks you to list vitamins and herbal supplements with your medicines.[1]
- In a 4-month uncontrolled pilot study of oral glutathione 300 mg a day in fatty liver disease, mean ALT fell while AST and GGT did not change significantly.[2]
Call your healthcare provider right away
- Muscle pain, tenderness or weakness you cannot explain, especially with a fever or feeling more tired than usual.[1]
- Possible liver trouble: feeling tired or weak, nausea or vomiting, loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark amber urine, or yellow skin or eyes.[1]
To settle with the prescriber
- Given my Lipitor dose, do you want liver tests before I start or continue glutathione?
- Does a drip or injection change what you would check, or when?
- Are any of my other medicines ones that raise atorvastatin levels?
- If ALT goes up, how will we tell a Lipitor effect from the supplement or from fatty liver?
- Should the supplement be paused before the next blood test?
Sources for the facts on this sheet
- Viatris Specialty LLC, via DailyMed. Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) tablets, for oral use: prescribing information and patient information. Effective 2024-04-15. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=a60cc18b-0631-4cf0-b021-9f52224ece65
- Honda Y, Kessoku T, Sumida Y, et al. Efficacy of glutathione for the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: an open-label, single-arm, multicenter, pilot study. BMC Gastroenterol 2017. PMID 28789631. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28789631/
This sheet records information for a conversation with your prescriber or pharmacist. It does not replace their instructions or the medication's prescribing information.