Question:
Why do people stop lipitor before surgery?

I've read here that people have been told to stop taking lipitor before surgery. Why is that? My pre-op appt is only three days before surgery. If I'm told to stop, is three days a long enough period to be off it?    — lbwlbw (posted on April 21, 2006)

April 21, 2006
One of the things you must do is listen to your doctor. You are paying him probably 45,000 when you are all done with this. He is the only one right now you should be listening to. After a few months after WLS, then you need to listen to your body. As for lipator, you will not ever need it again after WLS. Good Luck
   — Steve Cohen

April 21, 2006
I dont know about lipitor but some drugs can cause side effects duriung or right after surgery. I heard lipitor can be tough on the liver. CALL YOUR SURGEON ASAP and ask about any concerns like this. thats better than delaying surgery..
   — bob-haller

April 22, 2006
I agree listen to your doctor- mine had me take Zetia up until the AM of surgery- and then stop all together. If you are unsure right now call the doctors office and ask him/her what you should do.
   — dabby

April 22, 2006
Lizabeth, I haven't heard this. I was on Lipitor pre-op and took it to the day of my surgery. The only meds I was to take on surgery date was my blood pressure medicine. I have not taken any since I left the hospital. Ask your surgeon, he/she should give you guideance on when you should stop taking any meds both OTC or Rx. Dana
   — cajungirl

April 22, 2006
Statins like lipitor have a VERY serious potential side effect called rhabdomyolysis; this can be potentiated by being in one position with a lot of pressure on certain tissues during surgery. See this paper: http://paclap.com/Arch_Surg_2004.pdf My surgeon requires people to stop taking their statins a week before surgery, and many people (at least DS patients who have a lot of fat malabsorption) never need their statins again. In my case, my cholesterol was never that high, but I was taking statins because my C-reactive protein was high; it went lower after my DS (and my cholesterol is now REALLY low -- stellar in fact!), but after a year, my CRP went back up and I now take statins again to normalize my CRP. I would be concerned about not stopping the statin sooner -- it has a long half-life in the blood. Call your surgeon and ask.
   — [Deactivated Member]