Pitavastatin User Reviews & Ratings

Brand names: Livalo, Zypitamag

Pitavastatin has an average rating of 5.5 out of 10 from a total of 93 reviews on Drugs.com. 41% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 34% reported a negative experience.

Condition	Avg. Rating	Reviews	Compare
High Cholesterol	5.5	92 reviews for High Cholesterol	55 medications
Dyslipidemia		1 reviews for Dyslipidemia	3 medications
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Reviews for Pitavastatin

laugh...
Taken for 1 to 6 months
April 21, 2013

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "Livalo did bring my numbers down very well in about 6 weeks. However I am now off it with my doctor's blessing as I cannot take the side effects of terrible shoulder pain as well as hands, neck, back, knees & the worsening of neuropathy in the feet and a dull ache in the head. Experienced increased thirst, feeling of having a fever (though not). My memory was not as sharp. I have experienced this on Lipitor, Crestor, Vitoryn, Pravastatin & now Livalo. My doctor said he does not want me in pain & said there are people who have high numbers but still do fine. Have been off Livalo for about a week & see symptoms improving. I am tired of living on "Statin Island", so once again I have moved on. Am trying plant sterols, pectin, fiber, oats."

8 / 10

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205 Report

FEG
Taken for 1 to 2 years
January 4, 2013

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "I have been on many Statins over the last 20 years, I am a 61 year old woman. I have been taking Livalo for about a year, as I had horrible muscle aches and thought had the flu on other statins. The muscle aches and weakness are back. My doctor insists because of my high cholesterol and triglycerides I must take SOMETHING but I can't take the muscle pain. I am stopping, and calling the doctor."

7 / 10

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152 Report

Anonymous
January 30, 2011

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "My doctor prescribed Livalo after I developed a resistance to Crestor which I had taken for many years. I took 2mg per day for about 20 weeks but have had to stop because of the diarrhea and stomach distress. Also, I have experienced an extreme loss of hair which I can only attribute to the Livalo. This is not listed as a side effect but I don't have any other explanation."

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149 Report

Frequently asked questions

SueBee...
May 1, 2011

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "I have taken statins for the past 20 years, having to change regularly because of side effects of muscular pains. Triglycerides were high also. HDL low. LDL high. Cholesterol level 4 months ago was 325. Started taking Livalo for the first time. BLood work 3 months later - Cholesterol 197, Triglycerides the lowest I have ever, ever had. HDL high. LDL low. Never had these kinds of results before. Very happy. I have had muscle cramps in hands, feet and legs at times. Thought it might be due to low potassium or magnesium. Blood work proved to be normal range for both. Perhaps it is the Livalo."

9 / 10

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137 Report

Anony...
October 17, 2013

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "I'm sure Livalo works for some people but after the first pill I had to stop. I felt like I had severe flu symptoms. My head pounded all night, my neck was sore and stiff, I felt disoriented like my head was full of cotton and had a mild panic attack. Couldn't go to work the next day. It's too bad because I know it does good for some but the side effects hit me hard. I'll have to stick to diet and exercise."

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108 Report

Are you taking this medicine?

Anonymous
October 23, 2011

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "I have been taking Livalo for 6 months. Changed from Crestor due to leg cramps. My recent blood work was the best I have ever had, however I was recently diagnosed with stage 3 chronic kidney disease. Never had any problems before, also extreme hair loss. I attribute both to Livalo."

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122 Report

Lmtony
December 30, 2015

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "Male, 56 years old. Work out three times a week. Started Livalo four weeks ago. No muscle pain but started to get extreme back pain in the morning while waking up. Also, the memory loss and confusion was severe. Actually went to neurologist to check me for dimentia or Alzheimer disease. Tired of the statins and their severe side effects. Tried most of the popular ones."

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85 Report

lewhoo
November 21, 2010

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "The reason the doctor changed me to Livalo is because I was having side effects from the medication I was on. I have had no side effects from Livalo. The only problem I have with it is the cost. Very expensive."

10 / 10

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120 Report

Anonymous
Taken for 6 months to 1 year
October 26, 2012

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "I'm sensitive to statin drugs. Have tolerated Livalo well for about 6 mos. then started having extreme weakness in my legs, confusion, forgetfulness, and my hair is falling out. Also dark urine but only in the morning (I take my Livalo at bedtime). Don't know if I can contribute all the side effects to the Livalo since I also take other medicines. I'm taking the maximum dose. At last check my HDL was 85 and my LDL was 115."

8 / 10

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103 Report

berlo...
Taken for 1 to 6 months
March 13, 2013

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "I have been taking livalo for 4 weeks and started having mild aching in upper extremities but then had severe pain in my left thumb and palm pad and weakness in my arms and wrists. I also was chilly all the time so I think I had a temp. I also began having frequent urination. I immediately stopped taking it. My symptoms are much less painful. I have not been able to take statins before."

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96 Report

JOEjoe
June 28, 2011

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "Have high cholesterol and triglycerides. I am also a diabetic and I have borderline high blood pressure. My doctor put me on Livalo because he said that because of all the medicine I am on, an advantage of Livalo is how it is metabolized. It does not use the liver much. That makes me happy. I am tolerating it well and my LDL went from 225 to 110 in 90 days. I will take that."

10 / 10

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101 Report

KCJan
February 23, 2014

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "Cardiologist put me on this because I had muscle cramping and pain on Crestor and other statins. Took very low dose once a week. Tolerated it well for about 2 months than started having muscle cramping in my leg so severe that I was completely unable to sleep. Have not had cholesterol levels checked, but I will have to stop taking this."

2 / 10

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84 Report

MBHJ
Taken for less than 1 month
January 23, 2015

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "After taking 2mg of Livalo for 3 weeks, I experienced several side effects, so much so, I am no longer taking any statin. Severe muscle pain and weakness and joint pain, flu like symptoms but no fever, even though I felt like I had a fever. Slight cough, runny nose and extreme lower abdominal pain. Then came the chills. That's it. I have experienced muscle weakness and pain on other statins, so my body knows better and I'm listening to it."

1 / 10

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78 Report

Basse...
Taken for 1 to 6 months
June 26, 2013

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "I have been on Livalo for 4 months. About 4 weeks ago starting having pain in fingers of my left hand. 2 weeks ago pain in back of leg from above the knee to the foot. Pain is persisting and hinders my sleep. I have had problems with my muscles while on Lipitor and Crestor."

1 / 10

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87 Report

HKFlash
December 22, 2014

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "Livalo is the first statin medicine I have taken without experiencing muscle pain side effects. After a year, I still have no issues though I had to stop taking 3 others including pravastatin, Crestor and Lipitor. My numbers are all good now with a particularly good reading for good cholesterol."

10 / 10

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76 Report

Q10
Taken for less than 1 month
March 10, 2013

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "I was surprised at the amount of negative reviews versus good reviews for Livalo and other statins. I am a 45 year old male. 205 LDL 280 total cholesterol. I have been on it just about 1 month. First 2 weeks did have some mild muscle soreness on back of legs but heard that CoQ10 helped and it seemed to go away after taking that and I also take Vitamin D. I work out a lot and lift weights and would feel a little more fatigue than normal when working out. I noticed if I take creatinine prior to working out I feel as good as before taking the medicine. So all in all I feel pretty, pretty good. The two supplements I am taking seem to work for a lot of the side effects people talk about. I will go back for testing in 2 weeks."

9 / 10

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85 Report

Charg...
July 9, 2013

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "I am 50 and had 2 heart attacks and 2 strokes. I cannot take any statins because of leg cramps. I have been on Livalo for 18 months my cholesterol is 183 from 329 I love it. It took the place of 4 different medicines that caused a mal-absorption problem. I go through patient assistance program but was told Lilly care doesn't carry it any more."

10 / 10

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82 Report

Hyeoc...
February 7, 2014

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "I've been on Livalo for 9 mos increasing the dose from 2 mg to 4 mg every other day with no side effects then due to poor LDL test (140) my MD switched me to 4 mg every day after 45 days I now have extreme diarrhea, stomach pain overall weakness and feel like I'm depressed And in a fog, sexual desire has waned as well - I'm stopping the meds. I'm 55 yrs old I work out 4 x a week lift weights etc triglycerides have always been low (55) and HDL (76) high without meds, only LDL was 170."

1 / 10

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77 Report

Merry...
Taken for 1 to 6 months
May 26, 2012

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "I have extremely high Triglyceride, and very high cholesterol. LDL could not be calculated due to very high Trig levels, HDL very low. After I had been on Livalo, a medicine for high Trig, it brought my Trig level down so that LDL was calculated 199, Cholesterol 365, still low HDL. I have tried several brands of statins that made me very sick. Since I was prescribed Livalo, I am happy to report that I don't have the side effects the other statins caused. I am hopeful for my next lab draw, after hearing about the positive reports you have posted on this site. "

9 / 10

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86 Report

PaulDK
Taken for 1 to 6 months
July 29, 2015

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "Went off lipitor after about 7 years followed by crestor for 2 years. I experienced muscle pain and nightly heartburn. Started Livalo after being off Crestor for 60 days to make sure it was the statin that caused the muscle pain. It was. Now experiencing no muscle pain with Livalo and to my surprise no heartburn. Had no idea that lipitor and crestor caused the heartburn. Had NMR bloodtest last week. Livalo is amazing. Triglicerides plummeted, cholesterol particle size went up nicely and insulin resistance went from pre-diabetic which it has been for 5 years to no risk. If your Dr. doesn't do NMR test you may be taking statin unnecessarily. My cardio Dr. doesn't even want to know what traditional HDL and LDL numbers are."

9 / 10

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65 Report

Chris...
July 28, 2015

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "Crestor, Lipitor, in fact all statins except Livalo gave me severe muscle pains 24/7. Having Post Polio Syndrome the situation was exacerbated. Livalo gave me no pains at all for the 6 or so years I have been taking it."

10 / 10

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63 Report

Ttex
Taken for 2 to 5 years
January 8, 2015

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "Tried numerous statins over a dozen, legs hurt so bad couldn't sleep. Been taking this 2mg for over two years NO side effects. If you not on any govt program like Medicare you can use the company card and get it for $18.00 a month vs. $233.00 a month cash. "

10 / 10

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62 Report

BARBQ
December 17, 2011

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "My 81 yr old father took 2 pills of Livalo. He stopped it because he was in pain right away. He still complains of pain and it has been at least a year since taking it. He is off all statins because he reacts to them. "

1 / 10

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76 Report

Bonnie...
January 27, 2011

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "I could not tolerate Lipitor. My Doctor switched me to Livalo, I have had no side effects. I have not gone back for a blood check of my cholesterol yet but am pleased by the lack of any side effect thus far."

8 / 10

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73 Report

Nero
Taken for 2 to 5 years
September 20, 2019

Livalo (pitavastatin) for High Cholesterol "For the past 10 years my doctor try every cholesterol pill on me all of them gave me muscle pain and couldn't walk, he gave me Livalo 2mg to start and it was totally different now I take 4mg and no muscle pain at all."

10 / 10

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33 Report

Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.