Pitavastatin
Pitavastatin is a once-daily statin for high cholesterol and triglycerides, sold here as Livalo tablets in 1mg, 2mg and 4mg strengths.
What pitavastatin does
The liver makes most of the cholesterol that circulates in your blood, and pitavastatin works there. It belongs to the statin group, also called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, and blocks an enzyme the liver needs for its cholesterol production line. The liver then draws more cholesterol out of the blood to compensate. On a blood test that shows as lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglycerides, with HDL ("good") cholesterol often a little higher.
It is taken alongside a cholesterol-lowering diet for primary hyperlipidaemia (high levels of blood fats) and mixed dyslipidaemia, and the same treatment helps prevent heart attacks and strokes caused by fat clogging the arteries. Livalo is also licensed for children aged 8 and over who have heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia, a cholesterol problem that runs in families.
A once-daily tablet
Take one tablet at some point in the day, with or without food, and try to make it the same point each day. You will not feel the medicine working. Cholesterol falls slowly, so a blood test a few weeks in is the only real feedback. Pregnancy, breastfeeding and active liver disease are the situations in which pitavastatin is not used.
Side effects
Constipation, diarrhoea, headache and aches in the joints, back or muscles are the effects most often reported, and they tend to be mild.
Muscle damage is rare but serious: unexplained muscle pain, tenderness or weakness, especially with dark urine or a fever, needs urgent attention. Very occasionally a statin disturbs the liver, which may show as yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes.
What can interfere with it
Pitavastatin is handled by the liver, and some medicines change how much of it stays in the body. These include ciclosporin, certain antivirals for HIV and hepatitis C, the antibiotic rifampicin, and fibrates such as gemfibrozil. Adding a fibrate to a statin makes muscle problems more likely. Heavy drinking also adds to the load on the liver.
The Livalo tablets
Order pitavastatin here as generic Livalo, film-coated tablets in 1mg, 2mg and 4mg. Each is a once-a-day tablet, and the strength chosen reflects how high the cholesterol is and whether another cholesterol medicine is being taken too. You will find it with the other statins in the cholesterol category. A better test result is no reason to stop, because cholesterol drifts back up without the tablets.
Sources
- Pitavastatin: MedlinePlus Drug Information — MedlinePlus / U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Pitavastatin (oral route) - Mayo Clinic — Mayo Clinic
Can I order Pitavastatin online in Hong Kong?
Pitavastatin can be ordered online from PockDose with delivery to Hong Kong. The page lists generic Livalo tablets in 1mg, 2mg and 4mg. An order can be cancelled within 24 hours if it has not been dispatched, and support answers 24/7 in English and Cantonese.
How much do Pitavastatin products cost in Hong Kong?
The price depends on the strength and pack size you choose. The Livalo page shows current prices in HKD or the currency you select.
Do I need a prescription to order Pitavastatin?
PockDose does not ask you to upload a prescription when you order pitavastatin. See the ordering FAQ for details.
What are the brand names for pitavastatin?
Livalo is a brand name of pitavastatin, which is also sold as Zypitamag and Alipza. Here, pitavastatin can be bought online as generic Livalo. These are generics, not the original brand.
How long does pitavastatin take to work?
It works over weeks rather than days, so nothing changes after a single tablet. Cholesterol is usually rechecked some weeks after starting, because that is when the drop in LDL shows up in a blood test, and the figure often improves a little further with time.
What is the usual dose of pitavastatin?
Adults take 1mg to 4mg once a day, which lines up with the three tablet strengths sold here. The strength used depends on how far cholesterol needs to fall and on any other cholesterol medicine being taken at the same time.
What happens if I stop taking pitavastatin?
Cholesterol starts drifting back towards its previous level, because the liver goes back to making cholesterol at its old rate. The effect lasts only while the tablets are being taken; nothing is stored up in the body.
Do I need to take pitavastatin at night?
No. Pitavastatin acts for long enough to be taken at any hour, so morning, lunchtime or bedtime all work. Some other statins are advised in the evening, which is where the idea comes from; with this one, keeping to a regular time matters more than the clock.
Is pitavastatin the same as atorvastatin or rosuvastatin?
No. They are different active ingredients that share the statin job, and each has its own strength range and daily dose, so the milligrams printed on one tablet do not carry across to another.