amiodarone vs atorvastatin

According to this portal's Publishing Organization, this page was last reviewed in August 2026 against our methodology. Figures and extracts on this site, including tables above 1,000 rows when the corpus is that large, are the publisher's responsibility.

Side-by-side comparison of amiodarone and atorvastatin. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.

minor Known Drug Interaction

HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitors simvastatin, lovastatin, atorvastatin Increased plasma concentration of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor.

Drug Class
amiodarone Class III Antiarrhythmic
atorvastatin HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor (Statin)
Type
amiodarone Prescription
atorvastatin Prescription
Summary
amiodarone

Amiodarone (Pacerone) is a medicine used to treat life-threatening, irregular heartbeats. It helps to restore a normal heart rhythm when other medicines don't work or can't be used.

atorvastatin

Atorvastatin is a drug that lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart problems and stroke. It belongs to a class of drugs called statins.

What It Treats
amiodarone

This medicine treats very fast, irregular heartbeats in the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart). It is used when these irregular heartbeats are life-threatening. It is also used when other medicines don't work well enough or cause too many side effects. This medicine is for adults.

atorvastatin

Atorvastatin is used to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides in your blood. It can help prevent heart attacks, strokes, and the need for heart procedures in adults with heart disease or risk factors for it. It is also used in children 10 years and older with certain inherited cholesterol problems.

How It Works
amiodarone

Amiodarone affects the electrical signals in your heart. It slows down these signals, which helps your heart beat normally. This medicine can help prevent dangerous, fast heart rhythms.

atorvastatin

Atorvastatin works by blocking a substance your body needs to make cholesterol. This helps to lower the amount of cholesterol in your blood. Lowering cholesterol can help prevent heart disease.

Common Side Effects
amiodarone
  • Low thyroid levels (hypothyroidism)
  • High thyroid levels (hyperthyroidism)
  • Heart failure
  • Irregular heartbeats
  • Problems with the heart's natural pacemaker (SA node dysfunction)
atorvastatin
  • Common cold symptoms
  • Joint pain
  • Diarrhea
  • Pain in arms or legs
  • Urinary tract infection
FAERS Reports
amiodarone
  • Dyspnoea 1,158
  • Asthenia 975
  • Fatigue 895
  • Nausea 606
  • Cough 597
atorvastatin
  • Fatigue 13,812
  • Nausea 12,425
  • Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus 11,244
  • Diarrhoea 11,037
  • Dyspnoea 11,029
Serious Warnings
amiodarone

This medicine can cause serious problems with your lungs, liver, and heart. Lung problems can be fatal. Your doctor will check your lungs with X-rays and breathing tests. Liver problems can also be fatal. Your doctor will check your liver with blood tests. This medicine can also make irregular heartbeats worse. You will likely start this medicine in the hospital where your heart can be monitored.

atorvastatin

Atorvastatin can cause muscle problems, including muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness. In rare cases, this can lead to serious kidney damage. Tell your doctor right away if you have unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, especially if you also have a fever or feel sick. Atorvastatin can also cause liver problems. Your doctor may do blood tests to check your liver before you start taking atorvastatin and while you are taking it.

Pregnancy
amiodarone

This medicine can harm your unborn baby. It can cause thyroid problems, slow heart rate, and brain development issues. Do not breastfeed while taking this medicine.

atorvastatin

Atorvastatin can harm an unborn baby. You should not take atorvastatin if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is also not recommended to breastfeed while taking atorvastatin.

Also Compare, Nearby Drugs

How to Read This amiodarone vs atorvastatin Comparison

amiodarone is classified in the Class III Antiarrhythmic drug class, while atorvastatin sits within the HMG-CoA Reductase Inhibitor (Statin) class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.

Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, amiodarone has 4,231 submissions while atorvastatin has 59,547. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to amiodarone causes the level of atorvastatin in your blood to increase, which can raise the risk of side effects.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.

A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for amiodarone or atorvastatin.

Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.