Drug class
Statins: medications in this class
Cholesterol-lowering medications that inhibit HMG-CoA reductase.
Overview
Statins block an enzyme the liver uses to make cholesterol. The liver then pulls more LDL out of the blood, lowering it substantially, and the class has decades of evidence for fewer heart attacks, strokes and deaths in people at raised risk. They are taken once a day for life.
Atorvastatin and rosuvastatin are high-intensity statins used for people at high risk or with established disease; simvastatin, pravastatin and lovastatin are lower-intensity options used for milder risk, in older people or where interactions matter. Pitavastatin is a newer, lower-interaction option that remained brand-priced longer.
Muscle aches are the most common complaint, and most people who have them can tolerate a different statin or a lower dose. Liver tests are checked at the start. Grapefruit affects simvastatin and atorvastatin more than the others.
How the drugs in this class differ when you pay cash
The four statins prescribed to most people are commodity generics, and a cash price is almost entirely the pharmacy’s fee and mark-up. The brands Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor offer nothing over their generics for a cash-paying patient. Scored higher-strength tablets split in half can halve the tablet count where the prescriber allows it.
Combination tablets of a statin with ezetimibe, or with amlodipine, cost more as brands than the components as generics; ask whether two generic tablets would do.
Pravastatin and lovastatin are the cheapest of all and have the fewest interactions, which is why they are chosen for people on many other medicines. Rosuvastatin was the last of the big four to go generic and some pharmacies still quote it above atorvastatin without any reason in acquisition cost; a second quote usually corrects that.
When paying cash beats a copay, and when it does not
Cash usually wins: ninety-day fills of a generic statin from a flat-price, independent or mail-order pharmacy are routinely at or below a copay. Insurance matters only for pitavastatin while it is brand-priced and for the brand combinations.
Conditions treated
- High Cholesterol
- Heart Disease Prevention
Medicines at a glance
How the medicines in this group are supplied and usually taken. Each guide has the full details.
- AtorvastatinTablet, Oral suspension (Atorvaliq)Generic: Yes · Once a day
- RosuvastatinTablet, Sprinkle capsule (Ezallor)Generic: Yes · Once a day
- SimvastatinTablet, Oral suspension (FloLipid)Generic: Yes · Once a day
- PravastatinTabletsGeneric: Yes · Once a day
- EzetimibeTablet, Combination tablets with simvastatin and with rosuvastatinGeneric: Yes · Once a day
- PitavastatinTablets (pitavastatin calcium: Livalo and generics), Tablets (pitavastatin magnesium: Zypitamag)Generic: Yes · Once a day
- LovastatinTabletsGeneric: Yes · Once a day
| Medicine | Forms | Generic | Usually taken |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atorvastatin | Tablet, Oral suspension (Atorvaliq) | Yes | Once a day |
| Rosuvastatin | Tablet, Sprinkle capsule (Ezallor) | Yes | Once a day |
| Simvastatin | Tablet, Oral suspension (FloLipid) | Yes | Once a day |
| Pravastatin | Tablets | Yes | Once a day |
| Ezetimibe | Tablet, Combination tablets with simvastatin and with rosuvastatin | Yes | Once a day |
| Pitavastatin | Tablets (pitavastatin calcium: Livalo and generics), Tablets (pitavastatin magnesium: Zypitamag) | Yes | Once a day |
| Lovastatin | Tablets | Yes | Once a day |
Medications
Which of these is right for a given person is a decision for the prescriber. The guides explain what each drug is, how it is supplied, and why its cash price varies between pharmacies. No page on this site shows a price; prices come from pharmacies responding to your actual prescription.
Questions worth asking
- Is my statin intensity matched to my risk?
- If I get muscle symptoms, what will we try before stopping?
- Can I split a higher-strength tablet?
- Does grapefruit or any of my other medicines interact with mine?
- When will my cholesterol be re-checked?
How Script Unlock gets you a cash price for a Statins prescription
Prices on this site come from pharmacies responding to a real prescription. We do not publish estimated, average or "typical" prices, because none of those would be your price.
- 1You upload your prescription
A photo of your a Statins prescription prescription is enough. Nothing is sold on the site; you are asking pharmacies to quote.
- 2Licensed pharmacies respond
Pharmacies that Script Unlock has verified see the request and each can reply with its own cash price for your exact drug, strength and quantity.
- 3You choose and pay the pharmacy
You compare the responses, pick a pharmacy, and pay that pharmacy directly when you collect. Script Unlock never takes a patient payment and never sets the price.
Sources
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- MedlinePlus drug information (National Library of Medicine)
- FDA Orange Book (approved generics and therapeutic equivalence)
Written by the Script Unlock editorial team from the sources above. Not yet reviewed by an independent pharmacist. Last checked 2026-10-03.
Script Unlock is a marketplace that lets licensed pharmacies quote a cash price on your prescription. It does not prescribe, dispense or sell medication, does not process patient payments, and does not give medical advice. Always follow the instructions of your prescriber and pharmacist and read the medication guide supplied with your medicine.