This is not my work i found it on the net a few years ago

Lipitor vs. Red Yeast Rice

High cholesterol affects more than half of American adults, putting them at risk for heart disease. If you are taking Lipitor or a similar drug to lower cholesterol, talk to your doctor about red yeast rice, a proven natural therapy.
Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium)
What It Is: A synthetic anti-hyperlipidemic.
Cost: $66 to $110 per month. Primary Use: Used to lower elevated cholesterol levels and undesirable low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride levels, and increase beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
How It Works: Lipitor acts by blocking an early step in cholesterol synthesis: It causes the cholesterol levels in liver cells to be reduced, which then forces liver cells to take LDL cholesterol out of circulation and place it into liver cells for destruction.
Research on Lipitor: In two multicenter, placebo-controlled studies, LDL was lowered by up to 60%, triglycerides were lowered by up to 37%, total cholesterol was lowered by up to 45% and HDL levels were increased by up to 9%.
Side Effects: They include abnormal liver function, disintegration of skeletal muscle and acute renal failure. People should report any unexplained muscle pain, tenderness or weakness—especially if accompanied by malaise or fever, which may indicate a muscular disease.
Precautions: Other causes for high cholesterol—including poorly controlled diabetes, hypothyroidism and alcoholism—should be investigated before starting Lipitor. Do not take this drug if you have active liver disease, or are pregnant or breast-feeding. Also, don’t take with red yeast rice. The risk of muscle disease increases if these drugs are used with Lipitor: Fibric acid derivatives, cyclosporine, erythromycin, immunosuppressive drugs and azole anti-fungals. Niacin should be avoided (in lipid-lowering doses) if you are on Lipitor. Grapefruit juice is also contraindicated.
Nutrient Depletion: CoQ10—take 30 to 100 mg daily if you are on Lipitor.
A Pharmacist's Perspective
Lipitor is a powerful medication that carries significant risks. Never view a drug like Lipitor as an excuse to continue unhealthy habits—it should only be used by those whose cholesterol refuses to respond to dietary changes/natural therapies.
Red Yeast Rice (Monascus purpureus)
What It Is: Red yeast rice is a preparation made from a yeast that is commercially grown on rice grains. The rice and yeast, which is a deep red color, are ground up into a red powder.
Cost: $20 to $40 per month.
Primary Use: In recent years, red yeast rice has been investigated as a cholesterol- and triglyceride-lowering nutrient. The Chinese have traditionally used it as a food coloring, flavoring and preservative.
How It Works: Among many other things, red yeast rice contains at least nine substances that are similar in structure to the active ingredients in statin drugs like Lipitor. These substances inhibit the activity of an enzyme necessary for the body’s production of cholesterol. It was these substances that the drug manufacturers first studied, then synthesized to make the statin drugs.
Research on Red Yeast Rice: In one large study involving 324 people, researchers gave participants 600 mg of red yeast rice twice daily for eight weeks: Total cholesterol dropped 22.7%, LDL dropped 30.9% and triglycerides were reduced by 34.1%. Beneficial HDL increased by 19.9%. Recent studies have been equally as positive.
Side Effects: Less than 2% of the people mentioned in the first study above experienced heartburn and/or flatulence.
Precautions: Do not take if you are pregnant or nursing.
Nutrient Depletion: It is not known if red yeast rice inhibits the body’s production of CoQ10 (as statin drugs do). Nevertheless, it is wise to take 30 to 100 mg of CoQ10 while taking red yeast rice.
Dosage: Clinical studies have used 1.2 to 2.4 gm of a standardized product per day.

This is not my work i found it on the net a few years ago