Which medication requires monitoring of liver function due to potential toxicity?

Atorvastatin is a medication that belongs to the class of drugs known as statins, which are primarily used to lower cholesterol levels in the blood. One of the key reasons for monitoring liver function while a patient is on atorvastatin is that statins can potentially cause liver enzyme elevations, leading to hepatotoxicity in some individuals.

Liver function tests (LFTs) are important in assessing the health of the liver before starting therapy and periodically during treatment. If liver enzymes become significantly elevated, it may indicate that the liver is being adversely affected by the medication, potentially requiring a reevaluation of the treatment plan or discontinuation of the drug.

In contrast, while the other medications listed also have their own monitoring parameters, they do not specifically require regular liver function monitoring as a critical safety measure in the same way that atorvastatin does. For instance, metformin is monitored for renal function due to the risk of lactic acidosis; clindamycin does not generally require liver monitoring but should be used cautiously in patients with liver impairment; and warfarin is monitored through INR levels to assess coagulation rather than liver function. This specificity makes atorvastatin distinct in the context of requiring liver function monitoring.