Cholesterol medication symptoms and conditions

Three and a half years ago i suffered a heart attack, i had three stents put in and was put on Aspirin 75mg, Cardicor, 1.25mg, Tritace 5mg and Lipitor 80mg. I was fairly fit at the time, didn't drink or smoke and ate properly.

But now i'm suffering, i've been to the hospital and my GP, but are told there is nothing wrong, my hear tis good. So why am i suffering with light headedness, pains through my body, back, neck, chest, stomach. So much so i thought i had gall stones or kidney stones. My right knee can't be touched, it is so sore. Chest heaviness, eyesight getting worse, slurred speech, depression i could go on.

I've said this to my doctor, he just brushes it off and says i'm on them for life, ....apparently standard treatment for anyone who's had a heart attack. I walk 5 miles a day, eat 5 or more fruit and veg, don't smoke or drink, do all what i'm meant to. My cholesterol is really low, but so is the HDL too. I was never recommended CoQ10 or a vitamin B complex.

It was my mother who told me to research the side effects of all the meds i'm on. I agree, we all want to live a long and healthy life, but at what cost. I am now of the opinion that doctor's are so use to thinking they are near god like, they have forgotten that we are individuals, that we know our own bodies. I'm sick of the fact that the large pharmaceutical companies send out there sales reps to doctor's surgeries and that is what is deciding what the patients end up taking and not the patient's problem.

DOCTOR'S WAKE UP TREAT THE CAUSE NOT THE SYMPTOMS!!!!!!!

Have been on Welchol for IBS for many years. It stopped my IBS symptoms but does cause constipation. I try to eat healthier in order to help with that. About 3 months ago, I began having pain in my fingers. I thought it was probably due to carpal tunnel syndrome. In the last two weeks, the pain intensified and spread to all the knuckles on my hand; I also had swelling and redness. The pain then spread to my toes, the rest of the bones in my feet, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, and ankles. Next came stinging and burning and then sporadic numbness. By late afternoon, the fatigue was incredible, and I would become dizzy. I went to the doctor, and he ran every blood test available. Everything came back normal, which was great, but my doctor couldn't pinpoint what was causing my problems. He said none of my medicines would cause such symptoms.

My boss asked me if I was taking any cholesterol medication, and I told her I took Welchol for IBS. She said she had read article upon article connecting cholesterol medication to joint paint and encouraged me to check online to see if I could find any answers. This site was one of the many I found where other people mentioned symptoms very similar to my own. My boss suggested I mention this to my doctor. I was thrilled at the prospect of finding such an "easy" solution since my other medications are not easily replaced.

My doctor instantly said that there was "no way" that Welchol could cause these symptoms since -- as so many of your doctors have told you -- that it is not absorbed into the bloodstream. However, he approved my stopping Welchol as an "experiment". I noticed that many of you mentioned it took a few weeks or more for the symptoms to reduce. My doctor warned me again that this was not the solution and that in a couple days, he wants me to consider taking Neurontin or going on a sedative for stress. He thinks, since all the tests have come back negative, that stress is the real culprit.

I know that stress can cause many health problems, but it just seems too coincidental that so many of you have experienced the same symptoms I'm facing. Do you think I'm making the right decision? My symptoms are difficult to cope with at times, but they are not incapacitating. I would really like to try staying off of Welchol and see if it helps in the weeks to come instead of adding yet another medication to my list.

I would appreciate your advice and thoughts. Thank you for your posts -- they have given me real hope for a solution.

took lipitor and erythromycin and now have neuropathy

I am a 52 year old male.8 years ago I had a heart attack.2 stents were put in.I have been on lipitor for the past 8 years.I was on 80 mg. for years,cholesterol got so low the Doctor reduced it to 40 mg.I lived with minor soreness,thinking it was age,arthritis,and a side effect of my very physical job.3 weeks ago joint pain started getting worse! Knee, hips,and especially the shoulders.It got to the point I could hardly crawl out of bed.Feb.20 called the doctor and he told me to stop the lipitor immediately! Today Feb. 24 pain is way less already.I wonder now about long term damage to muscles and joints! I am supposed to call him at the end of the week,very curious about what the conversation will be like. I do not plan to go back on the lipitor especially after reading this web-site.Thanks

I am a 65-year-old female. I was given Lipitor 10mg in Feb 07, which I appeared to tolerate, with the effect of reducing my high familial cholesterol. Because of a genetic enzyme problem, I am careful about my diet; having been a vegetarian for decades. I don’t smoke, and rarely have wine. By May that year my GP increased the dose to 20mg., but days later I was sent to A + E with cardiac concerns. The hospital adamant it had nothing to do with Lipitor.

By mid 2008 I told my GP of dizzy spells, and loss of balance, also swallowing difficulties, but after liver function tests I was reassured it couldn’t possibly be Lipitor.

Early October 08, saw me in hospital with a ‘stroke’, although the CAT scan and MRI were puzzling. I was sent home with no help or guidance after the Consultant insisted Lipitor was not a problem, and I should not reduce it, as it was already a very low dose. Unable to walk to the end of my street, my calf muscles feeling as though I’d run a marathon, and experiencing cardiac stress. Severe neck and shoulder pains, and confusion with words. Frequent muscle spasms in my feet, legs and hands, etc. etc. No energy for anything, and so difficult coping - living alone. End of Dec. a friend from out of town visited, and was alarmed, as she’d researched a web site for her brother, who was using a walking frame. I was astounded at the reports from users of Lipitor, so many suffering in the same way. Although my GP had arranged more laboratory tests for me, I was not prepared to wait.

On 6th January 2009, (almost 2 years later) I reduced my dosage to 10mg., and within days was experiencing improvement in many areas. By 17th January, I reduced to 5mg., (maybe a little hasty) and by 24th stopped it. By 28th my GP could see for himself, the considerable improvement generally, with a lower blood pressure reading.

By then, I could complete half, of what used to be my regular walking regime. To date, I am able to cover more than that, and hope I will eventually be able to cover the full distance. I’m hoping there will be no lasting damage, but am so thankful that my friend found this website. Its scary to think I had no quality of life, and doubt I would have survived more Lipitor. So I’m taking my chances with high cholesterol, and a near normal life.

M.

New Zealand

I am a 52Yr old male and was diagnosed with T2 Diabetes 2 1/2 yrs ago ....The doctor prescribed me simvastin a few month later 20mg once a day all had been fine till about 6 months ago when I developed tinnitus and started feeling very tired...My concentration started to lapse especially when driving as i found i couldn't remember driving down a stretches of the road etc ie passing speed cameras etc ...my memory also seems to have slowed down and i have problems recalling recent conversations or things i have done etc...just recently i have been getting severe itching on the soles of my feet almost becoming painful i have pains /aches all over and now especially have pain in my left arm right knee and fingers...when i get up in the mornings i feel like i have run a marathon the day before as i ache especially my neck and shoulders...needless to say i have now stopped taking the tablets after reading this forum and i am seeing my doctor next week initially i put all this down to getting older ...
Steve

I'm a 38 y/o woman. For 7 yrs I knew my cholesterol has been high. I refused to take cholesterol medication and decided to diet and exercise but that didn't work. I've had 2 children in the past 3 yrs. In May of this year I started having chest pains and palpitations. I had blood tests done. I was given Inderal and also prescribed Zocor 20mg for my cholesterol. It was 243 with and LDL of 178. I took Zocor for a week. I felt so awful. I was weak, I lost my appetite. I was constantly tired. I couldn't even carry my 10 month old son, yet alone care for him. I informed my physician and she changed it to Lipitor 20mg. I thought I was doing fine. I checked my levels again after a month. My cholesterol was 113 and LDL 58. I trusted the doctor knew what she was doing. At the same time I also was taking Omega 3's. I asked my doc to lower the dosage to 10mg. From the time I was taking Zocor and the start of Lipitor. I was feeling tingling and numbness in my arms, hands, fingers, toes, feet and legs. I also was having muscle pain. I asked my doctor about that. She mentioned because of my heart palpitations, it could be symptoms of anxiety and panic. I had feeling of pins and needles throughout my body, not knowing when it would occur. I had muscle pain in my arms and legs and neck pain. I went online to see the side effects of Lipitor and came across this website. I decided to do an experiment. I stopped taking Lipitor 9 days ago. I was on statins for almost 4 months. I don't have the feeling of tingling and numbness, but I still have pins and needles and muscle pain. I have to say, I feel so much better. I hope to get better. I 'd really like to know, how long does the medication stay in your system? What are the effects of getting off it so suddenly. I'd love to feel myself again.

My jaw dropped after reading all of these posts. I started on Yasmin 3 weeks ago. I've never really been on BC's before, so I thought that my headaches, numbness and fatigue were just because of school. I finally connected the dots and looked on the internet to see if it was the Yasmin or if i was just crazy. I am so thankful to have found this website. I wish it was in the paper or advertised. Doctors should not even be able to prescribe this drug.

Has anyone had severe headaches, loss of TASTE for food? My husband is taking 20mgs of Zocor and he has a terrible pain in his back in the center of his shoulders, knees crackle when getting up from a sitting position or bending to pick up something. His vision is getting very blurry, to a point he finds it hard to read, bouts of depression, cannot sleep, but, always tired, no ambition, thumbs lock-up like a Charlie horse, cannot lift anything heavy anymore. He started taking Zocor 40 days ago, and never been on any other cholesterol medication before this. 40 days ago he did not have any of these symptoms! I have a question for the people that have stopped taking Zocor and all other statins, what are you taking to keep your cholesterol and triglycerides down? Has anyone tried flaxseed; fish oil; cholesterol off and/or omega 3? I too, have many of these side effects, especially my left knee (my doctor says I will need a hip operation!!!!) sometimes I need a cane to walk, my eyes are also very blurry at times. We need help or suggestions, cannot get from doctors, they believe medication can do no harm. Would like to hear from those who stopped Zocor and all statins, thanks for reading, Helene

Just went through an arteriogram after failing the EKG part of a thalium stress test. No blockage was found. I had experienced chest pain radiating into my arms upon walking just a half block or up steps, so my internist ordered the stress test.

The nurses and doctor kept asking if my heart rate was always this low (about 40-46 while recovering from the arteriogram), and I said it was usually in the 50's. I had constant headache, frequently with upper right jaw pain (dentist said all was okay there). I took more and more aspirin and ibuprofen to counteract the pain.

My neck was killing me--thought it was from work, but I had never had this much pain and stiffness before. I had increased heart palpitations and extra beats. I am also on Atenolol for tachycardia, and I thought I was fine, until my doctor thought I needed more blood pressure medicine to get the BP below 130/75. I questioned his thinking, but went on and took the lisinopril.

The cardiologist told me to stop it for 5 days to see if I feel better. I have had two days without headache now, and that is a miracle! My heart seems more stable, too. It is too soon for me to go walking, but I bet I won't have the same chest discomfort as I did! I don't think my heart was beating hard enough or fast enough to take oxygen to my muscles when I was exerting myself. This stuff should be taken off the market!

I am a 54 year old male who has a chronic a-fib. My cholesterol was a wee bit high so my now retired MD put me on Zetia, which just about killed me- constant stomach pains and associated GI problems-we all can guess. So I went to see my cardiologist- he took me off Zetia and put me on Lipitor. It dropped my cholesterol levels significantly but the side effects are horrendous. My new MD was gooing to look into it because I was on 80 mg a day- but never did and never lowered the dose-229 is not all that high to warrant 80 mg a day.
I am now experiencing severe pain in my right rib-cage area, making sleep an event every night. Also have severe leg cramps the size of golf balls constanlty at night while sleeping. Pain in both elbows, and in the right foot, which when I can sleep wakes me up with a severe pounding pain. I am also experiencing severe neck and shoulder pain and am generally fatigued all the time- So I quit taking the stuff as of today on my own, I am seeing my MD in two week and I want to see what the difference is pain wise being off of the med for two weeks. I have always been a strong physical guy, played football all the way through college and am in pretty good shape for my age, but this stuff is killing me!! Hope this helps someone else also-Thanks for listening-John in Napa, CA.

I am 40 years old and I was on Lipitor because my cholesterol almost hit 400 (this is due to a family history of very high cholesterol) and I had major problems with muscle aches and my body felt like I was 80 years old so I stopped taking it after two weeks. My doctor changed my medication to Zoccor, however I had HUGE heart palpitations and felt like my heart was going to explode, so I stopped taking it as well. Now I am on Vytorin at the highest dose 10/40 and I feel perfect with no side effects at all. I also take CoQ10 which helps keep your muscles and your heart strong. Do a search on the internet and see the benefits of adding CoQ 10 (over the counter, no prescription needed) with your cholesterol medication. Hope this helps you as well.

I just started with Ezetimibe today but I can tell you the Zocor use to give me the same aches and pain you are experiencing. I stopped the zocor, all the pain and stiffness went away within 7 days. I was told by my physician that cholesterol medication takes weeks to take effect.....