Drug lipitor symptoms and conditions

I am a 70 year old woman, I have been on 20mg Lipitor for high cholesterol, 200 total and 25mg of Spironolactone for a not so high blood pressure, for 3 1/2 yrs. Oh, my God, the Spironolactone is a potassium sparing diuretic that is very dangerous and has many uses I didn't know about or the terrible side effects, it causes breast cancer. It's also used to treat women who have an over growth of hairiness, or on a higher dose to treat hair loss and I've gone bald on the top of my head! Plus all of the good foods we're supposed to eat for high cholesterol, fruit & veggies one isn't to eat on this drug, because of lot's of potassium, what a huge contradiction. And muscle pains, and rashes, (eczema, atopic dermatitis) that I've suffered from both.
Anyway, Lipitor, had know idea about the side effects until I looked it up on the internet and read these posts on here.
I stopped taking Lipitor last week and Spironolactone 2 days ago.
I had cholesterol test last week too and saw my dr. Wednesday. He said it was okay that I stopped the Lipitor, but not the other one, why not the other one worse then Lipitor and why am I on this strong drug, geez.
The pain and burning started in my hip for no reason, then my ankles with eczema which started soon after Lipitor, then my fingers, numbness, can't pick things up, tingling, burning. Then my feet, yes, just like all of you I have these same problems. This is not just coincidental, this is from the drug Lipitor. I get severe joint cramps in my legs, feet and fingers.
For now on before I take any drug I've prescribed I will thoroughly check for side effects and not take it if they're seriously impairing like Lipitor. I feel like a cripple and older then I should feel, I almost just felt like why live anymore if this is how it's going to be.
Since I've stopped Lipitor I feel a little better, I read that it causes permanent muscle and nerve damage though, oh I hope not, I can barely walk anymore or get up out of my chair. This is all drug induced toxicity of my system. Thanks so much everyone who posted for sharing and enlightening all of us who are suffering from this drug and others.
It should be banned along with Baycol, (a statin) which was banned a few months ago because of these same side effects. With the studies that it only helps maybe to prevent heart attack, well I'd rather be able to walk again and hopefully all this will go away, the rash, etc.

Class-Action Lawsuit Challenges Pfizer's DTC Ad Claim of Lipitor's Effectiveness in Reducing Cholesterol Levels, Wall Street Journal Reports
29 Sep 2005

A lawsuit filed by consumer advocates in U.S. District Court in Boston alleges that Pfizer marketed the cholesterol drug Lipitor to women and the elderly without proof that Lipitor reduces the risk of heart disease in those groups, the Wall Street Journal reports. The plaintiffs -- which include advocacy group Health Care for All and health plans for a New Jersey Teamsters union local, a Brooklyn woman and an elderly Massachusetts man -- allege that Pfizer's sales and marketing campaigns focused on cholesterol reduction and suggested that the medication protects against heart disease. However, there is a lack of proof that Lipitor's effect on cholesterol protects against heart attacks and strokes in women and the elderly with no prior history of the diseases, according to the suit. It also alleges that the company's marketing campaigns violated state consumer protection laws against unfair and deceptive trade practices. The plaintiffs state that although studies show the medication is helpful in lowering cholesterol in men with a high risk of cardiovascular disease, no such proof exists for women or the elderly. The groups are seeking compensation for women and the elderly who paid for Lipitor and insurance companies that paid for the medication on their behalf. A Pfizer spokesperson declined to comment on the suit, saying that the company had not been served, the Journal reports (Hensley, Wall Street Journal, 9/29).

I have been on Lipitor for about 4 years. Now I have an arthritic right knee and the left knee has a little bit of arthritis. My arthritis started getting really bad in both legs my left leg was just as bad as my right leg. Muscle pain was tremendous and getting up and down stairs. furniture, and the car. Then the day before Memorial Day I could hardly move, I thought I was losing both my legs. I could only walk a little bit. No energy. I too had blurred vision with this drug but the doctor said that it probably was just my diabetes. I hurt from the shoulders all the way down to the ankles..It felt like every muscle group was involved. Earlier this year the doctor put my Lipitor up to 40 mg from 20 mg even through my ldl was only 93. My last ldl was 67. The doctors say your cholesterol cannot go to low but I am wondering with all the side affedts I had. I took myself off Lipitor on Memorial Day this year and I feel better. The pain is gone except for the arithritic pain but it is not as bad as what it was on Lipitor. Soo I am done with statins I will lose weight and exercise.

This is a great site for learning more on this subject where we can get the real facts from real experiences.( Vs. the deception from drug companies who are in the business for profit.)

Lipitor is pure poison, and Dr.'s hand it out like candy. All cholesterol reducing drugs that contain statins can trigger dangerous side effects. Not many of us are informed about the real danger of statins when we are handed the perscription. Inappropriate prescribing of medications will continue to be one of the leading causes of death. And we, the patients,do not always receive enough info. from our Dr.'s about the dangers and side effects from prescription drugs.

I'm 48 yrs. young. Female, small build, (was) healthy and active, happy, and an empty nester! My husband and I had moved to another province and hence had to find a new Dr.

I was prescribed lipitor 10 mg. daily after a routine check up by my Dr. because my cholesterol was a little high.

I started taking it in the winter 2005. I stopped taking it in mid June 2007... My side effects were progressive , drug induced, and it escalated to near disabling.

I knew something was terribly wrong. Was it A.L.S., M.S., West Nile, Lupis, Alzhiemers Disease, or a new designer disease? I did not suspect that the drug lipitor was the cause until much later.

At first, my Dr. said it was menopause. I should mention; since I've quit taking the drug 3 months ago, I have no symptoms of menopause !
At least my Dr. has acknowledged and diagnosed the cause of these profound symptoms." Myopathy as a result of statins."

Signs & symptoms I experienced are as follows;

Severe stomach pain.
Muscle pain, aching , weakness, stiffness, tenderness esp.to the lower extremities. Eventually, I could only shuffle to walk.
Pain in the palms of hands.
Stiff neck, shoulders, arms and lower back.
Trouble getting up from a seated position, and climbing stairs.
Extreme fatigue.
Hot and cold sweats
Night sweats
Fevers. High and low grade fevers.
Ringing in the ears.
Difficulty swallowing, and fear of choking.
Pain in the esophagus.
Memory loss, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness.
NO appetite, yet a lot of weight gained around the abdomen area.Bloated.
NO taste buds.
Speech affected, slurring words and mispronouncing. Tongue felt swollen.
Trouble breathing at night, would wake up coughing ( and I was not smoking then).
Trouble sleeping.
Loss of balance and coordination.
Blurred vision esp. in the morning.
Sharp shooting pains in the Rt. thigh.

Most of the symptoms have now subsided. I still have some foot pain and leg cramps and muscle stiffness... and poor concentration. Putting this together has been done with great difficulty, as I seem to pause a great deal and forget what I was trying to say. The recovery process is slow but at least it's progress. My Dr. has not prescribed any more medication. I've done my own research, after the fact, and started taking coQ10. and I've noticed a big difference!

Quality of life? Well, I'd rather have high cholesterol and die from that, than be poisoned again by statins. What quality is there, to live an extremely painful, useless and unfulfilling life? We were all guinea pigs, and we paid a terrible price for this! I hope we all can recover from this with no long term side effects.
If you are considering taking cholesterol lowering drugs do some careful research on statin drugs before you take them, and read the testimonies from those effected by them.
sj.

This may be long, but please bare with me. My mother married and moved away 14 years ago. Before that she had one bypass surgery, and then shortly after marrying another. Sometime in the late 90s she was put on the drug Lipitor. She told me at that time that the new medicine was effecting her memory. My response was stop taking it! Due to the long distance apart and caring for my family I forgot about it. She began experiencing more memory loss and cognitive deficits and we were led to believe it was the beginning of Alzheimer's. Then in 2001 I read an article by Dr. Duane Graveline M.D. who said that Lipitor causes memory loss and other symptoms. I became alarmed and called to talk to my step sister who was helping my Mom and her Dad though living apart, and who was seeing that my Mom took her medicines. She informed me that a new cardiologist my mom had seen recently then had taken her off the Lipitor because of studies done that he was aware of, so I was relieved, but her brain deficits worsened gradually. Now she is living with me (and her husband) and she has worsened so that she cannot function without guidance and directions in everything. I oversee her medicine now and have discovered she is on Metoprolol though she has not had a history of high blood pressure. She must have been put on this shortly after being taken off the Lipitor but by another doctor who put a stent in. Some possible side effects are in essence dementia symptoms and I am convinced that my Mom's Alheimer's/dementia is drug induced. I am very upset about this and hope to convince my doctor who will be her attending physician that this is a real possibility and that it may be reversed if she is weaned off this drug. I will keep you posted.

Lawsuits Filed Over Lipitor Side Effects

By DAVID B. CARUSO

The Associated Press

Thursday, June 8, 2006; 9:33 PM

NEW YORK -- Two men who believe they suffered lasting muscle damage
from taking the popular anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor are suing
medication's maker, Pfizer Inc., claiming the company didn't issue
loud enough warnings about potential side effects.

Charles M. Wilson, a former insurance executive from Atlanta, and
Michael Mazzariello, an attorney from New York City, said in separate
lawsuits that they began experiencing debilitating pain, weakness and
memory problems after taking the drug.

"It ruined my life," said Mazzariello, 47. He said that within weeks
of going on the medication, he couldn't walk without a cane, tend his
garden or lift his 1-year-old child.

The symptoms subsided once Mazzariello stopped taking the medication _
he stood under his own power at a news conference Thursday at a
Manhattan hotel _ but he said he still suffers from pain, fatigue and
a tingling sensation in his hands and feet.

Pfizer called the two suits "baseless" and vowed to fight them in
court. A spokesman for the company, Bryant Haskins, said all potential
side effects of the drug are included on its labeling and often
mentioned in advertising.

Haskins said the number of Lipitor users experiencing those symptoms
is "very, very small ... well under 1 percent," and that they are far
outnumbered by the millions of people who have taken it safely.

Mark Krum, the lawyer handling the suits filed by Wilson and
Mazzariello, acknowledged that the medication may be safe for most
people, but he said that didn't absolve the company of its duty to
market it responsibly and adequately disclose side effects.

I thought it was just old age creeping in...my joints have been so achy and nothing helps them. I decided to read the side effects and found the drug Lipitor to be the problem! After having MRi, and multiple doctor appointments to tell me nothing is wrong the reading I've done has convienced me to STOP this drug! Denise, NY

I am a young 30-something, active, organic-healthy female with unfortunately high (genetic) cholesterol levels (250ish). I have no other health issues and I have never been on any long-term medication. One month ago I was put on my first drug: Lipitor. I was thrilled the first week I had no side effects. As a matter-of-fact, I told my mother it was like taking nothing. Into week two, suddenly, I couldn't lift my arm to put on mascara without it cramping up. My legs began to throb when I used my muscles or lifted my children. It was so incredibly bad by week 3, I stopped taking the drug and a whole week has had to pass before the symptoms disappeared. I blindly followed my doctors recommendation and am frightened to take the next round of drugs to "test" on my body. I think I better do more research on other alternatives, as degenerated muscles, nor heart attacks/strokes appeal to me.