Four weeks later symptoms and conditions

I want people to know my story. I am an RN of 23 years currently 44 years old. I was on Lipitor for 5 years started at 39. It did it job with lowering the blood levels etc.

Ten months ago I developed numbness, tingling and burning pain in my entire lower legs. I could not stand in one place it made the pain worse. I work ten hour shifts and I am on my feet the whole shift. I remember coming home and I could not stand the pain in both legs. Feet both would go numb. No back or disc problems. They ruled out diabetes. I had developed a perpheral neuropathy. Neuroton does help take the pain away folks. I would take 300mg at night at needed. I had the restless leg at night. My MD did not think much of all this ran the blood tests and that was about it. I kept mentioning it. Mind you my 47 year old MD also takes Lipitor.

Next fatigue exhausting I can't get out of bed fatigue. I have missed more days at my job in the 20 years I have been employed there. I knew something was wrong as I was so exahusted. I could hardly finish me shift. I got short of breath at the end of me shift.

I took MYSELF off the lipitor. Things got better a little. Four weeks later I still have the severe calf pain, fatigue still missing work, . Now more lab tests are orderd.

Ask your MD to do CPK levels on you this tells you if you have muscle injury or damage.Ok I have been off Lipitor for 4 weeks and my CPK level that I asked to be drawn is 1,225 normal high is 190. I have muscle injury and damage. I hope it is reversible. No wonder why I could not get out of bed.

Ask for those CPK levels. I think any prudent MD should check CPK levels along with the liver enzymes periodically.

I still have more lab test pending. I am on steroids prednisone for 10 days. I hope I can make it to work soon -they are shooting up all my vacation time with this.

This drug caused me a lot of pain , emotional distress, time lost from work.......... stress period. With my RN knowledge I have thought of possibly looking more legally into a Pfizer lawsuit. However; I live in Kalamazoo a lawyer my take my case but I would bet not many MD's in this town who their drug reps bankroll in free lunches and lavish gifts may not back me.

Educate yourself from my story and don't have to suffer atleast 10 months maybe 12 by now. I missed social and family events........... I was always in bed and could not get up just to shower and get ready for work.

Any questions email me. Vicky RN

I was on 10 mg. of lisinopril for about 2 months when I noticed that my left foot and my left hand frequently felt heavy, as if they had fallen asleep. My PCP checked me out and confirmed that I was not having heart problems. Then, I also experienced the "buzzing" sensation in my left hand and left foot. This happened frequently while I was taking the drug. I also experienced a burning sensation in the fingertips on my left hand and the muscles in my left arm ached.

Finally, I stopped taking the medication about four weeks ago and the sensations in my hand and foot greatly subsided, athough they did not go away completely. Ironically, a week after stopping the medication, I developed the achy joints (hand, knees and elbows) that many of you have complained about. Now, four weeks later, all symptoms have lessend substantially. I occasionally get a transient achiness in my knuckles and occasionally I feel some of the strange sensations in my left hand that I have listed above.

I just wanted to let those of you that are experiencing strange neurological reactions to this drug know that you are not alone; I went through what you are going through and possibly more and endured some of the worst weeks that I have ever experienced in my whole life; For weeks I was gripped by the fear that I was developing lupus or MS.

So, if you are struggling with some of these problems, be brave and stand up to your PCP and tell her that you WILL NOT take this drug anymore. I'm sure that you will find as I have that quitting lisinopril will restore your sanity and hope of having a happy, healthy future.

I had a heart attack in April 04 during a squash match. My business had been on the slide for about two years and two days earlier it had ceased trading. It was the two years of stress dealing with this situation that was the cause of the attack. There was a 90% blockage of the main right artery and a stent was inserted to open it up. Straight away the doctors proscribed a cocktail of drugs including Lipitor. After a three months I was only taking the lipitor. At the same time I was determined to get back to full fitness. I am 56 years old and very fit from the squash and I also used to race a bike at a high level 20 years ago so I started to train in earnest with a view to race again in 2005. It was frustrating as I seemed to fatigue easily. I naturally put this down to the after effects of the heart attack. Anyway I persevered with the training and got fitter. At the same time a pain started to develop in my upper left arm and my neck became very sore and stiff. I ended up going to see osteopaths and physiotherapists for teatment but nothing worked. On a spur of the moment decision I decided to stop the lipitor and rely on my diet to reduce my cholestrol. Out training with the guys I was getting back to my old self and was at the front on training spins and leaving them behind on the climbs. About four weeks later I was still suffering from the neck pains then I got my check up at the doctors. They told me that my cholestrol was elevated from the last readings and that I should definitely be taking the lipitor 40mg a day. I told him about the symptoms which he said were nothing to do with lipitor. Like a brainless idiot I took him at his word and started to take the 40mg a day. That was in February this year. There was no immediate change in my fitness levels. I raced a few events and did quite well but nothing like the standard I had been used to. Other muscle problems started to appear. My right foot on the pedal was now at a funny angle. My libido was now non-existent. At night in bed I was getting palpitations and my heart rate rhythym was very irregular with the heart stopping for about two/three seconds about six times a minute. My performances on the bike were getting steadily worse. In May I raced a 25 mile time trial and barely finished the distance totally exhausted. It was then that I researched Lipitor on the internet. I am very very angry to think that the medical profession can proscribe a drug with these side effects. Of course I stopped taking Lipitor immediately. That was 41 days ago. My heart rhythym is now normal, the palpitations stopped and libido back to normal, the soreness and stiffness in my neck almost gone. When riding my bike the foot on the pedal is now OK. My bike training is still suffering as my recovery is not very good though so it is unlikely that I will race agin this year. I am taking CoQ10 120mg L-Carnitine 500mg Lysine 1000mg Vitamin C 2000Mg plus Vitamin B supplements daily.
Please please do not take Lipitor as it is poison. It will proabaly take me anything up to six months to fully recover.

Last May I began taking Lipitor at the advice of my cardiologist. He quickly had me ramp up to 40mg. By late July I was getting leg cramps, dizziness and nausea. In September, I found this web site and decided to stop the Lipitor. Two weeks later the cramps and the dizziness were 80% gone. Four weeks later I'm 100% free of the cramps and the dizziness. Some nausea remains but is minor. I told my cardiologist what I had done. He did not argue with me but suggestd that, when I'm free of all symptoms, I start again with 10mg. I don't think so. Diet, supplements and exercise are the answers from here on. If you're on Lipitor and are having problems, it might be wise to find a different remedy for your cholesterol problem.