Good cholesterol symptoms and conditions

I am a 52 year old female and my bad cholesterol is fine but my good cholesterol is low. I have been taking Lipitor now for a few years and have numb hands and feet to the elbows and knees. My feet are extremely sensitive, worse at night and now I'm getting sharp pains that feel like a bug just bit me. My tongue is also always numb and I do get migraines.I have insane stomach issues and food intolerance. I also take medication for high blood pressure, acid reflux, & thyroid. I have now been diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes but control that with diet so far. Until four years ago I had nothing wrong with me. I am slim and healthy. I had a lump in my thyroid which was removed and there was a trace of cancer. Then like dominos all the other conditions lined up. I have had MRIs and all the tests and doctors insist that I am not a severe enough diabetic to have neuropathy. I can hardly wear shoes now and it hurts when I wear runners while I walk and exercise. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? I hate that my health has become so much a part of my daily life. Does anyone have neuropathy as a result of Lipitor and am I even taking the the right medication since I don't have high cholesterol?

I'm writing this at 4:50am as I am awake because of a flushing episode. I've been taking Niaspan ER 500mg to raise my good cholesterol for about 9 months. So far it's raised only from 33 to 36. Doctor wants it above 40. My bad cholesterol is fine.

This is probably the 4th time I've had one of these flushing attacks in 9 months. My skin is itchy from head to toe and my body looks like I have a sunburn. The itch is pretty intense almost burning. I never take aspirin before but I heard a low dose (81mg) is supposed to help. I actually just took an aspirin now however to see if it shortens this episode. I also noticed the first time this happened that clothing makes the itch even more intense. So needless to say I'm sitting in bed typing on my iPhone w/ out my shirt on trying to get through this.

I noticed the first couple times these seem to last only 20-30 minutes and this particular one is nowhere near as intense as the first time. Or perhaps I'm just more prepared for it because I was also thinking of going to the ER the first time. In case anyone wonders why this happens, I've read 'niacin converts to nicotinamide in the body, and this is when flushing occurs', during that conversion process. Anyhow I heard there was a flush free ' nicotinamide' form of the drug you can take if the flushing is too much or too often.

Well it's now 5:21am and it's starting to subside to a point where I might be able to sleep. I think removing clothing and trying not to move around or scratch too much certainly helps when you have one of the flushing attacks. Good luck everyone.

I am 50 years old. Two years ago was diagnosed with very high LDL and low HDL. I told my doctor then that I did not want to go on statin drugs, but 3 months of Niaspan didn't help the cholesterol, and I hated the hot flashes and flushing that could come at any time after taking a dose. So my doc put my on Zocor.

Two years later I my bad cholesterol is within normal limits but my good cholesterol is still too low, even with fish oil and borage oil taken regularly. Almost immediately after starting the Zocor I started experiencing light-headedness and dizziness that would last for up to a minute--even lying down in bed! My doctor prescribed Meclizine for the dizzy spells--more stinking drugs! I get migraines at least twice a month. For the last six months now I have been experiencing increasing muscle pain, joint pains in the knees, elbows and fingers, and now have been having stabbing pains in lower back around the kidneys. I would wake up in the middle of the night with shooting pains and stiffness in my left knee and cramps in my calf muscles. The first joint of my middle finger had become extremely soar so that I could not make a fist or grip tightly. I have had a recurring stabbing pain in my chest under the left pectorals muscle. My feet and toes are soar--especially my left foot. When I exercise even the slightest or do some long walking or outside work, my muscles in the arms and legs get very soar and tender, then stiffen up. I had to see a massage therapist to loosen up my legs last week! Six months ago I would be up at the crack of dawn, ready to start my day, but recently I have become very lethargic and tired with little zeal for any physical activity. I have had intermittent pain in my left testicle. We recently moved and I started seeing a different doctor. After a physical exam, he brushes off these symptoms.

Well, I stopped taking the Zocor a week ago, and already my fingers are much better, although my knees and elbows are still soar. The dizziness has gotten worse but I'm hoping that after my body re-adjusts and flushes the simvistatin that that will subside, too. I have drastically changed my diet to drop 15 to 20 pounds and lower the cholesterol with better eating habits and swimming exercise; hopefully that will help alleviate the pain, too.

AFTER SIX MONTHS ON LIPITOR, IVE SOME PROTEIN IN THE URINE.
AND A LEVEL HIGHER FOR THE LIVER. I AM GOING OFF OF LIPITOR
AS RECOMMENDED BY ME FROM NOW ON. I DONT MIND CHOLESTEROL LEVELS OF FIVE.
I DO MIND DAMAGE DONE BY LIPITOR. I AM GOING BY AND STICKING
WITH THE GUT KNOWING WITH THIS, AND STAYING OFF OF IT. I AM GOING TO TAKE VITAMIN
C. AND LOWER MY NOT HUMONGOUS BODY WEIGHT, BUT AM DOING
A LOT MORE TO HELP MYSELF. I AM NOT GOING TO HAVE
IRRETRIEVABLE DAMAGE DONE TO ME BY THIS PRODUCT. IT IS
BEGINNING TO HAVE THE SIGNS OF JUST THAT. THERE IS MORE
TO LIFE THAN JUST ONE THING, ALL IS INTERACTING, FOR ME THIS
IS A GOOD MOVE.. NEXT THING I WOULD KNOW IS I AM TO BE TAKING
SOMETHING ELSE WHICH WILL THEN CAUSE SOMETHING ELSE AND
SO IT GOES, ON. NO I AM STOPPING HERE, AND HELPING MYSELF
LIKE IVE NEVER DONE BEFORE, WITH CONSTRUCTIVE POSITIVE
INPUT BY OTHERS, AND ALSO MYSELF AND SOME HARD WORK ON
ALL OF IT. IVE NO DOUBT I WOULD BE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE IFF
I CONTINUED TO TAKE A STATIN OF ANY KIND. THANKS BUT
NO THANKS. FROM A LADY WHOM HAS FOUND OUT THROUGH HER
EXPERIENCE FOR HERSELF ONLY BEFORE HARM THAT CANNOT BE
BACKTRACKED IS CAUSED. ITS NOT TOO LATE FOR ME .

I take fish oil supplements daily. Or every other day. It's a supplement so I'm not too strict on taking it everyday. The bottle recommends 2x a day with meals, but I only take it once a day.

There are no bad side effects. The good side effects are more frequent bowel movements. And more pleasant bowel movements -- no straining or pain. This is the main reason I take the fish oil since it appears that the other medications I'm taking are making my stools hard.

This medication can also help cholesterol, and though I have been taking it for a couple months now, I haven't noticed an improvement. I do not have bad cholesterol or anything by any means, but sometimes my bad cholesterol is SLIGHTLY elevated, and my good cholesterol is slightly lower... but it didn't seem to change that. I might have to take it 2x a day as suggested and check then, but I think it would cause me to have a bowel movement too often (in one day) so it's not something I'm sure I'll due.

I am a 62 yr. old female and in good health. In January 2007, my doctor ordered a cholesterol test and the results indicated a number of 237..."bad" cholesterol was not horrible, "good" cholesterol was very good. The doctor put me on 20mg of Lipitor without any hesitation... After a week or so, I started having horrible leg and muscle pain, so when I went back in 3 months (cholesterol 181), I told him I couldn't take this med, so he put me on Zocor. Really bad joint pain with this one, so I went back again in 3 months(cholesterol about the same) and told him again that this one had similar side effects and diarrhea. He then put me on Crestor...took this med, but was so lethargic and in a fog, my family told me to get off of that one. Went BACK to the Dr. in 3 mos., told him I couldn't take this one...he put me on prescription strength fish oil (6 per day) saying that this one should not have side effects. Other than some gastric/intestinal rumblings and some diarrhea, it was ok, but when I had my cholesterol checked it had gone up HIGHER than when I started this whole ordeal, so he put me on Welchol...saying that this one was not absorbed in the blood...blah,blah, blah... Still had the gastic/intestinal issues, SO when I went back 3 mos. later in March 2008 (cholesterol 200)and having already stopped this one myself, I told him I was NOT going to take any more meds for this "issue," and I would manage it with diet and exercise. I told him that this was supposed to be the best time in my life, and I was tired of feeling so poorly. He blatantly told me that if I did stop taking the cholesterol "you'll probably have 10 good years and 10 "crappy" years, and he was visibly angry about MY personal health decision. I had at one point during that the 1 year + mentioned to him about the information that I had been reading online...he pooh-poohed the whole "internet" thing, indicating that he had better information (I"M THE DOCTOR" syndrome!). Needless to say, I don't trust him, BIG PHARMA, or anyone else who says that these statin drugs are NOT harmful...My husband has since stopped taking Lipitor, due to our children and me noticing lapses in his memory. These drug companies and doctors are totally ignoring the side effects and health issues of the unsuspecting public. Hopefully, the truth will emerge, but how long it takes...who knows??????? I am glad I'm not on them anymore...I feel GOOD, and I know that whatever aches and pains I have ARE from aging and not drugs!!

I am 55 years old. I had open Heart surgery when I was 41. In the last five years, my triglycerides where high. I was on, Lipitor, Tricor, Mobic.
I droped thr Tricor, because I went on line and learned you are not supposed to take tricor and Lipitor together. Lately I have had tingling just below my neck. I am feeling flu like symptoms the last couple of days for no apparent reason. I am weak, all my joints amd muscles ache. My Cholesterol is about 146. Well after reading all this I am going off this stuff today. Are these some of the symptoms?
Also in the last 2 years I have gone from a 8 and half size shoe to a 9 and half...like my feet have swollen.

My Doctor gave me the Niaspan 500mg today to try out...should I take it or should I try and have my diet deal with the low "good" cholesterol?

My name is Charles and I had a major heart attack in 1998 after suffering through great stress. I now have 4 stents that work pretty well for me although each day without pain is a blessing and I am just not as energetic as I was BHA. My doctor recently told me I needed to increase the good cholesterol HDL and prescribed Niaspan to help. While trying to find a cheap alternative to Niaspan and even where to buy Niaspan at a reasonable cost, I came across this page and found out WHY my back was absolutely killing me. I took my office chair down to the garage blaming it for this pain. At Sunday School this morning I hurt so much I had to roll over on the floor and get up like from my hands and knees. Niaspan I conclude is causing all of the lower back pain. Niaspan's lower back pain I discovered is widespread. This crap should be taken off the market. Niaspan is total garbage and should be taken off the market.

I must let you know from experience with both drugs scientifically, Lipitor does lower your cholesterol levels, and when u want to talk cholesterol, talk, LDL's or HDL's donttalk general. Lipitor has been proven to reduce your LDL levels yes, but the standard dose regimen for Lipitor is 40 mg, NOT 10mg, further more once Lipitor does that at 40 mg, it ALSO STARTS LOWERING YOUR HDL's which are your good cholesterol. So dont be fooled that your cholesterol levels have dropped. Consider the patients out there who suffer from GENETIC/ FAMILIAL DYSLIPIDEMIA's . The game is totally different for GENETICALLY OBESE PAX as well.

I think all of you folks with side affects are are blaming your ills on Lipitor rather than putting the blame where it belongs: on your own mental health. I am a 65 YO male and I have been on Lipitor for more than six years now. I have no side affects, I work out four days per week with cardio and weights and feel that Lipitor should be added to the public water supply. My total cholesterol has gone from the high two hundreds to under one-forty on a single daily dose of 10mg. All of you hypochondriacs get a grip.

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

I took Lipitor for 4 or 5 years. I lost count. I am a type II diabetic and the Dr. threw tons of prescriptions at me. I was convinced all my problems were not the result of Lipitor because my sister's Dr. told her that if you had the muscle pain you would have it all over. Well I got sick of feeling like I was 85 years old. I am 57. I know I am not young anymore, but I couldn't sit for more than a few minutes without having trouble getting up. The right top of my leg hurt so bad some times that I could hardly walk . I also had really bad pain on the right side of my lower leg. I had pains in my neck and shoulders and attributed it to stress at work.Last, but not least I had terrible gas and bloating. The gas was downright embarrasing. Well I took it upon myself to stop taking it. Within several days I felt like a new woman! The minute I woke up one morning I could feel the difference before I even got out of bed. I felt like I had been given my life back.

When I called my Dr. to let her know she wasn't very happy and wanted me to come in. Well now she put me on Crestor and it's been two weeks and the old pains and gas are coming back. I am NOT going to take these terrible statins anymore. They say that the muscle and joint aches are rare, but that is only because most doctors won't listen to their patients. You know your own body better than anyone else.

I have heard that some of the "older" statins are not as powerful and they don't have as many side effects. Has anyone else heard this or had any experience using them?

All I know is that for now I am off statins.

My doctor just put me on Zocor a month agao. Both my bad and good cholesterol were high. My total cholesterol was 273. I am already thin and have a good diet so medication was the next step. I have had back pain, muscle stiffnes in my joints, especially my legs. I can hardly get out of bed in the morning. My chest on the left side hurts all the time and I feel a throbbing in my back on the left side. My doctor has done a ton of blood work and also a cat scan. Everything has came back normal. I did not have any of these symptons until I started the Zocor. I have asked my doctor to take me off of Zocor. One last thing, I have also experienced the diziness and blurred vision just for a moment.

I am alright when I take 500mg of Niaspan at bed time but if I increase it to 1000 or as my Dr wants 1500, I have a severe reaction. It does not happen right away but about 4 hours after I take it. The itching is unbearable. I was told that over the counter items like Benedril(sp) would help but it takes a long time if it does help. I do not get these reactions every night, sometimes once or twice a week. I was told to take an aspirin or Advil before taking the niaspan and that seems to lesson the attack. I will say when I took the 1000mg it doubled my HDL(good) cholesterol but I don't think the unbearable itching is worth it. I have been told by my Alergy Doctor that there is something to take to prevent the attacks but he could not remember what it was. He did say that it is not an alergic reaction but a cardiac reaction. I wish I could find the remedy because it has helped raise my HDL dramatically.

I went on Lipitor several years ago. After awhile I had a lot of muscular pain so I told my doctor I was going to cut the medication to every other night. That seemed to help for awhile, but I also started taking 500 mg Niacin (to raise good cholesterol level) about 8 months ago. In the last few months, I have gotten to the point where I can hardly get up from a sitting position and my legs ache and hurt all the time. In addition to this, my skin has discolored and has what looks like a rash under the outer skin. It looks horrible and has come on so fast. This is on my legs. My doctor said last week that my pulse was weak in my feet and legs so he told me to stop taking the Niacin and Lipitor for now. I hope this will help. I have always been a very active person, and I feel like Lipitor is surely to blame when you start having all kinds of muscle problems where there have been none before taking it.

Not really sure of any side effects until reading some of the other postings. I am 33yrs old and have been on lipitor 20mg for about 3yrs, because my body will not make acceptable levels of good cholesterol. Anyone else heard of being put on lipitor for this reason? Any commoents would be greatly appreciated.Thx.

I have read with interest (?) the 'downers' here about Lipitor (Atorvastatin). Most of the posts here are anti Lipitor.
One I read seemed to be ok with it. I have been taking Lipitor 20 mg for 18 months. Sure I have memory loss (I am 62 years of age) ... who doesn't have lapses of memory. Sure I have aching joints ... had that checked out by X-RAY's and it turns out I have arthritis, which I suspected. That's not funny. And sure I have occasional muscle fatigue - that could be due to many things particularly not getting enough exercise which I admit - and that's MY responsibility. And sure there are people who have allergic reactions to many drugs, and to many vitamin and mineral supplements as well - I feel for those people. I am allergic to Penecillin myself.

Many people here might be simply allergic to Lipitor ingredients. Others might have some underlying problem which has been exacerbated by Lipitor - still others may have had those underlying problems for a lot longer than they've been taking Lipitor but it has become easier to blame the Lipitor.

I was particularly concerned at the number of people who have taken themselves off the drug virtually overnight. I have been told and have read many times it can be dangerous to suddenly stop a medication - should be weaned off it. Sudden stopping of a medication can result in liver enzymes going out of kilter and other unwanted, sometimes quite nasty, effects.

As for the drug companies not giving warning - here in Australia anyone can go to their chemist (pharmacist) and have printed out for them, the side effects to any drug.
I think that comes under the Freedom of Information Act.

All I can say in conclusion is - Lipitor has worked wonders for me, and in working those wonders - reducing the bad AND increasing the good Cholesterol, they have taken one worry away from me - that of premature death or severe illness due to high cholesterol. My Doctor advised me (after I had dieted, exercised etc) that she was not surprised those regimens had not worked, and these were her words " a largish person can eat fat drenched food and have low cholesterol all their lives and a slender person who eats well - abstains from fats etc. can have very high cholesterol - No one factor determines it"

Hope you all obtain some form of relief - some way from life threatening high cholesterol. Anne.

I have been taking Lipator for about 2 years. I have noticed bad back aches and aches around my hips. I work in a hospital and I can't walk on the cement floors before it seems my hips want to freeze up. I can hardly make it back to my floor.
Six weeks ago I had my cholestrol checked and it was high. My boyfriend ask me to give him 4 weeks and he would have it down to normal. He had me take Flaxseed oil with Omega 3. 2 pills in the morning. 4 weeks later I had it checked again. It went from 376 to 204 and Trigleserides(sorry for bad spelling) went from 375 to 296. Good Cholesterol was 47. I stopped taking Lipator and am starting to feel better after 1 week. I highly recommend Omega 3 Flaxseed Oil.

When I take Welchol, my whole body is wrenching in pain from the muscle spasm, stomach pain, and I can't sleep from the pain. My body feels as if someone has taken it and just twisted it from my legs up. My doctor prescribed me to take 2 tablets 3 x per day. If I take one during the day, I can usually make it without too much pain. But if I take just 1 tablet in the evening, I am miserable and cannot sleep. I have lipitor and am trying to just take it, but the doctor says I need to take the welchol. My cholesterol is very high and my good cholesterol is extremely low. I know that this drug is supposed to help with raising your good cholesterol, but the side effects are devestating. Even now when I do not take welchol, I have really bad pain in my lower back and hips.