Heart attacks 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.

Joint pain in fingers, joint pain in knuckles, wrist weakness after a week on 10 mg daily dose of Zetia. Amazing reduction in bad cholesterol and triglycerides when used with daily maximum 80 mg dose. Zetia was discontinued because of these painful side effects. 68 year old male.

i ave a friend who has just had a bad case of the flu which has turned into pneumonia. her doctor out her on levaquin! i almost had a heart attack, called her and begged her to stop it. i sent her a bunch of info about it. why not put her on augment, something with less chance of adverse effects.
now i find she had a stroke over the weekend and is in the hospital! has anyone heard of anything like this on levaquin?

I am a few days away from my 19th birthday and i've been taking Yasmin since the age of 11. I was diagnosed with PCOS when i was 11 and Yasmin has been what's keeping my period regular and more or less pain free since then. In May of 2008 i was switched to the generic version of Yasmin called, Ocella and started to notice more and more symptoms and side effects. My stomach pain in the mornings grew greater by the day and when i was on my sugar pill i would gain an unbearable migraine. Thinking it was just part of being a woman i ignored it and went about my life. It wasn't until December of 2008 while out with a group of friends i came into some serious stomach pain. thinking it was just a typical stomach ache that i normally got i ignored it. when i came to be about 4 am and the pain hadn't stopped i started to worry. first thing in the morning i went to the doctor who referred me to get an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed that i had gall stones and that i should have my gall bladder removed before more complications were to occur. Being a college student only a week away from returning to my second semester i opted to wait until spring break to have the surgery. During the 3 month wait i experience extreme diarrhea whenever something was put in my mouth, extreme stomach pain, heartburn, nausea, headaches, sore muscles, the list goes on and on i felt like i had been hit by a truck every day and i still had to go to class. in March of 2009 i had my gall bladder removed thinking that the symptoms would finally stop i returned to school only to find that nothing got better. It's been 7 months since my gall bladder has been removed and i'm still having the same symptoms as before and now i've added depression, stress, lack of energy and interest and many other things to the list. I'm still taking Ocella because i've never been advised otherwise but the symptoms are taking over my life. I am a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering at college and it's just become harder and harder to focus on my work or to enjoy the aspects of college that i should be with the frequent trips to the bathroom or having to opt out of a fun activity because of stomach pain. I was wondering if anyone can help me, maybe point me in a direction where i can get better and get back to enjoying what a 19 should be. Thanks.

I am not sure of the origin, but I have my issues outlined below since I switched to the mail order Simvastatin. I was getting it from Rite Aid for over 2 years without issues. I found out mail order Simvastatin was made by same company as Rite Aid, TEVA.

My issue is throbbing in neck, high blood pressure (HBP), twitching in eyes (prob due to HBP), uncomfortable in general. I also know that I took pill in morning and by 9am issue would start and get worse into lunchtime, where is was the worst, then subside by 2 or 3 pm. Doc said it was nerves and stress and gave a script for that. Also said get off of simvstatiin for 2 weeks. Well without much or any change to the stressors in my life work, stock market, etc, I am not experiencing the throbbing or HBP. I have not taken the script for stress or the Simvastatin either. Didn't like the idea doc said you can get addicted to stress pill. I will get back in Simvastatin shortly, but do expect to be back where I was within a week or so. Anyone else experience this throbbing and HBP.

Ok a lot of the women on here seem to have already had a kid or kids. I'm 25 and havent had any yet. I smoke and am on adderall for add, which are both risks for strokes blood clots and heart attacks. So I have to be on something with little to no estrogen. I am horrible with taking the pill, and heard horrible things about the shot, mainly weight gain.

So my gyno suggested an IUD, Mirena, saying that since there is only a "small" amount of hormone in it, that I would barely have any side effects. And I have crappy health insurance and was so happy that they covered it. I was like ok little side effects and good for 5 years and FREE! Awesome! Gotta be a catch.........I figured the catch would be the painful insertion or something.

So the first weekend with it in, I went camping. At our campsite, with no real bathrooms mind you, horrible sharp pains, like worse than your worst period ever. I had only been spotting a tiny bit. When i woke up it looked like a murder scene. Blood all over. I went home and took ibuprofen and used heating pads. But for about a month, the cramping continued. They started to decrease in pain and started to happen less and less and I was so relieved.

second month. cramps stopped, but everything else started to hit the fan. First and foremost, my hair. I have thin straight hair to begin with, and I used special strengthening shampoos and conditioners to prevent breakage. So on month 2 on mirena, I noticed my brush was accumulating more hair than usual. My shirt would be covered in hair every time i brushed. Then I started to look at the hairs.....they were falling out, not breaking. By the root. Then I started to freak. Because my adderall kills my appetite, I never really ate. So I was thinking, could be a vitamin deficiency, thyroid problem, no idea. Then I googled mirena and hair loss and I found this website as well as hundreds of others where women would post their side effects. And almost every one mentioned losing hair. i have not had any kids, I know that if you are preg or have a child you can lose hair. I got my thyroid checked, its fine. And Im taking 1-a-day vitamins for women, fish oil pills, you name it. Oh, and after all my hard work losing 50 lbs, I gained 10 lbs back already and Im not even eating too much more than I did before. Its mainly my belly and face.

Ok aside from appearance there are other side effects driving me nuts. I also have really bad anxiety already, and it has been a million times worse. So much worse that I had to up my anxiety medicine. Mood swings? Try Mood Rage. I feel like Im on a steroid. I nanny for 2 2-year olds. I used to have infinite patience, which is a major requirement if you're working with children, and now snap easily and have to go in the bathroom and calm down, but I usually just end up crying........

Cant concentrate, going to be bald by Halloween, and am gaining weight that I cant lose. Panic attacks and short temperament and almost feeling bi-polar. Also killed my sex drive!

This is my third month. thought I could just suck it up but Im losing more hair every day. I feel guilty at work when im never in a good mood anymore. I feel depressed, ugly, and bloated, fat, crazy...........oh I forgot to mention pimples. never had em. now i get em on my face, shoulders????? and back.

Im obvis. getting this demon ripped out of me, and when my gyno is finished doing it, I'm going to be giving her a nice punch in her face.

i have never taken lipitor and i never will but here's a warning for everyone- there is actually a company that sells reports for stock investors and they are advising people to invest in the company that makes the one of the only drugs used in the management of ALS. they predict that the ALS patient population (code for customers) will grow as a result of all the people on lipitor.

ok, aside from the fact that it made me sick to my stomach that wall street views the potential suffering and death of ALS victims as a business opportunity (what else is new?), this is a pretty good indication that there is a link. it will probably take years for "science" to conclusively state the connection and for the FDA to take lipitor off the market

in the meantime, save your own life. if you're not taking it, don't start. if you are, stop NOW! cholesterol is not the enemy

I have been reading all of your Simvastatin experiences with high interest and would like to share my adventures with all of you as well. My story began seven years ago when I was relatively healthy and enjoying life. My doctor prescribed Lipitor for my elevated cholesterol and two months later I found myself in the emergency room after having a severe bout with vertigo for the first time in my life. I have since spent the last seven years fighting this debilitating illness which continues to haunt me after having seen every top neurologist in my area and having taken every neurological test available. It would be as difficult to convince me that I was not somehow "poisoned" by Lipitor as it was for me to convince my doctor.

I was eventually prescribed Simvastatin 40MG and seemed to stabilize for a few years even though my dizziness problems persisted. Suddenly I began experiencing bouts of upset stomach and severe lower abdominal pain. I allowed my doctor to order basically every nasty test known to man in an effort to discover the cause of this new problem, but all have come up negative so far. Eventually I began to experience total exhaustion in the middle of my work day, not to mention the back, neck, and muscle pain that has been described so vividly in this forum. Basically, I have become a 53 year old man who feels much older, has absolutely no energy, and rarely has a day when I can honestly say I feel alive and well.

I am not a doctor and I can't honestly prove that Simvastatin is the cause of all of my problems. However, I do have common sense and after reading all of your thoughtful comments on the subject I would be foolish to at least not suspect that the drug may possibly be making me less healthy and not more healthy. Thank you all for opening my mind to this possibility and I certainly plan on discussing this with my doctor very soon, who may no longer by my doctor should he continue to insist that I take this nasty drug.

I'm 22 years old and have been on YAZ for 1.5 years. I was originally on Yasmin and was fine but my Gyno suggested that for my body type and slight anemia I was taking more estrogen than necessary, so I agreed to try YAZ. I was excited at first, hoping it would help with my mood swings (which were not as severe as experienced with those who have PMDD). Everything was fine (clear skin, light periods, etc) until I noticed that in the past few months I was getting severely emotional (which is the complete opposite from the kind of person I am). For a while I thought it was just a phase and something that would pass but it has gotten progressively worse, to a point where I have become overly sensitive, crying with out reason and was experiencing anxiety. All out of the ordinary and very scary. Since I am an active healthy individual with no other medical concerns or on any other meds I realized that I may have been suffering side effects from the YAZ. The mood swings were particularly worse on days leading to the placebo pills and into the first week. I have been off of it for the past three days and will talk to my Gyno on Monday to either go back to Yasmin or try something new. Of course it will take up to a month for the YAZ to be processed out of my body.

Honestly it was a scary experience and it was good to know that my sudden bouts of sadness and anxiety wasn't all in my head. While YAZ may not be for me I know people who have not experienced any side effects while on YAZ. So if you are considering it I would suggest giving it a try but keep track of any changes in mood or side effects.

I have also noticed that people who were actually suffering from PMDD have like their experience with YAZ and women without PMDD have seemed to experience it while on YAZ, of course this is simply an observation and nothing else.

I am 33 yrs old. One night I was sleeping and about 12am, I woke up with my heart racing and I was having a squeezing feeling in my chest. I went to the ER and my blood pressure was extremely high. However, when they were running tests on me, they found that I hadn't had a heart attack and I was diabetic. The doctor gave me a stack of prescriptions to start taking. A few months later I went to see a different doctor, one that accepts my discount plan, and he took me off everything but metformin and 5 mg/day lisinopril. Since that night, the beginning of March, I am not the same person. I am keeping my diabetes under control, and my blood glucose is always in normal range. My last A1C test was 5.8. However, I am to the point of paranoia concerning the dead tingling feeling that I have in my feet. It is very on and off. There one minute then gone the next. It's not a feeling of numbness, because I can feel the slightest touch. Now from very little research I have already come to a conclusion that its the lisinopril. THE COUGH is enough to make me depressed and moody on its own, but now I'm thinking that my major mood swings are also coming from this drug. I cry all the time because I am worried that the diabetes is effecting my feet and that is what the doctors tell most people. My doctor said that I haven't been diabetic long enough to worry about neuropathy and that the sensation in my feet could be from a million things. Then almost every website I've looked at so far has hardly anything good to say about Lisinopril. I want to stop taking it, but don't have the money to afford an expensive medicine. what should I do? My blood pressure is usually around 102/68-70

Cholesterol slightly elevated Dr. recommended 10mg dosage. Began experiencing neck and shoulder pain, dizziness, nausea, foot stiffness and leg numbness up to the lower thigh. Voluntarily stopped the medication after four months. All noticed side effects disappeared except for the foot stiffness and leg numbness. It has been 2 1/2 years and these remaining side effects are constant. Not optimistic for recovery. Anyone else with similar symptoms?

been taking 20 mg for several months, stopped it for about a month, and started back taking it at night for 1 month now. It seems that every time I bump my hand or arm it turns into a bad looking blister, someone asked me tonight if I had poison oak, which I don't. I have had blood tests and everything is normal. It really looks bad.

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!!!!!!!

I've been on lipitor and other generic forms of it for the last 8 years since the age of 26. I started on 10mg then 20mg and later 40mg. About 4 years ago I started with severe stomach cramps. The pain is so bad that I have to go home in the middle of the day, I can't walk or sit straight the pain is that bad and NOTHING helps. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would probably put this at a 7 or 8. I would also be nauseous and be really tired. I have had countless opinions and tests done and doctors keep telling me it is an "enigma" and there's nothing wrong with me. We've treated it through coeliac diet, exercise, lots of water, but it never helped. About a week ago I stopped drinking my meds by pure chance. I have not had one incidence of stomach ache. My doctor tells me that it's not possible for the lipitor to be the cause. I am sure he's wrong. Has anyone had a similar experience?

Except for having high cholesterol (310), I'm a 29 yr old healthy active female, very petite and weigh 98lbs. My mother has had a quadruple bypass and 4 stents at the age of 54, high cholesterol is just hereditary in my family. My doctor put me on 40 mg of zocor. The first week taking zocor I started feeling strange, a little soar here and there and very tired at times, also I have become very forgetful. It's been almost 2 months now and I have severe pain in my legs. First it was the right leg and now both legs, the pain starts at my lower back all the way down to my cav. I have a burning painful feeling sometimes numbing feeling, its driving me crazy!!!! I can't stand for too long cause I feel tons of pressure on my lower back pushing down my legs, It feels like my sciatic nerve. I went to my doctor and he said he is 95% sure that this is from the zocor medication, he told me to stop it right away. This is my first day without it, I know I need to do something to prevent what happen to my mother, I'm on a strict healthy diet, staying away from all fatty cholesterol filled foods, but there has to be a better way then taking statin drugs! If anyone has some ideas of what kind of alternative meds I can take, please help.

Was on Lipitor 2 years ago and had to come off because of side effects - sever muscle pain.. Prescribed Niaspan instead .. 2 months ago my cholesterol rose to 7.1 and my doc put me straight back on Lipitor - 10mg.. Feeling lousy - neck pain, leg pain, dizziness, fatigue ... head feels fuzzy all the time and get sudden twinges in my chest.. Had stress test done last week and all ok.. Also have severe digestive problems. Going to wait until 2 full months done and going to get bloods done again

I am 20 year old female and have a bad family history of high cholesterol, iv been taking 40mg/day of lipitor for nearly 2 months.

I get these painful cramps in both legs the back of my legs above my
calf muscles. They always come after midnight when I am asleep. i
get up and I have to walk 30 minutes or more until they stop,and for
two days my legs are sore.

omg, im 32 years old been on zocor for 3 months now and am experiencing dizziness and disassociation with myself. I know now that it is from the drug. It seems like i want to sleep all the time. I was pretty convinced it was from stress but i have been in war in Iraq and under stress-post war depression and its nothing like statin side effects!! I went on statins because of a genetic disorder that runs in my family, the cause, well high cholesterol. Now my levels are fine but i feel like im a zombie most days? i know in the long run its healthier for my heart and veins to have low levels but at what extent? i think im going to go off for a few weeks and then back on it.

Well on 2-15-09 my sister in law died just shy of turning 39. She had severe depression, As of three years ago she began starving herself. She would go weeks without eating or drinking anything. She was in and out of the hospital through out the years. She started taking Lamictal six days prior to 2-15-09. The Dr. said she had made a mistake and wrote 100mg where it should had been 25mg. The doctor's later stated it didn't matter if they wrote 1mg it would have happened eventually.

Now we had called her on her birthday three days prior to 2-15-09, and she said the medication made her feel weird. That night she fell to sleep and did not wake up but for only a brief minute in the hospital. After being asleep for a day she was rushed to the hospital were a battery of test were run. She had begun to have liver failure and sepsis. The doctor's had her airlifted to a hospital four hours away where liver specialist were available. She arrived there and withing a few hours her lungs collapsed, her kidneys began to fail, and she had two heart attacks where she finally died at 11:10 pm on 2-15-09.

So I am here to make you aware. This is the side affect no one has talked about yet. Now she had no rash. She had weekend her system by not eating. Other than her depression she was OK. The doctor's don't know if she had an allergic reaction or not. The autopsy will be arrive in 40 days. With just some fatigue and weird feelings she continued to take the medication for the six days. I read on and on and I see so many symptoms, this would be a great time to evaluate with a profession because lets face it we really don't know the long term affects. It could be doing damage to your internal organs, or not. I feel if your body is showing you signs that are not normal than it is a good indication that your body is telling you that is cant tolerating it to well. So at least your getting the signs you might want to see what else is out there. As God is my witness we wanted her healthy and to not suffer so I really do have only good intentions for you all.

The funeral is today.

I have been taking Crestor since early September 08. Prior to that I was on Vytorin for quite awhile. I now have right sided parthesia and my face tingles constantly on the right side. I have had MRIs MRAs not to mention blood tests that say my kidneys are spilling calcium. No one seems to have a clue what is going on. My feet and legs hurt so bad if I sit for too long I can't hardly walk. My uncle passed away from ALS and now I'm really scared that all of these statins are killing me slowly. I wonder if I quite taking this drug will I have a heart attack. I really just don't know what to do.

I have posted here before. I have been off the lipitor for almost a week, now. I am still feeling dizzy and wobbly. Does anyone know how much longer I should have this side effect? Also I was reading that elevated cholesterol levels and MI's and strokes can be caused by elevated homocysteine levels.Anyone been tested for this in your blood?

There are many, many pages of Lisinopril side effects on here, very scary. I started taking this med and was only on a short while after reading these posts. I took myself off the small dose of 12.5 mg. and BP went up. I put myself back on again, but half the dose which seemed to do it for the high BP. However, I really don't like the way I feel on this drug at all. I can relate with many of the posts about the chest pressure, heartburn like feeling and a pressure feeling in my head. It's hard to tell whether it's symptoms of a stroke or heart attack!!! I've become so paranoid and lie awake at night thinking I'm going to die. You can't win -- if you don't take it you are damaging your blood vessels from high BP. What are the alternatives and are any other meds going to do the same thing? I know loss of weight and exercise are two big ones, but that's easier said than done.

I have been on Zoloft since June of this yr. I was depressed, had anxiety attacks that felt like heart attacks, racing thoughts, felt unnecessary in this world, cryed alot and felt like I was going to be fired at my job all of the time.
I feel better on Zoloft. My moods are more even. I work nights now and am alone from 5p to 11p. I have had headaches alot lately. My dreams are pretty vivid and I wonder if I lived it or if I dreamed it alot now as well. I asked my doctor about this product causing weight gain and she denied that it did. In fact she blamed the steroid shot I had for allergies this winter for the hunger I have felt. Maybe so, but I was eating before that and now that I have found this site I am afraid that it is the Zoloft afterall. I am on 75 mg's. I have felt a bit dizzy at times, blamed allergies, now I am not so certain. Also, after I eat I have been feeling nausea too. Zoloft? I do not know. Is there anything a person can take or do that will remove the anxiety, racing thoughts, depression etc without feeling other horrible effects to feel better? Now I am afraid to go off of the drug. I certainly do not want to return to the way I felt, or the mean mood swings or the pains that felt like a heart attack. I also sweat alot at nights while sleeping. Thought it was menopause? Don't know. What do we do? Other than the dreams, sweats, overeating, stomach upsets, racing to the rest room etc. I feel okay. HA.

Hi, I am a 45 year old male with high cholesterol. prescribed 20mg. of Lipitor to control it. Am having a strange twitching muscle in my right calf since I started the meds. Forearms hurt, trouble sleeping, twitching in my sleep, apparently, tiredness. I'm worried about going off it. My dad died of a heart attack. Would it hurt to try going off it for about 3 months?