Heavy things symptoms and conditions

I was diagnosed at age 46 with osteopenia and being post-menopausal (altho I never had any symptoms). I was put on Fosamax 1X/week. After a couple of months I developed a painful locked left shoulder. X-rays revealed nothing, and the doctors could not give me any cause except "getting older." I was unable to hook my bra, raise my arm above my head, take an item down from a cabinet shelf, pull a shirt over my head, or put my hair up. I was referred to a physical therapist, and after four months of daily exercises with tension bands and light hand weights, most of the pain subsided and mobility resumed.

Now, a year later, I have developed terrible pain in my right shoulder along with pain in the upper arm, difficulty sleeping due to the pain, and recurring pain in the left shoulder. The right shoulder is not locked as was the left, but it is more painful.

I started doing the shoulder exercises on my own and found that the pain would be better for a few days, then resume with a vengeance--usually on the weekends. After reading this website and many others--voila! I have been taking Fosamax on Fridays. I've been off it now for two weeks and the pain is definitely better.

A few other things that have helped are a good massage to loosen the muscles around the shoulder joints, nighttime application of a heating rub (BenGay), and sleeping with a small pillow tucked under the armpit on the painful side (like holding a baby) to take the weight of the arm off the shoulder joint.

I have also been losing clumps of hair every day; I don't see any thinning or bald patches, but I am amazed at the two handfuls that come out every time I wash my hair. I feel so much weaker, especially in my arms, than I ever have in my life. I have always been quite strong for my small size, able to life heavy things, run long distances (three marathons), and have great physical endurance. Now I feel like a weakling; I have trouble getting up or down if I am seated on the floor or laying down, trouble lifting anything over my head, and trouble relying on the strength in my arms for ordinary tasks such as lifting or throwing.

I will check back on this site often and post an update if I see any significant changes after being off the Fosamax for a while longer. I want my shoulders, my hair, and my strength back!

I have been taking Lipitor for about 5 years now and have had numerous things happen to me. Just trying to find out if they relate to the Lipitor or not. Have developed extreme fatigue and depression over the years. Always seems like I am in a fog. Have tried numerous anti-depressants trying to conquer this. Nothing seems to work and the problems continue. I was thinking that I just have to live with it and then I thought about the Lipitor. Has anybody experienced any of these symptoms too? I am on 20mg.

Initial entry:July 2. Was experiencing severe tightness in joints -- unable to make a fist... all muscles and joints ached. Now, it's July 10 and I'm much improved, but not yet 100%. Tightness is gone, joint pain is gone, but muscles still ache! It's hard to get up from a crouch position, or carry heavy things (like my 3 year old!). I wake up achy -- ibuprofen helps by my stomach is sick from it.

Spoke with a pharmacist family friend who said that joint pain/muscle aches are found in only .05% of 100 people (less than 1%). Also a cousin / ER Dr. of mine found a few similar cases but said they were rare. He initially recommended seeing a Rheumatologist if the pain persisted.

Hope everyone else is feeling better. Incidentally, the sinus infection I had is gone. It only took 5 doses and I had a prescription for 14 days! Oy!