High cholesteral symptoms and conditions

I have been taking Vagifem 25 mcg for about 3 months (about every other night or 3 times per week). I am starting to have chest pains. It feels like what might be angina, though I have never had chest pains in my life before. The drug information enclosed with the prescription does say that chest pain can be a rare but serious side effect. Anyone else had this side effect?

I have been taking Lipitor for about two years. Just recently I have experienced muscle pain on the sides of my arms from the shoulders down and muscle pain in my legs. This is so uncomfortable that it wakes me up during the night. I can barely get out of bed in the morning and feel as if I've been run over by a bread truck. My doctor prescribed the drug as a preventative for high cholesteral because I have diabetes. However, my cholesteral has never been above 200.

I saw my physician several days ago because the muscle pain was increasing and I was feeling almost septic. He mentioned Lipitor might be causing this and wrote me prescriptions for a muscle relaxant and an anti-inflammatory. I also had a blood test to determine whether Lipitor was adversely affecting my body. The test came back negative. He told me to stay on the Lipitor and the other two medications for two weeks. After being on the new meds for a couple of days, I still felt terrible. I have stopped taking the Lipitor and the other prescriptions. I will see in a week or so if I'm feeling better. I couldn't feel worse, and, I don't think my cholesterol is out of control.

This incident makes one pause and take note that physicians are not omnipotent, and also to remember to take responsibility for our health care.

I'm a 44 year old male. I was on Lipitor for four years and recently started having severe cramps in my thighs and calf muscles, severe dirrhea, severe fatigue and bloody urine. I asked my doctor if it was the Lipitor, and he said it wasn't. Probably a virus he said because the Liver tests came back okay even though had some jaundice.

Like a fool, I continued with the prescription and the cramps got worse in my legs and feet. I ended up stopping the Lipitor on my own in February 2005, nearly a year later, as the symptoms had not gone away, and I developed muscle twitches and tremors. My doctor then sent me for more blood work that showed my muscle enzyme levels were over 350% above my normal range, and a subsequent EMG/NC&VT showed the muscles had been weakend on my left side! He then had me discontinue the Lipitor and all statins indefinitely.

As it turns out I am not the only one in my family with adverse reactions to statin drugs. My cousin and his father, both on my dad's side both have the same total cholesteral level I have at 268, and both are statin sensitve. My grandmother (same side) and her sister had very high cholesteral and both died from congestive heart failure at 87 and 92 respectively.

I went from a fairly active person to someone who became really old fast. I now have to push myself out of a chair like my 93 year old uncle did.

I am no longer taking any statin drugs and will control my cholesteral through diet and exercise. If I live to 92 like my great aunt did with no problems until she became that age, I should be so lucky.

John

My husband started taking Lipitor and I am deeply concerned with the ways that it is affecting him. Terrible muscle pain, weekness, confusion, nausea, fatigue, and overall terrible feelings. His doctor prescribed Lipitor because of his dangerously high cholesteral level. I want my husband back. We are thinking of stopping the doses altogether.