Low cholesterol symptoms and conditions

PLEASE HELP! My father, age 74, was on lipitor for a year or so and then was switched to zocor a few weeks ago to help control his cholestorol. In the past week, the tightening he experienced in his leg, while on lipitor, has become debilitating leg pain now while he is on Zocor. Ultrasounds have ruled out a blood clot. He has no pain when he sits, but he describes the pain has his calf wanting to explode when he stands and he cannot walk with out the help of a cain. The pain radiates from his leg up to his hip.

His cardiologist has taken him off the zocor for a few weeks to see if there is an improvement. It has been 3 days and he feels a bit of relief. SO here is the million dollar question: His labs indicate his cholestorol is normal now, most likely thanks to the statins.....can anyone suggest another form of meds that will help regulate his cholestorol....say COeq10 and fish oil? Any help is SO appreciated!!! Thanks to each of you for your posts. It is so comforting for my dad to know he isn't developing a new issue and that it can be resolved with the removal of zocor!

I have been on 20 mg Lipitor for years, and as I also have Rheumatoid Arthritis, all my symptoms have been blamed on that. I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and put on Lyrica because of the muscle aches and depression. My lower back, hurt in a car accident when I was 17 years old, had gotten so much worse that I had 12 steroid shots in my lower spine a couple of years ago. They didn't help my back at all, but my blood sugar went from normal to diabetic levels, and I am now on Byetta to try to lower it.
I am a 56 year old woman who was the math specialist in a school district until last December when I had to retire early. My back pain was so severe that I could no longer go from school to school carting materials. I could barely make it from the parking lot to my office. Mentally I was not ready to retire, but physically, I was (and am) a wreck. I have severe muscle pain in my shoulders, sometimes one or the other, but always present. I have tingling in my right hand, especially in my fingertips, and have trouble gripping and drop things easily. In the last few months the pain in my right thigh and calf has gotten unbearable. I thought at first it was sciatica, but I have had sciatica before, and this isn't the same, although there is tingling, burning , but the pins and needles is so deep in the muscles I have just sat and cried, or wanted to scream. I have wished I could just cut my leg off. And...I am on some pretty heavy duty pain killers for the RA: a small dose of prednisone plus Enbrel, Methotrexate, and Vicodin, and this pain is cutting right through all these meds. I get severe headaches, I went off Lipitor for 5 days and seemed a little better, but then went back on, and it came back.
Since I no longer work, I sleep longer, am exhausted ALL the time, have terrible mental fog, am clumsy, cannot stand for more than a minute or so without wanting to scream, cannot walk more than a few yards...just getting to the car is an ordeal. I tell people that I can only shop in shoe stores and furniture stores...the only stores with places to sit down.
I no longer cook or clean, cannot play with my granddaughter, even holding a book to read can be too much, and I love reading. I feel I am just dying bit by bit as I lose parts of myself.
My doctor is really into lowering cholesterol, and has put me on Zetia in the past few months...and it has been in this time that the pain in my leg has gotten unbearable. He wants my cholesterol to be between 50-60, and has said that the Zetia along with the Lipitor will do that. Is this normal or in any way reasonable??? I am having a full blood workup done tomorrow morning, and I want to go off the Lipitor starting the day after.
I came across this web site tonight while looking up Lipitor side effects, and I am shocked. I have so many of these symptoms, and there are so many I had no knowledge of at all. I knew about the muscle aches, but that's all. I hope someone can help me with what supplements and vitamins I should be taking. I started taking CoQ10 a month or so ago. What else should I be taking for my health? I know vitamin C and fish oil, but don't know how much or anything else. Right now I am just stunned with the thought that all of these problems that have left me unhappily retired, exhausted and in constant pain can all be caused from a drug I have been taking to help me be healthier.

If you take lipitor, you will be interested in this.

I have taken it upon myself to do my own studies into cholesterol and heart disease. I painstakingly studied various countries comparing rates of heart disease to cholesterol levels in each country.

From the Data, I can honestly say that I find no relationship between total serum cholesterol and heart disease. More surprising is the data showing higher cholesterol levels associated with less disease and longevity.

I was prescribed Zocor for high cholesterol. Almost immediately I began to experience body aches -- some days more severe than others. I would take ibuprofen and it would help. Then, I started getting a pretty strong pain on my hip which radiated down my leg onto my foot. The pain was so severe, even the Motrin 800 mg. pills didn't help it. I am 53 years old, but I felt like a 90 year old. I had problems walking, especially after sitting for an hour or so. I had problems with stairs. Even laying down was painful. I tried heating pads, ointments, etc. When I told my doctor about it, she said that this was a typical side effect of statins, and that because I am diabetic, I need to continue taking Zocor to keep my cholesterol down. Just the other day, I stopped taking Zocor for 3 glorious days and guess what? NO pain!!! I resumed it because my doctor insists that I stay on it, but I wish there was something else I could take that wouldn't cause pain.

I was on Lipitor for less than a week 2 years ago and the muscle pains were so bad that moving my head was painful. I called the doctor's office and was instructed to stop taking the medication; which I did and felt 'back to normal' within a few days. I haven't had my cholesterol checked since that time, or if I did before surgery, no one mentioned anything negative about it. However 6 weeks ago I had a heart attack. Apparently my cholesterol was twice what it should it have been, and my potassium was incredibly low. So I'm now on Lipitor (standard procedure after having a heart attack and high cholesterol seen as the cause of it) to ensure that another blockage does not occur.

The only problem is I'm now bloated even though I've changed my diet drastically (no more junk food or soft drinks, no 'white' flour products, no dairy products with more than 5% M.F and lots of veggies and fruits). I've lost 3 or 4 pounds but my pants are too tight around my waist, and now I have a my upper abdomen bulges over the waistline. Besides that, I get muscle 'kinks' in very places and after sitting for more than 10 minutes I limp when I take the first few steps.

People have told me to 'keep taking Lipitor and Plavix' but exercise more. The only problem with that is that I have a brain aneurysm and the neurosurgeons don't think it can be operated on 'without it being a very high risk procedure'. The first one ruptured 10 years ago and since then I've managed to control my blood pressure. However the meds I took for that was what lead to my potassium being so low that my electrolytes were imbalanced. That combination of low potassium and high cholesterol is what lead to the heart attack.

I'm 54 and feel as though I'm losing control of 'how' I feel. Between Lipitor, Plavix and diuretics and medication for hypertension I'm not sure if it's one drug in particular that's making me 'ache, limp and look like a blimp' or if it's because of the interaction of all of them. How do I decide 'what' to stop? What's more important to look after first - my heart or my brain?

46 yr old male and was started on Lip. about a month ago. Overall cholesterol level was 116!! Within 3 weeks I began having soreness move across my legs and hips to begin with, Just a drained feeling. Then leg cramps in my left legs. The drained feeling intensified until I went back to my Dr. last week who immediately ordered me to stop taking any more. I had been off about 4 days when I began have severe pain, lost all color, was not able to get out of bed, could barely talk or walk and was taken to the Doctor's office this past Sat.. I was not able to set up.My wife had to basically talk for me because I was in so much pain, could not communicate, was feeling like I was leaving my body. I do not and have not taken any narcotics or alcohol, but I was given "the field sobriety test", or what I would call it, as I am retired from law enforcement and have given thousands..... But never one for lipitor!!!

I told the Dr. I do not want no drug, I want an answer. I was told to come back on Monday as the Lab. folks wouldn't be in until then. I would not have to wait.

I have used this facility for many years, but I am totally shocked. I feel I have came as close to dying as any situation I have ever been in. I have never hurt to bad. I have never have so many leg cramps. I have never woke up each morning feeling like I have never slept a minute but have been working my butt off chopping wood or digging ditches or climbing mountains all night, simply exhausted.......I will always advise people about this drug....

I am a 35 yr old male and have been taking lipitor about 7 yrs. I have a genetically high cholesterol and it has been up to 275. On lipitor its around 175. Over the years I have been on this drug I went from being a normal weight and active to pretty much lethargic and sedentary due to lack of energy and gained ~50 lbs. I couldn't sleep. I got random nausea and fogginess in my brain to the point I could not remember how to perform my job. I usually had minor aches and was bloated. the past year everything has gotten much worse. For a year now, I have been getting large rashes on my body that itch severely and no medications have worked to alleviate them. I found out recently from my doctor that I have a genetic marker in my cholesterol that makes me 3 times as likely to have a heart attack. Its a portion of the cholesterol, i think its called LDL-b or something like that. Anyways, My doctor prescribed zetia to help with my cholesterol since the lipitor wasn't doing it alon. I begin feeling very sick when taking the zetia and after a week or two stopped it. The problems didn't end. As long as I remained on the lipitor, the problems seemed to continue. Its like the zetia released a dam of problems. I stopped the lipitor 4 days ago and have noticed that I feel energy coming back to me and the rash is starting to go away, but I ache severely all over. My shoulders, forearms, and legs are so sore and painful that I can't do anything about this except sleep so I don't feel the pain. I am also very weak feeling and I notice stiffness in my fingers and my grip is very weak compared to how it normally is. I have nausea and stomach cramps and constipation. I feel miserable. I notice its worse in the morning and gets a little better towards the afternoon. I typically took my lipitor in the morning. I do not know if there is a relationship here. Please advise on any help you can provide.

KMJ
07-30-08

On lipitor for 1 1/2 years.... starting taking yoga a month ago. Had ache in knee and leg which then went to toe on other leg. Thought it was overstretching from yoga. Pain moved to hips and lower back. All very painful but worst was yet to come. Pain moved to neck and shoulders. Could not move head. Excruciating SOBBING pain. I was in so much pain for weekend. Everyone wanted me to go to emergency room but I wanted to stick it out til Monday.

PS... went on web. Saw this is lipitor side effect. never would have expected that after 1 1/2 yrs on a 10 mg dose.

Went to pain management doctor ... got Soma (muscle relaxant), an oral steroid and Percoset. Relief was almost instant.

Called my cardiologist. He says it is the Lipitor.

No more statins for me.
And back to yoga.

My doctor started me on Lipitor over a year ago. I started having muscle pain in my shoulders but didn't equate it to the meds until I was watching television one day and a Lipitor commercial came on. It said that some people experience muscle pain.....I thought HALLELUEH THAT'S WHAT IT IS.....I stopped talking the meds and went to see my doctor who immediately changed my meds to Zocor.....guess what? The same thing happened. Went to see her again and she switched to Crestor.....same thing happened....so I started doing my own research and was amazed at what I learned and bewildered as to why my doctor was acting like I was some whining baby.

No problem, I say to myself and stopped the meds. That was last November, in January I had my yearly physical and blood tests were ordered for me in December......guess what.....my triglycerides were still high so my doctor orders Antara. It didn't say "cor" anything so I'm thinking it's not the same stuff. No, it wasn't the same stuff it was WORSE!! Within three weeks I was crying I was in so much pain. I called her and got her nurse practitioner who says that my doctor said to stop taking the pills and the pain will go away. I call back and say, "you don't understand, I can't sleep, I can't move, I can't function the pain is so bad." After several calls back and forth, and let me tell you I NEVER call my doctor unless something is incredibly wrong and that is less than rarely. Well, my doctors partner tells the nurse practioner that they will not prescribe narcotics for me. WHAT? Who asked for narcotics? I needed relief from this pain.....I would have gone for amputation!!!

So I change docs...more blood work.....high triglycerides, I refuse to take any statins. She says she has something for me that will not cause muscle pain and hands me samples of Welchol.....this one took less than a week for increased muscle pain...again I wanted to trust, but guess what i learned when I went to the Welchol site? The first side effect listed? Muscle pain.

Called the new doctors office to let them know that I was experiencing pain again and was told to stop the Welchol (which I had already done) and take Red Yeast Rice and have bloodwork done in 3 to 6 months and come back to see her. Oh no! Not without research and guess what? A side effect of Red Yeast Rice? Muscle pain.

It has been 4 months since I stopped taking the Antara and took Welchol for a week in that 4 months. Sometimes my shoulders/neck and arms don't hurt too much. Unfortunately most times they do. Both doctors insist that the pain cannot be from the drugs because the drugs have left my body. The new doctor said I probably have myolgia just because I'm 52 and that it's just a coincidence that it happened while taken the drugs but then goes on to agree that I must be "sensitive" to statins. Both doctors treat me like I'm stupid and nuts all balled up in one. I am frustrated and in pain most of the time. I have been trying to find out how long to expect this pain and am dismayed to learn that it can be years or never go away.

Yes I have high triglycerides (so does my mother and she experiences the same kind of pain so refused to take statins) and I've been warned that not taking statins could cause pancreatitis and/or heart problems. My question to that is - "then my choice is chance the heart stuff or live an incredibly painful life?"

I'll take my chances and pray for the best because right now my quality of life stinks!!

I'm a 66 year old nurse taking Lipitor 10 mg for approximately 4 years. I have not had any problems until last when I suffered a severe anxiety attack and went to the ER. This has never happened to me before. All tests were negative. I was given Xanax which relieved the anxiety at that time , but I 'm continuing to experience a lot of anxiety. I came across some info that low cholesterol levels can be related to anxiety. My total cholesterol
is 130 and the LDL is 71. I have no cardiac conditions other than hypertension. I stopped taking Lipitor a couple of days ago, but so far I have not had any change in condition. Dr ordered Zoloft for the anxiety but I had bad reactions after taking 2 pills.-severe nervousness, anxiety , and restlessness. I'm hoping I feel better when the cholesterol levels go up.

About the stroke:

It was a Monday morning, around 6.30. First I dropped a cup, but in a weird way, like my fingers weren't working. I couldn't grip. Then, when I started speaking, first to my husband and then on waking my kids, I couldn't speak, or rather, the words came out wrong. (I said to hubby "Here's your number" instead of "Here's your tea" and all I could say in the kids' rooms was "How's morning?") I was so scared. My husband took me to the ER and they diagnosed a mini-stroke although fortunately the tests showed no permanent damage.

They were mystified because I had no risk factors whatsoever--I'm a normal weight, low cholesterol, non-smoker. I exercise and have low blood pressure etc. They carried on doing tests and eventually found I have a 5 mm hole in my heart. This means that clots that form are more likely to be dangerous to me--it's not why the clot formed that caused the stroke. That had to be due to the Yasmin.

Anyway they took me off the pill mid-cycle and at first I experienced no symptoms, but since my last but one period I've felt generally horrible--lower abdominal pains, constipation, anxiety and for the last two weeks this dizziness and fluttery feeling in chest, arms and legs. I just hope I get better soon.

Anna

I have been taking Lipitor for the last year. Recently I started to have stomach pains on the right side. An ultra sound revealed that I had developed cysts on my liver.
I had a CT scan this week which confirmed the cysts, and also a thickening of my stomach walls.
I had a colonoscopy and upper GI, and everything checked out ok but they took a biopsy of my stomach lining.
Even though I had low cholesterol my doctor prescribed Lipitor as a preventative drug. I strongly urge people to discontinue its use. I exercise daily, am a vegetarian, and have a low stress job. I have always been very healthy. This is the first time I have a problem.

Is the importance of cholesterol a myth perpetrated by the drug companies??


56. Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., in "The Oiling of America", mention a 1964 study of 1,700 people by the famous heart surgeon De Bakey that showed that blocked arteries were found in people with low cholesterol as often as those with high cholesterol. (They refer to the following study: M De Bakey, et al, "Serum Cholesterol Values in Patients Treated Surgically for Atherosclerosis," JAMA, 1964, 189:9:655-59.) This is just one example

I was required to switch to Levothyroxine, after 15 years on synthroid,because my insurance co. would no longer cover synthroid. I started Levothyroxine Oct 1/04 and within about 2 weeks my knee, elbows, arms, hands, legs, ankles and feet started to ache constantly. The knee was so bad for 6 weeks, that I couldn't walk - it felt like a broken, achy bone. Sometimes the pain feels like a burn. The muscles feel weak too. The pain moves around. This all seemed to happen suddenly. I also can't sleep well and feel very tired through the day. I had blood tests, MRI, xrays, etc which showed no rheumatoid arthritis, only very mild cartilage wear in the sore knee. Nothing so far has explained the pain in the muscles. I have very good health in every area, low sugar, low cholesterol, good weight, take lots of vitamins, etc. I don't drink, and I avoid any drugs, even pain killers. I eat a healthy diet, mostly organic and no artificial sweeteners, lots of fresh and raw veggies, no fatty meat, etc. Levothyroxine is the only change in my lifestyle recenly that I can think of. I think I should ask my doctor to switch me back to synthroid. Has anyone tried Armour thyroid and do you like it and why?

After reading all the posts, it is becoming clearer to me Lipitor is a poison. I started Lipitor a year ago after heart surgery. Now, a year later, instead of feeling better, I feel worse than before surgery. My whole body aches. I take 40mg. a day of Lipitor. Not any more. I am stopping the drug and replacing it with alternative herbs and suppliments. What is the point of having a very low cholesterol and not feeling better because of side effects. The pharmaceuticals and the doctors are all in bed together. We, are the results of this on this board. A lot of trusting, good people who are being gradually killed. I am over it. No more drugs for me. I am taking charge of my life now. Right, or wrong.

Been on Lipitor since 2000. Low cholesterol, but:

Neck pain
Muscular pains in chest and down arms ('Oh God - heart attack! What? every day, all day heart attacks? no!)
Feel like something 'caught up' in side muscles - relieved by bending sideways or creating huge click from neck!
Dizziness (can't look up without falling over)
Depression
Oh, I cant go on....