Marker symptoms and conditions

So here is the caveat, I am not sure these symptoms really are related to Lisinopril or not, but they all started about three weeks after taking 10 mg a day. Waking at night with rib pain, hip and low back pain. At first this was only at night, for several months (the pain was very intense). The pain would move from rib, to right hip, to low back (mid), left hip seeming to make no sense. I have had every test under the sun, MRI, CTSCAN etc. Now rheumatologist believes I have a thing called Ankolosing Spondolytis which is an auto immune disease in which the body attacks the large joints of the body (I tested positive for the HNLAB27 marker). I will be having a special MRI to test for AS.

So maybe Lisinopril has played no part in this, but I think it is very coincidental that this all started when I started taking the Lisiniprol. I am wondering if Lisinopril could have been the trigger for AS (if it is AS). Until this started I was in excellent health, 40 year old mom of 4!!

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