Massive heart attack symptoms and conditions

I have not had good experiences with various statin drugs through the years. I was on Zocor a few years ago. I suffered from a tripping gait at times (seemed as if the bottom of the toe area would stick to the sidewalk and I felt as if I was going head over heels and balance issues), so much so that I was referred to a neurologist. My internist poo-pooed my symptoms at the time until I mentioned the formation of cataracts. That did it. Zocor stopped. On to Crestor. Crestor was briefly tolerated until I was walking up four flights of stairs. While on the second flight, my legs literally locked. I could not raise my legs (thigh muscles had tightened so badly, that I had to stop, regroup, and start again. Next course after a brief respite, Lipitor. I am taking between 5 and 10 mg. as tolerated.

I have had issues with Lipitor as well, despite the 'pediatric' dose. I have felt occasional ankle tweaks, and most recently over this past weekend, upon going down a flight of stairs, my left knee buckled. Thank goodness I did not fall, but the weakness was there for the day. I have not taken Lipitor since last Friday night. My cholesterol level (off the statins) had reached a high of 357. As of the last testing (my first after being started on Lipitor), it was 255 - my LDL was 137. I know that if I stop the medication that the numbers will start to rise. This yo-yo effect is very frustrating but my overall well-being is of my utmost concern. Both parents had heart disease. My father passed away at 63 years of age (heart attack, recuperation, then massive heart attack 22 months later), and my mother had angina pectoris, bypass surgery and recurrence of blockages, only to die from multiple myeloma at the age of 89. My newest symptom is pain in the right side, outer portion of the rib cage area. This started two days ago. I had this when I was on Welchol as well.

After 7 doses of Welchol I could not swallow, had severe heartburn and pressure in my chest, fatigue, and shortness of breath upon ANY exertion worsening pain in my left shoulder and pain in my left foot I felt that I was having a massive heart attack. I will never take this drug again and I can only pray that these symptoms go away, which so far they have not (last does was yesterday morning)

on aug. 11, 2007 i quit smoking after 35 years. i had a massive heart attack. was on patch in hospital. dr. put me on chantix on aug. 14. for some reason i needed only half a dose. at 3 weeks i asked cardiologist if i could stop taking since i felt i didn't need it. said no 2 more weeks cause he was concerned about the stress on my heart. so i stopped using 2 weeks later which made me on the drug 5 weeks. was great! the strangest thing i got from it is ever since taking it, smoke smells horrible. i mean worse than anything i have ever smelled! it continues to this day. great side effect! no way i would start smoking again. i can't stand being around anyone that has been smoking. lost some friends over it. drug was great for me. only problem-- i have very good insurance and chantix for 1 month was $100. a little pricey but worth it. others have told me if you stay on it 2 months full dosage is when you develop dreams and etc.

My husband was given this medication to stop any infection as he was having a hernia operation,as the doctors started the operation,my husband complained of chest pains,unfortunately he had a massive heart attack,because os this medication and is now severely brain damaged.
Before this he had never suffered with his heart or anything,the doctors said that he will never recover,I have lost everything through this drug.this happened on the 9th august 2008

My Mom just died on June 24, 2008 of a massive heart attack....out of NOWHERE....no prior heart problems...

She had been on Enbrel for three years for RA...

Has anyone heard of this before????

Thank you...K Portland, OR

my sister was put on Prednisone for a inflamed heart and fluid around the heart, she started with 6 pills a day at 5mg for 7days, then 5 pills for 7days then 4 all the way down to 1 a day. When she got to 1 a day the EXTREME chest pains came back she was in and out of the hospital so many times it was crazy, she was then put back up to 6 a day and slowing get weaned off, however her side effects are insane, major swelling, moon face, weakness, INSOMNIA bad, rashes and bruzes are appearing everywhere, coughing a LOT, sore throat, foggy vision, shortness of breath, thats put it this way she is a MESS and to top it off her husband of 24 years passed away on April 30th, 2008 with a massive heart attack at 47 years old, she feels like she is going to go CRAZY, if anyone has any suggestions it would be so appreciated. Thank you SAD SISTER!!

I'm a 52 yr old male who had a massive heart attack 14 months ago. I ended up with 3 stents. In the hospital, I was told I was probably one of the healthiest people they had seen with come through there in my condition. All my numbers were good, except for the triglycerides. Over the top.
So, anyways, we start a lipitor therapy. Within 6 months, I needed help to get up from a kneeling position. I had aches in my chest, abdomen, knees, the bottom of my feet hurt, I would wake in the middle of the night with a pain shooting up and down my legs. Up until that time, (I work in a large shop) concerned co-workers ask I how was doing and the topic of lipitor would come up.
This is when I started noticing the common underlying theme of aches and pains. Someone always knew somebody that was taking lipitor. Finally, the day I had to be helped up at work, I said that was enough. I was sure the lipitor was the problem. I stopped the lipitor and all the symptoms went away within a couple weeks.
My doctor had a fit when at my next visit I told him I wasn't taking that crap drug anymore. So, my next test was Kozar, I had the same problems.
Today I'm on crestor, (almost sounds like I'm sucking toothpaste) they are 10mg tabs, but I still whack 'em in half and so I can tolerate the symptoms. These side effects are not near as bad as the lipitor was.
I also found out, and I don't know why, but I started taking a multi-vitamin tab every other day ( only cause I'm allergic to those too) but, something in them seems to counteract against the side effects of stain drug. I felt super good for about 3 weeks on the one-a-days until the allergy's kicked in and I backed off on them.
But, in closing, after reading many of the postings, it still comes down to that doctor will not know everything that is going on in your body, the doctor probably will not spend anymore time on you than your 15 minute visit. It is up to you to research what options are available and use them.
I researched what triglycerides were and how to control them. I quit smoking and started daily exercising. I adjusted my diet. My recent tests show that so far the lifestyle change is working. My heart is stronger, my tubes a little cleaner.
Those crappy statin drugs are not a cure all pill of the day, but they do help. The more you change your habits, the less dosage you should need.

So, if you didn't anything out of my rambling, sorry, but at least take my one advice and get off that Lipitor.
Billy

I can't believe it's taken me so long to find this site. I have been on Lipitor for the past 5, going on 6 years. My doctor thought it would be a good preventative measure as 22 year old sister had recently had a massive heart attack.My cholesterol levels were all great but a CRP test indicated that I was on the high end of normal. Nearly three years ago, the muscles in my right arm became very achy and I could not rely on it to lift many heavy objects or even my 2.5 year old son at the time. The doctor recommended i see an OT, who, in turn, was not able to figure out why I always felt like I slept on my arm funny. After months of getting nowhere and chalking up to pulling a tendon while throwing a baseball, I decided to live it all. That summer, I also started having a hard time focusing. So, I saw an eye doctor, who said that I was slightly near sighted and that glasses would help strengthen my vision. I had never had any vision problems prior to that and it seemed like it came on suddenly. But, I figured that I was getting older and people need to have glasses sometimes as they age. Then, last summer, I began to get these crazy rashes, which I now know where hives that bacme irritated by touch. The rash would pop up any time, any where and never in a way that i could relate to anything I ingested. Then, all of my joints began to ache unbelievably. I looked up some symptoms, wondering if I contracted something through my son's preschool, which was dealing with a little fifth's disease breakout. My symptoms seemd in line with what an adult can experience if he/she had fifth's disease. The doctor was stumped and had me have blood drawn, which indicated my liver levels were a little high, but they could tell me "What you don't have"... lyme disease, any viruses or lupus. Okay. I was to have more bloodwork done in a week or two, but decided to see how this rash, etc. would play out. The pain went away (except of the arm on that started a year and half or so earlier) and the rash was something I thought would dissipate soon enough. After three months it did subside. We bought a house and my son started kindergarten and it finally seemed like I was on the upswing. Now, six months later, the rash resurfaced. I was completed disappointed. At first I thought the Fifth's was making a comeback. I looked online and found a site that showed different types of rashes. That is when I came across a picture labeled "Drug Allergy" and began looking into the two drug I was on. By the weekend however the pain started in, especially in my legs, the calves, and my ankles hurt so bad. I was having spasms in my arms and legs and noticed within the week, two bruises on my thighs that I am certain appeared on their own. I did not bump my leg at all. I became very nervous and thought that I was going to experience a blood clot as my mother had one at 34 years of age. I am 32. But, after researching and reading forums like this, I am convinced that I, too, am experiencing serious Lipitor side effects. On Saturday,I did not take my usual 10mg and saw the doctor. She recommended that i go off the Lipitor for now and have blood work done. I have been off it since then (not very long) but by Monday I was feeling almost normal. Today, I feel some cramping in the legs, but I think it will take a long time for this drug to rid my system. I have to go back on Friday for a follow up, but I haven't heard anything alarming about my bloodwork yet.
Again, I can't believe it has taken this long to find this wonderful site. Best of luck to the rest of you in your recoveries and a Lipitor-free life.

I took 10mg lipitor for 9 months and started having horrible arm pain that would not go away. Then the pain became mixed with weakness and I could not even lift a grocery bag. I am 53 and of good weight and I thought, good health - other than the elevated cholesterol level. My whole family has the elevated levels and there was an uncle who died at 43 of a massive heart attack. So, gave it a try. I got to where I thought I had ALS for sure. The leg twitching started in my calf and moved down to my feet and kept up even now. I have been off lipitor for 8 months. My strength came back in about 3 weeks and has progressively been better. The twitches are still here but am now taking 3 doses of CQ10 3x/day with Bcomplex and folic acid. All is helping and I am hoping the twitches stop. I will not ever take this again.

Both my father (79 years old) and I (48 years old) were prescribed Lisinopril and Lovastatin in the recent past. Within a short period of time (2-3 mos), we both began experiencing excruciating Charley Horse-type cramping in our legs, and I experienced them in hands as well. My father's cramps were more severe. I quit taking the meds and he has not. His symptoms continue, mainly in the evening. My symptoms abated when I stopped taking the meds.

I don't have particularly high blood pressure, nor do I have high cholesterol, my doctor simply prescribes these meds "to prevent the onset of these problems". I am an insulin-dependent diabetic. My father suffered a massive heart attack 5 years ago.

I feel GREAT now that the meds are out of my system. Dad continues to suffer with terrible cramping in his legs and sometimes in his glutes. This can't be good for him. I assume the meds do something to his blood levels of vitamins or minerals, yet his doctor does nothing. He is going to visit a naturopath soon to see what that person recommends. He looks terrible and feels terrible.

Has anyone experienced chronic loose stools while on this medication? If so when you stopped it, for those who did , was there a noticable change in your bowels, as far as not loose anymore? My grandfather is taking this medication and I'm not sure for how long ...but he is taking many others....and has been experience loose bowels for about 4 months now. The docs cant seem to figure it out , I feel like the medications and the mixing of medications is causing this and possibly already done some major damage. My grandfather is 86 years old and just recently had a massive heart attack.
Thanks ,
Maggie

I began a new dose of Prednisone yesterday. I was diagnosed w/ RA about 3 years ago. I have been on Embrel (didn't work) and am now on Humira and Methotrexate. I have been having extreme difficulty the last month and finally returned to my doctor for relief. (I have been on Prednisone before and had only the headaches) I was prescribed a higher dose this time (60 mgs 2 x daily) and have been battling with a racing heart that beats so hard it hurts. I have now taken my second dose and cannot walk more than 10 feet without feeling like I am having a heart attack! While it is helping the RA pain in my joints, I am so scared to move and so uncomfortable when I do, I am not sure what is better. The disease or the cure? Has anyone else battled with the racing heart? Oh and I also have high blood pressure and the Prednisone is making it higher even with my meds!
My only other instance with this effect was from a steroid injection about a month ago. That episode placed me in the ER receiving medication to lower my heart rate.

Hi Chrissy,

I know exactly how u feel....I have had these AM I DYING issues for the past 6mths before i linked them to they Yasmin and i am still soooo worried that something is wrong with me nut 6weeks post Yasmin it does not seem as bad but still comes and goies but thinking back itis an improvement of the month that i stopped yasmin and i was having my husband ring me everymorning at 7am as ithought that if i died in my sleep at least the kids could tell their dad if ithey couldnt wake me as each night i was sure this would be it for me ...that i had some serious life threatening disease or i was on the verge of a massive heart attack and all these symptoms were the warning signs of my heart stopping.
I am still internally thinking hey high blodd pressure must be bad but seeing on the posts the women that write that they had high blood pressure also post yamin gives me reassurance that they were alive when they wrote that so hey i am gonna make it ( see another negative yamin effect).
this site has saved my life and i am always here now also for anyone whom needs me... it reminds me a little of pay it forward the ones before me found hope here , i found hope from them and maybe i can help another...

In 2000, a week before my wedding, my father came to visit and mentioned leg weakness, pain in his lower back, and tiredness. I asked if he had been doing anything different recently that would explain these symptoms. He thought about it and said the only change was that he'd started taking Lipitor. We finished up preparation for my wedding which included my father's fitting for his tux and shoes...that week, he had to take a size 11 shoe (his normal shoe size for the past 40 years was 9m. My wedding day arrived and he could barely walk me the 30 ft up the isle. Exactly a week to the date of my wedding, my father passed away from what I was told was a massive heart attack. He had never been diagnosed with heart problems only elevated cholesterol. Unfortunately, my mother, in her time of sorrow, did not request an autopsy but assumed one would be done before the hospital transferred my father to the funeral home. My father was cremated and we then found out no autopsy had been performed.

Last week, my cardiologist placed me on Lipitor for high cholesterol. She explained that there are about six other medications but that most of them were statins. After dose three, I'm having lower back pain but haven't yet experienced any leg pain. When I discussed this with my pharmacist, she thought leg pain would be the first sign of my having a problem so told me to hang in with the medication until my appointment with my cardiologist this week.

Is anyone else experiencing low back pain? It feels like a pull or even a cold in my back.

To Guest 11679:

SO................you're the one. LOL ..............had to laugh. It's just so weird that there are truly so few that have no bad side effects with this drug. I had a massive heart attack one and a half years ago. Glad I stopped this drug. Never looked back.

A friend sent me to this site. I am a 52 y.o. female that has dealt with high choelestoral for 18 years. Levels exceeded 362. Triglycerides threes times normal. I started out 18 years ago with them knowing very little about what caused it or how to prevent it so I started with the diet routine. THis is at a time when no labels read content of fat. Consequently, I read the two books at the library published at that time and reported to my doctor who honeslty told me I probably knew more about it than he did. It did not work after nine months it had actually elevated, so we started a drug regime. The powder, the pills, he finally gave me a new drug that had just hit the markt, lopid. I was on that for many years with no success. I was on the treadmill, very active, no results. I went off. I told him, I am putting something in my body that we do not know for sure is doing anything for me but could be causing damage to my liver. He agreed. He retired. My new doctor to me many new drugs she would like me to try something again. I went on Zocor. After 1 1/2 year on that, very little change. In October of 2003 she put me on Lipitor. After 90 days it had dropped to 187 and triglycerides to 186. I was ecstatic. I too felt that due to my age, rheumetoid arthritis and weight gain that it had nothing to do with meds. I have seen my doctor on numerous occasions and complained about the problems. She said no way is it a side effect of a drug. I have been to this site on several occasions and read my symptoms over and over again from each of you. It scares me to death to go off and have my choelestorol shoot up again, but I can hardly get out of bed now. I also take zetia with it. I am on 40 mgs. of Lipitor. My sister is on the same dose after a massive heart attack at 53. She can hardly walk up the stairs or get out of bed. I told her to go back and read some more and go off the Lipitor. After reading todays posts I too am going off. Without the doctors permission. I feel very strongly that we have to sometimes take charge of ourselves. We know our body best. I have a wonderful doctor but they are only human and they have to decipher a lot of infomation and come to a conclusion. Their job is to keep us healthy and alive. I beleive they think they are doing that for the most part. If she had to get around in this body, she would drop the meds until she figured out what was causing the symptoms also. Fatigue, water retention, left shoulder feels like I have been hi with a baseball bat, right hip joint is so panful it hurts to lean down to put socks on. Achiness, dizziness and the list goes on. I have to say some of it must be contributed to Lipitor, I had none of these symptoms prior to starting it 10 months ago. Thank God, we have a place to feel like it is not just in our heads!
Sherri

geeDub here....giving you all an update since quitting Lipitor a month ago.

To refresh....I'm a 52 yr old male. I had four stents put in following a massive heart attack 5 months ago.....no warning...two in the Lower Anterior Descending and two in the Right Coronary Artery. Both shut down 100%. I flat lined twice on the operating table during the angioplasy/stent procedure. I was on a heart pump for a day and 1/2.

LDLs were 185...HDLs were a LOUSY 25. I've gotten my LDLs down to 113 and HDLs up to 31 (target HDLs is 50 at least). They're not sure if it was a "plaque eruption" that sent clots to the sites ....or if there was a low grade infection in my blood stream that clotted me up. Either way, they fixed me up very well. I literally owe my life to extremely fast acting Fire Dept/EMT guys and Virginia Mason Cardiologist...Dr. Wayne S. Hwang.

Although I appreciate the value of what the Lipitor is meant to do...I found after I'd been off of the statin for a month on my last blood work just the other day my numbers were still looking good due to WAY better eating habits and walking three miles per day now.

Lipitor had my muscles and joints hurting like crazy for over three months. I also was very dizzy at times. My memory was going cookoo....and I was twitching in various places constantly. Not to mention....I began to have extremely weak wrists, thumb gripping, arm strength and leg strength, and an overall feeling of ill health due to lack of sleep caused by amnesia that was developed while on the Lipitor.

I'm about 90% back at this stage. I'm still in hope that I quit just in the nick of time.....for me. I know that some have had success with the statins. I, personally feel they are of the DEVIL! LOL.

Good luck to anyone else considering quitting this stuff.

geeDub

My sister-inlaw was precribed advair and died of a massive heart attack in the middle of the night. She had no history of heart problems.