Medical students symptoms and conditions

I have been taking 40mg lipitor for over 9 years now.

I have had back issues since an injury to one disc (L4?), and had microdiscectomy in 2001? Took about two years to actually get close to normal.

The last few years, I have had multiple issues with shoulder pain, wrist pain, elbow pain, lower back pain, Upper rump muscle pain , and now both hips are killing me (the shoulder, upper rump muscles and hips are by far the worst). And I am now so weak in my lower back muscles, that it feels like I will (and do) pull out my back.

I have seen NO many doctors I can't even name them all. I have had operations, multiple injections (cortisone) taken pain meds, etc. Nothing has helped and in the last year and a half, I have gotten steadily worse. To the point where I can't really do much of any activity. Sleeping at night is painful. Can't lie on left shoulder, and can't lie on either hip for more than a few minutes. If I fall asleep on my side, the pain wakes me up. When I try to walk, 80% of the time, I end up with a pain in my upper right rump (sacroiliac area), that I MUST sit down to get the intense pain to go away, which it does. But comes right back when I walk again.

I have had x-rays, MRIs etc, and never reveals all that much. Disc issues, yes. NOt much else.

Recently, I have begun to get a nasty clicking (catching) on my left jaw (joint?). Not really painful, but something definitely wrong. My dentist sent me to his Chiro. I went and liked him right away. I had gone to another chiro for years and I believe in them. But this one is the best I have seen.

Anyway, one of the FIRST things he suggested, was that it was POSSIBLE that the Lipitor is causing all of my problems. Put me on COQ10, and doing multiple adjustments and treatments. I will be seeing my regular doctor 5/26, and my chiro wants me to see if he will take me off lipitor and put me on Niaspan instead.

I guess my question is: Can Lipitor be fine with me for so long, and then in such a short period of time, turn me into a compete wreck from the pain and wasting away of my body/muscles? I've told doctors for over a year now that there is SOME connection as to all these issues and pain. One Doctor, of course, gave me the "you are getting old" bull. Yes, I am 56 yrs old. But I understand the process of getting old, vs the complete failing of ones body.

Also, IF it is the Lipitor, can it possible all go away? Or should I expect some damage forever?

One more thing, the last ortho I went to the other day for a second opinion, wants me to do a EMG, to see if there is muscle damage. I was not planning on doing it, but wonder now, should I? He was not doing it because of lipitor, as he never even talked about that to me. I had shoulder operation and have not had the results I feel I should have had.

i m 43 year old male, i took lipitor for almost 5 years(20mg) then on February 2008 my doctor increase my dose to 40mg and then my nightmare begin, i work in a company, very physic job, in end of June 2008 i start to feel bizarre, difficulty to walk, get up in the morning was very hard, climbing stair was more and more dificult, i didn't know at this time that lipitor doing that, i just work harder to compensate for my weakness, and continue to take lipitor until September 2008, almost 3 month after feeling the first sign, but i was blaming aging and my weight to be the cause of my sudden weakness. end of September i was unable to do my job anymore, my co-worker start to do my job for me..it was very humiliated, then i call my doctor and tell him how i feel, and he order a blood test, he said to me after that i have a CK result near 6000, he never speak of lipitor side effect yet, i was suspecting a disease, like poliosis or something else...on my side i search on internet for answer, then my girlfriend read about side effect of lipitor, reading the side effect, i saw rhabomyolisis, reading the sign, was like reading my life for the last 3 month, i stop lipitor, after 3 days my urine became normal, a lot of stiffness i my neck stop etc..but my leg and arm where almost destroy, i past two magnetic resonance + one Emg, that s was the test that tell me lipitor destroy my muscle very severely, i saw a specialist who told me that is the most severe reaction to statin that she ever see along some colleague, the most important thing to know is that you can take lipitor for many year an it s ok for you, but the change of dosage is very critical and had to be check,ck and liver tested, it s almost 4 month now and i still not return to work, they think i be ok at the end of march 2009. statin is dangerous don t take that, vitamin C do the same effect without the trouble...