Muscle strength symptoms and conditions

I have been taking 20mg of Simvastatin every night for about 4 years now and after coming across this site I have decided to stop taking it. I have been feeling particularly unwell for a couple of days, decided to do some research and can't believe what I am reading on this site! For the last year I have suffered terrible pain and loss of movement in my neck shoulders and arms and shooting pains in my legs along with muscle tics. More recently dizzy spells and quite severe tinnitus and headpain and fatigue. I have also found that my muscles tire very quickly when doing the smallest of tasks i.e: changing a duvet cover! The night sweats are particularly bad which I have been putting down to my age but may be to do with the statins. I am praying that these symptoms will reverse once I stop taking them but remain skeptical after reading other peoples comments on here!

After being on Lotrel for several years and doctors adding a pill for every side effect I got (14 prescription pills a day), I had to retire from construction at 47 yrs old due to muscle damage and weakness. After witting lotrel and getting on a different blood pressure pill I've been able to quit 10 other pills including arrhythmia pills for my heart! I'm 53 now and can't sit upright, stand, or walk comfortably for more than 1/2 an hour. I wish I had figured it out sooner. I used to b e able to lift 300 lbs and now can't lift more than 20 :

My side effects: slow but severe muscle loss, lethargy, severe coughing particularly at night to the point of separating ribs, muscle cramps, difficulty swallowing/choking, severe tachyarrhythmia. It is a dangerous drug, fortunately I figured it out before it killed me! I was on it for eight years and and my health deteriorated. I had to quit working 4/2003. I had gotten so bad that I qualified for Social Security 6/2006. After testing with neurologists and against my doctors recommendation, I quit the Lotrel 9/2005. I appear to have permanent muscle damage, but my energy level has increased with some increased strength, coughing/choking stopped, arrythmia is almost completely gone (was able to quit two dosages per day of Rythmol for arrhythmia, muscle relaxants, pain killers), and the swallowing/choking problem is completely gone. The side effects came along over a period of 8 years and have devastated my health. Doctors kept prescribing pills for every side effect not realizing they were caused by Lotrel. I was at a point where I spent at least 20 hours a day laying down or asleep. Now, although I have lost 90% of muscle strength, I am fairly active most of the day.

severe GERD, respiratory problems, blurred vision,tingling sensation, abdominal pain, abdominal spasms, nerve and muscle damage,chest pain,headache,

July 8, 2009
I took Lisinopril for 2 months and began noticing soreness and stiffness cramping in my legs. Joint pain and general muscle weakness. Biggest indicator was my inability to ride road bikes (bicycle) nearly as much as normal. I did not have the muscle strength or stamina to ride like before. On one ride I had such sever cramping I had to get pick up, first time in 18 yrs of bicycling. It also states to not use sodium or potassium supplement while on this medicine, which I was doing for cramping. Also because I was borderline hypertension I did not notice any decrease in BP while on this. I have stopped taking this medicine. nn

Hello I'm a 41 year old female, and I took Lipitor 20 mgs for 6 months about two years ago. When I called my doctor's office to complain about side effects they told me it couldn't be the Lipitor because I had been taking it for a month already, and would have had problems before that. I eventually took myself off of the drug 5 months later. Here are some of the side effects I experienced:
Itchy fingertips, increased blood pressure, 30lb weight gain, shaky hand writing, acne, poor driving skills, poor memory, hair loss, "frozen joints", IBS, incontinence, low grade fever, itchy feet, numb toes, numb hands, foggy brain, joint pain, muscle pain, foot pain, plantar pain, dizzy, jaw pain, back and neck pain, week ankles and wrists, nasal allergies, skin rashes, migraines, heartburn, Increase in Astham, heart palpitations, knee pain, difficulty standing up from sitting position, difficulty climbing stairs, water retention alternating in feet, hands, arms and legs, almost constant taste of bile in my mouth.
These are only the ones I can remember. Two years down the road everything but the muscle and joint pain and weakness is gone. even those have improved a lot. I stopped taking the Lipitor and lost all 30lbs I had gained on it, without dieting, in a months time. I still have two toes on each foot that are partially numb. I have trouble climbing stairs, and getting up from a sitting position. I can do both, but I move slowly while doing them. The pain in my muscles and joints drives me crazy, but I'm grateful that the rest of the symptoms have cleared up. My doctor never believed me about my symptoms, and neither does my new doctor really. Went to the emergency room for asthma that was not responding to my inhaler, and they were about to let me go home when I mentioned to the doctor that I had been on Lipitor. Suddenly a huge battery of tests were ordered including a CT scan and a stress test. When I asked the doctor why he said that they just wanted to be sure that it wasn't something other than asthma. Why did they do that after hearing about the Lipitor? Do they know something? Are there doctors who believe that statins are killing and seriously injuring people? I'm so angry. Even as I sit here typing I know when I stand up I will have massive amounts of pain that I will have to "walk off". My quadriceps have not recovered, and remain ridiculously weak.
If I can stop one other person from going through this I will be happy. Thanks everyone for taking the time to list your symptoms. It makes me feel better to know that someone believes me, and knows what I am going through.

I am a 49 year old male. I had my aortic valve and a part of my aorta replaced 5-1/2 weeks ago. The valve had a congenital defect and it was replaced with an artificial valve. I was able to do aerobic exercise and jog right up until my surgery.

The main problem that I have been experiencing has been numbness and pain in my arms and upper back. This has been present for the last 4 weeks. My right arm has been the worst. Most of my right arm is numb. Muscle strength has dropped in my right arm. Also for the last two weeks, part of my tricep muscle in my right arm does not "fire". I cannot move my arm in some directions. I was referred to a neurologist and he indicated that there is nerve damage. I will be having an EMG this coming week.

I am not taking a lot of medications. I take 100 mg/day of Metoprolo which I have been taking for the last two years. I am taking 5 mg of Coumadin, and I take some fish oil. I also took Amiodarone for ten days after surgery and then discontinued it.

Most of my muscle pain symptoms started 1-1/2 to 2 weeks after surgery (after starting Warfarin), and they have progressively gotten worse. Some symptoms can come and go. Symptoms include:
-Sharp pains in my arms, back, and legs
-Left and right arm aches, sharp pains in forearms when reaching
-Numbness in my right upper arm, left and right forearms, inside of my left leg, fingertips of the right hand, left thumb
-Loss of strength in my right arm. Tricep muscle does not fire (3-1/2 weeks after surgery)
-Skin is sensitive and feels uncomfortable on my arms, back, chest, and stomach

I realize that unexplained aches and pains are probably the norm after a major surgery. The numbness and pain in my arms seems to be out of the ordinary and chronic. The surgical doctors have not been able to offer any explanation, they referred me to the neurologist. Since the surgery went well, I feel that they are pretty much done with me. I feel that I am on my own.

I did try switching from Warfarin to Coumadin to see if that would make any difference. That was about 3 weeks ago and it did not seem to make any difference.

The surgical doctors do not think that the Coumadin could be causing my issues. I have read about rare, but serious Coumadin side effects that include muscle and joint pain, numbness. At this point, I am very concerned that I could lose more use of my right arm. I will be contacting my family doctor this week for advice also.

Hello! After a 3 1/2 day stay in the hospital for atrial Fibb. which has since gone away and was likely cuased by extreme low blood potassium and sodium which has since been brought to all but normal levels.. I was taken off of Plavix a blood thinner which I had been taking since a heart attack in 2003, and put on the Warfarin, that was on June 22nd that I began taking Warfarin/Coumadin!. About 2 weeks ago I began having neck and shoulder pain, then slowly side and back pains deep down in the muscles. It is much worse in laying down position, have a hard time to sleep well, and if I trun or move while lying down the pain is very intense. I am going to assk the Dr. to take me off of the Warfarin and put me back on Plavix so I can see it it is the reason for the pains. I am quite sure it is! Please reply if you have the same symptoms as I do! Thanks, B.E.

Unbelievable... I took a Kenalog shot in March for spring allergies, and have had continuous bleeding ever since, went to my OBGYN, he said it would not have been the Kenalog shot that caused this.. and he scheduled me for a hysterectomy because we couldn't get the bleeding to stop... i'm still bleeding, however I have canceled the procedure. I'm sorry that so many people are suffering from this, and the Doctors keep telling us it isn't causing all these horrible side effects. I hope mine passes soon, cause all this bleeding is about to get me down... but I don't want to have a hysterectomy for just no reason........ GOOD LUCK TO US ALL!!!!

Hi
I started taking 10 mg. daily ofLipitor 8 yrs. ago and about a year later I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. There's no test for Fibro, just blood tests to elimate everything else ex: Lupus, RA etc. I've been suffering so much from muscle pain, all the tender points as in Fibro and also diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. Three doctors diagnosed me with Fibro. and chronic fatigue. I had most of the symptoms everyone else is complaining about also. The pain in my stomach muscles are just about gone too.

It reached a point three weeks ago when I was having sharp pains all over my body and muscle cramps and charlie horses at night and I could just about walk up the stairs my hips hurt so much that decided to stop Lipitor. I was so tired all the time and in constant pain.

My doctors said it couldn't be the Lipitor. The pain in most of the tender points are just about gone but I know it will take a while to get out of my system. I lost muscle strength over the years and hope to get that back. I'm 64 years old and know it will take awhile .

I went to my doctor Tuesday and told him I took myself off the Lipitor and that I now remember being diagnosed with Fibro shortly after going on Lipitor. He got so mad at me and said that Lipitor doesn't cause a disease. As I said there's no test for Fibro and it's not a disease it's a syndrome or condition where the brain sends pain signals to the tender point muscles but there's nothing actually wrong with the muscles. I told him that 6 years ago when I tried going off Lipitor for 3 months and joined a gym, Curves, I felt fine and thought I was in remission. Then when I started taking Lipitor again I couldn't do the exercise in Curves and had to stop going. It never dawned on me it was the Lipitor.

I now have a problem with my heart, one condition I might have been born with but the Arrthymia I don't know about. My heart beats too many beats and it beats 4 beats and the 5th beat is backwards. Now I'm on 25mg of Topricin (the generic) beta blocker to slow down the heart beats. I don't know if this is caused by the Lipitor or not. My cardiologist said that Lipitor can affect every muscle in your body and she suggested that I get a RX for a blood test to tell whether I have muscle damage. I went for the test Tuesday but haven't received the results yet.

I'm going to change doctors, I don't like my doctor's attitude with me over the Lipitor. These doctors think they're God. When I told him on Tuesday about the 3 months that I felt fine 6 years ago he said that there are other drugs besides statins to lower cholesterol. I don't want to go on any drugs and the non statin drugs can cause intestinal blockage, he got upset when I told him that too. I'm going to try to lower it with flaxseed and fiber and see if that works. I go to Weight Watchers and kept 17 lbs. off for 6 years now, I do try and eat healthy.

I can't believe it cost me almost 8 years of my life in pain. It's even hard for me to get down on the floor with my granchildren, I have to crawl to the couch or chair to lift myself up and I get tired so easily. I just hope I get back to normal.

I'm so glad I found this website and figured out what was wrong with me. I hope my writing helps someone else dignosed with Fibromyalgia and taking a statin.

Thanks for listening.
Marie

I took Zocor (40mg) for three weeks. The first week was fine. During the 2nd week strange things started to happen. I woke up un the morning with aching legs. Woke up 5-6 times a night. Lost muscle strength and in the 3rd week had knee joints and shoulder joints just seize on me !!1. I train 5 days a week with a trainer and during the 2nd week was puffing up the smallest of inclines.My doctor took me off the medication and its been 5 days and the effects have only slightly improved

I too am taking Lipitor and have been for a couple of years now.
On Nov.19th I was given the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia.
Now I read the side effects and they are they same!

I was put on Lipitor in 2004 and didn't realize what was happening to me-I thought I was just getting old. (I'm now 66) I went from a very active person to one who struggled to get out of the car and my entire body ached. I was constantly tired, I had trouble putting thoughts together. I would sit at the kitchen table and cry because I felt so awful. I started losing my balance and falling down. In one of my falls in December 2006 I injured my left hip. I went to a chiropractor to see if he could help relieve the pain in my hip. While going over my symptoms and medications he pointed out that the Lipitor I'm taking could cause most of my symptoms. He suggested I call my doctor and talk to her. I did and she said that Lipitor could cause severe muscle aches-she wanted to do a blood test and said that I could just go off the Lipitor. My blood test was normal. That was in March 2007 and I have been off the Lipitor since. The fatigue and muscle aches have gone away. I still have the hip pain (bursitis) and have been going to physical therapy for that. My memory is improving but I still have to concentrate, repeat names and write things down trying to remember. I'm trying to lose weight (most of it gained around my middle). I go to the gym and exercise to try to build my muscle strength. I'm not tired all the time, I've read that the symptoms can last a long time and sometimes may never go away. I've been told by the doctor that if my cholesterol is up at my next visit that she wants me to go back on Lipitor. She also said that if it had been the Lipitor, the symptoms would have gone away right after I went off the Lipitor. I will absolutely refuse to go on any Statin-I cannot take the chance of feeling so badly again.

After 2 treatments of Rituxan, my uncle could barely walk into the doctor's office. It progressively worsened even after he quit the treatments, and now he has absolutely no muscle strength in his legs and has to be carried or in a wheel chair to go from one side of the house to the other. It didn't affect anything but his legs oddly enough. He went through a series of tests, x-rays, PET, Spinal Tap, even chiropracter, etc., and can't find any sign of cancer or attributing problems. The doctors think that maybe it was a symptom of the chemo treatments, more particularly the Rituxan since it began after the first and worsened with the second until he was unable to walk at all.

Female, 53. I had been taking Lipitor for about 4 years, starting at 10 mg/day, then increasing to 20mg/day (at my insistence) to get maximal benefit and protection. At first and when increasing the dose, I noticed muscle pains in my legs and hips which subsided, and "restless legs" type symptoms that persisted. I belonged to a Curves gym and continued to work out regularly. About one year ago I developed tingling in my left forearm down into my thumb. I had nerve conduction and muscle tests which were normal. The neurologist told me it must be a cervical disc problem. The symptoms improved on their own, but then I developed tingling in my left leg down to my 4th & 5th toes. About 5 months ago, my leg muscles started to weaken and ache making walking and even standing difficult. I continued to work out when I could, thinking that it was due to the onset of menopause (which was also happening), but I ended up injuring my knees (chondromalacia patella) because of the weak quad muscles.
I logged on to this website and read some stories similar to mine, so I decided to stop the Lipitor. It has been almost 2 months now, and I think that there is some improvement in muscle strength and less muscle pain, but the patella problem and tingling in the left leg remain. My cholesterol shot up to 277 one month after quitting Lipitor, higher than it ever was before treatment. The doctor wants me to try Crestor, but until my knees are better, I'm afraid to do this.

Silke
These hormones are responsible for tissue, skin, and muscle regeneration. I would not be suprised if thats what caused your muscle fatigue. Recently, I have tried to start to work out again and I have found that I lost a lot of muscle strength through out this whole episode. I had a lot of jaw aching/pain on and off the yasmin. You know the muscles around your jaw, mine would often be aching. I thought it was stress from the whole episode, but at the time I remember thinking it was strange because it didnt feel like I was clenching my jaw. It just ached. It even did it some this evening. My skin still feels sensitive and I have been getting big pimple like bumps around my hairline and on my neck, I was getting them a lot in my scalp, now it seems to have moved down. They arent really like pimples because they dont form a white head and pop like pimples, they seem to resolve quicker and go away without breaking the skin, thank god. I think it is the oil glands coming back? I dont know. Anyway are you still experiencing side effects besides the muscle aches/fatigue? I am still hopeful to make sense out of this whole nightmare. Trying to get the Dr.s to help is hopeless at times. The key is finding a good one I think. Let me know what you think of the website. I found it informative.
I dont know if they have labs that can test for saliva in Germany. The company is based in Oregon and then they contract out the testing to a facility closest to you. I will try to find out if this is done overseas as well if you are interested. look forward to hearing from you!
Take care,
Bitter RN

I AM LOSING MUSCLE STRENGTH IN MY LEGS AND I AM EXCITED ALL THE TIME, AND I TALK MUCH MUCH MORE THAN I USE TO.

I now have peripheral neuropathy (numbness, aching, loss of sensation ) in my feet from 4 years of Lipitor use.
I stopped Lipitor 12 months ago and had some small improvement in my feet ie I can now bend my ankle and stand on the balls of my feet and even flex some toes instead of all the toes being stuck together. Formerly my feet did not bend at ankle nor at ball of foot.

The terrible pain felt when I bent my knees has gone and my legs are now more vertical rather than slanting in.
In the course of visits to various specialists it was discouvered thAT MY THYROID WAS UNDER ACTIVE (Hypothroidism).
(Under active thyroid might sometimes have some relation to high cholesterol )
There has been an article in the "Australian Prescriber" August 2005 noting adverse reactions to statin medication in patients with hypothroidism, dehydration, liver disfunction and decreased renal function.
Their checklist for statin-induced muscle symptoms includes:

* muscle aches,tenderness,soreness,weakness or pain
* decreased muscle strength
* difficulty in getting up from a chair
or holding arms above head
or performing usual tasks

For Australian residents there is an Adverse Medicine Events telephone line operated by pharmacists at the Mater Health Services Brisbane. Their Australian phone is 1300 134 237 (Mon -Fri 9am -6pm EST)

In my experience statins caused me general confusion, muscle weakness, difficulty in walking, needing a handrail for steps, unable to bend ankle, foot cramps etc etc.
Years ago we survived without statin drugs. What have you got to lose if you give up the statins for a 6 month personal trial???

Patricia ***, Gordon, Sydney

I have been off ZOCOR for 3 years, but still suffering effects from the drug, which I took for 4 months only...20 mg. I lost all muscle strength in my arms, dark urine, leg cramps, continued after I stopped taking the drug. The first 6 mos of stiffness were terrible...then slow improvement. I still have difficulty going up stairs and standing up in spite of exercises for leg muscles. My arm strength is slowly coming back along with some energy. My doctor prescribed VIOXX and then BEXTRA to counteract Zocor effects. Amazing that I'm alive -- but refuse all drugs now.

after about 3 to 4 hours felt sensation as if muscle strength was wekened considerably
then after an hour or so this feeling went away