Simvastatin symptoms and conditions

I am a 70 year old woman, I have been on 20mg Lipitor for high cholesterol, 200 total and 25mg of Spironolactone for a not so high blood pressure, for 3 1/2 yrs. Oh, my God, the Spironolactone is a potassium sparing diuretic that is very dangerous and has many uses I didn't know about or the terrible side effects, it causes breast cancer. It's also used to treat women who have an over growth of hairiness, or on a higher dose to treat hair loss and I've gone bald on the top of my head! Plus all of the good foods we're supposed to eat for high cholesterol, fruit & veggies one isn't to eat on this drug, because of lot's of potassium, what a huge contradiction. And muscle pains, and rashes, (eczema, atopic dermatitis) that I've suffered from both.
Anyway, Lipitor, had know idea about the side effects until I looked it up on the internet and read these posts on here.
I stopped taking Lipitor last week and Spironolactone 2 days ago.
I had cholesterol test last week too and saw my dr. Wednesday. He said it was okay that I stopped the Lipitor, but not the other one, why not the other one worse then Lipitor and why am I on this strong drug, geez.
The pain and burning started in my hip for no reason, then my ankles with eczema which started soon after Lipitor, then my fingers, numbness, can't pick things up, tingling, burning. Then my feet, yes, just like all of you I have these same problems. This is not just coincidental, this is from the drug Lipitor. I get severe joint cramps in my legs, feet and fingers.
For now on before I take any drug I've prescribed I will thoroughly check for side effects and not take it if they're seriously impairing like Lipitor. I feel like a cripple and older then I should feel, I almost just felt like why live anymore if this is how it's going to be.
Since I've stopped Lipitor I feel a little better, I read that it causes permanent muscle and nerve damage though, oh I hope not, I can barely walk anymore or get up out of my chair. This is all drug induced toxicity of my system. Thanks so much everyone who posted for sharing and enlightening all of us who are suffering from this drug and others.
It should be banned along with Baycol, (a statin) which was banned a few months ago because of these same side effects. With the studies that it only helps maybe to prevent heart attack, well I'd rather be able to walk again and hopefully all this will go away, the rash, etc.

After you read a representative sampling of this website's testimonials, you certainly ask yourself inter alia: Can this be true? Did thousands of people inject an antibiotic from the fluoroquinolone family, which crippled them for longer or for shorter? Most of us, I suspect, never really get beyond the initial litmus test: Did this medicine poison me or save me? (The answer depends, of course, upon the age, gender, medical condition, and most importantly, the DNA make-up of the individual patient. For hundreds of thousands of patients this antibiotic is a boon. For thousands of other misfortunes this antibiotic is a disaster.) But there is another important question here.

Who gains from self-revelation? To be sure individual sufferers gain certain emotional catharsis from posting their adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to levaquin. E-postings are one-way anonymous tracks that form ruts on a well-traveled trail of tears. Unless these postings are hoaxes written by mischievious gnomes, then they consitute prima facie evidence for a causal link between levaquin injection and sundry crippling ADRs.

Curiously, this e-forum cannot be used as a tool for organizing thousands of potential litigants who might coalesce under a class action lawsuit. Yes, we can analyze each other's anonymous revelations to see if they muster our respective sense of the "ring-of-truth" re: levaquin toxicity, and we may contact each other one-on-one, but no-one can harness this intoxicating communication's technology to reach simultaneously all respondents en masse as a bloc.

So, who wins? The emotionally unburdened e-poster who learns belatedly that s/he is not alone and that prescription medicine likely caused more pain than the underlying malady for which s/he is being treated? Or big pharma that continues to manufacture and market a medication that poses downside risk to many consumers who unwittingly incur more damage than therapeutic value?

Indeed, who wins in a forum where consumers anonymously reveal their symptoms and unconfirmed suspicions? The answer is big pharma wins. Pharmaceutical companies data-mine our postings to estimate the frequency and bredth of ADRs about which consumers complain. House statisticians estimate the ratio of active complainants : silent complainants, i.e., the ratio of complaints who show up on this website to the far heftier percentage of complainants who never post on this website because either they are technology-challenged or they are incurious. House actuarians proceed to estimate how much operating profits their employers must set aside to cover losses in out-of-court settlements or in awards made to plaintiffs in class action lawsuits.

I think this is how the game is played in a behavioral sink where billions are made in a deregulated marketplace that allows predators and prey to interact anonymously. Sorry to be such a downer, but I fathom only the desperate plight of tens of thousands of levaquin consumers for whom no monetary award ever will compensate them adequately for their suffering, and the hundreds of millions of dollars at stake in court awards if consumers ever brought to bear their aggregate numbers and draw a bead on their big pharma tormenters.

I think it a true horror and shame that pharmaceutical companies have not devised a test which determines in advance which patient safely may consume levaquin and which patient's DNA places him or her at risk. I suspect the genome technology is available, but would dig too deeply into big pharm's bottom line. The economics of "parachutes-for-everyone" is infeasible. We are all guinea pigs in a B-grade movie featuring Russian roulette, billion-dollar pay-offs, and an FDA that pretends not to know.

Started taking the Zocor generic Simvistatin just 2 days ago. My legs hurt so bad that I can not sleep. My right knee is swollen to the point I have very limited range of motion and can barely walk up stairs. It is after midnight and I can't sleep. Also having some angina and my little toe on my right foot is somewhat numb. I will be contacting my physician about this tomorrow. My cholesterol was 105 and this doesn't seem to be worth it to me!

What brought me to this site is the fact that I have a bitter taste in my mouth that gradually occurred since I have been on Simvastatin 40 mg for about three weeks. I have also noticed a strange burning/numbness in my heels only, which has also been gradual. I feel more sleepy most days and not what I would call fatigued, but just like I don't feel like doing anything. I eat more just to try to get the taste out of my mouth and don't feel like exercising. I also finally went back to my Pilates class and felt unbalanced when trying some simple stretches. I usually have excellent balance. I guess my question is: Are these things related, and are they going to just get worse?

i recently took glucosamine chondroitin 1500mg a day
for 3 days and on the 4th day i woke up with
itchy red bumps all over
I attributed it to the glucosamine/chondroitin that i took
On the simivastin bottle it says to avoid herbal remedies

I am hoping these bumps will subside, they are very itchy.

80 mg prescribed over 18mth period - shoulder pain began after one year - acute pain at night', diminishing rotational capability during the day. Second shoulder pain followed soon after with same symptoms. Feels as if the joint is becoming unstable and the moving skeletal components rubbing together and jarring.(clicks,clonks felt & heard) GP immediately took me off them and arranged physio. After two weeks without simvastatin there is no change/ relief in symptoms

I have been reading all of your Simvastatin experiences with high interest and would like to share my adventures with all of you as well. My story began seven years ago when I was relatively healthy and enjoying life. My doctor prescribed Lipitor for my elevated cholesterol and two months later I found myself in the emergency room after having a severe bout with vertigo for the first time in my life. I have since spent the last seven years fighting this debilitating illness which continues to haunt me after having seen every top neurologist in my area and having taken every neurological test available. It would be as difficult to convince me that I was not somehow "poisoned" by Lipitor as it was for me to convince my doctor.

I was eventually prescribed Simvastatin 40MG and seemed to stabilize for a few years even though my dizziness problems persisted. Suddenly I began experiencing bouts of upset stomach and severe lower abdominal pain. I allowed my doctor to order basically every nasty test known to man in an effort to discover the cause of this new problem, but all have come up negative so far. Eventually I began to experience total exhaustion in the middle of my work day, not to mention the back, neck, and muscle pain that has been described so vividly in this forum. Basically, I have become a 53 year old man who feels much older, has absolutely no energy, and rarely has a day when I can honestly say I feel alive and well.

I am not a doctor and I can't honestly prove that Simvastatin is the cause of all of my problems. However, I do have common sense and after reading all of your thoughtful comments on the subject I would be foolish to at least not suspect that the drug may possibly be making me less healthy and not more healthy. Thank you all for opening my mind to this possibility and I certainly plan on discussing this with my doctor very soon, who may no longer by my doctor should he continue to insist that I take this nasty drug.

42 and taking Lipitor 40mg for 6 months. No other issues. 20 lbs overweight but also work out 4 times per week and feel to be in good shape. Lower back pain in middle of night that last until I get up out of bed and it started about a month after taking the Lipitor. If I get up, it goes away. Was so bad that I went and bought a sleep number bed thinking it was my old spring bed. Did not get better. Tried not taking the Lipitor for one night and the pain stopped. Took it again the next and it was back. Going to doctor to ask what is up?

48 year old male - Hello all, I started with 10mg zocor (Simvastatin) off and on for about 2 months. No real symptoms other than it made me very nauseous. My cholesterol sky rocked and my doctor informed me that I needed to take it regularly and also increased my dosage to 40mg. I have been taking it religiously for about 3-4 months now and my cholesterol has improved very much, but about 2 weeks ago I started feeling pain in both my inner elbows, at the joints and along the sides. Its hard for me to lift things at times. Sometimes it’s a burning sensation and sometimes its sharp pain. My Doctor informed that it was the simvastacin and now wants me to change my meds to Lovaza (900mg omega-3 ethyl esters). I am going to stop using the zocor, but what do you guys think? Is there something better for me too use?

I m Asian 5ft 5, started on simvastatin 3 wks ago cause doctor advice. Feeling cramp and numbness in my right leg 3-4 times a week and my hands and legs felt so tired and weak when i get up in the morning. Told my doc about this but she said its normal! How am i suppose to go through the rest of my life like this? I m only 37 years old!

I have been on simvastatin for 2 yrs . The past six months have had foot pain my doctor described as neuroma.By the time I started physical therapy the pain was in my arch + tendons. I went to physical therapy for two months, the therapist became concerned when improvement peaked. Still have burning nerve pain. I think its time for natural supplements . I hear "red Rice Yeast" is effective.
S. M.

I am a 58 year old female Who has been taking Simvaststin for 16 months .
I have been increasingly bothered with mainly night leg pain ( bilateral) that radites to my hips and back. It's like a tooth ache. I too have had to resort to taking pain medication at night to sleep. During the day when I sit for long periods my legs ( especially the thigh area) aches and standing up , walking etc does not alleviate the ache. It is not constant at this point but very frustrating.
After reading the posted notes I am contemplating going off the Simvastatin for a while to see if my symptoms improve.
Any thought?

Thanks!

June 27/09
I am 65 yrs , very active. Play hockey, baseball, slopitch, and jog.
Started on Lipitor 10gm about 5 years ago. About 6 months later increased to 20gm. about 1 years later increased to 40 gm. Did not really notice any side effects. During that time cholesterol dropped from approx in Aug2005 to 8.01: ; Jan06 to 6.37:; Apr06 to 5.3 ; May09 @ 4.2. No problems noticed while on 40s for about 2 years.
June09 doctor increased to 80 gm !? Started to notice muscle cramps and pain . Also started to notice some stomach upsets.Thought I had strained a hamstring muscle from hard running acceleration but not sure now after reading some of the comments. Three days ago , although I always stretch for 1/2 to 3/4 an hour before every baseball which I play 4 times a week, I had very severe muscle cramps suddenly above my calf muscle just below the knee as I started to run to 1st base. I played the rest of the game but in pain and could not run hard . Could not sprint on my toes as I always did , so had to run about half speed but flat footed on the bases but painful,as we had only 9 players. Had hot shower Thursday night after game, massaged calf area with Wintercrest ointment. Got up this morning Friday , muscle sore but can walk on my toes. Tonight @ midnight slight soreness but most of the pain gone. I was thinking that I might have strained a calf muscle playing baseball but noway! I think it has to do with the doubling of the Lipitor from 40 to 80!!!! Will cut back back to 40 gm on my own till I see the doctor.
Will go to see my Doctor ASAP!!!

Have been taking Lisinopril for some five weeks after Amlodipine did not suit me - flushed cheeks and headaches. Have also been taking antibiotics for intestinal problem. Thought it was a/b that were making me feel so ill. Finished them a week ago. Now just take water tablet (Bendroflumethiazide) Simvastatin and Lisinopril.

Lisinopril makes me constantly tired weak and woozy - no energy - it it difficult just to walk around my home. I am not the happy person I used to be - feel like a zombie - no appetite very shaky and slightly nauseous.

Trouble is damned if you take them and damned if you don't.

I have been on Simvastatin for about 4 months now. For the past 2 months, I have been having unexplained muscle/joint pain and tightness in my hips and thighs. I couldn't figure out what I'd done but thought it was just one of those things (slept wrong, stepped wrong, etc.). I've been working with a foam roller to get the knots out, even getting up in the middle of the night to work on the roller because it hurt so much. That helped some. Took Motrin but that didn't work at all! Added Omega 3 fish oil and glucosamine and that did help a little. Have been limping for 2 months now and it finally occurred to me, "I wonder if it's the Simvastatin?" I already knew I was sensitive to chemicals like sodium lauryl sulfate, so everything I see written here makes sense to me. I emailed my MD today and she said to stay off it for 3 weeks and see if I see any improvement, plus get blood work. I sure hope I don't have any muscle damage. Thank all of you for posting your experiences

My husband has been on Simvastatin for a few years, six months ago his dose was increased to 40mg, since then he has become someone I don't recognize, we have been married over twenty years and he used to be a very placid and wonderful man. He is now both verbally and physically abusive, he threatens me with divorce on a regular basis. He lies about me to others telling them he does all the housework (never) there is never any food in the house ( Totally untrue) He disappears for hours on end, and sleeps much of the time. He can be quite plausible with other people but turns into a monster when he returns home. Doctor told me I don't think it can be the statin, don't believe everything you read on the internet! She said to be sure for him to come off it for a few weeks - he refused! His aggression is escalating and I now dread him coming home. he has odd moments of being nice but within hours he is back to being nasty. He had been impotent for 7 years but now during his "nice moments" becomes amorous! I am at my wits end, has anyone else experienced this!

I was recently prescribed Simvastatin 40 mg by my GP as I have high blood pressure and Cholesterol. After the first nigh of taking Simvastatin, I am suffering from severe dizziness and feel weak. Can Simvastatins cause these symptoms after one dose and has anyone else had this problem?

Hi and please feel free to email me. I was on Lipitor for quite a while (20mg)without any issues. Due to insurance etc I was switched to 40mg of simvastatin-(Zocor-generic)--with in a short time i noticed i was waking nearly every morning with a mouth full of junk requiring a deep throat clearing. Then a low level sore throat that persisted for more than two weeks. I went to my doctor who agreed that it may be related (though I think she doubted it) and had me stop. Now i have been off for 5 days and still my throat is sore (though not sore to swallow) and mouth generally feels "messed up".

If any of you have had any sore throat experiences etc please let me know. Also how long did your side effects last once you came off the drug?

Hi and please feel free to email me. I was on Lipitor for quite a while (20mg)without any issues. Due to insurance etc I was switched to 40mg of simvastatin---with in a short time i noticed i was waking nearly every morning with a mouth full of junk requiring a deep throat clearing. Then a low level sore throat that persisted for more than two weeks. I went to my doc who agreed that it may be related (though I think she doubted it) and had me stop. Now i have been off for 5 days and still my throat is sore (though not sore to swallow) and mouth generally feels "messed up".

If any of you have had any sore throat experiences etc please let me know. Also how long did your side effects last once you came off the drug?

simvastatin causes nightmares that's why your sweating so bad. I have never had nightmares since I was a kid. I started taking simvastatin (zocor) and the first night I sweated and woke up with a racing heart. I didn't know why. The 2nd night I woke up and thought someone was in my room I saw someone in the dark run across the room. I jumped up jammed my hand into my draw pulling my hand gun out. Now that Im fully awake I don't see anything. I'm so wound up I can't sleep the rest of the night. The next day today I do a google search about nightmares and boom found a new study that Statin's cause nightmares because it penitrates into the brain. Its made out of a fungus. Anyway i'm done with statin's My ratio is 3.63 so not too bad but I think diet and exercise with fish oil will do it. If you have to be on this stuff there are 2 that don't get into the brain. Check it out Pravachol and Crestor.

It has helped me a lot reading everyone's experiences with the "dreaded" Simvastatin. I have been off this poisonous drug for 7 weeks, and am still feeling rough, and thinking when is this all going to go away ! My doctor swears blind it is nothing to do with the Simvastatin, but I am a 100% sure it is , as I felt fine before I took these nasty tablets. I still have persistent buzzing in the ears , dizziness, palpitations, constantly tired , and generally feel as if I am on another planet. Ive had blood tests , ecg tests and nothing has been found. Im hoping one morning to wake up feeling "normal". I will never , ever, take Cholesterol drugs again , as I don't want to go through all this again. I really feel for everyone that is suffering, and would be interested if anyone is having the same after affects as myself.
Good luck to everyone who is suffering like me .

Prescribed 40mg SIMVApoison
stomach doing somersaults....feels like a couple of pygmies inside me clubbing each other to death.
Tiredness/Lethargy chest pains Oh yes this is a wonderful drug!!
Take at your own risk
I certainly wont be taking anymore

Oh I can sympathize with all the others on this killer drug. It has been quoted to me as being the discovery of the century for the treatment of Stroke etc . Well yes it will help with that but it will kill all other parts of your body.
you see when you get to the stage where you need this medication they really do not have much hope for a long future so they do not worry about what affects one will get. They think, 'well you are going to die anyway so it is better to prolong the agony and suffer .
Well I experiences, depression, severe joint and back pain, insomnia, blurred vision, a feeling of flatness of mood . Stomach pain, my hips have never been the same since being on it. I am off it now and take natural Cholesterol support and it is working. It is a nightmare to be on this drug and if you can go to the natural do it and do it now for you life sake.

I get these painful cramps in both legs the back of my legs above my
calf muscles. They always come after midnight when I am asleep. i
get up and I have to walk 30 minutes or more until they stop,and for
two days my legs are sore.