December 22th
2008
7:12 PM
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.
October 13th
2008
11:04 AM
To send a report to the FDA about Lipitor and the side effects, go to ****** Hopefully, if enough people will complain about this dangerous drug, the FDA will ban it and it will be off the market.
-- By 777 | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
October 8th
2008
2:03 PM
Same here folks. I've been on Zocor for 2 months and have a constant pain in my left leg on the side of my calf. Always there; sometimes I get up from a chair and have to wait a minute before I move. My doctor advised me to go off for one week and see if I'm better but after reading these articles I want off it AS OF TODAY. NO more. I'm calling the doc and asking for another med. This is too scary - permanent damage may rise from this. Thanks for sharing and good luck to All.
-- By proma55 | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
September 4th
2009
5:11 PM
The Health & disability commissioner in NZ has received my complaint of criminal negligence re my former doctor. They have now asked my former doctor for a please explain his version of events. The police have written to me saying they are seeking medical advice re criminal/negligence/failing to carry out professional duties complaint. Whilst I agree with everyone's feelings on big pharma, it is my very firm opinion that the doctor is the "retailer" and it is the doctor's direct responsibility to us the customer/patient to monitor and inform us of all safety concerns. Big pharma in covering their butts have warned the doctors to warn the patients. Of the 8 doctors including an anesthetist I have spoken with socially and in consultation, not a single doctor could name any adverse effects with statins beyond mild muscle pain. Given the warnings from pharma on the labels that is wholly shameful & negligent. An effective way to help others avoid being maimed like us, is to fight back from the bottom. The FDA and CARM in NZ take no notice, litigation is expensive and drawn out so neither really helps future innocent victims. I encourage everyone where negligence is fairly on the table to take your complaints to your country's police and medical discipline bodies enough of these complaints will soon have the doctor's "reading & obeying instructions" which would go a long way to preventing more tragic victims.
-- By oldcarpetcleaner | Reply | (5) replies | Private Message me