After taking Lipitor 10mg for 14 months with no effects till Sept...

After taking Lipitor 10mg for 14 months with no effects till Sept 2005- i now have knee swelling and thigh muscular aches when standing for any length of time, and since mid- Nov, have had very sore hips and muscle aches in that area, plus general stiffness after sitting for a while. Am now having sleeping problems as i have lower back pain which has come on in the last 2 weeks. I went to a liver specialist as the count was up, but apart from asking about my reaction to Lipitor,didn't suggest this as a posibility. I am to see an arthritis specialist on feb 6 th. I was in Europe for 3 months from Jun to Aug and walked everwhere and did lots of stairs! Now I get a lot of pain if I walk only minor distances. I;ve been told it could be a virus or polyarthritis or polymyalgia-but noone is sure. Should i go off the statins? It seems from your letters that it is impossible to tell if it is Lipitor causing these symptoms as the recovery period varies so greatly with each person. I have a family history of heart disease- do i try something else to lower the cholesterol? Meryl- Sydney