I am also 42 and an RN. For many years, I have had doctors prescribe statins(Lipitor and Zocor) because of my familial, very high cholesterol. Each time I start to take it, after about two weeks, I would have very uncomfortable joint pain, bad indigestion and mild headache. I would stop taking it. For a brief time, through some fairly extreme lifestyle change, I was able to lower my cholesterol significantly but still not enough. Each time a statin was prescribed, I would tell the doctor about my joint pain and they either didn't believe me ("I've never heard of joint pain, only on rare occasion, muscle pain") or would say I must deal with it because I need the statin. This last time, I started taking 40mg Zocor and kept taking it even though my hips, knees and shoulders were killing me. I took Prilosec for the reflux and Tylenol or ibuprofen for the joint pain. Then, my muscles started to cramp and ache and burn and my hands felt arthritic. I could barely walk and at the end of my 12-hr shift would be near tears. Finally, my doc told me to stop taking it but has now prescribed Zetia and cholesteramine. I'm reluctant to restart anything because my muscles are still achy.
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