I was put on Lipitor in 2004 and didn't realize what was happenin...

I totally understand your situation. I am a 61 year old female who had been on Lipitor for 5 years (10 mg/day, 1999 - 2004). At first I did not associate the side effects because they came on so slowly. I assumed my joint, foot and leg pain was due to aging and I was on the statin for about 3 years before the pain became unbearable. In March 2004 I made an appointment with a podiatrist because of the foot pain and he sent me to a neurologist who diagnosed neuropathy. After the neurologist completed all the tests to rule out other disease he determined the neuropathy was from an "unknown" cause and prescribed Neurontin. After taking Neurontin for one week I decided I did not like the side effects of that drug and researched the internet to see if there were other options for treatment of my neuropathy. Instead of finding alternate treatment for neuropathy, I was very surprised to find all my symptoms may be a side effect of Lipitor and I made a personal decision to discontinue Lipitor on 3/17/04.

AFTER BEING OFF LIPITOR FOR 3.5 YEARS the one side effect that remains is NEUROPATHY.

i.e. burning, shocks, numb and very painful toes, pain on bottom of feet, unable to stand for long periods of time or walk any distance,

OTHER SIDE EFFECTS THAT HAVE VIRTUALLY DISAPPEARED ARE:

1 Severe cramps in calf of leg (worse during night)
2 Painful joints and a knee that would ‘lock up’ and unable to bend.
3 Difficulty getting up from sitting position or out of a car – needed to push/pull on something to get up.
4 Severe Psoriasis on hands and arms that required cortisone shots every few months. I had never had psoriasis before I took Lipitor nor after I stopped the drug.
5 A tremor in my neck that allowed my head to ‘bobble’
6 Unable to bend my toes due to extreme swelling in the ball of my feet. This swelling has decreased significantly since stopping Lipitor.
7 The burning in feet has diminished significantly – I used to need ice packs on them to cool them down.
8 Weakness in my arms and legs – I was unable to lift more than a few pounds while on Lipitor.
9 Blood Pressure went down from 90+ to 70-80 without any change in diet, weight, or other medication changes.
10 Increased Sinus infections/raspy voice.
11 Mood Changes
12 Thinning of hair (especially on top) – it continues to get thicker since stopping the drug.
IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS i HAVE SEEN SOME IMPROVEMENT IN THE NEUROPATHY. I AM NOT SURE IF THAT IS DUE TO THE LENGTH OF TIME OFF THE DRUG OR THE 200 MG OF COQ10/DAY I STARTED TAKING ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO. I CONTINUE TO HOPE FOR A FULL RECOVERY AND WILL NEVER TAKE A STATIN AGAIN!