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I quit Lipitor (40mg) five weeks ago. I believe I was on a traj...

Posted at 12:59 PM on Mar 21, 2008 by ant, #28230
I quit Lipitor (40mg) five weeks ago. I believe I was on a trajectory to disabilty within a year. The unbelievable left elbow pain has gone (maybe the cortisone worked!). My left knee feels "normal" again, not perfect but nearly like it used to be. Within a couple of days of quitting I had severe pain in my right thumb along the bone, then in the middle of my right hand, then between the first and second fingers in my right hand. I currently have minor pain in my right wrist (this is new) on the pinkie side and minor pain in my left shoulder where the arm joins (this has been intermittent for a couple of months). I am feeling much better - but would not be at all surprised if pain appears in another part of my body before this is all history! There is also plenty of joint clicking going on. I believe I first reported pain to the assistant doctor to the heart surgeon two weeks after I had the stent put in and was put on Lipitor. I was also on various other medications. I had tingling on the ends of my fingers and toes at random - hard to describe but it was as if a fairly sharp object (like a ball point pen, say) was being pressed progressively harder from the end of the finger/toe and towards the rest of that finger/toe: and as the pressure increased it would suddenly become painful. It was not a tingling/numb sensation but more a tingling which increased sufficiently that it hurt. I am only being so specific because when I described these "symptoms" the doctor shrugged. If anyone has had similar - and I have seen tingling mentioned here - please make contact with me as I do want to report my experience back into the medical community but find, an exact description difficult. Things never needed to have got so bad if this was the first warning. I since asked my family doctor if my knee problem was Lipitor related and she thought not: I was referred to Physical Therapy. I also told the physical therapists (who thought my knee should recover much sooner, and were surprised that I had zero mobility pain) that I also had serious elbow pain. The orthopedic surgeon I saw did not connect the elbow problem to Lipitor. The heart surgeon (stent insert) could perhaps be the only person who I did not tell of the pains - I don't remember - but I may be so grateful to be alive - that he may be someone to whom I did not voice a complaint! On the positive - five weeks later I am feeling significantly better.
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Reply about 1 year ago on Mar 26, 2008 by papermoon, #5874

I Just started taking Lipitor six days ago. I was told it was a safe medication. Two nights in a row I have awaken at 4:00 a.m. with a horribble senation in my hands and fingers. The first night I thought my hand fell asleep from laying on it. I went back to bed and it started on the other hand it was tingling and painful. This morning I awoke to both hands tingling but the pain was unbelivable! Like clamps pressing down with intense pressurue on my fingers and more intensley into my thumbs. The pain subsided in about 10-15 minutes. All day my fingers feel tingley and my hands stiff. I called my doctor on the first day when it was just the tingling, he said he did not feel it was from any of the medications I am on. I am forty years old and never had any aches or bone issues.... Is there another medication out there for cholesterol? Will all medications in this group be the same? If any one has info. please reply.

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