I think all of you folks with side affects are are blaming your i...

Medications can be very dangerous for people. I am happy to hear you are doing well but that does not mean others will be the same. People have life threatening reactions to medications every day. You should not belittle others because they have problems with medications. Don't you realize people having problems with medications is how they are able to better medications for you? Lots of people are in trials and risk themselves so you can feel better from your medications without worry.

I certainly hope your good health continues. Just beware, it can happen at any time! I, too, was taking Lipitor for 8 years and my cholesterol went from 354 to 202 which was remarkable. I was happy as a lark and strong and fit! And then it happened ... shakes, tremors, joint and muscle pain!! I was missing days of work and could not function normally. I have been off lipitor for 3 months now and all these symptoms have disappeared! I don't think I am a whiner and I have gotten a good grip on my healthcare which means staying off statins!!! It sounds like understanding and compassion are not your strong suits so maybe you should try not to be so offensive with your insults. Stay healthy. KooKoo

A friend of mine took Lipitor for 11 years before he developed the muscle side effects. Sooner or later, you will be forced to stop taking Lipitor. Time is not on the side of the statin user. Good luck.

David: It's wonderful that you are doing so well. However, unless you are a doctor of science, specializing in the production and long term effects of this drug, then you are speaking out of turn. Sometimes it's best to 'remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.'

But do you know if it is doing any good? How do you know?

My doctor wants me to take Lipitor. I am 50. I don't want to start taking some drug for the next 10 or 20 years when I'm not sure WHY I'm taking it. To prevent heart attack, to prevent stroke? Is lipitor proven to do those things? We're all going to get sick and die one day lipitor or no lipitor. I'm sorry but I think the pharmaceutical companies are big scammers. Not %100 scammers, some of what they're doing is legitimate, I'm just not sure how much.

I must let you know from experience with both drugs scientifically, Lipitor does lower your cholesterol levels, and when u want to talk cholesterol, talk, LDL's or HDL's donttalk general. Lipitor has been proven to reduce your LDL levels yes, but the standard dose regimen for Liitor is 40 mg, NOT 10mg, further more once Lipitor does that at 40 mg, it ALSO STARTS LOWERING YOUR HDL's which are your good cholesterol. So dont be fooled that your cholesterol levels have dropped. Consider the patients out there who suffer from GENETIC/ FAMILIAL DYSLIPIDEMIA's . The game is totally different for GENETICALLY OBESE PAX as well.

If you were one of the ones having the muscle weakness, pain and elevated liver function, you wouldn't be calling everyone else crazy! Someday it will probably affect you too and then you will be singing a different tune!

Hi davidab,

I've stopped Lipitor now for 5 weeks. I don't have near the brain fog I used to...it's been a slow but noticable improvement that I hope will continue. The jury is still out on exercise intolerance...I was away on vacation in the caribbean and didn't keep up my regimen...and I'll repost on that in a few weeks... I'm back at it now. As far as being a hypochondriac...nope.

It looks like leading edge wisdom/opinion is now considering that statins are helpful due to their anti-inflammatory effect at low doses rather than at their cholesterol lowering high doses.

Consider yourself lucky that you haven't been affected. I would like to see the results of the UCSD statin side-effect study...they weren't funded by pharm. Speaking of pharms, didn't one of them sit on a study that said their Vytorin didn't really do much good at all? The doctors probably get more info from their biased studies than from anywhere else...maybe the docors will pay attention to this one...many more to come, I'm sure.

Good luck and I hope you don't have any side effects.

Mikey1955

How dare you say that. I'm 28 years old and was in great shape, very active. I'd been taking Lipitor for a while -- and then a few months ago, after an increase in my daily dose of the drug, I began getting severe pain in my feet. The pain has progressed up my legs. I cannot do the things I once loved; I can barely walk without pain. Try doing some research on the effects of Lipitor. There is more than merely anecdotal evidence that Lipitor can cause muscle damage. Of course it will not effect everyone the same way. Don't be ridiculous. If you think that medications like Lipitor don't have negative effects, you are an idiot.

Yeah...I've been singing Lipitor's praises for 4 years now. And guess what! I am having trouble now getting in and out of my car....even crossing my legs. Don't presume to know it all. I am experiencing first hand this very scary muscle weakness and pain myself. You need to realize that this can happen...even to you David!