I am 43 yr old woman and have been on simvastatin on and off for ...

Mariee, I share your absolute anger. Mine is all similar to yours. In the end my flesh and skin pulled so agonising tight, I walked like an ape and could only walk for a few hundred mtres. I was on it for 4 yrs along with blood pressure and other crap medicines, before I took myself off it all. I'm now 54 and used to swim beyond the surf break when the beach was closed because of rips, ride my push bike doing skids with the kids next door, get half drunk and dance on the kitchen table. On a Sat morn I would be in the garden at day break, give wife drink in bed, then off to swim pool for up to 120 lengths, then be active for the rest of the day. My gardens are now overgrown and I hardly ever go out to play swim drink and laugh. I stopped the Lipex in Dec last year and I would now consider myself 55% cured. Make sure you take COQ10 and check that you get a good BIOAVAILABLE product, some makes are shit useless. I was visiting my Dr every 6 weeks and he still never diagnosed my problem it was an out of town friend who saw the state I was in and suggested lipex was the problem. I'm angered like you that we wern't given the warnings and wern't monitored on a fair and reasonable manner. I don't object to the drug itself as it does not have an adverse side effect on all people. On this site check zocor, lipex and lipitor all statins and have by far the most complaints of all drugs listed here. I now believe that over the next 12 months or less I will make a full recovery. I am in a state of disbelief how this can happen in this day and age. Be patient look after yourself and I'm sure it will come right. I'm even now starting to have some amourous feelings for my wife again after 4 yrs of nil, but completely unable physically. I know it's sensitive but does the drive in a female subside or dimish with this medicine the same as it does for a man? i can't wait for this whole saga to blow and save others having to go through it. All the best from New Zealand.

Just a quick update; my doctor called me today after reading my letter, after asking for me, his first words were "I believe we are trying to kill you", this was a joke but I am not laughing and told him so. I also told him how furious I was about the whole health mess I am in, his reply was that they prescribe statins to a thousand patients and it will probably help prevent 15 or so having a heart attack in future, ie. i'm 43, so it should help prevent one when i'm 85!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, I retorted if I live that long!! He then agreed that I shouldn't be taking them but there are OTHERS that I could take, my answer "NO", never again, surely what I have suffered already is enough?? MORE STATINS??? unbelievable! And no more BP tablets either cos they are just as bad, and they never cured the problem of high BP anyway. He also said they could do blood tests to check muscle damage, which I have had already and were ok, yet my thigh is not, so that proves nothing; though I did have an abnormal liver result and they practically accused me of being an alchoholic!! This also includes the fact that I am seeing a urologist because I have serious bladder problems that suddenly became an issue, Not once did anyone of them stop the damn statins. I am joyeous today, I told the Medical hypster machine to basically bog off, I need to clear my system of this rubbish and will take my chances, so, no thank you. Pain lessening with each day, shoulder and neck still burn like hell, but I guess that will take time. I'll keep you posted on results of leg biopsy, health and happiness to all.

I'm a 61 year old male who has lost most of the last year to severe pain and weakness also due to the side affects of simvastatin. I had been taking Lipitor with some of the same side affects, though to a lesser degree, which I dealt with by taking smaller doses than prescribed. About a year ago my health insurance co. sent me a notice saying that I could keep taking Lipitor at a much increased price or take their advice and switch to simvastatin. I have only so much income so I switched. Soon after, I began to notice symptoms of muscle weakness and much increased joint pain. Since I have arthritis my Dr. said that it was just the result of my aging and worsening of arthritis. MRIs did not support this opinion but for a long time I believed he must be right and I would just have to live with the pain and the increasingly strong and addictive pain medications that went with it. About 4 weeks ago I decided to do a little experimenting on my own. This is, after all, my body and my life. I quit taking the simvastatin 40 mg because I remembered similar but less dramatic problems with the Lipitor before I was advised to change to simvastatin. The results were dramatic. Within days I no longer had to use a walking stick to walk and I was able to immediately reduce my pain medications by 50%! I suspect my cholestorol numbers will increase but nothing will induce me to return to taking simvastatin. I'm concerned that some of the weakness and pain that remains may be permanent results of simvastatin use. I also have some swelling of a knee joint and a soft lump under my right arm that I think may be related to simvastatin. I haven't talked to my Dr about these yet. All I've said to him is that I've quit the simvastatin and feel MUCH better. He responded by saying we'll watch my blood tests and see what needs to be done about the cholestorol problem but showed no concern about the affects of the simvastatin or possible permanent damage. I've spoken to friends who have also taken simvastatin and have quit because of similar side affects. I am hoping that the medical community will take a long hard look at this medication and consider taking it off the market. I would also like to see the results of an investigation into the possible permanent damage it does to those who have placed their trust in their doctors and the medical community. I, for one, have lost a great deal of confidence in modern medicine practices and the strong links between practitioners and the drug companies. I know I'm not alone. I live with some fear that this particular drug has not only ruined the last year of my life but may also have changed what remains of it for the worse.

I have a family member with a similar response to this medication. She is now off the meds but has severe muscle weakness and pain. Is there anything you have done to speed the recovery process?

I have a family member with a similar response to this medication. She is now off the meds but has severe muscle weakness and pain. Is there anything you have done to speed the recovery process?

Hi Marie, I hope you are starting to feel a little better. I had been on Simvastatin for 6 months and suffered the same symptons as you did. I was having to be pushed out of bed in the morning by my husband and had to be helped up from a chair like an old lady. I too was too weak to do all the normal things in life and thought that i had something realy awful. Some mornings I just felt like giving up. I had been having physio each week for my back, and the physio couldn't understand why I was not improving. I also put on loads of weight and was at the proctice nurse telling her how ill I felt and that i understood that being over weight was putting the strain on my joints and muscles (and that I knew it was all my fault etc etc). Seeing the state I was in she told me to see the doctor who immediately told me to stop taking the statins. I felt improvement almost immediately, but because the doc said he didn't think that it was the statins that had caused my problems, I half convinced myself that the improvements were phsycological. Then a colleague told me that she had read an article about the side effects and I looked on the internet and I was shocked and appalled that people have been suffering (including me). I am 53 with a 9 year old son and I can honestly say that I thought my life was over. After only 4 weeks off the drug, I have regained my mobility, I no longer have to take tramadol painkillers to get through the day, and I am so much happier. I only hope that I don't have any long term issues.

HI there, yes I am feeling better though still enraged with the incompetence of so-called medical people. I am currently fighting a battle with the health authorities, I complained and I am taking it all the way to the top, this cannot be allowed to go on, the doctor's in my case (there are four involved), are not going to get away with it. I know for certain that they endorse the use of this drug because of incentives, and I hope they all have a really shitty time because they ruined 8 months of my life. The road to recovery is a lot harder than the road to ruin, that happened really fast, and if I had not made the connection between that drug and my illness, I am in no doubt I would not be here. I am so fed up with the lack of care and concern with what happened to me and my body, the attitude is that I have stopped taking it so what's the problem?? and any side effects, that by the way are still here, are in my head. For example...I wanted a test for muscle wastage, I was duely sent to the specialist two months after stopping the statins, he was obnoxious, especially after reading the note my doctor had sent (getting medical records so I can read it too), and suggested I join a gym!!! there was nothing wrong with me after carrying out a few walking exercises, but no scan etc which is what I was expecting. I was stunned.... I said in a sarcastic way "it must be in my head then", he actually agreed with me and that was it!!!, I couldn't believe it! I went to see a private muscle specialist the next day who looks after football players etc, and he was stunned at the way I was treated and did a series of tests and totally dis-agreed with the hospital git saying there was muscle wastage and weakness and it was not in my head. I have a written report from him to help me in my fight, but this is what I am up against at the moment...No one will accept responsibility for this nightmare. I have also sent complaint to the medication yellow card scheme...TOTALLY USELESS. I am glad I am off the drug and I spotted it in time, but there a hell of a lot of people out there that are duped on a daily basis. I don't think anyone, except those who have had the misfortune to experience statins, really knows or comprehends the seriousness of what damage this drug and others do to their bodies. In a short time, months in my case, I aged 10 years, that's a lot; now consider anyone reading this, imagine years of this abuse if the side effects are not as pronounced as mine? A truly horrifiying thought. My only conclusion is that the government are trying to kill off as many people as they can before they put a strain on the health service if they realise it or not, because they, like doctors (who choose to ignore the effects because of government targets) and unknowledgeable patients, have been conned into thinking that statins are a cure....NO, they kill you quicker. I hope you have no lasting effects; think positive, and get back to being you again, for me this has been the hardest part. I cannot remember the last time I actually felt like the old me, I do have more good days than bad, which is a bonus, but the only way I would seek medical help now is to be carted off in an ambulance, I hate them that much, it has traumatised me beyond belief.

I am 49 yr old Male and taking the same medication and also having the same side effects like everybody does in this forum. Can we take action against th emaker of this drugs for not telling the patients about what exactly in this medication that makes us sick and thus our Doctors insist to continue taking it. Please reply. My e mail is, hesus32@hotmail.com. Sometimes i want to end my life because of all the side effects. Please help.

My husband is off this after 2 years.he has pain in muslces and they cant find anything wrong. hard to walk. he cant work etec will he get better or will it get worse