I have been taking Simvastatin 20 mg. for about two and 1/2 month...

I almost died from a statin overdose of Simvastatin 80mg/day. The E-Newsletters at medicationsense.com listed below are a must read for anyone, who has had an adverse reaction to statins.
•“STATIN SIDE EFFECTS: DO DOCTORS TAKE PATIENTS' COMPLAINTS SERIOUSLY?”
•“PUSHING HIGH-DOSE LIPITOR: MEDICAL SCIENCE OR SLICK MARKETING?”
•“HIGH-DOSE LIPITOR FOR HEART ATTACKS: HOW EFFECTIVE, HOW SAFE?”

Thank you for your post! I couldn't understand why I had been experiencing such fatigue and muscle soreness when I hadn't done anything to make that happen. I also have started having the dizziness in the last couple of weeks, and my doctor said it was vertigo and put me on something for that that causes me to go to sleep....I will be discussing this with my doctor this week and see if an alternative can be given.

I have been taking Simvastatin for 6 weeks since being discharged after having triple heart bypass surgery. I have experienced no side affects that I know of. I will be 60 years old in three months, and I have been a long distance marathon runner for 13 years. Maybe the stamina I developed from running is why I am having no problems with the medication.

Source: Kronos Longevity Research Institute website (www.KronosInstitute.org) Feb 16, 2009

Kronos Institute Statin Pilot Study
Statins, Muscle, Mitochondrial function, and Aging (Kronos Institute Statin Study)

Principal Investigator: Tinna Traustadóttir, PhD
Co-investigator: S. Mitchell Harman, MD, PhD

Hydroxy-Methylglutaryl-Coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) are the most effective available pharmaceutical agents to lower cholesterol and reduce risk for coronary artery disease. However, use of statins is frequently associated with complaints of skeletal muscle problems such as aching, cramping, and weakness, (and rarely, rhabdomyolysis, a life-threatening breakdown of muscle tissue). Blocking HMG-CoA reductase is known to reduce endogenous synthesis of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a co-factor for oxidative phosphorylation, the energy generating process that drives skeletal muscle function. CoQ10 depletion could compromise function of the mitochondria (subcellular factories for the high energy compound, ATP) resulting in altered substrate kinetics and skeletal muscle metabolism.
The reduction in CoQ10 levels following statin therapy is expected to be modest and may not result in detectible changes in muscle function at rest. However, during exercise or other physical activity, as the heart and skeletal muscles are required to perform increasing amounts of work, it is likely that compromised function due to CoQ10 depletion might become evident. Furthermore, older individuals may be more susceptible to statin-associated muscle problems because CoQ10 levels have been shown to decrease with age, and aging is associated with decreased skeletal muscle reserve which may be related in part to cumulative mitochondrial damage and dysfunction.

This study tested the hypothesis that high-dose statin treatment would result in decreased work capacity in older men and women, secondary to a reduction in CoQ10 levels.

Status: Completed
Participants: Ten men and women, ages 55-76y (mean age: 66 ± 6y), with LDL-cholesterol levels >130 mg/dL (mean=161 ± 8 mg/dL) and not on cholesterol-lowering medications, received simvastatin (80 mg/day) for 12 weeks.
Procedures: At baseline, participants had blood drawn for measurements of lipids and other blood chemistries, as well as a short physical exam. They then underwent a series of exercise tests over 2 days (separated by 1-2 days), including a maximal exercise stress test, maximal strength test, an endurance test, tests of muscular power and muscular endurance, and cycling at sub-maximal intensity for measures of oxygen uptake kinetics. Twenty-four hours after the completion of the exercise testing, blood was drawn to measure creatine kinase, a marker of muscle breakdown and participants were started on statin treatment. An additional blood draw was taken 4-weeks into the treatment period to monitor any changes in liver function. Myalgia symptoms were monitored every 4-weeks. After 12-weeks of statin treatment, all baseline testing procedures were repeated.
Results: As expected, statin treatment resulted in significant decreases in LDL- and total-cholesterol levels with no changes in HDL-C or triglyceride levels. However, there were no significant changes in aerobic capacity, endurance, oxygen kinetics or any of the measures of muscular function in response to the 12-week treatment. CK levels at rest were significantly higher at 12-weeks but remained within normal ranges. No participant reported symptoms of myalgia, cramps, or weakness at any of the assessments.
Conclusion: High-dose simvastatin for 12 weeks did not result in myalgia symptoms or impaired exercise capacity in a sample of older individuals. These data suggest that the decreases in intramuscular CoQ10 that have previously been observed in response to high dose statin treatment, may not be clinically relevant in terms of diminishing exercise capacity in individuals who do not experience myalgia symptoms.

Presented: American College of Sport Medicine Annual Meeting (New Orleans, June 2007)

Kronos Longevity Research Institute
2390 E. Camelback Rd., Ste. 440 Phoenix, AZ 85016
Phone: (866) 840-1117 - Fax: (602) 778-7490 - Email: info@kronosinstitute.org

I've been prescribed simvastatin 20 mg by my doctor. This is my third month taking the drug to reduce high chlosterol. Is one of the negative side affects a decrease in libido? This is something I have experienced within two weeks.

I had taken this drug for a week and experienced muscle soreness and dizziness; since I was also on steroids, I got scared and stop taking this drug (also given naproxen and percecet, which I also stopped taking, as I already experience muscle soreness and dizziness, among other things, without taking more drugs due to my health issues)
Have an appointment to see another doc cos am dissapointed with this one, as I do not like taking so many darn pills; also:
my pharamacist retired, and I'm not comfy with the guy who replaced him; I've filed a complaint against this guy, yet he has not been replaced or fired! It is the responsibility of the pharamacist to assure that all of these drugs, taking by customers, to badly interact with each other; my previous pharamacist was a blessing, as he saved my life more than once!~!! by not letting me take perscriptions that badly interacted with each other!

flyan, . . . . .good that you stopped taking this dangerous statin. You are right, most drs. push drugs. . that's all they know . Need courses on natural products/alternatives. In reality, your mind/body needs cholesterol to function properly. Unfortunately, drs and the drug co's are doing a SCAM on the anti-cholesterol drugs . . . it is all about big $$ business. VERY SAD.