After taking 10 mg. Lipitor for a couple of years, although my ch...

After taking 10 mg. Lipitor for a couple of years, although my cholesterol was down to 170 from a 239 high, my new endocrinologist raised it to 20 mg. then 40 mg. after which I began developing many symptoms (rashes, edema. etc.), the worst of which was and still is extreme pain and muscle weakness in my legs and feet. After I complained to my internist and the endocrinologist, the former tested me and said I do not have rhabdomyelesis (sp?) but the latter said blood tests for this are highly inaccurate and put me on other drugs: Diovan and Vytorin. To my astonishment, Vytorin contains 40 mg. simvastatin (Lipitor) and 10 mg. ezetimibe. My best reference book for pills is WORST PILLS, BEST PILLS, which saved me before when doctors put me on a variety of painkilling drugs, namely Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra. I ran very high BP and heart rate with all of them and simply tossed them in the garbage. Now WPBP says DO NOT USE Vytorin OR Diovan as well as Lipitor. But with Lipitor, how does one stop, once placed on this damnable drug? I have seen references to something called Welchol, Tricor and Lopid as being good substitutes (also old drugs like Questran and Colestid), but if we as patients have to argue with our doctors to have them take us off this dangerous drug, and they prophesy death by high cholesterol if we ignore their advice, just precisely what are we to do? Anyone out there have a solution? Has anyone simply stopped taking Lipitor and not died? Did the pain disappear? I am thinking about doing just that in order to find out.