Lipitor and cardiologist

Not a new, but seemingly common side effect, i just recently noted could be from Lipitor.......all over achey dead weight feeling, difficult to motivate and move without great fatigue an achiness....totally out of character & even herbal energy, once helpful was completely non effective. Also have arthritis and a knee replacement...knee ok but rest of body next to completely seized up, including hands, hip, sacro iliac, foot, and extreme neck stiffness and pain. Being a retired nurse i should have noted side effects, but attributed to another BP pill which was stopped... Of course absolutely no change and now tripping to chiropractor and acupuncture hoping to get this body going again, especially with much needed walking, post knee replacement. Also i had gained wt, maybe 10-15lbs in 6 months, but when lipitor ws recently doubled, i gained even more in a 3 wk period, and my midrift is cellulite lumpy looking, unlike ever b4, with my normally preferred very active lifestyle, that is now difficult with probs occurring. The chiropractor alerted me to the potential Lipitor side effects, but i know my cardiologist would not agree with this theory.....so afraid to mention, unless there is some conclusive test to be done. Otherwise they say everybody always wants to complain or blame probs on meds, if nothing else suits the situation. I have discontinued the Lipitor, just for 2 days so far and pray i will feel back to myself asap. Now of course i am torn with the lack of prevention of atherochlorosis and future bypass surgery as in father's family.... Feel like damned if i do and damned if i don't.....so definitely empathize with most. Thanks for commoradery and hoping i am not just becoming a cuckoo hypochondriac.

It appears to be, not quite all the facts in yet, but my cardiologist put me on a Lipitor hiatis to see if some of my arrhythmia issues, dizziness and light headedness may be associated with Lipitor.
After just 4 days, I am feeling pretty good! Could be placebo? I don't think so.
After being taken from work in an ambulance to the hospital and experiencing 48 hours worth of testing for a possible coronary, I asked my doctor to examine the possibility of Lipitor causing the symptoms.
I do not have a family history of heart disease. I eat well and am a moderate exerciser. When I was bumped up from 20 mg. to 40 mg. around 6 months ago, my symptoms started.
I have to decide now how much of an elevated cholesterol level I am willing to "live" with. My cardiologist said if it turns out to be the Lipitor, we'll try Zocor and maybe get a higher cholesterol level on my labs, but that's okay. How low does the low need to be??

Cholesterol slightly elevated Dr. recommended 10mg dosage. Began experiencing neck and shoulder pain, dizziness, nausea, foot stiffness and leg numbness up to the lower thigh. Voluntarily stopped the medication after four months. All noticed side effects disappeared except for the foot stiffness and leg numbness. It has been 2 1/2 years and these remaining side effects are constant. Not optimistic for recovery. Anyone else with similar symptoms?

I have been on 10 MG of Lipitor for almost 3 years. Since I began taking it I have had recurring issues with an anxious feelings, my lower GI is constantly churning and I feel like I am stressed out. I have a low stress job, a stable happy family life and yet I feel nervous all the time. I sleep for 3-4 hours and then wake up and am unable to get back to sleep. I have been forced to take a nap ever day after lunch just to get through the day. Additionally, I developed tremors in my hands and was diagnosed with something called Benign Essential Tremor and put on another medication to control the shaking.

Yesterday I decided I had enough of this and went to see my cardiologist to discuss the symptoms. I stopped taking the Lipitor on my own 2 days before. The doctor told me that none of my symptoms were related to Lipitor! I replied that I was convinced that they were all in fact caused by this drug. He suggested I stop taking the statin for 2 weeks and see if the symptoms stop. I am now on day 4 without lipitor and am already feeling less anxious.

I went to the Nuerologist 2 weeks ago and got her to discontinue the anti-tremor medication. I am going to get all this crap out of my system and hopefully get my life back.

Wow! I must be the latest in a long line of Lipitor users and apparently pain sufferers. I have been on Lipitor for over a year. I am 56 years old, active and healthy (thank God). Around November 2008, I noticed a "twinge" in my left hip while sleeping. This has gotten progressively worse over the months and I thought it was due to arthritis (which runs in my family). But after reading these blogs, I am not so sure. If anyone has anything definitive regarding this, ie: tests, studies, etc., I would really appreciate a point in the right direction for more information. I was thinking (until today) that I was headed for hip surgery or something equally drastic. Now that I have a clue that it may be the Lipitor, I want to investigate further and then, if necessary, change to another medication that won't break me down like this. My heart goes out to anyone that has suffered through hip pain. It is a miserable, painful condition that saps your energy and your desire to even move sometimes. I appreciate any help you can offer. God bless all of you. - L. B. ******

Prescribed Lipitor in 07 by my cardiologist. After about 30 days, I noticed facial puffiness. Soon this became increased swelling about my eyes and cheeks. Stopped taking it at that point.

I was 50 and the doctor prescribed lipitor 10mg since my cholesterol had doubled in the past twelve months to 300. I took it for four months and began to have pain in one leg just below the knee. I had talked to a woman about 65 years old once who was walking on the sides of her feet and I had asked her what medical problem she had. She explained that her Lipitor had caused this terrible pain. You would think that I would have refused to take this drug. You see the doctor had already prescribed a very large dose of fish oil per day and the cholesterol had not fallen. However, I began taking it. About two weeks before my enzyme checkup I began to notice the pain in the leg just below my knee and I stopped taking the Lipitor. I expected the pain to subside, but it did not. My cholesterol level had risen and my doctor asked me if I was still taking the Lipitor. I explained that I had been of it for about two weeks. The doctor insisted that the pain probably wasn't associated with the Lipitor. The reason being my enzyme level was within the range of acceptable. I began taking it again. The doctor wanted to have another test within four weeks to check enzyme levels again. This time the enzyme levels were borderline high. So the doc recommended stopping the Lipitor for a while and then another enzyme level check. You see, my body was telling me something. The only new factor in my medications other than blood pressure was the Lipitor. It has been about three weeks since I stopped the Lipitor, yet I am continuing with even more pain in tops of feet and above one knee a know seems to have appeared. It is sore and feels like it is bruised. I am not a doctor, but I had done some investigating Lipitor on the internet and read that in some patients the Lipitor actually causes small to large fissures in the arteries of the heart. Also, the muscles begin to attack themselves, thus the pain and atrophy. I am going to start taking flax oil. One cardiologist reported that he two cases a week of heart attacks due to Lipitor. He was enraged that Lipitor is still being prescribed and manufactured. I just hope it doesn't take years to regain my original self without pain. I am an active person who likes to work outside, garden, snow-ski, and anything else I want to do. I am trying to search for a detox program for Lipitor overdose, not that I have overdosed. According to my body's signals, I have overdosed on a toxic drug. I pray that returning to normal won't take as long as I have heard some people say it has taken them. Please try some other alternative to Lipitor and the other debilitating statin drugs. I will have to start an exercise program, even though I have put it off for years. I hope my laziness about my physical fitness hasn't crippled me for life. I am 20 lbs overweight and never took it seriously. I hope others will discontinue to take this life-threatening and debilitating drug!!!!!!!!!!1

I had tingling and numbing in my hands and feet. After few weeks without Lipitor all that tingling stopped. My doctor said that it could not be Lipitor's side effect but after doing research online I really wished they listed tingling and numbing as side effect of that drug. It would have saved me a lot of money I spent on all kinds of tests my neurologist did.

feeling some relief to have validation to why i have been feeling this way.

i thought i was going the way of father (heart attack in his 40s) due to many symptoms over the past month similar to heart issues, except the leg cramps. i thought of my mother in-law, her diabetes, poor circulation.

i knew i had just had a thorough heart evaluation with my doctor last spring and everything was fine, except my hereditary cholesterol. frustrating. he had prescribed lipitor at that time. last week while driving to my office Christmas party i thought about driving straight to emergency.

food always seemed to help, as well lots of water. I think because i had liquids when eating, dehydration is what was being addressed.

on my own, i stopped lipitor (only prescribed medication i take) four days ago. no more nausea, no more light headiness (briefly early morning yesterday), no more weakness, leg pain decreased; these were my main symptoms.

I also experienced occasional foot cramps, general aches, heaviness in my esophagus immediately upon eating (thought of my mom with her hiatal hernia) indigestion maybe.

I had one episode a month ago (about the time all this started) where out of the blue i thought my legs were going to fall from under me, they became tingly like they were going to sleep, i was light headed as if i could faint. i had just finished a relaxing picnic by a natural stream, on a beautiful sunny day.

doctors who prescribe this medication should be more aware of these side affects. seems they are either not listening to their patients, or do not have the knowledge of these side affects, and in result, should not be allowed to prescribe.

My concern now is how long the discomfort in my legs will last, though they have improved. to make sure no serious damage has occurred,
i will see my cardiologist in two weeks to have blood work.

I would suggest to anyone who has not contacted their physician since stopping the statin, to do so. print a copy of this site and bring it with you!

T. - 47 years - trying to stay healthy!

I started taking Lipitor 3 weeks ago. I have pains in my chest on the right side and I am so paranoid from this drug that I can't sleep. I also have pain in my hip and I am always getting hot in the face. It feels like my head is being squeezed. I have tried to get off of it, but then I feel pains in my chest and I take it again. I have been to the emergency room for pains in my chest. I took an EKG and an Xray. They found nothing. I also went to a cardiologist . He took an EKG found nothing but told me to take it for 3 month sand it if my cholesterol went down he would take me off the drug. But I am afraid that after three months. it will be too late to get off the drug.

I am a 65 year old female taking 20mlg of lipitor for almost 10 years. All of a sudden I started having severe pain, shaking and weakness in the calf muscle. The pain is unbearable. Doctors after doctors including a cardiologist, rhoumatologist and internist don't know the reason. I have stopped lipitor for 3 days. I cry and pray to god to help me everyday. I cannot exercise which is my passion for many years. I am hoping the lipitor is the reason and not something else. I have to wait and see. But I suspect it is.
SR
I do have nausea, depression and low back pain and arthritis and frequent headaches.

My co worker 's husband was diagnosed with chest pain and heart disease two months ago.They inserted two stents.
They also started him on statins and other cardiac medicines.
Yesterday he went for a walk and came back home and suddenly dropped dead. The cardiologist said it wasn't heart related.
I remember reading how those stents were killing people. I am sure those statins didn't help either.

Moderately high cholesterol and BP 150/90. Was put on Lipitor 20mg and after a week felt more fatigued than usual but nothing much more than this. Had stress test and angiogram which showed 60-70% block in one artery as well as arrhythmia. Cardiologist bumped Lipitor up to 80 mg which I took for 2 weeks. But by then I was suffering most of the effects described in these postings: aches and pains, giddiness, nausea, extreme weakness and fatigue. I took myself off Lipitor and even after one day my head started to clear aches started to diminish, though urine still a reddish color suggesting a lot more flushing out required. And, best of all, the arrhythmia reduced from moderate/severe to mild (which it always used to be before taking Lipitor). This drug is not for me. I'd rather take my chances without it and rely on strict diet, weight loss, etc. It is surprising that the possible side effects are so understated in the manufacturer's descriptions.

I am a 54 year old male who started taking Lipitor about 4 years ago. It seemed OK at first, but over the next several years I began to have increasing amounts of joint pain after exercise. Nor muscle pain, joint pain. And it seemed to be a result of exercise. By the time I stopped it, I was hurting after everything, not just exercise. I felt better within the first two weeks, but it took about 4 months for me to be able to exercise vigorously again. Over the years I seemed to have forgotten how much vitality I used to have. I am a physician, and because of the long lag time until I felt better, I wondered whether improvement might have related to other factors, so after about 5 months I decided to restart Lipitor. It surprised me that after just one dose, I got back all of the joint pain and fatigue when I was at my worst on Lipitor. I was really hurting. Needless to say, I didn't take any more.

Coincidentally, a physician friend of mine who had statin induced polyneuropathy had a similar experience. After his symptoms went away he found that after only one dose the entire polyneuropathy came back.

Stopping and restarting the drug is a way to test the correlation between the drug and the side effect. For such a large spectrum of side effects to recur after only a single dose, it argues that the problems that my friend and I had was due to some sort of immune memory response. I have not seen this in the medical literature.

I am off it now for about 8 months and am able to comfortably play singles tennis and jog - much more energy (and I took 200 mg of CoQ10 a day with the Lipitor).

I am a 51 year old male. November 2007 jaw pain sent me to the hospital where they found a 99% block in my right coronary artery, yep 4 stent's. Three month late the same this time 2 stent's and two weeks later 2 more. I now have 8 stent's. My DR. put me on several meds including Zocor. The zocor made me very tired and headaches. He change it to Lipitor 10mg. I have been on it for 7 months and a few day's ago I have notice pain in both knee's and hip. I once again find it hard to concentrate, feel sluggish and have headache's. I NEVER have headache's. Stopped taken the Lipitor, hope the pain goes away. It a shame that the medical field is so quick to put us ALL on drug's, how about herb's instead. I'm going to look into a natural way to lower my cholesterol.

I was given 40mg Lipitor for elevated cholesterol. I took it until I started having muscle weakness .I am a retired nurse of twenty five years, and knew this symptom was not correct. So I stopped taking the medication and told my doctor of this.He did not protest in any way.My symptoms now include;two torn ligaments, sob,mental deficits, muscle wasting, night sweats, weakness,h/a's, and more. I have not taken Lipitor for two years now. Damage is done.My doctor said it should be out of my system by now. Is this a cover up?

I had 95% occlusion of the major artery in my heart July 2007 with no symptoms except slight shoulder pain on 3 occasions. They did a cath and inserted 2 stents. Started with Lipitor 10 mg. and my LDL dropped from 75 to 112. The MD wanted to double the dose, but I refused because of intermittent nocturnal nausea. MD switched me to another statin and I had immediate muscle involvement and severe nausea at night. She wanted me to try another statin drug and I refused. After a 2 month period of no statins, she put me back on Lipitor 10 mg. daily. I decided to cut the pill in half and take it twice a week, then move to every other day and gradually go to 10 mg. daily. Immediately, the nocturnal nausea started again. Last night I awoke at 2 a.m. with nausea, sweating, sore muscles around my rib cage. Still no sleep at 4:30 a.m., so I got up and tried to eat something. This has been the pattern every night since I went on Lipitor.

I don't know if I can take this any more.

CK

I am a 35 yr old male and have been taking lipitor about 7 yrs. I have a genetically high cholesterol and it has been up to 275. On lipitor its around 175. Over the years I have been on this drug I went from being a normal weight and active to pretty much lethargic and sedentary due to lack of energy and gained ~50 lbs. I couldn't sleep. I got random nausea and fogginess in my brain to the point I could not remember how to perform my job. I usually had minor aches and was bloated. the past year everything has gotten much worse. For a year now, I have been getting large rashes on my body that itch severely and no medications have worked to alleviate them. I found out recently from my doctor that I have a genetic marker in my cholesterol that makes me 3 times as likely to have a heart attack. Its a portion of the cholesterol, i think its called LDL-b or something like that. Anyways, My doctor prescribed zetia to help with my cholesterol since the lipitor wasn't doing it alon. I begin feeling very sick when taking the zetia and after a week or two stopped it. The problems didn't end. As long as I remained on the lipitor, the problems seemed to continue. Its like the zetia released a dam of problems. I stopped the lipitor 4 days ago and have noticed that I feel energy coming back to me and the rash is starting to go away, but I ache severely all over. My shoulders, forearms, and legs are so sore and painful that I can't do anything about this except sleep so I don't feel the pain. I am also very weak feeling and I notice stiffness in my fingers and my grip is very weak compared to how it normally is. I have nausea and stomach cramps and constipation. I feel miserable. I notice its worse in the morning and gets a little better towards the afternoon. I typically took my lipitor in the morning. I do not know if there is a relationship here. Please advise on any help you can provide.

KMJ
07-30-08

As a retired Healthcare Professional, like you I almost died from a statin overdose. If you’re a U.S. resident or Canadian resident, I would encourage patients/consumers to send their complaint/statin adverse reaction report to the web sites listed below. Also, if your physician is unresponsive to your negative experience from any statin, inform him/her that you refuse to continue with this drug, and have sent an adverse reaction complaint to the FDA/Canadian equivalent. Provide both your doctor and pharmacy with a copy of the completed FDA Form 3500, if you’re a U.S. resident, so they (medical community) know you're serious (see my recent postings of July 20 and July 25, 2008). In addition, I would bring to the attention of your physician the following clinical experience of Dr Peter H. Langsjoen, MD, FAAC, a Blue Ribbon Cardiologist: “Over the past five years, statins have become more potent, are being prescribed in higher doses, and are being used with reckless abandon in the elderly and in patients with "normal" cholesterol levels. We are in the midst of a CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) epidemic in the US with a dramatic increase over the past decade. Are we causing this epidemic through our zealous use of statins? In large part I think the answer is yes. We are now in a position to witness the unfolding of the greatest medical tragedy of all time - never before in history has the medical establishment knowingly (Merck & Co., Inc. has two 1990 patents combining CoQ10 with statins to prevent CoQ10 depletion and attendant side effects) created a life threatening nutrient deficiency in millions of otherwise healthy people, only to then sit back with arrogance and horrific irresponsibility and watch to see what happens - as I see two to three new statin cardiomyopathies per week in my practice, I cannot help but view my once great profession with a mixture of sorrow and contempt.” Finally, I hope you find, as I did the following newsletters/medical information helpful:
http://www.vitacost.com/newsletter/newsletter.cfm?nl=189

http://www.vitacost.com/newsletter/newsletter.cfm?nl=234

http://www.vitacost.com/newsletter/newsletter.cfm?nl=370
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U.S.A.
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/problem.html
CANADA
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/alt_formats/hpfb-dgpsa/pdf/compli-conform/gui-44_consumer_complaint-plainte_consommateur-eng.pdf
Contact Name: Drug Compliance Verification and Investigation Unit
Tel: (613) 952-9906
Fax: (613) 954-0941
E-Mail: DCVIU_UVCEM@hc-sc.gc.ca

I would encourage every patient on statins to read the recent article (Feb. 2008) by Dr. Peter Langsjoen, MD/Cardiologist: http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2008/feb2008_Alleviating-Congestive-Heart-Failure-With-Coenzyme-Q10_01.htm

The following information from this article is pertinent to complaints of muscle pain/weakness and fatigue:

"All statin drugs block the biosynthesis of both cholesterol and CoQ10, which explains statins’ common side effects of fatigue, muscle pain and muscle weakness, and a worsening of heart failure. When CoQ10 levels are lowered by statin drug therapy, one of the first changes to occur is a weakening of heart muscle function, known as diastolic dysfunction. This has nothing to do with diastolic blood pressure, but rather represents impairment in the relaxing or filling phase of the cardiac cycle. After heart muscle contracts, it takes a great deal of cellular energy, or ATP, to re-establish the calcium gradients such that muscle fibers may relax. Thus, if diastolic dysfunction is severe, it can result in congestive heart failure. In 2004, a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology showed that diastolic dysfunction (heart muscle weakness) occurred in 70% of previously normal patients treated with 20 mg a day of Lipitor® for six months. This heart muscle dysfunction was reversible with supplemental CoQ10."

I hope this information will be of help to patients suffering adverse reactions from statins..

I am a male of 67 years old. I took Lipitor for a year, and after a few months of taking it, I felt muscle pains in my arms and shoulders, as well as my back. I felt weak and could hardly put my socks on by myself. I told my family doctor that I thought the problem was caused by LIpitor. He said it couldn't be possible, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong, so he sent me to a rheumatologist, who gave me an initial diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica. I went back for a checkup, and although the sed rate was normal, the C-reactive protein was elevated. He felt his diagnosis was an accurate one. He prescribed prednisone for me. I had some doubts about it, since I am diabetic, and was concerned about the elevated blood sugar it might cause. Well, it did elevate my blood sugar, and I weaned myself off it within three months. My blood sugar went back to normal, and while the prednisone helped the symptoms of muscle pain and aches, after I stopped it, the pain returned with a vengeance.

About a year passed after discontinuing the prednisone, and I felt worse and worse. Any time I engaged in physical activity, such as yard work, I was almost incapacitated for two or three days. I felt weaker and weaker, and by now, my activity is about ten per cent of what it was three or four years ago. I am unable to do anything physical without paying a heavy price.

I would tell the doctor that I felt the problem was caused by the Lipitor. He would dismiss my comments, saying that the pain should have gone away after discontinuing Lipitor. He sent me back to the rheumatologist with results of recent blood tests. Both the sed rate and C-reactive protein were normal. The rheumatologist touched my back and other areas, which caused me to jump. He said it might be fibromyalgia. I told him again that I thought it was caused by the Lipitor. He said the same thing my GP had said: if it had been the Lipitor, the pain would have gone away when I stopped taking it. I know the Lipitor caused the pain, because I tried red yeast rice for a couple months. The pain increased to almost unbearable, so I discontinued the red yeast rice. If I were not susceptible to the pain from the Lipitor, would the red yeast rice have increased the pain?

So here I am with a fuzzy diagnosis from the rheumatologist, and no clue from my family doctor (that he will verbalize, at any rate). My life has gone steadily downhill. I used to be a strong, active person, but now I can do very little, and my strength is a shadow of what it formerly was. What can I do?

On lipitor for 1 1/2 years.... starting taking yoga a month ago. Had ache in knee and leg which then went to toe on other leg. Thought it was overstretching from yoga. Pain moved to hips and lower back. All very painful but worst was yet to come. Pain moved to neck and shoulders. Could not move head. Excruciating SOBBING pain. I was in so much pain for weekend. Everyone wanted me to go to emergency room but I wanted to stick it out til Monday.

PS... went on web. Saw this is lipitor side effect. never would have expected that after 1 1/2 yrs on a 10 mg dose.

Went to pain management doctor ... got Soma (muscle relaxant), an oral steroid and Percoset. Relief was almost instant.

Called my cardiologist. He says it is the Lipitor.

No more statins for me.
And back to yoga.

Folks, Lipitor is the most widely prescribed drug. People are blaming their various problems on lipitor. They should see the appropriate specialist to address their specific symptoms vs self-diagnosing and blaming it on lipitor.

I have been on Lipitor for 5-years. I've been on 40mg of Lipitor, and just today my Endocrinologist (I am a Type 2 Diabetic) just increased the Lipitor to 80mg. I am not filling the prescription until I speak with my Cardiologist who is the original prescriber of the Lipitor for me. But after reading posts here, I have determined that most of my symptoms are all related to this Drug, including I think, my chest pains. I had a heart attack in 1995 and double-bypass surgery, and am on a plethora of drugs, and would like to talk to more of you about this and your experiences - So please email me and I hope we can talk about this together.

Hi
I started taking 10 mg. daily ofLipitor 8 yrs. ago and about a year later I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. There's no test for Fibro, just blood tests to elimate everything else ex: Lupus, RA etc. I've been suffering so much from muscle pain, all the tender points as in Fibro and also diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. Three doctors diagnosed me with Fibro. and chronic fatigue. I had most of the symptoms everyone else is complaining about also. The pain in my stomach muscles are just about gone too.

It reached a point three weeks ago when I was having sharp pains all over my body and muscle cramps and charlie horses at night and I could just about walk up the stairs my hips hurt so much that decided to stop Lipitor. I was so tired all the time and in constant pain.

My doctors said it couldn't be the Lipitor. The pain in most of the tender points are just about gone but I know it will take a while to get out of my system. I lost muscle strength over the years and hope to get that back. I'm 64 years old and know it will take awhile .

I went to my doctor Tuesday and told him I took myself off the Lipitor and that I now remember being diagnosed with Fibro shortly after going on Lipitor. He got so mad at me and said that Lipitor doesn't cause a disease. As I said there's no test for Fibro and it's not a disease it's a syndrome or condition where the brain sends pain signals to the tender point muscles but there's nothing actually wrong with the muscles. I told him that 6 years ago when I tried going off Lipitor for 3 months and joined a gym, Curves, I felt fine and thought I was in remission. Then when I started taking Lipitor again I couldn't do the exercise in Curves and had to stop going. It never dawned on me it was the Lipitor.

I now have a problem with my heart, one condition I might have been born with but the Arrthymia I don't know about. My heart beats too many beats and it beats 4 beats and the 5th beat is backwards. Now I'm on 25mg of Topricin (the generic) beta blocker to slow down the heart beats. I don't know if this is caused by the Lipitor or not. My cardiologist said that Lipitor can affect every muscle in your body and she suggested that I get a RX for a blood test to tell whether I have muscle damage. I went for the test Tuesday but haven't received the results yet.

I'm going to change doctors, I don't like my doctor's attitude with me over the Lipitor. These doctors think they're God. When I told him on Tuesday about the 3 months that I felt fine 6 years ago he said that there are other drugs besides statins to lower cholesterol. I don't want to go on any drugs and the non statin drugs can cause intestinal blockage, he got upset when I told him that too. I'm going to try to lower it with flaxseed and fiber and see if that works. I go to Weight Watchers and kept 17 lbs. off for 6 years now, I do try and eat healthy.

I can't believe it cost me almost 8 years of my life in pain. It's even hard for me to get down on the floor with my granchildren, I have to crawl to the couch or chair to lift myself up and I get tired so easily. I just hope I get back to normal.

I'm so glad I found this website and figured out what was wrong with me. I hope my writing helps someone else dignosed with Fibromyalgia and taking a statin.

Thanks for listening.
Marie

I was on Lipitor 6 yrs. ago for approximately 6 months. The pain and weakness in my arms and shoulders was unbearable. Deep pain that felt like it went right to the bone. On occasion since then I seem to have flair ups. This past week I have been in pain. The strength in my arms is diminished. Has anyone else had this experience?

42 Year old male; Active, have been on Lipitor 9 months. Started back on the drug last spring, Ride wave runners every weekend, thought I've had whiplash for months, extremely sore/stiff neck, severe muscle pain in shoulders and neck I am convinced its Lipitor not whiplash. Only advice my doctor can give is "see a Chiropractor", no help! I am stopping Lipitor right now and will await changes, Cannot believe after multiple visits to my doctor concerning my shoulder/neck issue he never once considered Lipitor. After doing an internet search for muscle pain, I stumbled across Lipitor's relationship to muscle pain. If my pain stops I will be very grateful.

I have just read what abrey wrote

"The Cardiologist and I have sacked each other. He would do well to read some of these letters."

I suggest that we try to spread the word. Is it allowed to copy these stories and give them to the doctors as information?

If so - that is what we should do - spread the "news".

I´ll do my part here in Sweden because the siltation is very much the same and it`s getting worse for every day.

I have been on Lipitor for some time now. I was not aware of any side-effects but my LDL was too high and interview with a Cardiologist told me to increase my Lipitor dose of 10 mgms, to 80mgms ( yes 80) He told me that he was party to research that showed 80 mgms could be taken without harm. After discussion with my GP we decided not to follow the Specialists advice and increased to 20mg. My LDL is now normal but I am having changes in my leg muscles, which, after reading your letters has me wondering. The Cardiologist and I have sacked each other. He would do well to read some of these letters.

Shortly after starting the lipitor I developed hand pain mostly my fingers and especially my thumbs. I stopped the Lipitor and the pain in my hands and finger went away except for my thumbs. I have a trigger thumb which I can bend with a great deal of pain on my right hand and my left hand has now developed a trigger thumb as well. I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this type of side effect as my doctor feels it is just coincidence and that I have developed arthritis. I have not had any arthritic pain in my hands until now.

I am a 54 year old male who has a chronic a-fib. My cholesterol was a wee bit high so my now retired MD put me on Zetia, which just about killed me- constant stomach pains and associated GI problems-we all can guess. So I went to see my cardiologist- he took me off Zetia and put me on Lipitor. It dropped my cholesterol levels significantly but the side effects are horrendous. My new MD was gooing to look into it because I was on 80 mg a day- but never did and never lowered the dose-229 is not all that high to warrant 80 mg a day.
I am now experiencing severe pain in my right rib-cage area, making sleep an event every night. Also have severe leg cramps the size of golf balls constanlty at night while sleeping. Pain in both elbows, and in the right foot, which when I can sleep wakes me up with a severe pounding pain. I am also experiencing severe neck and shoulder pain and am generally fatigued all the time- So I quit taking the stuff as of today on my own, I am seeing my MD in two week and I want to see what the difference is pain wise being off of the med for two weeks. I have always been a strong physical guy, played football all the way through college and am in pretty good shape for my age, but this stuff is killing me!! Hope this helps someone else also-Thanks for listening-John in Napa, CA.

Hello all, after reading all of your messages I am convinced now that the Lipitor is to blame on my symptoms as well. I began 10mg of Lipitor about 3 years ago and this past February was increased to 20mg, my cholestral readings was at 98 and now at 90. I also quit smoking in February. In April started to experience extreme pains in my arms and back, thought it was the mattress or pillows have replaced every pillow in the house, and have begun pricing mattresses. Have extreme bloating, gas and constipation. Went to the Drs. and was told its a reaction to quitting smoking as nicotine is a natural laxative. Sounds beleivable, never though of the Lipitor increase. Breast extremely tender and sore, went to the OB, had a mamograpghy everything fine, OB suggested researching Lipitor and bingo I'm a believer. Called cardiologist today and she has immeditaly lowered it to 10mg, and wants to see me in 3 weeks as a follow and possible wean off all together. I need to research the cholestral numbers and see how good or bad mine are at the moment. Again thanks everyone for taking the time and writing about your experiences and reading everyone elses. Good luck to all

II have been on Statins for many years. Started with Zocor which caused two large muscle knots in my side. I talked to my cardiologist and was told it couldn’t be, as it would be more systemic. I asked him for a CPK check and he telephoned me and said get off of it at once. In the meantime I broke two ribs swinging a golf club. I was switched to at least three other Statins with the same results, muscle pain. I finally ended up on lipitor. My CPK was elevated, but my cardiologist said that the benefits of 10 mg. of Lipitor trumped the slight CPK elevation. All went well for a couple of years. During that time I participated in a Lipitor study and was monitored for approximately six weeks. Results were Ok until the dose was increased from 10 to 20 mg. I was immediately dropped from the study. Three weeks ago my cardiologist increased my Lipitor to 20 mg. and added co Q-10 300mg. It took four weeks until I developed severe muscle pain in my lower back and shoulders and neck. My doctor will not accept that Lipitor is the cause. I took myself off of it a week ago. I am now almost pain free. He appears to be avoiding communication with me. He also was one of the Dr. participating in the Lipitor study. I would hope that many MDs read this entire list of problems attributed to Lipitor.

I am a 47yo male, I had 4 hearts placed in 10/06 they put me on plavix and lipitor 40mg. I exercised daily- cycled 40 miles a day, I can not do that now. I have bad back pain and chest pain (plavix) the cardiologist did a second stress test in 12/06 and it was clean, the lipitor and plavix are the issue and at this point I have no choice other than to live with it or take the risk of clotting these medicated stents.....any thoughts please let me know.

I have had excessdive intestinal gas for the last few months since my cardiologist increased the lipitor fron 10mg to 20mg!
I have a long history of CAD and in May 2006 had a double bypass (CABG)
Also notice weakness in my knees and legs. I am a great walker and never had these problems in the past.
I now exercise my limbs before going out... but it is the excessive intestinal gas that is getting on my nerves, to the point I hate to go out as it just comes out without warning. It is very embarassing,and thought that perhaps the increased Lipitor was the culprit.However my cholesterol is now within normal limits, and the cardiologist is happy!

I have been prescribed and taken Lipitor for nearly 12 months I have told my G.P about the extreme pain in my feet and hands especially in my fingers and toes and asked if it could be from Lipitor (this was before I found all this information) I was told it couldn't be and I would probably have to take it for life. I am seeing my cardiologist next week, who originally put me on this drug, I will tell him I won't be taking it again I would rather have a high colestrol level. Noelle

I am a 55 yo caucasian male caucasian. Profession: Dentist. Was placed on Lipitor 20mg/day. After 2-3 months noticed that I bruised very easily; began feeling weak, tired; would develop severe muscle & joint pains after Karate & Weight training. Because of my genetics, lab values did not improve enough. The dose was increased to 40mg/day. Leg cramps, weakness, and muscle pains became totally incapacitating. Has to go to bed. Sleeping was difficult becasue of constant pain. Discontinued Lipitor: all symptoms abated.

Was then placed on Vitorin 10/20 one per day. After 4 to 6 weeks noticed severe muscle & joint pain. But there is no bruising like I had while taking the Lipitor. I altered the dose to one every other day, i.e., 1/2 the perscribed dosage, and symptoms have lessened. However, when I perform and intense Karate & weight work out session, 48 hour later I have severe muscle & joint pains which necessitate bed & rest for 24 to 36 hours.

My Cardiologist is skeptical of these effect being related to these cholesteral statins...but as a clinician of 30 years i KNOW there is a direct relationship.

I AM A 63 YEAR OLD FEMALE WITH A GENETIC IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT. OVER A YEAR AGO I TOOK LIPITOR FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS. THE LEFT SIDE OF MY BODY - FACE, ARM, HAND, LEG, AND FOOT, STARTED TINGLING AND GOING NUMB. ONLY THE LEFT SIDE, AND IT WOULD LAST SECONDS, MINUTES, OR TWO HOURS AT A TIME. I COULDN'T RELATE IT TO ANY PARTICULAR ACTIVITY OR MOVEMENT. MY CARDIOLOGIST INSISTED IT WASN'T CAUSED BY AN INTERACTION WITH MY HEART MEDICATIONS (TOPROL AND RYTHMOL) AND REFERRED ME TO A NEUROLOGIST.
THE FIRST MRI SHOWED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A CYST IN THE THIRD VENTRICLE OF MY BRAIN. VERY SCARY. SO I
INSISTED ON A SECOND MRI. THERE WAS NO CYST AND I LEFT THE NEUROLOGIST WITHOUT ANY DIAGNOSIS AND A HUGE BILL. MY HUSBAND TOLD FAMILY I HAD "MAD COW'S DISEASE" WHEN I WAS UNABLE TO WALK PROPERLY DURING AN EPISODE.
DESPITE THE CARDIOLOGIST'S OPINION I STOPPED TAKING
LIPITOR AND WITHIN A WEEK THE SYMPTOMS DISAPPEARED.
A FEW MONTHS LATER I EXPERIENCED VERTIGO EPISODES,
EVEN WHILE TURNING OVER IN BED, BUT IT ONLY LASTED A WEEK, AND IS PROBABLY UNRELATED - WHO KNOWS - THE CARDIOLOGIST STILL WON'T BELIEVE THE LIPITOR CAUSED
ME A PROBLEM. I TOLD HIM I KNOW MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TAKE IT SUCCESSFULLY, BUT I'M HIS ONE IN A MILLION THAT CANNOT TAKE IT. NO MORE PRESCRIPTIONS!

Started taking Lipitor in Sept. 05, six months later I am dizzy &/or disoriented, severe thigh & leg pain, numbness in my hands & legs, shoulder pain... nausea at times... drinking alcohol makes it much worse... thought I was having a heart attack one day... was taken to the emergency room... blood tests all night... then a stress test the next day... on my release papers the cardiologist who was assigned to me wrote on them in big capital letters "DO NOT TAKE ANY MORE LIPITOR"! I am off it two weeks now & am only slightly improved.... I still get all the symptoms... the doc said it could take months to clear up! & my regular doc tried to defend herself on prescribing it to me until she saw the hospital lab reports... I told her I will never take a statin again... I am pursuing natural healthy things now... we'll see how the labs are in two months.... it's been a very scary experience & still is... BTW... I am a 49 year old male.

I am a 58 year old male diagnosed with heart failure and afib in Jan 2004. I have been taking a combination of Lipitor, Topral, Hyzaar, Pacerone and Magnesium and Potassium supplements since then. CoQ10 was added by myself since my cardiologist feels it is of little value. My body felt like it had turned to lead and my arms and legs like dead weight. My joints hurt to move. I took myself off the 80mg Lipitor two weeks ago and felt better in 24 hours. I find the Topral causes weight gain and I am a tall big fellow, but 80lbs in two years while eating like a rabbit is too much.

i had 2 stents inserted one yr ago.i been on lipitor for 4 yrs,i am getting wekness in my arms and legs,my cardiologist pulled me off lipitor yesterday,and im hoping ill feel alot better.feeling very weak with no strengh.

I began taking Liptor on March 12, 2005, which is the day I had my heart attack. I have taken myself off of it on Nov. 3, 2005. Even during my cardiac rehab I had pain down my right leg and right foot. The nurse said is was from the surgery of going into the groin and putting two stents in my heart. However, on two occassions I've had chest pain and had to be hospitalized and the leg and foot was still bothering me. Now both my feet hurt very badly that I find it difficult to even walk around in a grocery store. I've went to a new cardiologist they did blood work and my LDL was 107 and my HDL was 47, making my total choleserol of 195. At one time, the total cholesterol guideline was s up with that?

The cardiologists need to listen to their patients and not worry about how much money they are going to make from the drug companies for prescribing all these drugs. Yes, they are fine in the beginning, but down the road all they are bad for you. I am going to find a better way to reduce my cholesterol naturally.

I've been off Lipitor for 8 weeks and am better but still have muscle pain. I had another CPK test and it was now down to normal. The cholesterol was up again after being off the Lipitor but my cardiologist wants me off of all cholesterol lowering drugs including niacin until the muscle problem subsides. Now it is low fat and cholesterol diet. I hope the muscle damage is not permanent. At least my doctor is lisenting to me at last.

I have continued to check into this website periodically. I took two different statins with the same side effects that other folks are experiencing. I took myself off of the drugs even though my cardiologist told me to stay on them. I have zero side effects now and have returned to normal. I got my cholestoral to acceptable levels with heavy doses of fish oil, niacin, diet, and exercise....I cannot take statins and it is obvious others cannot either. My husband takes statins with no side effects...I am amazed at cardiologists ignoring these effects. The only way they will take you off is if your blood shows muscle loss...and, then, it is too late...

I have now been off Lipitor for 3 weeks and am feeling less fatigue and my hips and thighs are not hurting as much. Still pain when walking up stairs. I ask my General Practioner for a CPK test (muscle test). My Cardiologist did not agree with me that Lipitor was causing my hip and thigh pain and weakness. Sure enough the test came back slightly elevated. Because of a heart attack, my doctor wanted me on a statin drug. I tried 2 with the same results. My liver test always came back good so that is all He cared about. Now I have some muscle wasting. I'm not sure if that can be corrected but whatever I will never take Lipitor again.

In 2000, a week before my wedding, my father came to visit and mentioned leg weakness, pain in his lower back, and tiredness. I asked if he had been doing anything different recently that would explain these symptoms. He thought about it and said the only change was that he'd started taking Lipitor. We finished up preparation for my wedding which included my father's fitting for his tux and shoes...that week, he had to take a size 11 shoe (his normal shoe size for the past 40 years was 9m. My wedding day arrived and he could barely walk me the 30 ft up the isle. Exactly a week to the date of my wedding, my father passed away from what I was told was a massive heart attack. He had never been diagnosed with heart problems only elevated cholesterol. Unfortunately, my mother, in her time of sorrow, did not request an autopsy but assumed one would be done before the hospital transferred my father to the funeral home. My father was cremated and we then found out no autopsy had been performed.

Last week, my cardiologist placed me on Lipitor for high cholesterol. She explained that there are about six other medications but that most of them were statins. After dose three, I'm having lower back pain but haven't yet experienced any leg pain. When I discussed this with my pharmacist, she thought leg pain would be the first sign of my having a problem so told me to hang in with the medication until my appointment with my cardiologist this week.

Is anyone else experiencing low back pain? It feels like a pull or even a cold in my back.

I have taken lipitor, first 20 mg for maybe a year, then a cardiologist put me on 40 mg several months ago. Tonight i awoke with intense pain in the muscles and joints of both my arms, to the point where I was aware of it while dreaming, andto where it woke me from sleep. The best description I can give is that it feels as if I worked out with very heavy weights today and now I am feeling the sort of pain associated with overdoing it the first time out. I have taken two tylenol and will call my doctor in the morning. Fortunately she is a doctor I used to have, who had me on a lower dose, and I think she will be at least open to the possibility of this being related to the lipitor. Whether she does or not, I'm stopping the use of it now. Many of the other symptoms listed here now make sense to me: stiff neck, irritability, trouble remembering things. I thought these things were just natural occurrances, but this extreme pain in the large muscles and joints of both arms, literaly out of nowhere, leads me to believe that this drug is doing me harm.

I'm 44 and my cardiologist placed me on 40mg of Lipitor last year. I have been pretty diligent about taking the prescribed dosage. But in the last 6 months or so, I had been dealing with severe muscle spasms, extreme muscular twitching, neck pain, arm pain, and muscle cramps in my arms and fingers. At first I thought I had a pinched nerve in my neck or ALS because of the muscular twitching. Then I had to deal with the HUGE memory lapses. I thought I was going crazy. I recently stopped taking the Lipitor because I kept forgetting to get my re-fill and voila... no more cramping, very little twitching and my arm and neck pain is improving. The memory issue hads gotten better and I notice that I have more energy.

I hate that I din't read this forum sooner. This stuff needs to be taken off the market. I would like to take the Res Q 1250, but you have to give your first born to pay for it. Any other suggestions?

Mish

I have written several times on this page. The latest, I told you my cardiologist was unhappy when I took myself off of Lipitor and he is trialing me on another statin, Crestor. I immediately had similar signs plus nausea. I have again taken myself off of statins. I do not have a family history of heart disease but do strokes. My husband takes statins so far with no problems. I am going to try and take over the counter fish oil and Niacin and not tell my doctor. Then, I will take a cholesterol test and see what happens. I am going to watch the diet sooooo close and really stick to exercise. If it does not work, I do not know where to turn. I just don't think everyone can take statins and doctors won't admit it and think the affects without it are worse than with. I will keep everyone posted on my over the counter stuff.....nelll

I am a 53 year old female. I have been taking Mevacor and Lipitor for over 20 years. NO great side effects until recently. I am experiencing tingling in my body especially hands and feet. My big toe feels numb.
I had a MRI which was nonconclusive. My cardiologist decided to change my lipitor (20 mgs) to pravachall (40 mg). I am so afraid now..my parents and sister all died at an early age of heart disease. I try to exercise and take care of myself. I am afraid to get off statins, but even more afraid to stay on them with most folks on this sharing board have not received relief. I am going to a neurologist next week. Since no one has said the lipitor has caused this, they are looking at MS...
Any advice? Would this develop after being on statins for 20 years?
If I take CoQ10, can you take it at the same time you take a statin?