Lipitor and diagnosis

My grandmother had to stop taking Lipitor. We took her to the ER when I thought she was having a stroke. Her legs were extremely week, her arms were shaking and she was having trouble talking. She felt like she had the flu. She was hospitalized and the diagnosis was she had hepatitis that was caused by the Lipitor. Once she stopped taking the drug she gradually recovered but it was a long road for her.

This is a follow up to my July 5th post, I am the 42 male, it has been almost two weeks since I stopped Lipitor, all the side effects are completely gone. Muscle pain, numbness in the fingers etc..It looks like it takes at least a couple weeks for the substance to completely exit the system. I know not everybody is the same, but at least this give hope that there are cases where the condition is reversible.

I am 53 years old and was almost 4 years on Lipitor and started experiencing periphial neuropathology that was horrible! I had a keen neurologist who took me off after doing several tests for Lyme, Lupus, MS, etc. She said she sees more and more of my symptoms 3 to 8 years plus on Lipitor. I went off Lipitor on June 1st (my birthday), so have been off for more than a month. All of the zapping and tingling has subsided in my hands, feet, face, arms, and head. I still have neuropathology in my hands, some muscle weakness in my arms, and numbness in my toes which are all slowly diminishing. My neurologist says she expects full recovery in 4-6 months. Take B complex vitamins. I take Shaklee's twice a day.This greatly helps in the repair of the nerve damage from Lipitor. My neurologist also recommended me taking FBCx, ******(1-2 with every meal containing fat, the website explains dosage), and 1 tablespoon of omega 3 fish oils in the form of flax or fish to reduce cholesterol. There are other things I take like garlic, cinnamon extract, green tea extract. If you type in "lower cholesterol with supplements" online you will find other things like red rice yeast as well. Good luck!

Let me begin by telling you that I am a nurse with 28 years experience. My father is 76 years old with a history of cardiac problems. He has been on Lipitor for 8 years. In the past two months he has developed muscle pain that had gotten to the point he could hardly walk. His doctor diagnosed him with "arthritis." His joints did not hurt and I questioned his diagnosis. What he has is fibromyalgia. Muscle dysfunction caused by Lipitor. We have taken him off of the drug and he is improving. In place of Lipitor he now takes 2000 milligrams of vitamin C daily. Vitamin C is a natural way to control cholesterol. In my opinion I suggest anyone taking symvistatin in any form should stop immediately. It is a very dangerous drug. If you think this is what you have please request your physician order the following two tests.....CPK and serum myogluten levels. Cholesterol is very important to muscle function and that is why it is produced by the body. Zocor, Lipitor, ( symvistatin) inhibits the production thus lowering the level. Let me add that prior to this condition onset my dad was riding his bike 3 plus miles a day and could out walk me any day of the week. This drug has disabled him. We are hoping for a full recovery but that is yet to be seen.
Thank you ******

I just found this site after my Dr. took me off of Lipitor. I cried as I read all of the posts that described my symptoms perfectly. Constant muscle pain, extreme "brain fog", joint pain, fatige- all given the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia. I am 56 years old but walk like a much older person due to muscle pain. I experience sharp, sudden pains in my thumbs and often cannot use my thumbs to grasp a cup or fork. Thank goodness I had a doctor that listened when I told him my pain was worse and I could no longer lift my right arm in order to brush my hair or put on a necklace. He immediately said he suspected Lipitor. He took me off it for a month, but wants me to go back on it at a lower dose (from 80 to 40). I have been off for 1 week and my "brain fog" seems a bit better. I feel more like my old self and my patience with my students (I am a school librarian) has returned. I had been so irritable with them lately and didn't know why. After reading the testimonies on this site, I will not go back on Lipitor at any dose. Thank you to everyone who took the time to post. I no longer feel like I'm a "complainer".
Good fortune to all of us who have been so unfortunate to have trusted our health to Lipitor!

after using Lipitor for 5 years,after my doctor ignoring my muscle pain complaints for over a year one night my neck muscles started to convulse
like a dog coming out of a lake
this immediately led to a severe bout of vertigo,could not move my head with out fainting for 3 to five hours
doctor diagnosed it as rheumatoid arthritis what a joke
the next day i could not get out of bed, my leg and arm muscles failed me
after about a week in bed i was able to get around on crutches and after 10 days could get around but in pain
doctors treated me like a leper of old,HIGH BLOOD TURBIDITY LEVELS
no one would commit to a diagnosis publically EVEN AFTER MEDICARE INQUIRED
they spent 50 k trying to prove it was not lipitor,THEY FAILED
after 3 months of memory loss,hallucinations weakness in all muscles
there was small improvement,NOT SO MUCH DEPRESSION,NOT DEAD TIRED ALL THE TIME,STILL NEEDED EXCESSIVE SLEEP TIME
thank god that some doctors i know came down with it so i was able to find out what it was LIPITOR
NOW A YEAR AND A HALF LATER I AM RECOVERING
MAY PHIZER ROT IN HELL, ONLY CURE IS TO GET OFF THE POISON
AND HOLD OFF ON EXERCISE UNTIL YOUR BODY DEMANDS IT

Lipitor has successfully controlled high cholesterol for about 2 years.
My recent diagnosis with Mitochondrial myopathy at age 54 leading to surgery for ptosis on both eyes was concluded after a year of various tests with cardiologists, neurologists and optical surgeons. There was no apparent cause and just my bad luck. No-one linked Lipitor with the symptoms experienced but I am now convinced that there is a link and intend to stop Lipitor treatment.
I suffer with tendonitis in my thumbs and elbow, have exercise intolerance, extreme tiredness, no libido, muscle aches, heavy head that neck does not support well, very sensitive to bright lights, occasional nosebleeds.
Can all this be merely a coincidence - I think not.
Happy to discuss further.

I am in Australia. I have been off 80mg of lipitor 2-3yrs I am a mess shoulder operations thumb and hamstring tears. All my referrals start withStatin damage. Diagnosed Rhabdomyolisis.And many other muscle damaged diagnosis. I was a bushwalker and now my life is a mess. A friend who is also suffering would be good. Australia does not seem to accept the dangers,

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!

left leg hip, knee and foot pain, Left knee swollen, unable to put weight on it. To date all tests by orthopedic, and rhumetologists are negative. totally unable to get a diagnosis attempting to get into the Mayo Clinic. Took lipitor 20 mg for 2 years recently switched to Crestor. Stopped taking all types of these drugs 4 days ago..still no relief.

I have been experiencing severe muscle pain in my legs and feet, most days I feel like I have the flu, no one seems to be able to diagnosis this problem. Some days I hurt so bad I can hardly walk, I was just reading all the reports on lipitor and feel this may be my problem. I am going to stop this drug and see what happens.

Been going to doctors for extreme muscle weakness and pain, but no diagnosis was made. Some days I can barely function. Two weeks ago I was so weak I could not get out of bed (very abnormal for me) and when I tried to call the doctor, I began to vomit violently and they called an ambulance to rush me to the hospital. Tests there did not show anything significant, so I was sent home with antibiotics for a "slight bladder infection". I hurt worse than with the worst kind of flu, but no sign of fever. Off and on during the past weeks the pain gets so bad I can barely function. I decided to investigate side affects to various meds I am taking and have now found all these warnings for Lipitor, which I have been taking for about a year. The blood tests were all fine, but I suppose those are to determine kidney damage. Can I stop taking this immediately?!?? I cannot bear these symptoms another day......

I have inherited high cholesterol and have been on Lipitor for over a year,first 10,then 20 now 40 mg. For the past year I have gone from exercising 4 to 5x's a week to feeling like Im 80 (Im 43) chronic shoulder pain,neck pain,hip pain and leg pain. I have been to pt,neurologist,orthapedic dr. and even had an mri. No diagnosis. Today my chiropracter asked what meds I was on and was really concerned that my problem could be the liptor. Has anyone had success with flaxseed oil and omega 3 for lowering cholesterol?? I was reluctant to take this drug to begin with but with my family history of heart disease, I went along with it.

the three men I mentioned in my previous post who all developed hand tremors were given diagnosis of Parkinson's disease within 2 weeks of one another---did Lipitor cause the parkinson's or unmask it? i am convinced the drug played a major role in my husband's parkinson's.

20 weeks ago, I awakened with severe stabbing pains in my head and muscle pains in thighs. In the days following, the acute pain was also in my hips, back, upper arms and legs. I experienced difficulty walking, sitting or standing up. My doctor pulled me off Lipitor (40 mg. for 3 yrs.) but discounted that Lipitor was causing my problems. He sent me to a neurologist (MRI of my head turned out OK but the stabbing pains are still there) who sent me to a rheumatologist. The rheumatologist gave me a cortisone-lidocane injection in each buttock. It was miraculous - my pain were gone. I was able to walk normally for the first time in months. He also prescribed a 12-day course of prednisone as well as a prescription for Mobic (anti-inflammitant) . I have enjoyed two weeks of pain-free joints and muscles - and no head pains. The official diagnosis of my problems is "an auto-immune problem, polymylitis rheumatica with psoriatic arthritis"!!! Friends, I have no rheumatism, I have no arthritis, I have no psoriasis but I DO have polymylitis (poly=many, myl=muscle, itis=pain; many muscle pains) and I am fairly confident that Lipitor is the cause of it.

With the successful 12-day prednisone course behind me, my muscle pain and stabbing head pains are back! The rhematologist wants to resume with another course of prednisone and I am left with few alternatives other than to go back on the steroids.

Golly, I wish that today's doctors were more educated about the effects of the statins and more willing to think outside of the 'diagnosis box' when it comes to the symptoms and dangers of statin drugs.

Any recommendations? Email me at ******

Thanks.

Jim

My husband was also recently diagnosed with Parkinson's. He just turned 60, was active and healthy, but had according to the new guidelines high cholesterol. When he first started the "shuffle", muscle pain and weakness, sore joints, etc. his doctor's first thoughts were the symptoms might be caused by Lipitor. He was told to stop taking Lipitor for two weeks. His condition didn't improved and he was instructed to start taking the Lipitor again and his doctor referred him to a neurologist. After testing the neurologist diagnosed early Parkinson's. The neurologist also said that there is no test to determine if a patient has Parkinson's, i.e. blood test, and that the diagnosis is based on the physical condition of the patient. The neurologist gave my husband a prescription for the Parkinson's and when I picked it up I spoke to the pharmacist about the side effects of the Parkinson's and Lipitor medications. He said he would suggest my husband discontinue the use of Lipitor and try other ways to control his cholesterol. I found his comments very interesting and started researching Lipitor. After reading page after page of the same side effects I'm certain my husband's diagnosis is incorrect and all the symptoms are side effects of Lipitor. A week ago he took my advice and stopped taking the Lipitor. He said the dizziness is mostly gone and I think his walking and arm movements have improved, but he has a long way to go and hopefully, the side effects are reversible.