Lipitor and endocrinologist

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.

I have been on lipitor for close to 10 years - in the beginning I did not know of any serious side effect but over the past 2-3 years, I have had all the symptoms that have been mentioned in this website. I visited my endocrinologist yesterday and told her that I was going off lipitor. I had my gGt levels checked about a month ago and they were high. She said it had nothing to do with lipitor, but I am not convinced. My gastroenterologist has suggested I have a liver biopsy but did not stress that it was absolutely imperative. He left that up to me - well, who in the world is going to have an invasive procedure unless the doctor says you have to. I chose not to but I will have the gGt levels checked every 3 months to be sure they have not elevated. I have muscle weakness, muscle pain, changes in my skin, pain, sleepless and restless nights; and memory loss. I had no idea that so many others experienced the same thing. I am pretty sure I will stay off lipitor, but I keep thinking of Bill Clinton when he went off lipitor and wound up having bypass surgery. I am not a fan of pills of any kind and I wish I had never gone on lipitor. I have 4 sisters, 3 of whom have high cholesterol. Of the 4 of us who have high cholesterol, 2 of us have been on lipitor or some other statin drug and have the same problems - we can't even keep up with the 2 that have never taken lipitor and I am the youngest.

SURPRISE! It appears that when one speaks to her doctor in an authoritative, nonhysterical tone, and with knowledge and intelligence about the subject, that doctor actually listens. I insisted my endocrinologist take me off Lipitor because of extreme side effects developing after a couple of years on it (unbearable muscle pains, edema in ankles and hands, unexplained rashes, tinnitus, vision problems) and he did exactly that without so much as a howdy-do or a doubt that I might be exaggerating my symptoms. Said we would check my cholesterol again during next visit and look for another solution, if it rose again over 200. I am now a happy camper and will report to those of you suffering similar symptoms about the results of this rather peremptory cessation of this scary drug. If I keel over, at least I won't die in pain, huh? And if I don't, you guys can consult similarly with your doctors.

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.