Lipitor and heart attack

Hi, I am a 45 year old male with high cholesterol. prescribed 20mg. of Lipitor to control it. Am having a strange twitching muscle in my right calf since I started the meds. Forearms hurt, trouble sleeping, twitching in my sleep, apparently, tiredness. I'm worried about going off it. My dad died of a heart attack. Would it hurt to try going off it for about 3 months?

About eight years ago I felt heaviness in my chest along with some pain/discomfort when doing hard physical labor and occasionally in the hot-tub. Following my doctor’s advice and an angiogram, a stint was placed and medication administered – Lipitor and plavix I also went through a 6-month program for cardiac recovery including dietary changes and a proper exercise program. About six month following that I gradually just stopped taking my Lipitor and plavix and returned to my old eating routine and other life-style. I don’t smoke (never did) and don’t drink or otherwise indulge in any recreational drugs. I’ve never been hypertensive with blood pressures typically at 115/68. I maintain a trim and healthy appearing body just naturally or genetically. I eat lots of red meat, not a lot of vegetables, drink gallons of orange juice, and eat much more junk-food than I should. About six years after that (near heart attack) event I was given a “stress test” by my physician… I was then 61 and tested at the level of a 38 year old! Two years after that I had a significant heart attack out in the middle of nowhere! It took almost 6 hours to get me to an emergency room in Spokane, Washington (that’s a story of its own). That was on a Thursday – I was back to work full-time the following Monday (four days later). This time around with more drugs than I could swallow in one gulp! Lipitor, Plavix, Coumadin, aspirin, and carvedilol. The combination or amount was more than I could tolerate and I was weaned off all but the Lipitor and aspirin within a year. My heart has returned to nearly full-function and I have no physician imposed restrictions. All that said, I’ve been gradually developing muscle soreness (pain, actually) in my fore-arms and legs. I’ve been growing more lethargic and tired with each passing month. I’m now 65 and feel that the Lipitor is inhibiting my health… I want to get off it and be “normal” again. Or is it just being sixty five? Can I just quit taking the drug? Leaving only aspirin for blood thinning and the hope of a better diet for cholesterol control.

If you take lipitor, you will be interested in this.

I have taken it upon myself to do my own studies into cholesterol and heart disease. I painstakingly studied various countries comparing rates of heart disease to cholesterol levels in each country.

From the Data, I can honestly say that I find no relationship between total serum cholesterol and heart disease. More surprising is the data showing higher cholesterol levels associated with less disease and longevity.

I was on Lipitor for less than a week 2 years ago and the muscle pains were so bad that moving my head was painful. I called the doctor's office and was instructed to stop taking the medication; which I did and felt 'back to normal' within a few days. I haven't had my cholesterol checked since that time, or if I did before surgery, no one mentioned anything negative about it. However 6 weeks ago I had a heart attack. Apparently my cholesterol was twice what it should it have been, and my potassium was incredibly low. So I'm now on Lipitor (standard procedure after having a heart attack and high cholesterol seen as the cause of it) to ensure that another blockage does not occur.

The only problem is I'm now bloated even though I've changed my diet drastically (no more junk food or soft drinks, no 'white' flour products, no dairy products with more than 5% M.F and lots of veggies and fruits). I've lost 3 or 4 pounds but my pants are too tight around my waist, and now I have a my upper abdomen bulges over the waistline. Besides that, I get muscle 'kinks' in very places and after sitting for more than 10 minutes I limp when I take the first few steps.

People have told me to 'keep taking Lipitor and Plavix' but exercise more. The only problem with that is that I have a brain aneurysm and the neurosurgeons don't think it can be operated on 'without it being a very high risk procedure'. The first one ruptured 10 years ago and since then I've managed to control my blood pressure. However the meds I took for that was what lead to my potassium being so low that my electrolytes were imbalanced. That combination of low potassium and high cholesterol is what lead to the heart attack.

I'm 54 and feel as though I'm losing control of 'how' I feel. Between Lipitor, Plavix and diuretics and medication for hypertension I'm not sure if it's one drug in particular that's making me 'ache, limp and look like a blimp' or if it's because of the interaction of all of them. How do I decide 'what' to stop? What's more important to look after first - my heart or my brain?

15 years ago, at the age of 35, I had a major heart attack. After testing, the doctors decided I needed a quadruple bi-pass operation, followed by Lipitor, among other things. I was taking 20mg (the doctor ordered 40mg), but due to financial reasons I took only half. Everything was just great for 15 years. During a routine annual physical this year, my doctor noticed that my liver enzymes were off the chart high. He immediately had me discontinue the Liptor, but stay on all of my other medications. One month later, my liver enzymes were normal, and so was everything else; however, my cholesterol had climbed to 204, and I eat no meat, eggs, or other dairy products. They say my liver damage is permanent. Having had 4 lumbar surgeries and 1 cervical surgery to fuse disks in my spine, I have always attributed my back and other muscle pains to that. Now that I have been of the Lipitor for 3 months, I have not noticed in decrease in pain in these areas.

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 46 y/o male whom took lipitor 20mg for about 10 days. It was the first medication taken for me aside from occasional antibiotics. Within a week I began to develop severe nausea, weakness, postural dizziness and worst of all, chest pain at rest! I took my last dose last Saturday 8/9/08. Because of the chest pain, I went to the ER on 8/10/08 and discharged the next day after I ruled out for an MI and a negative exercise stress test. My chest pain recurred on 8/12. This AM awoke with nausea, dizziness and chest pain again. I'm going to have an adenosine stress test this PM. I consulted a pharmacologist yesterday about the metabolism of Lipitor and she told me indeed these side effects are not uncommon and in my case, Lipitor will not be eliminated from my body until probably this Sunday or early next week. Anyone experience what I'm feeling?

I have been on Zocor 40mg for many years and doing fine with it, until my doctor thought it was not working that well, hence, switched me to Lipitor 10mg. After a few months I developed severe chest pain along with neck pain. It felt like it might have been a heart attack, but it lasted more than 24 hours. I was admitted to ER for 1 night in the hospital and released the following day. They checked my heart and found it was fine. They ran my blood work, chest x-rays, cat scan and checked my lungs. All O.K.!!! The next morning they told me I had Slight Diabetes and an Under Active Thyroid and thought Esophagus Spasms were the cause of my pain. OH yeah, I also told them it hurt more with each breath of air I took in rather than out. It did not matter to them. They gave me Protonix 40mg because they thought it would reduce acid reflux to the esophagus, thus reducing my pain. Furthermore, they gave me Synthroid 25MCG for my Under Active Thyroid. After about 10 days of these medication plus LIPITOR, I had a recurrence of the same pain. I decided to research and came across this Website. I stopped the Lipitor and the next day my pain was subsiding. By this evening, my pain is almost completely gone. I am scheduled to have an Endoscopy in about a week from now and I am hesitant. Are the pharmaceuticals and physicians in cahoot with each other. I can't believe I was required to take all these tests and even more tests before the pain started (EKG, Heart Monitor, Nuclear Stress Test, Heart Scan and Angiography). Did I forget to mention I was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure and put on X-Forge a few months before all this started, but I was taken off it because of side effects (dizziness, lethargic, and so on). I did research on X-Forge and it said to NEVER use it as a first method of treatment for high blood pressure. I also was having pain under my right armpit. WHY DO WE HAVE TO SUFFER LIKE THIS BEFORE ACTION IS TAKEN TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING TO SOMEONE ELSE. Well, I guess it's just the price we have to pay before we decide to do things OUR WAY!! GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU! THANKS FOR THE POST! PS. Can't wait to see what my Endocrinologist has to say about me next month $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

I have been on Zocor 40mg for many years and doing fine with it, until my doctor thought it was not working that well, hence, switched me to Lipitor 10mg. After a few months I developed severe chest pain along with neck pain. It felt like it might have been a heart attack, but it lasted more than 24 hours. I was admitted to ER for 1 night in the hospital and released the following day. They checked my heart and found it was fine. They ran my blood work, chest x-rays, cat scan and checked my lungs. All O.K.!!! The next morning they told me I had Slight Diabetes and an Under Active Thyroid and thought Esophagus Spasms were the cause of my pain. OH yeah, I also told them it hurt more with each breath of air I took in rather than out. It did not matter to them. They gave me Protonix 40mg because they thought it would reduce acid reflux to the esophagus, thus reducing my pain. Furthermore, they gave me Synthroid 25MCG for my Under Active Thyroid. After about 10 days of these medication plus LIPITOR, I had a recurrence of the same pain. I decided to research and came across this Website. I stopped the Lipitor and the next day my pain was subsiding. By this evening, my pain is almost completely gone. I am scheduled to have an Endoscopy in about a week from now and I am hesitant. Are the pharmaceuticals and physicians in cahoot with each other. I can't believe I was required to take all these tests and even more tests before the pain started (EKG, Heart Monitor, Nuclear Stress Test, Heart Scan and Angiography). Did I forget to mention I was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure and put on X-Forge a few months before all this started, but I was taken off it because of side effects (dizziness, lethargic, and so on). I did research on X-Forge and it said to NEVER use it as a first method of treatment for high blood pressure. I also was having pain under my right armpit. WHY DO WE HAVE TO SUFFER LIKE THIS BEFORE ACTION IS TAKEN TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING TO SOMEONE ELSE. Well, I guess it's just the price we have to pay before we decide to do things OUR WAY!! GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU! THANKS FOR THE POST! PS. Can't wait to see what my Endocrinologist has to say about me next month $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

I take my lipitor sporadically, but when I took it on a trip, I made sure to take it every day. My hands and arms have been numb and tingling for days, sleeping was excruciating, I tried to sit up so that there was no pressure on them, and took showers to try to improve circulation or feeling, to no avail. I stopped and now 3 days later, I am starting to get some improvement. What gives???

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

I started using lipitor from my doctor, it lowered my cholesterol all around but I started to have lower back pains. At first I thought it might be prostate cancer, but after having to MRI's done they found no cancer, thank god. But I went to an orthopedic surgeon to see what the problem was. He looked at the mri's and saw lower dics hitting my nerve endings. He also thought that it might be muscle problems so he gave me 3 epidurals and that helped for a while took away about 50% of my pain, but I still have the pain, It is hard for me to get comfortable when I sit or even when I am sleeping. I don't want to think that it is the lipitor that is doing it to me but after talking with others I feel it is time to talk to my doctor about it. My doctor said that lipitor is the safest one that will do very little harm to my liver. I am not a doctor so I would not know.. My cholesterol level was 246 at one time now it is 175. I am now facing possible spine fusion to help correct my disc problem. But will also ask doctor to prescribe something else.

Alan

I have been on Lipitor for over a year know after having a heart attack at 43 and having two stents put in. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia by in 2002. Recently, I have been having more arm, leg, back, pelvic, hip and hand pain then ever before. I am going to talk to my doctors now about the side effects. I have just know decided to start halving my Lipitor and may ween off of it completely. I'm on Niacin and Zieta in addition to the Lipitor. Have also been having a lot more digestive problems lately...am to be scheduled for a upper GI. I came here looking for info on the fact that although since being on Plavix (didn't realize Lipitor could be culprit) I have had bruising...today I found knots under two bruises on my upper arm. Not only are there knots but they (the bruises) are a different shade of blue (if that makes sense). Thanks to all who have shared their stories.

I have been taking LIPITOR for about 1.5 years and have been feeling the cotton head but thought it was allergies. for about 8 months or so I have been feeling pain on the left side of my chest and upper back by the shoulder plates. I've told my doctor and had several tests done incl. MRI, C-scan, etc. Once I even had to go to the emergency room thinking I was having a heart attack. But the doc. said the EKG was normal and that it might be muscular. I have not read that anyone else is having the chest symptoms. This is very scary to me. Lately I feel my neck getting stiff and I am also constantly tired and keep waking up at night and have a hard time going back to sleep. I don't seem to have the arm or leg pains that most people here seem to be suffering from but am now convinced it's LIPITOR since it is the only prescription medicine I am taking. I would appreciate hearing from someone who has had the same symptoms I've described above. I stopped taking Lipitor about 4 days ago and do feel already less tired but the upper body pain is still present.

I took Lipitor for 2 years with all the pain in my shoulder, hand and arm as well as fuzzy memory. I had a friend over for Lunch an have no memory of anything that happened including his arriving and leaving on his Harley and we all know how loud they are. I ended up in the hospital with all kins of tests including an MRI all of which I have no memory of to this date. My hospital bills are still coming in as well as all the Doctors that saw me. I just received my Divorce and then this happened , I was out of work for a week , the Doctors thought I had had a heart attack, stroke or aneurysm.I also had all the foot pain making it impossible to stand up , leg cramps, sleeplessness, sheer exhaustion, depression, headache and nausea. The Doctor at the Hospital took me off of the Lipitor and said to take a 325mg. aspirin daily . This happened on March 23, 2008 . I am felling better but I still pain in my shoulder , neck , stomach , and feet and legs but is nothing like it was. Here I am left with a few thousand dollars of Doctor and Hospital bills. Why can`t something be done about all of this we are all going thru? I called the FDA to report it and got no where. Did I really expect anything to happen ! I hope someone gets something done for us . I would be one of the first to sign up to take Lipitor off the market and get what is due us.

Checking in again. Been off the lipitor 3 weeks now. It feels good to feel better. I feel my old self coming back. I laugh sometimes. HOORAH!!! Pain in my legs 50% gone. Hips still troubling. Legs are still weak. I don't know if its from not using them much over the past 8 mo. or the poison lipitor. Still sapping life forces from my body. My life is a wreck . I can tell life is starting to get better. The only thing different, is off the lipitor. Lets get this stuff off the market. It is debilitating, painful, causes depression, to the point you are thought of as lazy, unmotivated. The pain and ache is all you can muster to deal with on a day to day basis. it is indescribable agony. I want to kick something. For the months that I have lost of happiness. Something has got to be done. There was a move awhile back to sell this stuff over the counter. What will they think of next. I am just thankful that I am feeling better. moonman

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'm a 52 yr old male who had a massive heart attack 14 months ago. I ended up with 3 stents. In the hospital, I was told I was probably one of the healthiest people they had seen with come through there in my condition. All my numbers were good, except for the triglycerides. Over the top.
So, anyways, we start a lipitor therapy. Within 6 months, I needed help to get up from a kneeling position. I had aches in my chest, abdomen, knees, the bottom of my feet hurt, I would wake in the middle of the night with a pain shooting up and down my legs. Up until that time, (I work in a large shop) concerned co-workers ask I how was doing and the topic of lipitor would come up.
This is when I started noticing the common underlying theme of aches and pains. Someone always knew somebody that was taking lipitor. Finally, the day I had to be helped up at work, I said that was enough. I was sure the lipitor was the problem. I stopped the lipitor and all the symptoms went away within a couple weeks.
My doctor had a fit when at my next visit I told him I wasn't taking that crap drug anymore. So, my next test was Kozar, I had the same problems.
Today I'm on crestor, (almost sounds like I'm sucking toothpaste) they are 10mg tabs, but I still whack 'em in half and so I can tolerate the symptoms. These side effects are not near as bad as the lipitor was.
I also found out, and I don't know why, but I started taking a multi-vitamin tab every other day ( only cause I'm allergic to those too) but, something in them seems to counteract against the side effects of stain drug. I felt super good for about 3 weeks on the one-a-days until the allergy's kicked in and I backed off on them.
But, in closing, after reading many of the postings, it still comes down to that doctor will not know everything that is going on in your body, the doctor probably will not spend anymore time on you than your 15 minute visit. It is up to you to research what options are available and use them.
I researched what triglycerides were and how to control them. I quit smoking and started daily exercising. I adjusted my diet. My recent tests show that so far the lifestyle change is working. My heart is stronger, my tubes a little cleaner.
Those crappy statin drugs are not a cure all pill of the day, but they do help. The more you change your habits, the less dosage you should need.

So, if you didn't anything out of my rambling, sorry, but at least take my one advice and get off that Lipitor.
Billy

I am 59 years old Asian male and have gone through six angioplasty and have seven stents in all three arteries in the year 02-03. No heart attack so far. I am taking 10 mg of Lipitor and can not tolerate 20 mg or higher strength because pain in the knee, thigh and leg increases. I tried to reduce my cholesterol by changing food, weight reduction and 40 minutes of tread mill at 5 mph, 5 days a week. I did not get the desired results i.e. keeping LDL below 70.
Since liver makes 80 % of cholesterol, I have to take 10 mg of Lipitor and tolerate the minor side effects. With change in diet, exercise, weight reduction, and 10 mg of Lipitor, I am able to reduce my total cholesterol from 247 to 116, LDL from 164 to 62 and increase HDL from 32 to 42.

I think all of you folks with side affects are are blaming your ills on Lipitor rather than putting the blame where it belongs: on your own mental health. I am a 65 YO male and I have been on Lipitor for more than six years now. I have no side affects, I work out four days per week with cardio and weights and feel that Lipitor should be added to the public water supply. My total cholesterol has gone from the high two hundreds to under one-forty on a single daily dose of 10mg. All of you hypochondriacs get a grip.

Male 58 years old. Heart Attack and 5 bypass on Jan 23,2008. I was put on Lipitor 80mg. and have had a few muscle pains which I blamed on recovery from the surgery. But, after seven weeks, I began to be exhausted and have jaw pain. Then old injuries to my back and shoulder became very painful. I started to hurt all over in joints and have nerve firing both sciatic and on my groin. my inner right elbow hurt. Then depression came on . My wife suggested I check my medication. I found this site and others and decided to stop the Lipitor . The side effects were 95 % better within 46 hours after stopping the Lipitor. Now, 72 hours later, I only have a little tenderness in the backs of my thumbs. But, even that is greatly reduced.

I can't believe it's taken me so long to find this site. I have been on Lipitor for the past 5, going on 6 years. My doctor thought it would be a good preventative measure as 22 year old sister had recently had a massive heart attack.My cholesterol levels were all great but a CRP test indicated that I was on the high end of normal. Nearly three years ago, the muscles in my right arm became very achy and I could not rely on it to lift many heavy objects or even my 2.5 year old son at the time. The doctor recommended i see an OT, who, in turn, was not able to figure out why I always felt like I slept on my arm funny. After months of getting nowhere and chalking up to pulling a tendon while throwing a baseball, I decided to live it all. That summer, I also started having a hard time focusing. So, I saw an eye doctor, who said that I was slightly near sighted and that glasses would help strengthen my vision. I had never had any vision problems prior to that and it seemed like it came on suddenly. But, I figured that I was getting older and people need to have glasses sometimes as they age. Then, last summer, I began to get these crazy rashes, which I now know where hives that bacme irritated by touch. The rash would pop up any time, any where and never in a way that i could relate to anything I ingested. Then, all of my joints began to ache unbelievably. I looked up some symptoms, wondering if I contracted something through my son's preschool, which was dealing with a little fifth's disease breakout. My symptoms seemd in line with what an adult can experience if he/she had fifth's disease. The doctor was stumped and had me have blood drawn, which indicated my liver levels were a little high, but they could tell me "What you don't have"... lyme disease, any viruses or lupus. Okay. I was to have more bloodwork done in a week or two, but decided to see how this rash, etc. would play out. The pain went away (except of the arm on that started a year and half or so earlier) and the rash was something I thought would dissipate soon enough. After three months it did subside. We bought a house and my son started kindergarten and it finally seemed like I was on the upswing. Now, six months later, the rash resurfaced. I was completed disappointed. At first I thought the Fifth's was making a comeback. I looked online and found a site that showed different types of rashes. That is when I came across a picture labeled "Drug Allergy" and began looking into the two drug I was on. By the weekend however the pain started in, especially in my legs, the calves, and my ankles hurt so bad. I was having spasms in my arms and legs and noticed within the week, two bruises on my thighs that I am certain appeared on their own. I did not bump my leg at all. I became very nervous and thought that I was going to experience a blood clot as my mother had one at 34 years of age. I am 32. But, after researching and reading forums like this, I am convinced that I, too, am experiencing serious Lipitor side effects. On Saturday,I did not take my usual 10mg and saw the doctor. She recommended that i go off the Lipitor for now and have blood work done. I have been off it since then (not very long) but by Monday I was feeling almost normal. Today, I feel some cramping in the legs, but I think it will take a long time for this drug to rid my system. I have to go back on Friday for a follow up, but I haven't heard anything alarming about my bloodwork yet.
Again, I can't believe it has taken this long to find this wonderful site. Best of luck to the rest of you in your recoveries and a Lipitor-free life.

I am a 54 year old male who started Lipitor 60 days ago. In 45 days my cholesterol went from 275 to 180. I never had knee pain before I started taking Lipitor; but now can hardly get around. Knee and leg pain is terrible and advil or tylenol won't help. This morning was my last lipitor pill. What the hell is the deal? I hope I do not have permanent damage! I would rather die from sudden heart attack than suffer this pain.

Started Lipitor in 1995 after a heart attack.

My doctor's insist Lipitor is not causing, my tiredness, sore eyes, even after 8 hours of sleep I get up tired, loss of memory, loss of words, stammering, stuttering, difficulty articulating words, feeling of hopelessness.

The doctor wont take me off Lipitor , anything else I can do to lower by cholesterol. Without Lipitor it is 240, Lipitor brings it down to 180.

I take 10 mg

Thank you all for making me feel as if I'm not alone. I thought this was the way I was supposed to feel. 6 years ago I experienced a sudden heart attack with no symptoms at 42. A new doctor put me on Lipitor about 2 1/2 years ago as a precaution. The heart attack was genetic as I was about an 80% vegetarian and walked about 8 miles a day. My mother had her first heart attack at the same age. I always had weight problems as a kid, but slimmed down as an adult. After the Lipitor, I have gone from a 32 waist to a 42, joint pain, sleep problems, lack of concentration and the constant feeling as if I have been run over by a Mack truck. You all are giving me the confidence to go with my instincts and stop taking this med. along with switching to a doctor who will listen to me and not tell me to get a personal trainer of which I cannot afford. By the way, I still walk my 4-6 miles a day even in the snow and rain. For me, it's always been my best form of exercise. Again, thank you all for not making me feel alone.

I had a mild heart attack 14 months ago (aged 56). A stent was inserted in an artery. I was put on four medications (Lipitor was at 40mg) so what caused what is up for grabs.
Friends told me I was slurring my words - which I experienced as an inability to find words and hence I could not talk at talking speed. The Metoprolol was reduced and I also started taking Co Q 10 as I had read that Lipitor reduces both cholesterol and Co Q10. The slurring reduced. I also had sudden pains as if a sharp object was being pressed hard on the ends of my fingers and toes at random. The doctor shrugged.
Since my heart attack my memory has been poor and I have been noticeably clumsy.
About 6 months ago I started to get left knee discomfort - I can relate this to water on the knee from an impact at age 11. It hardly ever caused a problem since. I went to Physical therapy and had ultra sound and it seemed to take ridiculously long to improve. And at that time I was becoming increasingly aware of a "bruise" to my left elbow (I am left handed). I felt like a complainer! I had bruised my left elbow but could it hurt 3 months later. I had an X-Ray and the elbow was fine. I was getting similar sensations on the other side of my body (knee and elbow) but at like 10% of the intensity so I dismissed it as nonsensical.
Then I awoke at 3.00 a.m. one night with incredible pain in my lower left arm.
The orthopedic surgeon I saw said I had tennis elbow and I got a cortisone injection. I was beginning to feel as if my body was decaying and getting torn internally.
I then read a blog and a disability insurance assessor said she always asks if people who have been diagnosed with tennis elbow are taking Lipitor. Ping!
I quit Lipitor. Two nights later I had unbelievable cramps in my lower left leg. I have had the pins in the end of the fingers and toes again and the inability to find words appears momentarily.
But I have far more energy. My biggest surprise is that I am breathing more deeply. Spontaneously I am taking really deep breaths. I started at the gym within a week of quitting. However I am being careful. I will take a cholesterol test in a month, and have gone almost dairy free, and am vegetarian every other day and will continue with CoQ10

What a wonderful site.. thanks for all of you and your stories. I too was a Lipitor user ... 20mgs/day for at least 6 years. I didn't notice any problems until last summer. I couldn't grip a golf club so I didn't play all summer. My doc told me it was arthritis. Strange, no history and never had any problems til then. As the months went on, things got worse. Burning in my upper left arm muscle, so intense it would cause me to have to sit down. Heart racing, pain in back, shoulder and jaw, I thought I was having a heart attack. Started reading about Lipitor and told doctor I wanted off. Of course he said no way and he did an MRI thinking it was skeletal. He sent me to a neurologist, who immediately told me I have statin myopathy. Cause...Lipitor!!! Amazing he admits this, also told me his own doc prescribed it for him and he will not take it because he sees too many patients with these side effects. I am liking him and his honesty. I have been off Lipitor for 2 weeks now. Hands are much better but muscle weakness and burning and sometimes tremors persist but I am optimistic that this may take time but I will recover.

I have been on Lipitor for several years now, I am 54 year old female, had heart attack at 47 and at 49 triple by-pass, have diabetes and high blood pressure all under control. For the last 4 or 5 years have been having severe hip and leg pain, worse when laying down, doc finally sent me to specialist and he gave me cortisone shot which did not help. In the last few months my arms have been very painful, along with both my legs . My doc will say it is something else and wont test me, cause after all he wont even take me off Avandia which causes heart attack and has been all over the news lately. so he surely wont believe this.

I am absolutely amazed at all the side effects that may be a result of Lipitor.I have been on Lipitor for approx.4 weeks. Accdg to my blood work, my cholesterol was extremely high...possible genetic factor.(father had hight cholesterol).My diet is fairly low in fat, exercised regularly, etc. I have had muscle, joint, breast, and all over body pain, nausea, headaches,decreased energy. I actually think I am having heart attack or stroke pain....I have become very anxious due to these symptoms. Having lipid profile done tomorrow, see the doctor next week. I am going to go off the Lipitor and see about an alternative from a health food store.(I am also a registered nurse)

I have been on Lipitor for several years after experiencing a mild heart attack at age 54. Considering I roller blade and bike and use weight training to stay in shape it was quite a surprise. From the onset of taking Lipitor I complained of nausea every day but became more depressed as the months went by. Every thing seemed to be going wrong with my body. The weakness and numbness in my legs and knees to hardly being able to get out of bed in the morning with back pain. I am tired of doctors appointments and getting no where. I was finally directed to this site and every thing fell into place. As of today I am off Lipitor. I will keep you up to date in two weeks from now and let every one know.
Mike

I am a 59 yr. old woman who has HepC in 2003 and 2004 I went thru chemo treatments for my HepC during the second round of chemo, I got real sick and my auto ammune system started to shut down, was put on procrit and epogen, I then developed a severe allegric reaction to the treatments and was taken off in Oct of 2004. In Mar of 2005 I have the first of the 7 heat attacks I would go thru till May of 06, I have had triple bypass surgery as well. I was put on alot of meds, one being Lipitor 80mg, I have been on it for 2 and a half years now and have been suffering terrible pain in my legs, my arm, my chest my lower back,my upper back, severe leg cramps to the point where I have just sat and cried for God to come and take me home, I have all the systems and more that I have read about posted here and I am scared to death, I am afraid I am am being eaten alive inside my body, which has put me in the hospital twice thinking I was having another heart attack. I went to my doctor and ask him to test me and see if I had mybromyalgia, of course he said yes but I can tell you now it's the side effects of the lipitor, last blood test for chosterol showed level at 98. I see so many of you here on much lower doses than myself and my heart cries out for you. I have made a decision to go off the lipitor cold turkey as of last nite, is there going to be any problems with that, can anyone tell me, PLEASE HELP ME! I don't want to die, I have 6 beautiful grandchildren that give me reason to push thru the pain but sometimes I just want to give up.

1. Sciatic pain
2. Left leg is numb; tingling, burning, shooting pains
3. Foot pain/numbness
4. Constance shortness of breath/palpitations
5. Incident of high blood pressure
6. Weight Gain: Belly! Bloated appearance
7. Constipation
8. Fatigue
9. Periods of depression
10. Anxiety
11. Neck pain.
12. Coughing like choking

I only took Lipitor for 20 days but those were the worest twenty days of my life. And well be with me for ever. All the above started 3 days into taking the pill. One night after another one I was in so much pain. But worst of all I couldn't breathe. My back and neck hurt so bad. I couldn't lay down on my back and breathe. I felt like in one week I was finally going to die. after 20 days I threw the Lipitor away and went to the internet. Scared me to death, I called my Doctor. I went in for more test, he said I was just having a heart attack and put me into the ER. They said NO heart attack here and sent me home. $3000.00 for hospital and $900.00 for doctor's. And no one knew what was going on.
After four days I started feeling better but the breathing didn't get better. so went back to the doctor after two weeks. He said he read up on Lititor and it was a good thing "I" stopped. Lipitor will effect your muscles and the heart is a muscle. What the Lipitor did to me was trigger off COPD. He said I might of gotten COPD 10 to 15 (maybe) years down the road becuase I'am a X smoker but the Lipitor changed all that. Lipitor did nothing for me except to make my life harder on Oxygen. I'm only 59. Constance shortness of breath/palpitations for the rest of my life. Let me stress this I was totally in good health. Always had low Low Chocholesterol 120. But something else was a little high and Lipitor could lower it. GOOD Health. 20 pills trashed my life forever.

My mother (75) was on Lipitor for ten years (1994-2004) until I took her off cold turkey. She was off Lipitor for three years until her new doctor put her back on in March of '07 without my knowing. I am having her taken off the DRUG immediately, it is Oct. '07.

Her experiences have been more mental than physical. Depression, irritableness, MEMORY loss, can't put words to thoughts very well and as a result she has been diagnosed with dimentia. Her condition worsened in the 6 months she has been back on the DRUG which made me check into her drug formula at the adult family home she is staying in.

The doctor informed me that there is a price to pay fo everythiing, even aspirin. She feels the positives of preventing a heart attack outweighs the side effects. This is a quality of life question -- should a person be asked to suffer through these numerous side effects jsut to saty alive; and where is it proven that Lipitor has prevented ANY heart attacks?

I look forward to having a mother that is more lucid and more pleasant to be around; AND more emotionally stable!

I started taking 20mg Lipitor 10 years ago,when I was 53 yrs old, as I had a heart attack from unstable agina and high cholestrol.For most of this time I have suffered aches and pains, excema on my hip and stomach areas and severe leg cramps. For the past 12 months I have felt lethargic, in a 'switched off and isoloated'' frame of mind with painful hand joints and foot swelling. My eyesight has deteriorated quickly and I feel plain OLD!! After reading other people's experiences I am going to stop taking lipitor/statins immediately and monitor any change carefuly.

29 Year Old Female on 10mg: I have been on Lipitor for 3 months now and for the past month I have been having pains in my shoulders, back, neck, radiating down my arms, stomach aches and muscle weakness/soreness in both legs. A few days ago I suffered such a sever anxiety attack where I thought I was having a heart attack. Something like this has never happened before but I contributed most of these things to being a little out of shape and worrying about my life. However when I mentioned these symptoms to my husband he mentioned the commercial for Lipitor where it states, "...if you experience muscle weakness this could be a sign of a rare but serious side effect and you should consult your Dr." This weakness is a breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue. This condition can lead to kidney failure.

Just recently (last 3 weeks) I have been experiencing some memory loss which I contributed to stress but after reading of the other individuals who take Lipitor I wonder if it isn’t the Lipitor as well.

Since it was the weekend and my Dr's office was closed I called my local pharmacy where the pharmacist told me that I should stop taking the Lipitor and contact my Dr. on Monday. I will be doing just that.

If you want to know more about Lipitor you can read the PPI here http://www.lipitor.com/content/Lipitor_PPI.pdf

I have beenon lipitor for more than five years. I now have unbearable pains in my shoulders which are only relieved with antiinflammatories. I also have pains in my right foot which is sometimes very difficult to walk on. My Dr says ok go off lipitor but risk heart attack/stroke. I am getting to the point that the pain is so debilitating that Idon't care.

Prescribed Lipitor after heart attack and bypass with AVR. Started on 20mg and raised to 40mg after cholesterol levels became raised. Tendonitus type pains in both elbows, feet and shin splint type cramping pains on walking. When both wrists started to become sore as well, I reduced to 20mg with beneficial result. Seeing GP this afternoon

I was on Lipitor for several years with no side effects. After time it didn't seem as effective as it did at first but maybe I wasn't watching my diet as well. I know I wasn't exercising as much. I've been on 4 pills to lower cholesterol. Zocor gave me stomach pain, as though someone's fist was pushing into my stomach for a moment several times a day. I went on Provachol with no side effects. My doctor switched me to Lipitor because she thought it was more effective. I had no problems on Lipitor. I'm now on Crestor - 40 mg with no side effects. My brother has had problems taking statins. Some have no affect on his cholesterol and the ones that do help his cholesterol were effecting his liver. He's had a heart attack, bypass surgery and has changed his diet and exercises regularly and is doing fine and has found a statin that helps.

I am 52. I have had elevated choles. levels for the last 10 years. I have been on numerous statin drug during that time. The most recent has been lipitor. 2001 I had a heart attack and quintuple bypass surgery. My doctor put me on lipitor. I recovered quickly from the heart attack. The nightmare following the surgery was chronic muscular pain in the abdominal area. I have spent the last five years have been spent in medical testing, surgeries, and pain management. Most of that time the doctors assumed it was gastointestinal. But it was not consistent with gastrointestinal symptoms. Recently we determined it was neuromuscular. Symptoms have been:
Severe abdominal muscle pain, extreme fatigue, foggy thinking, euphoria and extreme mental depression, neck pain, back pain. I have watched my life fall apart after 25 years of successful financial planning. Timing can be tied very closely to the use and increased dosages of the statin family of drugs. The only warning I received from any of my doctors was possible liver problems. I am wanting to know if there are any definitive tests for muscular or neuromuscular effects of statin drugs.

I have been through all the statins Pravocal, Lipitor, Zocor, and even Niacin...they all made me very tired, my achilles tendon is torn, joints and muscles hurt, rode bike & x-country skiied all my life, but after that stuff now I am injured. Face & feet swelled up, urine brown, walked around complaining I did not feel good every day...will never take that stuff again... drug co.'s wont get my money they can shove it! Beware... live life with out those drugs and enjoy the time you have.. what is the since of being miserable for a few more yrs. (if it even does keep you from a heart attack) they can't even say for sure!

Stiff joints, cramps, lower back pain, depression, forgetfulness, and extreme fatigue. Thank God I've quit this stuff. I had a heart attack two years ago and would rather die limber and happy than stiff and despondent.

Heart attack 15 years ago, bypass 5 years ago. Have been taking 40 to 80 mg lipitor per day for about a year after being switched from zocor due to high triglicerides (400+), high LDL & diabetes. Also taking zetia & niacin since March. Results, over last 5 months fatigue and short term memory impairment have become debilitating, affecting home & work. For awhile I thought it was all in my mind.
Stopped lipitor about a week ago and have noticed less fatigue & way better short term memory.
Lesson: Pay attention to what your body is telling you.

My Nan has been taking Statins and now she is convinced she is loosing her mind. She forgets everything and gets very emotional. She was admitted to hospital the other day because she had tingling in her arm and thought she was having a heart attack. We have spoken to her doctor and he refuses to believe the pills are causing this. He wants her to keep taking them.

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.

Reading this site breaks my heart... I was begged by my Dr to 'just try' Lipitor to lower my cholesterol (it was normal) but 'a study showed that if diabetics have lower levels there is a greater prevention of heart attacks'

I started it Aug 16th/05 and within three days had problems putting my arms over my head while lying down... my chiropractor tried to help but a couple of weeks later told me it was muscle issues, nothing she could do.

I even started Ion-Cleanse to detox 'cause I thought maybe I was so toxic the toxins had built up in my upper arm muscles. Lots of toxins out but my arms still caused problems. Finally near the end of Sept./05 I asked my Mom why she had stopped taking lipitor and she told me 'cause she was getting muscle pain in her left arm and it still took a year to be able to lift her arm again without pain. Yikes! I immediately stopped taking lipitor and emailed my Dr. My Doctor told me 'okay, it was just a trial anyway' but she didn't think it was the lipitor but that I had 'frozen shoulder' NOPE, that's from a trauma to the shoulder and my shoulder was just fine...

At this point I couldn't lift my left arm above shoulder level to the side, my right arm wasn't quite as bad and I couldn't put my arms above waist level behind me (made wearing a bra impossible) and if I accidently DID move my arms to the wrong position, like batting at a balloon at work, I would get white searing pain.

This Feb 3rd I had a heart attack (I'm only 44yrs old) and while in the hospital they put me on Ezetrol (which blocks absorption of cholestrol) instead... 'not as severe in the muclse side effects as Lipitor' Fine! I'll try it... after only three weeks I now have constant ache in my upper arm muscles and my forearm muscles have begun to cause me grief as well...I can no loner sleep on my sides without waking in pain. So I've stopped the Ezetrol too... with my Doctor's permission.

My main frustration in all of this that seems similar to others is, A) Doctors don't seem to take you seriously that you have constant aches and pains from these drugs and B) Very few have suggested anything to deal with the problems. I only had one Dr. suggest CoQ10 although he'd not seen much improvement. and C) no one ever asked me to try diet first to get my cholesterol lower than normal, just start giving me drugs to 'try'.

I will strongly suggest that any of you reading this look up info on 'statins and coQ10'... very eye opening info... it may be that Taking the Lipitor caused my heart attack!

Wryn

In the evenings, my legs become exceedingly heavy feeling as I try to walk around the house or whatever. Also, I feel a hyperactive presence although my pulse and heartbeat don't necessarily rise. I also experience some angina. I am mainly concerned with the heaviness in my hamstrings and the body rush.
I am also on plavix, ace inhibitors (metoprolol), beta blockers (enalapril) and prevacid.
I had a heart attack July 5 and have been on this medication since then.
Thank you for a response.
jerry tuckwin

I had a heart attack july 4th 2002, one stent was put in , i took zocor for sbout a year I became unable to work in june 2003, my insurance expired, I go to the free clinic, they give me lipitor, I been taking it for a little over a year, it keeps my chol. level in check, I have been to the emergency room 3 times for violent muscle spasms under my ribs,,,,,,very scary
the doctor told me today it may be the lipitor, anybody else had these symptoms? please reply?

My friend has been taking lipitor for 2 years for high cholesterol which is now normal. Due to heart disease in the family the doctor wants her to stay on this medicine. She has no other side effects except for poor sleeping and screaming in her sleep with horrible mightmares. Her brother who has had a heart attack also screams. Haven't seen this mentioned. Any one else have this problem? Are there other alternatives?

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 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.