Lipitor and leg pain

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.

Being a scientist, I am reluctant to say my symptoms are completely due to the statin (Crestor) that I've been on for 2.5 yrs. Started with a bulging/herniated disk in my lumbar region 4 months ago. Then increasing leg pain and major leg/foot cramping at night. Had my blood checked for electrolytes and CPK. Electrolytes were ok but elevated CPK (muscle breakdown enzyme). Doc took me off Crestor and now a month later, no cramping and much reduced leg pain. Am going in for a cholesterol check next week to see what the levels are. I wonder how much the Crestor played in my herniated disk. Certainly it has played a role in the leg pain and cramping as I no longer have it to the same degree. The FDA and surgeon general talk about putting everyone on statins. BIG MISTAKE!!!! Maybe CoQ helps, but I am done with statins.

Eight years ago I started with 10 mg. Lipitor and took it without problems for about five years. Doctor wanted me to change to Crestor and within four months I could hardly walk, shuffled my feet and had pain in muscles. Switched back to Lipitor two years ago and this week began to experience muscle pain so I stopped taking it three days ago. Any time I am in a prone position, or sitting, the leg pain is incredible. Walking there is minimal discomfort. Tried a massage today to no avail. Any way to alleviate this withdrawal reaction, if not, when might it dissipate?
J. in Pain

I have been on Lipitor since 2002 and now I am experiencing numbness in my feet...mostly the right foot. I was thinking I had an autoimmune disease until I read everyone's comments. I am stopping Lipitor today.
Also, I have a lot of wrist pain, leg pain and I bruise easily.

I worry how I will control my cholesterol.

Joyce
8/6/08

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 have been on lipator about 4 years 40mg.. started having leg pain. Being me I thought being over weight was the cause. I can hardly walk 20 steps. Doctor took me off the drug after speaking loudly about the symptoms. Unable to sleep an entire night. Life seems to not exist. Depressed....lazy...constant pain....take the max amount of Excedrin every day...no relief. If I could just wake up and have one day of painless living Oh what a blessing. This is unreal. When on rare ocassions I shop at the mall. I use the shopping cart as a walker. Sit down at every available bench or chair. Used to be fairly active. Rode motorcycles, fishing,yard work. Just everyday take for granted stuff. Its awful. Only been off the drug a couple days. I will be thankful when the pain goes away. P.Ode that a drug Rx'ed can cause such devastating affect on a human being and still be on the market.

I posted my experience with LIPITOR on the first of January. I am happy to say, all of the muscle pain I was experiencing in both legs (knees, calfs, feet) has stopped completely. The tendinitis in both of my arms has improved, but hasn't stopped completely. I am already feeling 80% better, & am encouraged to the point that I believe all of my negative symptoms will disappear soon. I haven't informed my doctor yet, (that I stopped taking LIPITOR cold turkey), because I am trying to exercise daily, doing at least 45 minutes on our treadmill, (something I couldn't do with the constant leg pain & exhaustion), eating healthier. (I should lose at least 20 pounds) & I've added Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 tablespoon 3 times a day, to my daily routine. I heard that this has helped others to lower their total Cholesterol number. I will do this for a few months, then have blood work done. No matter what, I will NEVER go back on Statins. Good Luck Everyone :)

I posted my experience with LIPITOR on the first of January. I am happy to say, all of the muscle pain I was experiencing in both legs (knees, calfs, feet) has stopped completely. The tendinitis in both of my arms has improved, but hasn't stopped completely. I am already feeling 80% better, & am encouraged to the point that I believe all of my negative symptoms will disappear soon. I haven't informed my doctor yet, (that I stopped taking LIPITOR cold turkey), because I am trying to exercise daily, doing at least 45 minutes on our treadmill, (something I couldn't do with the constant leg pain & exhaustion), eating healthier. (I should lose at least 20 pounds) & I've added Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 tablespoon 3 times a day, to my daily routine. I heard that this has helped others to lower their total Cholesterol number. I will do this for a few months, then have blood work done. No matter what, I will NEVER go back on Statins. Good Luck Everyone :)

I am 60 years old female & have been taking Lipitor for about 4 years. I recently went off the drug for 3 months, & in that time much of the muscle pain I was experiencing began to lesson. I have pain in both arms from the below up to my shoulder. Hip pain & leg cramps. I have trouble sleeping & absolutely no sex drive. Of course, my Cholesterol went sky high, over 300. I have only been back on 80 mgs for a month and a half, & all of the aches and pains are back ten fold. I feel a hundred years old.I have to make a big decision...die of high Cholesterol, or live a life of constant pain and sleep deprivation. This is really bad. I f I had to run or crawl to save my life, I'd never make it.

Lipitor reduced my Cholesterol from 280 to 140. But... after only 4 months on the drug I developed pain in my legs. After several visits to the doctor I was told to get off the drug. One month later my health had deteriorated to the point that I could hardly walk. After another doctors visit and many tests I was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy with the symptoms of leg pain, muscle loss and nerve damage in both legs, feet and hands. Also numbness in both hands and feet. Inability to move any of my toes. Liver damage. Of course with the problems with my feet I have poor balance. Additionally I have memory loss. Because of the neuropathy I can not get health insurance without paying a much higher preminum than normal. I am taking Gabapentin 1200 ml 3x day.

My condition has improved gradually but I still have the P. Neuropathy and there is no cure for it. My balance remains poor and the numbness, pain, nerve and muscle damage remain.

This diagnois is from a family doctor as well as a neourologist.

My recommendation is stay away from the statins.

I originally went on 10mg of lipitor a day in January,2007, experienced leg pain,muscle ache and weakness,so after 3 weeks went off the drug on my own.In June 2007 after talking to different Dr's I went back on Lipitor,10mg, figuring that I had not really given the drug a chance as sometimes side effects do subside after a while.I saw my Dr on July 3rd & my cholesterol had gone down to 170 in about 3 weeks.I told him about my symptoms, which were the same as before & he told me to let him know if they got worse.By August 30th 2007 I just could not tolerate the pain and achiness all over my body,I was not sleeping well as every time I turned in my bed I woke up from the pain ( We even got a new mattress fguring maybe that was contributing to the joint pain) My joints became swollen & red,I could not lift up my arms,they were so sore and weak,my neck was so stiff that it was hard to drive and have to turn my head,I had a constant headache and what seemed to me like a"fuzzy brain"I am 63 years old and have never experienced anything like this,I am an active woman with a great deal of energy and people who know me could not believe what was happening, instead of scooting ahead of everyone I was barely keeping up.I found myself not wanting to eat as my stomach was constantly bloated & in pain & I was gaining weight too.
I went off Lipitor on September 1st and the withdrawal sypmtoms have been horrendous, I went to see my Dr yesterday & he put me on an anti inflamatory drug ,I have taken 2 dosages & am already feeling an improvement.This web site really helped as I felt I was not alone suffering from the side effects of Lipitor.Many people I have talked to have experienced the same symptoms but were attributing them to aging.

I have had extreme charlie horselike pain in my calves and behind my knee. I have stopped taking lipitor about a week ago, so far no improvement. I was told by my doctor I could go off of statins for a month and see how I do. I am hoping I can get rid of the leg pain soon, it is chronic right now.

I'm a mid 40's guy from New Zealand who has been recently prescribed (1 month ago) a 20mg tablet of Lipitor per day. I went off Lipex because I was having certain side effects with that paricular drug. For the last 2 week I have had pain in my right leg, knee and right hip that has got progressively worse. When I wake up in the morning and sit on a chair the leg pain is so severe I can only sit for only 30 seconds . When I stand up the hip issue begins...so I'm like a damn Yoyo at times. This has of course affected my work. After reading information here and on other websites I'm gonna quit Lipitor. Just rely on my Low carb diet and exercise, will later see how this affects my cholesterol level. If it reads okay...no more statins for me.
Pete

extreme leg pain after going off the drug due to painful dry eyes...it's been 3 months and the leg pain is worsening.

Been on Lipitor for a little over one month. Feel very lethargic and wiped out. Not sleeping/odd dreams. Very tired upon waking. Pain in my back, went to urgent treatment center..blood pressure was 202/98 and had an abnormal EKG. Taken by ambulance to ER. Developed stomach pain that will not go away, acid reflux/indigestion, leg pain, flatulence, pain in my chest and a feeling that something is sitting in my chest, vaginal bleeding since October 22, dry mouth, sweating, joint pain and swelling. I was given birthcontrol pills to try to stop the flow. Hasn't worked yet. I took lthe last pill I had 2 days ago and feel better today than I have felt in a long time. I looked up the side effects of Lipitor and discovered that what I am experienceing seems to be directly as a result of this medicine which is the only new thing that I have added to my routine.

severe leg pain, getting worse even after stopping Lipitor

I took Lipitor 40 mg q.d. for a few years. Then I started having unbearable leg cramps upon awakening in the mornings. They were practically debilitating! I also started having another kind of leg pain, the kind which is very hard to describe. My leg or legs would feel kind of dead, not crampy, but pain inside the leg near the bone you might say. That was worse than the leg cramps, because I could usually get up and walk around and eventually the leg cramps would go away for the rest of the day. This dead but extremely painful feeling in my legs would go all the way up into the thigh area and I would just have to lie there until it went away. Thank God it did always eventually go away, but not before my vowing to have my legs amputated if the pain continued. My doctor had no idea what could be causing this, and I got the impression that he thought the symptoms were psychosomatic. As a last resort, I stopped taking Lipitor and within 24 hours the leg pain (both kinds) stopped. After one year of blessed relief and no Lipitor the doctor tested my cholesterol and it was very high again. So I tried going back on Lipitor, only I cut the dose in half. The doctor also gave me 300 mg of gabapentin and 325 mg of quinine to take at night about three hours before bedtime. To date, my cholesterol is down to below normal levels and I have not had any more of either kind of leg pain. But if I forget the quinine or gabapentin even one night, the pain comes back. I hope this helps someone else who is suffering as I did.

Where should I start? Today the lights are finally coming on and the puzzle of how crummy I have felt since I started this drug are coming together. Some of these I never mentioned to my doctor... he said I would feel flu like symptoms if it were Lipitor... because I asked before I started. So, no fever, no "illness".... just leg pain. I thougth I needed new shoes, or was spending too much time at the computer.
Leg pain (upper left).
Deafness and tinnitus (right ear).
Ear infections (NEVER had ONE before Lipitor)
Frequent, recurrent Sinus infection.
Chronic nasal inflammation.
Insomnia.
Forgetfulness... frequent, worsening.
Tendonitis... frequent, varied locations (never had it before Lipitor)
Poor Balance.
Indigestion.
Flatulence.
Discomfort in the eyes (I have had amblyopia my whole life... didn't know until today that amblyopia is listed as an adverse sensory reaction in the PDR). Went to an eye doctor... looked okay... attributed symptoms to chronic sinus problems and adjusting to new bifocals... maybe bad angle at computer desk.

This is a rude awakening for me and I am done with Lipitor. It isn't worth it. My Cholesterol wasn't even THAT high , and my ratios were really good as wer triglycerides.... so no wonder I feel like a punching bag with one ear. Forget it. This isn't worth it. I'm going to try a more natural approach.

i been having leg pain and numbness in my thigh and it hurts alfull at times what should i do?

I have been taking Lipitor since 2003. I have been having thigh and leg pain off and on. Starting yesterday May 8 I started having pains in my thighs and legs severely. My back feel like it is going to break into pieces. I have constantly felt dizzies and never had any stama. When I walk I am so afraid
because my leg just give away from underneath me and I am on the floor. I can't sit in a chair without straining to get up. I don't have the ability to squat because my legs are so weak and I don't have the ability to hold myself up. I went to my doctor today and he advised me not to take the Lipitor any more. I just want to be normal again and do the thing that I used to do. Is there any help anywhere

I was prescribed Lipitor last Oct (2005), and in a short time was experiencing such leg pain and mental "fog" that I was in the doctor's office complaining about it every month. I was at first attributing it to stress at work and home, but when my normal daily exercise routine was so severely curtailed because of the pain, I had to start looking at other things. I had once been able to ride my bike and do aerobics, kick-boxing, and other more strenuous activities without tiring or having such muscle pain that I was unable to move, but now pain and fatigue are just parts of my life --- and I'm only 47! My doctor took me off the LIpitor when I finally complained LOUDLY about my leg pain, but was told it might be months before it was completely out of my system. I've since become worried that the damage this prescription has done might be permanent! I so want to get back to my old self! Does anyone know if this is something that will never go away?

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 have suffered from severe leg and feet pains getting progressively worse the pain kept me awake every night and i had great difficulty walking and even buying shoes was a nightmare because they all hurt.my doctor gave me all kinds of anti inflamitory and other types of drugs for pain, all to no avail. I have been taking lipitor for a few years. Last year somebody mentioned to me about leg pain from lipitor but i did not take much notice.Two weeks ago I just remembered about it and decided to stop taking them and see what happened, after a couple of days my legs have certainly improved I still have pain but nothing like it was and i have not had a sleepless night since stopping the tablets. I am still afraid to believe that this improvement is permanent so I decided to try the internet for information about these drugs and I am absolutely flabbergasted to find that other people are suffering in the same way as myself. Now i think I may have found the answer to my problem and I wonder will the pains improve more or will I be left with some permanent damage as I still have quite a lot of pain although not near as bad as before.

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.

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.

Severe leg pain, in calf and upper thigh. Unable to sleep, and then, into depression, as well as nightmares, and having physic delussions, as well as claustrophobia and fear of the dark.

I have been taking lipitor for about 4 years now, without any side effect until the doctor put me on 40mg of lipitor. Now I have leg pain all the time, sometime so bad I can't hardly walk. I seen two doctors and had about every test you can have.Mri/scans/exrays also. they have found nothing,I have ask both doctors if the lipitor it was lipitor. I just can't believe I walk 3 to 4 miles every day before I was change to 40mg of, now I can't even walk out to get the mail.

severe leg pain in the am. was walking 3 miles per day, started short jogs knee cap popped, stop walking.severe back pain, occasionally heart will pulse fast at times,skin on bottom of heal of feet, no feeling, oh get this, can gain 4 lbs in one day,find this very strange.also if i sit in a chair in my office, legs are very week when i get up, then clears some what.notice back pain starting, also have been on lipator 3 plus years

Someone I know was on lipitor for a year taking 10 mg. a day. He is 40 years old. Prior to taking lipior he was in excellent health with no medical problems. After 2 months on lipitor he started experiencing severe back, neck and leg pain and pain in the head which he described as head fog. He reported this to his doctor who couldn't find anything wrong with him and his doctor not making any association with it being caused by the lipitor referred him to a specialist. The specialist couldn't find anything wrong with him and he started going from specialist to specialist for 9 months for a total of 6 different doctors where none of them could find anything wrong with him and none of them ever made the association with lipitor even though they all knew he was taking it. From my own experience on lipitor and all the problems it caused me I immediately made the association and told him to stop the lipitor. He was very skeptical about my advice since I have no medical training whatsoever and 6 experts along with his own doctor whom he highly trusts never said a word about lipitor being the possible cause. Anyway he followed my advice and to his amazement the head fog immediately cleared up and his back, neck, and leg pain is nowhere near what it was after 2 months off lipitor even though he still has some problems. His doctor said it was impossible for lipitor to be the cause as it has a proven safety record and he never heard of such problems being caused by lipitor and told him he probably never had any problems to begin with is the reason why he got relief and that he should just learn to relax. This just goes to show you that only you are responsible for your own health and you better do your own research before blindly following professional advice as you will be the one to suffer the consequences while the doctors just look the other way denying everything as I found out for myself the hardway.

I have extremely high cholesterol (in the mid-400's)--it's been high since I was a teenager. I was taking 80 mg of Lipitor, but my leg pain was so bad, I couldn't sleep and was in constant pain whether I was sitting or exercising. I switched to 20 mg of Lipitor and 10 mg of Zetia, and I had no pain at all. However, my cholesterol was still too high, so I've increased the amount of Lipitor to 40 mg. The leg pain has returned. I'm sort of tempted to risk my health to have pain-free legs.

pains started in my right lower leg muscle, couldnt straigen it out , the pain was so intense, I screamed for help.ow I can even toch that musle as it hurts so much , then went to upper calf, then to the muscles in the back, then to the left leg, then to the bottom of my right foot , heel feels like iam walking on cocrete, with it, now Iam getting shooting pains down in my left arm bicep muscle, couldnt even sleep last night it was so bad., seen my cardioligist last fri, he couldnt believe the leg pain ? and answerrs??
tg joyce

Hi! From Ottawa canada i am 46 6 foot 3 inch tall 218 pound diabetiic type 1 for 24 yeard Now aftre reading all the letter i tell my seft
i am not crazy i have some leg pain and maby my suger is hi but it hard to say Anyone cant tell me if the is some OTHER PILL or vitamin then lipitor that work for my hi cholesterol
i take 200mg avery day like a lot of people i have hard time to work for long time i fell like a very very old men only 46
******

thanks to my wonderful husband i have stopped taking lipitor cold turkey!i have been in excrutiating pain for the past couple of months.had no idea what was wrong with me !went to my doctor several times complaining about sleepless nights,blamed it on menopause.then swelling in my feet.
well , now i am at the point of felling like cripple !i can't get out of a chair without severe pain , can barely walk down the hallway to the bedroom,don't even ask me how i do on stairs !it doesn't stop!even when i am off my legs and laying in bed it kills me.my muscles in both legs feel like they are on fire all the time ,but if you touch my legs you can't feel the heat.i can't sleep at allwhen i go to bed , i'm awake about every 2 hours.if i take a pill to sleep i can get about 5 hours straight sleep , if i'm lucky.my husbands boss told him to have me stop taking the lipitor,well i did 2 days ago.oh did i mention the knife stabbing pains in my kidneys !well , so far after 2 days , the kidney pain have eased up,now i hope the leg pain will go away.my husbands boss said it took about 3 months for his to go away ...here's hoping ! i've been on lipitor for 2-3 years now ,not anymore.

I am seeing my doctor today because of what I think are Lipitor side effects:
Leg pain, loose stools, itchy skin, lichen planus, continuous hum in the right ear, occasional 'off kilter' feeling. I have had various tests with no identifying results.

I'll do a write up of the doctor's response.

I am a 49 yr old physically fit female who began taking Lipitor around 2 yr ago. I began having leg pain/cramps and went off of them for two weeks or so. I have to admit I felt much better. I went back on them for fear of having heart problems with high cholesterol. Two weeks ago I started having severe pain in my left leg/hip area running all the way down like muscle strains. I can literally push on the muscle and it is so sore like someone has beat me. I can't lay on my left side anymore when sleeping. I think I am going to go off of it again and if the pain subsides, find other ways to lower the cholesterol. I am worried that this has caused some type of muscle degeneration. I am also experiencing numbness in my right hand more than ever. I am scared...

I am 42 yr old, high cholesterol due to diabetes. I began with 10mg lipitor and noticed pain in upper right arm. Later developed aches in neck. Three months ago, increased to 20mg and now ache in neck is nauseating (never got sick) and pain in upper left arm began. The pain had me in tears last night. I also have been experiencing leg pain.

I have been taking lipitor for 2 years and have esperienced hand swelling with muscle and leg pain. Hair loss has also been noticable. Also have considerable amounts of hand/feet swelling. I have been seeing several doctors for back pain/shoulder pain with the recommendation I need surgery.They have never suggested the medication could be a contributing factor.

I am stopping the lipitor and see doing more research. Thanks for your imput everyone!

I took 40MG Lipitor for 3 years. A year ago I started experiencing extreme fatigue and severe muscle leg pain.
Stopped Lipitor 7 months ago and I have not had any improvement. Enrolled iin the UCSD study and was advised
that some people had immediate improvement when discontinuing Lipitor, some people took months and some people had no improvement, long term. I am taking 200MG
CQ10 in hopes it will help repair the muscle damage. I cannot
walk a city block without pain and extreme fatigue. Quality
of life greatly diminished due to this drug. I am afraid I am
in the group that is permanently disabled.

My husband has taken lipitor for about 4 years. On Aug. 9, 2003 he had an allergic reaction to something. The doctor gave him steroids and it when away that same day--lips swelled, speech gargled, splotches under the arms and around his middle. After going off the steroids his lower lip swelled again but went down a short while later. Then, he had a second allergic reaction and he went to the emergency room and again was perscribed steroids and a medication to hopefully control any future allergic reactions. Within a few weeks he began having muscle pain in his upper left leg which was bad enough that he lost sleep and he took himself off both lipitor and the other medication. It has only been a week but he believes that the leg pain is less.

I have been taking Lipitor for several years. All of a sudden I am experiencing knee/leg pain and neck pain. My friend told me her husband had such leg cramps and could hardley walk, just like I am experiencing. She mentioned that he quit taking Lipitor and this righted itself within a couple of weeks. Anyone else have an experience such as this? I plan on stopping Lipitor tomorrow. At this point, I can barely walk and my leg and knee or so stiff and sore.