Lipitor and statin drugs

Just had to comment on these side effects I'm reading about Lipitor and other Statin drugs. I don't take anything and I never will after finding this site. Guess what, I have had high cholesterol since I was in my early 20's. When I say high... it ranged from 240 - 260...remember when 250 was OK? Well folks, it's 30 years later, my cholesterol is just about the same range, and Oh My GOD...I'm still here without any drugs.!!! They lowered the range so they could pass out the pills!!! Greed, greed, greed. Do you wonder why our Healthcare system is out of control? Well, when you keep feeding people medications that are presenting the side effects they do, making them sicker, they just keep testing and testing and testing for other things. Let's do blood work, MRI's, CAT Scans, Spect Scans, Pet Scans...Scan away...and guess what...all comes back OK...hmmmm why not look at the drugs you're prescribing. We need to see "all the side effects" listed. Not just some. They're misdiagnosing, Alzheimers, Fibromyalgia, MS, Lupus, Dementia, Arthritis, and on and on when it's been the drugs causing the diseases!
Ween off everything and anything you can...take your chances...when God wants you, he's going to come and get you no matter what you're doing...right or wrong!

I have not had good experiences with various statin drugs through the years. I was on Zocor a few years ago. I suffered from a tripping gait at times (seemed as if the bottom of the toe area would stick to the sidewalk and I felt as if I was going head over heels and balance issues), so much so that I was referred to a neurologist. My internist poo-pooed my symptoms at the time until I mentioned the formation of cataracts. That did it. Zocor stopped. On to Crestor. Crestor was briefly tolerated until I was walking up four flights of stairs. While on the second flight, my legs literally locked. I could not raise my legs (thigh muscles had tightened so badly, that I had to stop, regroup, and start again. Next course after a brief respite, Lipitor. I am taking between 5 and 10 mg. as tolerated.

I have had issues with Lipitor as well, despite the 'pediatric' dose. I have felt occasional ankle tweaks, and most recently over this past weekend, upon going down a flight of stairs, my left knee buckled. Thank goodness I did not fall, but the weakness was there for the day. I have not taken Lipitor since last Friday night. My cholesterol level (off the statins) had reached a high of 357. As of the last testing (my first after being started on Lipitor), it was 255 - my LDL was 137. I know that if I stop the medication that the numbers will start to rise. This yo-yo effect is very frustrating but my overall well-being is of my utmost concern. Both parents had heart disease. My father passed away at 63 years of age (heart attack, recuperation, then massive heart attack 22 months later), and my mother had angina pectoris, bypass surgery and recurrence of blockages, only to die from multiple myeloma at the age of 89. My newest symptom is pain in the right side, outer portion of the rib cage area. This started two days ago. I had this when I was on Welchol as well.

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

I've been on lipitor and other generic forms of it for the last 8 years since the age of 26. I started on 10mg then 20mg and later 40mg. About 4 years ago I started with severe stomach cramps. The pain is so bad that I have to go home in the middle of the day, I can't walk or sit straight the pain is that bad and NOTHING helps. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would probably put this at a 7 or 8. I would also be nauseous and be really tired. I have had countless opinions and tests done and doctors keep telling me it is an "enigma" and there's nothing wrong with me. We've treated it through coeliac diet, exercise, lots of water, but it never helped. About a week ago I stopped drinking my meds by pure chance. I have not had one incidence of stomach ache. My doctor tells me that it's not possible for the lipitor to be the cause. I am sure he's wrong. Has anyone had a similar experience?

I have been taking 40mg lipitor for over 9 years now.

I have had back issues since an injury to one disc (L4?), and had microdiscectomy in 2001? Took about two years to actually get close to normal.

The last few years, I have had multiple issues with shoulder pain, wrist pain, elbow pain, lower back pain, Upper rump muscle pain , and now both hips are killing me (the shoulder, upper rump muscles and hips are by far the worst). And I am now so weak in my lower back muscles, that it feels like I will (and do) pull out my back.

I have seen NO many doctors I can't even name them all. I have had operations, multiple injections (cortisone) taken pain meds, etc. Nothing has helped and in the last year and a half, I have gotten steadily worse. To the point where I can't really do much of any activity. Sleeping at night is painful. Can't lie on left shoulder, and can't lie on either hip for more than a few minutes. If I fall asleep on my side, the pain wakes me up. When I try to walk, 80% of the time, I end up with a pain in my upper right rump (sacroiliac area), that I MUST sit down to get the intense pain to go away, which it does. But comes right back when I walk again.

I have had x-rays, MRIs etc, and never reveals all that much. Disc issues, yes. NOt much else.

Recently, I have begun to get a nasty clicking (catching) on my left jaw (joint?). Not really painful, but something definitely wrong. My dentist sent me to his Chiro. I went and liked him right away. I had gone to another chiro for years and I believe in them. But this one is the best I have seen.

Anyway, one of the FIRST things he suggested, was that it was POSSIBLE that the Lipitor is causing all of my problems. Put me on COQ10, and doing multiple adjustments and treatments. I will be seeing my regular doctor 5/26, and my chiro wants me to see if he will take me off lipitor and put me on Niaspan instead.

I guess my question is: Can Lipitor be fine with me for so long, and then in such a short period of time, turn me into a compete wreck from the pain and wasting away of my body/muscles? I've told doctors for over a year now that there is SOME connection as to all these issues and pain. One Doctor, of course, gave me the "you are getting old" bull. Yes, I am 56 yrs old. But I understand the process of getting old, vs the complete failing of ones body.

Also, IF it is the Lipitor, can it possible all go away? Or should I expect some damage forever?

One more thing, the last ortho I went to the other day for a second opinion, wants me to do a EMG, to see if there is muscle damage. I was not planning on doing it, but wonder now, should I? He was not doing it because of lipitor, as he never even talked about that to me. I had shoulder operation and have not had the results I feel I should have had.

I have to comment..... look at how many entries there are showing side effects.. so many people have the same symptoms. does this not open the eyes of others to accept that it can be a real problem to some people, admittedly not all, but it obviously doesn't agree with all of us. I could not believe my ears the other week when the local GP said that it's rare there are side effects, then 4 hours later a DR. in a hospital emergency department stated that statin drugs are very common for muscle problems, in particular one named brand (need I say more??) Couldn't wipe the smile off my face after hearing someone finally admitting it..
Come on professional people, start listening and accepting that people do know their own bodies and can see and feel so many vast changes in their day to day activities. Maybe guide people to a better understanding of diet and lifestyle before dishing out meds. so quickly. Give us some credit......some of us exercise regularly, we want to live healthy too and all this has done is put a stop to that luxury.
I have to add, I posted earlier this month, I AM getting much better each day, clearer thinking, vast improvement in mobility, so please stay positive and take care of yourselves, obviously we all need a little patience, hard to do after some long term suffering i know, we want overnight fixes just to feel normal again.. :-)

I to was put on Lipitor 20mg. took it about 1 month and had such pain in my leg muscles I couldn't hardly walk . I went to my doctor he said go off it and I should start Zocor in . A month the pain was worse I couldn't even walk around the mall . I couldn't sleep at night the pain was terrible. Once again I told the doctor he said stop it and we will wait 6 weeks and start Crestor. In six weeks the pain should be gone. It didn't go away I could hardly walk at my job teaching at a Pre School. The pain unreal.I have type 2 diabetes under control for years. Still is.I was told I had arthritis. But now they tell me I have spinal stenosis. I'm on paxil for the depression they said I had and. I feel as bad now as I did 4 years ago when I was on statins. I can hardly walk, my life is pain in my muscles that never leaves and now my back. I was active and watched my weight and walked 3 miles a day. Since taking these meds. I can no longer work, go shopping or go anyplace I have to walk . I have gained a lot of weight . I have something wrong with my knee .I have tried to explain this to 3 doctors and no one listens to me. My health turned for the worse when I started taking Lipitor in 2005. I don't think I'll ever get my life back I am only 58 years old and can't work to support myself.I can't even hold my 1 month old grandson and walk or lift him from his bed. Reading all your messages . I know my health going down like this is from the statin drugs I took . When I sit , I can't walk when I stand Then .I gotta sit in 5 to 10 minutes.And the pain in my knee has progressed. No doctor wants to hear my story and believe me. Thank God I found this web site and read this for my self now I know I'm not crazy. How can I get myself better ? Will I live the rest of my life in pain, and not able to function.Every time I see a doctor they give me another pill to take. I want to just throw them all away .There must to be an answer to this.

I am a 65-year-old female. I was given Lipitor 10mg in Feb 07, which I appeared to tolerate, with the effect of reducing my high familial cholesterol. Because of a genetic enzyme problem, I am careful about my diet; having been a vegetarian for decades. I don’t smoke, and rarely have wine. By May that year my GP increased the dose to 20mg., but days later I was sent to A + E with cardiac concerns. The hospital adamant it had nothing to do with Lipitor.

By mid 2008 I told my GP of dizzy spells, and loss of balance, also swallowing difficulties, but after liver function tests I was reassured it couldn’t possibly be Lipitor.

Early October 08, saw me in hospital with a ‘stroke’, although the CAT scan and MRI were puzzling. I was sent home with no help or guidance after the Consultant insisted Lipitor was not a problem, and I should not reduce it, as it was already a very low dose. Unable to walk to the end of my street, my calf muscles feeling as though I’d run a marathon, and experiencing cardiac stress. Severe neck and shoulder pains, and confusion with words. Frequent muscle spasms in my feet, legs and hands, etc. etc. No energy for anything, and so difficult coping - living alone. End of Dec. a friend from out of town visited, and was alarmed, as she’d researched a web site for her brother, who was using a walking frame. I was astounded at the reports from users of Lipitor, so many suffering in the same way. Although my GP had arranged more laboratory tests for me, I was not prepared to wait.

On 6th January 2009, (almost 2 years later) I reduced my dosage to 10mg., and within days was experiencing improvement in many areas. By 17th January, I reduced to 5mg., (maybe a little hasty) and by 24th stopped it. By 28th my GP could see for himself, the considerable improvement generally, with a lower blood pressure reading.

By then, I could complete half, of what used to be my regular walking regime. To date, I am able to cover more than that, and hope I will eventually be able to cover the full distance. I’m hoping there will be no lasting damage, but am so thankful that my friend found this website. Its scary to think I had no quality of life, and doubt I would have survived more Lipitor. So I’m taking my chances with high cholesterol, and a near normal life.

M.

New Zealand

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

January 26, 2009
I stopped taking 20mg of Lipitor for the following reasons: arm and muscle pain, wrist pain, neck and shoulder pain, knee pain, foot pain, arm weakness when raising my arms, mental fuzziness. I
Withdrawal symptoms : headache, eye ache, increased neck pain.
My goal is to see if the dosage symptoms decrease within two weeks and maybe I will try 10mg of Lipitor and see if that amount produces the same symptoms. My doctor directed me to a Rheumatologist as recent blood work showed inflammation in the arthritis panel. I am waiting to see if being off Lipitor for two weeks might reduce my arthritis symptoms .
I had a stint put in March 2008 and I am on Plavix (75mg), Lisinopril (10mg) and Lipitor (20mg).

AFTER SIX MONTHS ON LIPITOR, IVE SOME PROTEIN IN THE URINE.
AND A LEVEL HIGHER FOR THE LIVER. I AM GOING OFF OF LIPITOR
AS RECOMMENDED BY ME FROM NOW ON. I DONT MIND CHOLESTEROL LEVELS OF FIVE.
I DO MIND DAMAGE DONE BY LIPITOR. I AM GOING BY AND STICKING
WITH THE GUT KNOWING WITH THIS, AND STAYING OFF OF IT. I AM GOING TO TAKE VITAMIN
C. AND LOWER MY NOT HUMONGOUS BODY WEIGHT, BUT AM DOING
A LOT MORE TO HELP MYSELF. I AM NOT GOING TO HAVE
IRRETRIEVABLE DAMAGE DONE TO ME BY THIS PRODUCT. IT IS
BEGINNING TO HAVE THE SIGNS OF JUST THAT. THERE IS MORE
TO LIFE THAN JUST ONE THING, ALL IS INTERACTING, FOR ME THIS
IS A GOOD MOVE.. NEXT THING I WOULD KNOW IS I AM TO BE TAKING
SOMETHING ELSE WHICH WILL THEN CAUSE SOMETHING ELSE AND
SO IT GOES, ON. NO I AM STOPPING HERE, AND HELPING MYSELF
LIKE IVE NEVER DONE BEFORE, WITH CONSTRUCTIVE POSITIVE
INPUT BY OTHERS, AND ALSO MYSELF AND SOME HARD WORK ON
ALL OF IT. IVE NO DOUBT I WOULD BE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE IFF
I CONTINUED TO TAKE A STATIN OF ANY KIND. THANKS BUT
NO THANKS. FROM A LADY WHOM HAS FOUND OUT THROUGH HER
EXPERIENCE FOR HERSELF ONLY BEFORE HARM THAT CANNOT BE
BACKTRACKED IS CAUSED. ITS NOT TOO LATE FOR ME .

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

I am a 50 year old woman and have been taking Lipitor for about the last 6 months. I have developed a severe case of eczema on my scalp as well as hair loss. Also I have been having pain in my hips. I never would have attributed my symptoms to Lipitor, but now I am thinking that maybe Lipitor is the cause of them. Also I read in some of the comments that it may be connected to memory loss. I have noticed I have a hard time remembering things too but never thought it could be related to taking Lipitor.

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?

Went off simvastatin in March, all pain went away within a couple of months, but muscle weakness in legs remained. In October, found out my cholesterol is sky high, over 325. So Dr. wanted to try Crestor 5 mg. Within 1 week, I had overwhelming fatigue, could hardly stay awake during the day and the weakness in my legs was getting worse. So I just went off Crestor. Frustrating!!

I have extreme thumb spasms, often both thumbs at the same time. i had an episode a few weeks ago of a severe pain in my hip running down my leg. I was in bed all weekend as a result and needed a cortisone shot to help relieve the pain. I forgot a name right after they tell me and I am only 50 years old. I lose my balance and sometimes almost fall and have vertigo every now and then. I wonder if all these symptoms are from lipitor. I have been on it for at least 3 years.

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

I have been on lipitor about 4 yrs. I am a runner and keep tract of my times. I have been losing about 4% of my speed each year and have recently had a large amount of muscle fatigue. Today a ran a 940 pace and thought I was not going to make it home. Three years ago my average pace was 805. Could the 20mg dosage be causing this problem?

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 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

Statin Drugs cause congestive heart failure, muscle wasting, memory loss, cancer, damage to the liver and kidneys and generally disrupt the quality of life of anyone who takes it. I know because my elderly mother was prescribed 20 mgs lipitor after her stroke in 2006. She suffers from everything I listed except for the cancer. The doctors did all the tests to rule out other causes but her problems are worsening to the point where she can barely walk. The doctors still don't want to stop the lipitor and won't even require that she take Coq10. How criminal is that? According to Therapeutics Initiative, statins provide only a 4% absolute benefit from having a major coronary event for people in the secondary prevention group like my mother but you have to take the statin for 5 years in order to get that lousy 4% benefit.
Add in the nasty side effects over the 5 years and I am sure that the side effects would cancel out all those benefits.
Lipitor is a scam drug that ruins the lives of the patients who take it.

hi,daer777 i like to know the natural product that lower cholesterol.also since you stop the medication any changes or not if you don't mind?I took my father to many neurologist and they test many Parkinson medication and my father did not respond to any medication but he got worsed,yesterday he had another appointment to another neurologist he said if it is not Parkinson disease then must be genetic disorder witch is we never had in our family history and also doctor noticed that many my patient who are using lipitor responding very well with Parkinson medication ,and when i said about lipitor he got mad on me and very rudely said medication never doing this and don't blame medication,so every doctor that i saw never believed us that lipitor or ezetrol (zetia)is that cause.also doctor said if it is the medication then he must be symptom free by now ,he quit ezetrol just three months ago and lipitor 2 years ago.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Over 6 years ago, the following Petition was submitted to the FDA. I would encourage every patient being treated with statins to read it and bring it to the immediate attention of their physician:

CITIZEN PETITION TO CHANGE THE LABELING FOR
ALL STATIN DRUGS (MEVACOR, LESCOL, PRAVACHOL, ZOCOR, LIPITOR, AND ADVICOR) RECOMMENDING USE OF
100-200mg PER DAY OF SUPPLEMENTAL CO-ENZYME Q10 TO REDUCE THE RISK OF STATIN-INDUCED MYOPATHIES (INCLUDING
CARDIOMYOPATHY AND CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE). http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/dailys/02/May02/052902/02p-0244-cp00001-01-vol1.pdf
May 24, 2002
Petitioner:
Dr. Julian M. Whitaker, M.D.

This Petition is based on the clinical findings of Dr Peter H. Langsjoen, MD, who also reported it to the FDA as follows:

Statins kill people - lots of people - and they wound many, many more. All patients taking statins become depleted in Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), eventually - those patients who start with a relatively low CoQ10 levels (the elderly and patients with heart failure) begin to manifest signs/symptoms of CoQ10 deficiency relatively rapidly - in 6 to 12 months. Younger, healthier people who's only "illness" is the non-illness "hypercholesterolemia" can tolerate statins for several years before getting into trouble with fatigue, muscle weakness and soreness (usually with normal muscle enzyme CPK tests) and most ominously - heart failure. In my practice of 17 years in Tyler, Texas, I have seen a frightening increase in heart failure secondary to statin usage, "statin cardiomyopathy". 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 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.

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.

Found this on a web site listed at the end.
Very scary!!! COQ10 is a must when taking any statin drugs your body needs it for your
muscles. Other statin drugs may be better.

Numerous adverse side effect reports have implicated Lipitor as a possible cause for severe neuromuscular degeneration. Some people who have been using Lipitor for two years or more report symptoms similar to multiple sclerosis or ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease - in which they are losing neuromuscular control of their bodies.

For instance, in an article entitled "Life After Lipitor" that appeared in the newspaper Tahoe World on January 27, 2004, Tahoe City (California) resident Doug Peterson began having serious neuromuscular problems after taking Lipitor for two years. He began losing muscular coordination and slurring words when he spoke. Then he lost balance, followed by loss of fine motor skills - he had difficulty writing. He went from doctor to doctor, trying to figure out what could be happening. Finally one doctor suggested that he stop taking Lipitor, and the downward health spiral stopped and his health is now slowly improving.

These adverse effects have begun appearing in peer-reviewed medical journals, and numerous people have reported similar symptoms at public adverse effect reporting websites such as medications.com. People have reported "trouble swallowing, trouble talking and enunciating words, feeling fatigued all the time, neck aches," "motor neuropathy which mimics ALS," "Blinding headaches, nausea, vertigo, disorientation, memory loss, extremely dry eyes, pain and stiffness in my neck and calf muscles, abominal pain," and "Muscle pain, weakness, spasms, buzzing in right leg. Can't hold arms or head up in vertical position for 2 minutes without extreme pain and weakness."

How could Lipitor potentially cause this kind of harm to so many different parts of the body? Lipitor is a "statin" drug which inhibits the production of cholesterol in order to lower LDL cholesterol counts. By limiting the production of cholesterol, Lipitor may be indirectly causing membrane degeneration in neural and muscle tissue.

The problem is this: cholesterol is essential in your body for many functions. It forms part of what is called the cell membrane - the outer layer of every cell in your body. It helps transport and pack the major components of the cell membrane, called "phospholipids," that are made from essential fatty acids (EFAs). Without sufficient cholesterol we would die, because our tissues are constantly being repaired and replaced with new cells.

Our body produces several thousand milligrams of cholesterol per day to carry out these essential functions, and each day the excess of cholesterol is supposed to be naturally recycled. If your body doesn't have enough new cholesterol each day, you cannot repair and replace your cell membranes and they will eventually degenerate.

The continual recycling of cholesterol happens naturally when you have sufficient ascorbate, another name for vitamin C. Excess cholesterol is naturally converted to bile acid and then excreted. But if you don't consume enough vitamin C (about 2000-3000 milligrams per day for an adult), cholesterol builds up in your bloodstream. It is here that doctors make a critical error: instead of telling you to take more vitamin C, they prescribe Lipitor.
If Lipitor and other similar statin drugs are in fact indirectly causing neural and muscular degeneration, this is a very serious matter indeed.

There are twenty million people in the U.S. on Lipitor alone, and probably millions more on other statin drugs (Zocor, Pravachol, Mevacor, Altocor, Lescol, Crestor, etc.). Are they all going to become victims of cell membrane degeneration and nervous system problems? There are few long-term studies that bear out the safety of these drugs, and side effects such as "muscle pain or weakness" are just classified as a reason for some to stop the medication rather than an indication of something very wrong with the drug.

What is most horrifying about this problem is that cholesterol balance can be achieved without drugs, simply and safely by taking 2000-3000 milligrams of vitamin C per day for an adult. Unfortunately, vitamin C was misclassified as a micronutrient in the 1930s and 1940s, rather than an essential nutrient involved in dozens of body processes. Our health authorities recommend that we take only 60 milligrams per day, barely enough to prevent scurvy.

It is my hope that people on Lipitor and other statins learn that they do not need to take these potentially harmful drugs.

For more information about the connection between vitamin C and the prevention of cardiovascular disease, see the article Natural Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease, or visit the research website of Dr. M.
******

I have been taking Lipitor for around ten years, up to last summer. In the spring of 2003 I began having severe pain in my heels and it was diagnosed as Plantar Faaschiitis. Last summer I suffered a severe rotator cuff tear, with no connection to any injury. Recently I have a small tear in my right rotator cuff. Even though it a small tear it is fairly painful. It seems to me that it is highly unlikely that all three of these conditions would occur in one person with no external reason. Does any one know of any connection with lipitor and orthopaedic injuries or break down? I have been told that there is a connection between Lipitor and connective tissue breakdown but haven't seen anything in writing. I have discontinued using all statin drugs and zetia.

I took Lipitor for about 2 years- 5 mg.
Leg cramps-soreness throughout my muscles- very sore buttocks-
my legs are shaky- if I use them too much; (as in walking 3 miles)
I am (was ) an avid body builder that could squat with 100 lbs- and now ( I am a health conscious -non drinking- NO other medication 104 lb slim female) have quivering legs if I stand for too long. I even had a muscle biopsy- and it cam back negative- I have not had a statin for 6 months- but I still have cramps- and abnormal liver values- and I have NO other conditions-I have been scanned from head to toe - open MRI- closed MRI -but the muscle stiffness- soreness- especially legs- continues-
does anyone know how long it lasts? I have also been tested for liver cancer- thank God-negative.
I really feel that Lipitor did this- has anyone else gone from fit as a fiddle to a quivering -achy person- I have gone through 5 doctors- internal - gastrointestinal - neurologist- hematologist and all is negative- just high liver values and muscle pain. Thank you so much.Maxine

My husband has been taking Lipitor 20mg for 1 week. He immediately became fatigued (this is a 44 year old man who has NEVER used an alarm clock in his life and now, sleeps through the alarm clock for 45 minutes until I shake him to wake up), experienced joint pain in 1 of his knees and the sme side ankle. Needless to say, he will not be taking this medication anymore. I also reported this to the FDA because I read the following online:
U.S. patients can report side effects to the FDA themselves -- by logging onto the MedWatch Web site ( http://www.fda.gov/medwatch). But few know about this option.
The FDA needs to know how bad this drug is for people. I hope more people read everything that is written here to save themselves or loved ones from the pain and suffering caused by Lipitor.

Michelle

Hi ..this is a follow up on my first posting of Jan 31 (see kookoo). I have been off Lipitor (20mg/day) for about 6 weeks now and I feel better than before but nowhere near normal yet. Hands are stronger but weakness in arms still persists. I have not had a bad tremor incident in about 2 or more weeks. But I have a lot of involuntary twitching and light burning in my arm muscles. I constantly feel like I have a stiff sore neck and the fatigue is unbearable some days. My neurologist (my hero since he is the only one who believes this is statin related) has sent me for additional tests like EMG, MRI and thoracic vascular scan to eliminate other causes. So far all my tests have come back within normal ranges. I still cannot exercise much because when I try it seems to trigger the burning and pain in my arms. Night time is very scary to me for all my symptoms seem to heighten and I think this brings on some added anxiety which leads to sleeplessness. Well I fired my primary care physician and am scheduled to see someone new next week. Hopefully she will listen to me more intently and have some beneficial suggestions. Hang in everyone, I have to believe we are on the right track and soon someone with some sense will finally listen and do something about these terrible statin drugs. KOOKOO

I am a 49 year old women, who has been taking Lipitor 10mg for about 2 years at first I was told by my Pharmacist to take before going to bed because this is when the cholesterol is released in our body's. I also took synthroid for a thyroid condition,& Blood pressure medicine, but always took these in the morning, so at first I would forget to take the Lipitor on a regular bases. I am being helped with my prescriptions by a program that sends me my medications directly from the Pharmaceutical companies at no charge to me. I was receiving 3months worth at a time and the were piling up so I thought I really should take these regularly since heart disease runs in our family. In these past 2 years I have been experiencing progressive muscle weakness ,restless legs and feet at night so much that I can't sleep I toss a urn so much I most of the time cannot sleep in the same bed as my husband. in this last 8 months things have gotten so bad I know something is not right I have been going to Dr. having x-ray MRI, P.T, I have told my Doctor my pain is gotten to the point that I needed something strong for pain because I have to work to survive and it was getting to the point the every movement I made was very Painful almost like a deep burning pain. I am now getting spasms in almost every major muscle in my body.At night I gett cramps in my legs and feet that seem to move all over my leg muscle with the painful "cramps " I have ever experienced and they are brought on by just the muscle strength it takes to turn in your bed, they always last for 20min. or more. I work as a nursing assistant for an 84 year old women who has Parkinson's Disease I take her to all of her P.T appointment and exercises along side of her she is 84 and I can only lift 10lbs more than her we joke about it to the effect that she is doing great, but in reality I am the one who isn"t doing so well.The past 4months I have been looking for answers myself because I am in pain 24/7and I know that just because I'm turning 50 next month doesn't mean I should have less strength the the 84 year old I care for daily, These past 2 weeks I have started experiencing extreme nausea and stomach and back muscles going into spasms. drinking fluids are what always are coming back up and since I sweat a lot when showering my patients, I have been starting to see signs of dehydration and being very thirsty if I don't sip it it has been coming right back up my appetite is also decreasing because of the nausea. I am so thankful I found this website. Because I do not need any more proof to know that I have a least 90% of the symptoms other have explained I am quiting Lipitor immediately. Good Luck to everyone taking this medication.

I turn 60 this year and have been riding motorcycles all my life, but after being on Lipitor for the last two years, I haven't had the upper body strength to lift my motorcycle off of its side stand.I have had trouble sleeping, keep tossing and turning due to discomfort in my lower back and right hip. The pain is almost debilitating when trying to get out of bed or rise from a sitting position. I go to a real good Chiropractor once a month for the back and hip pain, but he says it may be the statin's that is doing the damage, because he can't find anything wrong except for the normal adjustment . I also just found out that I was born with only one kidney and the waste from the deterioration of my muscle mass is affecting the proper operation of the one kidney Some of my friends and my wife say the my speech has become a little slurred It seems that no matter how much I exercise, my upper body strength and back pain does not get any better, they seem to be getting worse. I tried a little experiment and stopped taking the Lipitor for a couple of weeks and the problems seemed to get a little better. I told my doctor this and they said that I NEEDED the Lipitor, so they cut the dose from 20mg. to 10mg. Now the pain has returned, so that tells me that these Statin drugs are not good for me - - - they might be good for other people, but if you are taking a statin, you should do a lot of research on them. The side effects they say MIGHT happen is only the beginning. For me - - -the cost is not worth it - - -in more ways than one.

I was on Lipitor for either two or three years, maybe more, can't remember, it was around 2003. About a year after starting the meds I started losing my balance, like my feet were heavy and wanting to not lift themselves up when stepping off a curb. I was in fear of falling. After being a professional dancer for many years and still having excellent muscle tone I was shocked by this muscle problem. Then I developed shooting pains in my thighs, and eventually I had an incident where my one leg just gave out and I couldn't walk. It was something in the hip/leg joint. Went to an orthopedic doctor, got x rays and m.r.i., he found nothing. I stopped taking Lipitor because I had spoken with other friends who were having leg pains. My regular doctor would not admit to anything wrong, just kept telling me I needed to stay on the drug, which infuriated me. He also kept blaming the muscle weakness and pain on my weight; which I have never had a problem with before.
The shooting pains in my thighs was all the time, including at night and woke me up at night. This was unreal. Even after walking miles I had these shooting pains, so it wasn't an exercise issue at all, but it certainly did deter me from exercising more often.
Now the pain and swelling is mainly in my knees. I can hardly walk, feel like I am crippled, and have lost my job over not being able to walk around and show apartments! I can't walk steps anymore at all, I am only 55 years old! No matter what I do, the pain and muscle weakness is progressing, I've seen a Chiropractor, a nutritionist, and now I'm going to see a Rheumatologist. I believe I have permanent muscle damage from this drug, no one can tell me otherwise.
Also, I have experienced the gradual increase of brain fog over the last two years. I am scared to death this damage is irreversible.

I have pain in my left hip flexor when taking Lipitor. I was on 40mg/day and went on a daily walk with my wife after her back surgery. My left hip flexor would cramp. Sometimes it would cramp so bad, I had to quit walking and catch a ride home.

I had a month holiday off of Lipitor and could run after a week with no pain.

I started back on 10mg/day and the pain has returned, but not as bad.

I did an experiment- Laying flat on my back, I could lift my left leg one foot off of the floor. I stopped the Lipitor for seven days and could lift my left leg two feet off of the floor.
Can anyone help me?

Hey you all......the lipitor saga continues. I posted #23428 on Sept 6th. On Sept 13th I picked a 30 pound piece of fabric up at work and there was a big POP in my left arm. Distal Biceps Tendon rupture.....TORE it off the Bone. I have been weightlifting for 20 years and never had an injury such as this. I am used to lifting much heavier weights with no problem. Had surgery to reattach 9/18...7 weeks post op and still in brace. Will take a year to fully heal. Both my doctor and Ortho said they have never heard of tendon rupture caused by statin drugs...but I am convinced that it was directly related to lipitor damage/side effects. I did have my doctor shaking in his shoes, I told him with conviction that I would never again take a statin drug and I held him responsible. Would like to hear from anyone who may have had tendon issues while taking this drug. I hope we all get better soon!
Peace
Brian

I'm aged 51 and have had high blood cholesterol for years, diagnosed in my mid thirties. Over the years I have tried changing diet but it didn't reduce tha bad cholesterol. Three years ago I decided maybe I better reduce the cholesterol as they say it clogs up you arteries etc. I went to the doctor and he put me on Lipitor and within a few months my levels were down to normal. I got joint pains in my hands, back, neck , legs and had sore heels after long walks. The doc then decided I'd go off the Lipitor to see if my levels stayed normal but they went back up. After a week the new pains had gone away. I came up with a plan to take 3 x 10mG a week rather than one each day and this worked with a lot less joint pain. The last test I had my levels are back up again so he put me back on 10mG a day and now three weeks later the pains have built back up and I don't like them. Desperate for a different solution I was listening to one of the Juice Plus promotions and something they said set me thinking. They said that having a high level of bad cholesterol doesn't always mean it will badly affect your arteries as it has to react with free radicals in your body to cause the damage. Their theory is that a diet rich in antioxidants will combat the free radicals and generally reduce the risk of disease which also includes any bad effects from high bad cholesterol. Now I'm wondering two things, how do I know if my high cholesterol is causing me any harm? is there a test I can get done to measure how it is or is not affecting me? Can anyone throw any more light on this?

Cure for side effects? CoQ 10 helped me it could help you to. I don't think the private mail on this site works. You can contact me: seekers999@hotmaildotcom if you're a real person you know what to do with the"dot"... "." But nobody needs me, do the research yourself! checkout coq-10 and how lipitor and other statin drugs deplete your body of it causing muscle atrophy. (see my previous post for link)
I don't recommend websites or charge (even though I'm on social security disability w/kids and financially challanged ;-) I;m just trying to help people get better by pointing them in the right direction.

I was crippled up on crutches! Worst pain in my life! Couldn't even get to the bathroom 15' away WITH THE CRUTCHES!! If felt like muscle was tearing with each step, within a week the pain was gone!! The mental fog was gone also and I quit taking the Prozac, but this might have been also due to the Acetyl-L Carnititne.(500mg 3X a day)

I just know that stopping the lipitor didn't stop the pain and confusion!

God Bless all as they try and work their way through these terrible side effects! Remember I had to increase the coq 10 to 900mg a day before I saw benefits on the 3rd day.... There is hope! I hope it works for you!

Lipitor NOT EFFECTIVE ON WOMEN!!

"Again and again, clinical studies have failed to show that the use of statins lowers cardiovascular risk in women who do not already have coronary heart disease or diabetes"

I am a 53 year old male on disability for a bad back and atributed a lot of my symptoms to my back. Leg pains, leg cramps, foot pains and extreme fatigue... Also occasional mental fogginess to depresion as I was on Prozac for depresion... When the side effects hit the hardest I was literally crippeled and barely able to get around on crutches although limited to one level of our split level home, the stairs were TOO MUCH. I had stopped the Lipitor immediately put that didn't help, the pain was overwhelming despite the Hydrocodone #10 I was taking 4-6 a day!! (I previously took 1 per day max) I found on the internet how statin drugs deplete the body of CoQ-10 and cause the muscles to atrophy.

For results of CoQ-10 see my other post...
I don't list website where I get mine because I don't want anyone to think I have anything to gain by making these posts. I am sharing what worked for me and got me out of a period of paid so intense. I only want to help others.
I had to find a cheaper place to buy because I'm on social security disabilty with kids and I don't get enough money to be able to buy it any where else so now maybe I can help them another way too. God Bless all who have been effected by this drug and may you have a complete recovery, if you refuse to quit taking it, supplement with coq-10 even drs and pharmacists agree (that know what they're talking about)

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 am 48 years old and I have been taking Tricor for about 4 years. About 2 years ago my doctor added 10 mg of Lipitor. My cholesterol went from 235 to 145, however during the past 2 months I have started to develop joint and muscle pain in both my arms. I went to the doctor and he told me it was tendonitis. I felt that having it in both arms at the same time was weird. I have always been very physically active and have not changed my routine. Last weekend I stopped taking the Lipitor and I felt a little better. I took it again this week and the pain is back. My doctor told me it is not the Lipitor. I am going to stop it for a week a see what happens.

My husband, age 49, was prescribed and began taking Lipitor about 6 weeks ago. 4 days ago he woke up and couldn't remember our daughters names. Even worse, when I told him their names, they didn't even ring a bell to him. It took a couple hours for his memory to return.

He's been in a fog and "just not feeling right" for the past 4 days. After seeing the Dr. today, the Dr. ordered a stat CT scan fearing my husband had experienced a mini stroke or worse.

After thinking long and hard about what could be happening, it hit me that it could be the Lipitor. After searching the internet, I see cognitive and loss of memory side effects are being reported by those on Lipitor. Why aren't Dr's warning their patients...especially when they come to the Dr. with those exact symptoms?

My husband is done with Statin drugs. We will work on diet, exercise and he'll take his chances with high cholesterol. If only someone had warned us.

My side effect has been a life changing exoerience. In October 2002, after being On lipitor for nearly 4 years, I developed lesions on my brain, extreme confusion, Lethargy, Ataxia, Apraxia. I was hospitalized for 28 days at the University of WI, Madison, and was about 1 week away from being transferred to a nursing home. My working Diagnois was MELAS, Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy with Lactic Acidosis and Stroke-like Episodes, as evidenced on my brain and muscle biopsies, as well as serial lab tests which revealed Lactic Acidosis.. The only know treatment is a palliative one, which is called a mitochondrial cocktail. About 10 Vitamins and Amino Acids an twice daily. Included in this cocktail is Ubiquinone, also known as Coenzyme Q10, which the synthesis of this essential nutrient is so conveniently inhibited by Statin Drugs. The result f CoQ10 deficciency may include Neuronal Apoptosis (brain Cell death, which is what was demonstrated on my brain biopsy. Dr. Beatrice Golomb MD,PhD, principal investigator in the UCSD Statin Effects study has opined that "Lipitor was the likely causal Contributor to my illness and resultant disability". My primary Doctor still wants me to resume statin use, I told him I will take my chances with heart disease, rather than to die from whatever this thing is in my brain.
It has been 4 and 1/2 years now, I still suffer from extreme fatigue, Myoclonus in both my legss, and bilateral leg pain and weakness
Please let me know of any Legal Recourse I can join as I am completely disgusted with BIG PHARMA! I was a practicing Critical Care Registered Nurse for 12 years prior to this incident.

The cholesterol theory on heart disease is now an old wives tale. We have been lowering cholesterol for about 35 years now, and heart disease marches on unabated.

If the populations had never latched onto the belief that cholesterol causes heart disease, statin drugs would have never been developed. After all, if there is no market for it, why develop it?

But we ( including myself) believed that cholesterol was an evil villain ready to strike us dead if we didn't control serum levels of this deadly substance. WE WERE WRONG!

Cholesterol is very important in maintaining proper nerve and muscle function. Cholesterol plays an important role in the production of steroid hormones including testosterone.

have been taking lipitor for 3 years and have had all the side effects mentioned recently have developed pain in left arm and left thumb when I extend my arm straight feels like tearing burning sensation. I advise all concerned to check coast to coast am web site and search for feb 5th show notes. Guest speaker was discussing the statin drugs and side effects and what we can do to reverse the effects as well as better alternatives to these drugs.

I am 34 years old and my family has history of heart disease. I went to get checked and doctor put me on lipitor and I have been on it for 3years now and I feel aweful I can't sleep at night and my arms and neck and legs ache like when yI was a child and had growing pains. Recently I have developed pain in my left arm and when I extend my arm and point my thumb down it fells like a burning tearing sensation. A few nights ago I was listening to coast to coast am and they had a guest on who was talking about statin drugs and side effects it was really interesting if anyone is concerned about these side effects I strongly suggest checking out the coast to coast am web site and search for the February 5th show notes.

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.

After taking Lipitor for approx. 6 months I began having pain across my shoulders and neck and after a few weeks started to feel very tired and weak. It became an effort to get out of bed - all I wanted to do was sleep. I saw my doctor who took four vials of blood and did all sorts of tests with the results that everything was normal. He never brought up the subject of Lipitor or that it might be the problem. I then heard about this web site from my sister who is an RN and very much against the statin drugs. She encouraged me to give up the Lipitor and increase the vitamin C that I already take. I have only been taking 5 mg as a starter but wonder what would have happened if I was taking more.