Lipitor and stomach cramps

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 am Executive Director of Montana Celiac Society. Complaints have come to me from patients stating that Lipitor was causing diarrhea, hair loss, mouth sores, stomach cramps, bloating, weight loss, etc; so I checked the ingredients, almost certain that I would find the ingredient lactose. And I did...
This is dangerous, especially since 70% of the world's population is lactose intolerant. Your drug is not absorbed when taken by a person unable to digest lactose--it is lost in the storm of the intolerance. I suggest better labeling.

I am a 32 year old man who has been on Lipitor for over four years. I recently went up to 40mg and I think it was a big mistake. Like many others, when I was on 20mg I had some slight muscle cramps, insomnia and back pain, but it was nothing compared to what happened when I went to 40mg.

My body now feels like a train wreck. I have a strange tingling sensation in my feet, as well as muscle cramps in my legs. This worries me because my feet and sometimes my hands are always cold. It feels like almost my feet are asleep all the time. My legs have a strange cramping/pulsating feeling. I have a chest pain and stomach cramps as well. Plus I have that wonderful dizzy feeling that many of you have also complained about.

I have stopped taking Lipitor for a week now, but the symptoms remain. I am worried because I just want to feel normal again. Can anyone who stopped taking Lipitor tell me if these types of problems have gone away, and if so, how long it took.

On a side note, the chest pain I think is caused by gas. I have taken a gas inhibitor which has seemed to help with the tightness in the chest. I do tend to burp a lot though. I hope that this might help for people who have had this side effect as well.

I am father and a husband who has no personal grudge against Lipitor or my doctor. I have never posted to a board before and am not trying to sue anybody. I just want to feel normal again. My wife thinks I am a little bit crazy, and doesn't understand how funky and bad I feel now. She thinks that just stopping will make me better. I hope she is right. When someone goes through this, it just wears on your mentally as well as physically.

I am off to see the doctor and I hope that he will be able to help or tell me what to expect long term. If I find any solutions, I will be sure to share.

Thank you for listening to my story.