Simvastatin and fatigue

I have been taking 20mg of Simvastatin every night for about 4 years now and after coming across this site I have decided to stop taking it. I have been feeling particularly unwell for a couple of days, decided to do some research and can't believe what I am reading on this site! For the last year I have suffered terrible pain and loss of movement in my neck shoulders and arms and shooting pains in my legs along with muscle tics. More recently dizzy spells and quite severe tinnitus and headpain and fatigue. I have also found that my muscles tire very quickly when doing the smallest of tasks i.e: changing a duvet cover! The night sweats are particularly bad which I have been putting down to my age but may be to do with the statins. I am praying that these symptoms will reverse once I stop taking them but remain skeptical after reading other peoples comments on here!

80 mg prescribed over 18mth period - shoulder pain began after one year - acute pain at night', diminishing rotational capability during the day. Second shoulder pain followed soon after with same symptoms. Feels as if the joint is becoming unstable and the moving skeletal components rubbing together and jarring.(clicks,clonks felt & heard) GP immediately took me off them and arranged physio. After two weeks without simvastatin there is no change/ relief in symptoms

I started taking this drug about a year ago, for high cholesterol, I experienced muscle pain, night sweats, and fatigue, I did not associate it to the drug, I am on a cane I thought that was the reason for the arm pain and the other symptoms to menopause. It eventually stopped, but would return. We went on vacation and I forgot my meds and everything subsided, I started taking the Simvastatin when I returned home and my night sweats, fatigue and muscle pain returned. That is when I decided to look it up on line and found this site. I am going to stop taking it for now and see my doctor next week. Thanks for all the info.

I m Asian 5ft 5, started on simvastatin 3 wks ago cause doctor advice. Feeling cramp and numbness in my right leg 3-4 times a week and my hands and legs felt so tired and weak when i get up in the morning. Told my doc about this but she said its normal! How am i suppose to go through the rest of my life like this? I m only 37 years old!

Initially felt depressed, then suffered from severe fatigue, don't sleep as well, and in the last few months have had difficulty getting and maintaining an erection. I can't believe several others have spoken about this very same issue on this site. I never had any issue for 47 years and then suddenly a noticeable difference in the last 3 months. Based on everything I read, I'm getting off this drug, and will try to control via exercise and eating habits. Thanks to everyone for sharing their symptoms.

After reading all of this - I take Simvastatin 40mg - then had to go off of it, cause I got layed off & couldn't afford to get my med's filled. Went off the med - felt better (unknowingly). Then, I got a new job, got it refilled & started taking it again - my knees are killing me & fatigue is overwhelming me. I am emailing my doctor today - this is not right after all of what we are going through. M. J.

Below is my original post from 7 months ago i am still waiting for most off these side effects to improve especially my memory which is still terrible and also the tinnitus ...the aches and pains are slightly better but that depends on the day only the severe itching is better but i still have the fatigue in the mornings ..

I am a 52Yr old male and was diagnosed with T2 Diabetes 2 1/2 yrs ago ....The doctor prescribed me simvastatin a few month later 20mg once a day all had been fine till about 6 months ago when I developed tinnitus and started feeling very tired...My concentration started to lapse especially when driving as i found i couldn't remember driving down a stretches of the road etc ie passing speed cameras etc ...my memory also seems to have slowed down and i have problems recalling recent conversations or things i have done etc...just recently i have been getting severe itching on the soles of my feet almost becoming painful i have pains /aches all over and now especially have pain in my left arm right knee and fingers...when i get up in the mornings i feel like i have run a marathon the day before as i ache especially my neck and shoulders...needless to say i have now stopped taking the tablets after reading this forum and i am seeing my doctor next week initially i put all this down to getting older ... S.

I was recently prescribed Simvastatin 40 mg by my GP as I have high blood pressure and Cholesterol. After the first nigh of taking Simvastatin, I am suffering from severe dizziness and feel weak. Can Simvastatins cause these symptoms after one dose and has anyone else had this problem?

Im a 32 year old male that was put on simvastatin 40 mg and cardizem 240 mg. I am now having severe headaches, so bad i cant go too work anymore, dizziness, fatigue, legs feel shaky all the time, cant stand up for long periods of times. Doctors claim its not the medications but its funny i never had these problems until i started taking these medications, after reading what people have too say about the simvastatin on here i am done with that, i cant live my life like this anymore. I have also heard my other medication can cause these problems so im going too talk too my cardiologist about a different one too control my heart. Im glad i have found other people having problems like me, i don't feel so crazy now.

I had been on simvastatin a couple months when the debilitating fatigue started. Since I have hypothyroidism I blamed it on that. The fatigue got worse along with severe depression, brain fog. Numbness in my hands and feet and kidney pain kept me up at night. And then the shoulder pain started. It was excruciating. While pulling a dress over my head, my shoulder literally blew up. Turns out my biceps tendon rupture and filled my shoulder joint with chunks of cartilage. After looking at my MRI the orthopedic surgeon said if I didn't have surgery, the excruciating pain would only get worse and I'd lose the use of my arm.
Now, after stopping simvastatin my LDL has gone up to 300. Dr. wants me to start Welchol. After reading the side effects on this site....um...I don't know.

I have been on Simvastatin for several months. I am now experiencing low back pain, stiff neck on the right-hand side, fatigue feelings in back when standing, fatigue, dizziness and generally feeling "awful." My MD cut me back from 40mg daily to 40mg every other day, but I still continue to feel sick.
I read complaints from others on this site and want to share my symptoms. I have a 78% blockage in my right carotid artery and a 58% blockage in my left carotid artery. I am 72 years old but what else can I do to prevent a possible stroke should these blockages increase without the use of a statin drug????

I am so glad I found this site. I have been having hideous headaches and just today thought perhaps it's the Simvastatin that I started this summer. I had an occasion this summer where I lost the vision in one eye (half way up). The doctor said that is called "window blind" vision loss. So after doppler and MRI he said I had to absolutely take 81 mg of aspirin a day (baby aspirin) and started me on cholesterol lowering meds. I didn't want to take the cholesterol lowering meds so at first I resisted completely. However, in the past month I have started to take them. Every night I would wake up with a headache and my neck and shoulders were hurting also. I kept thinking that I was going to have a stroke. The pain was so bad I would vomit but the area of the headache was not where I would get migraines. The pain was more in the back of my head and my neck and shoulders. I decided to do some reading on the internet and found that headaches is a major symptom of simvastatin. I will do my own experiment now and stay off of it for 10 days. I will then start it again and see if the symptoms return. My doppler said I had mild build up of plaque...at 57 I would imagine most people of mild build up of plaque. I don't want a stroke or heart attack but I can't live with these headaches and the lack of sleep.

Thought I would come online to check up about another possible side effect and caught a posting about male libido. I off Statins on 9th July this year after suffering all the pain related side effects mentioned on the site and in my previous posting in August. Last week my normal monthly cycle started up again after 8 months. I thought that I had gone through the change but with no side effects. Seems to me that Statins might also effect hormones, but as we all seem to be of a similar age groups, we blame the way our lives are effected on our age. I know that I thought that everyone who hit 50 experienced exactly the same fatigue, pain (arthritis - gout), weight gain, loss of drive etc. I have been off them for 13 weeks now and I haven't looked back. I really can't remember now just how bad I was feeling towards the end, but I know that I was very close to giving up I just didn't think that I could live feeling the way I did at the time and knowing that I was getting progressively worse. Now I am just very angry that people are having to go through what we have. I just wondered if any other women had their monthly cycle altered/ stopped whilst on this drug, only for it to return after coming off?

I have been taking Simvastatin for 2 mos & I have been experiencing horrible insomnia,fatigue, and frequent nocturia with urgency. I would particularly like to know if any one else has experience the urinary urgency?

I'm a 54 year old female prescribed 10 mg zocor(simvastatin) for slightly elevated cholesterol. Took it for 7 months before I clued in to the cause of my many symptoms. Muscle and joint pain, head fog, blurry vision, weight gain, stomach upset, fatigue, etc... The muscle and joint pain were excruciating at times --especially in my left hip...which had gotten so bad I needed a walking stick for support. I felt so darn old wondering if I would even feel normal again.
After reading many postings I decided to stop my zocor(simvastatin) 6 weeks ago and am very happy to report an improvement in many of my complaints...although far from where I want to be.
I am curious as to the withdrawal effects others may have experienced. The first week coming off I had stomach aches and I had awful headaches which thankfully did stop. The stomach aches and touchy digestive system still plague me though. Am I the only one experiencing this?....

recently was prescribed simvastatin. Pharmacist advised that 50% of people will experience severe muscle & joint pain and burning in the muscles. I can see by reading the site that this is true. Must try since cholesteral and bp are high and dr thinks at 51 I had two mini strokes (tia's). If I experience the severe pain that is discussed i will stop taking. Thank you for all the info! This site is awesome.

I've been on simvastatins for about 2 years after TIAs. I'm 56. I had two small Strokes about year ago despite being on simvastatins. Had brain scan which showed two small areas of scarring and carotid artery scan- arteries fine. Started experiencing dizziness last year and GP diagnosed vertigo and gave me seasickness pills which didn't do much good. Since then I've experienced headaches which last for weeks, increasing fatigue (now struggle to get out of bed in morning) muscle pain which is getting really bad and sore feet (?). Increasing memory loss, confusion, lack of concentration, eye problems (when I first wake in morning my vision is blurred for ab out 30 minutes or so. I've been worried i mmay be developing Alzheimers. I've also piled on weight and the texture of my hair has changed - it has become very soft and silky and become thinner - normally my hair is very thick. Also I've had two perms in last 6 months which won't hold curl - been having perms for years and never had this problem. I've had several blood tests including for under-active thyroid and they have all been clear. I've been really worried about all these problems and did some research and came up with this site. I am beginning to think my problems stemm from taking 40mg Simvastatins so am going to stop them and book appointment with GP. Any comments/advice would be appreciated.

Am 47 y/o male have been taking 10mg since June 30, 2008. Over last couple of weeks have had bouts of severe leg pain, not cramps but just achy. Also have lower back pain especially in morning when waking. Problem is i have chronic back pain so hard to distinguish between the two but it just feels different. Also bouts of fatigue. Called my doctor and was told that the aches in legs not a problem because the side effect is cramping not soreness. I don't buy that.

I have been taking Simvastatin 20 mg. for about two and 1/2 months now. It really lowered my Cholesterol but I have been extremely fatigued and now I am getting really dizzy when standing up and having some nausea.

I have been on Simvastatin for some years and increasingly felt tired to the point of fatigue, had muscle pain in my legs, arms, neck and back and also gained weight.
After reading an article in a British newspaper I linked my symptoms with taking these tablets and, just over a week ago, I stopped taking them.
I already feel much better. The aches and pains are subsiding and I don't feel so tired. No weight loss yet but I live in hope!
I will be seeing my GP soon and I intend to show him this website.
Good luck everyone - I hope your health improves soon!

I started on 40mg of simvistatin 3 and a half months ago,after being on them for a week i started to get bad headaches and felt really fatigued,so when i told my gp she said its just a matter of your body getting used to them,so i continued taking the pills i seemed ok for a while but 5 weeks ago i started with palpitations,then i got indigestion, and general discomfort in my chest,weakness in my arms and legs, headaches and the fatigue came back worse than ever,i haven't been back to see the doctor,i stopped the pills yesterday,the indigestion has gone already,i want to lose about a stone and try to lower my cholesterol myself ,but how can you exercise when you feel so weak and tired,my cholesterol level is 5 but because i suffer high blood pressure the doc said it needs to be 4.3,does anyone else suffer from the same and is on this medication?

After 3-weeks of being on generic Simvastatin 80mg for elevated LDL, I experienced significant fatigue, shortness of breath with tightness around my chest and a bout of Gout in my left foot.

I would encourage others posting to this web site to report their complaints directly to the FDA through the following web site:

http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/problem.html

Has anyone had hair loss? I have been on Simvastatin for 30 days adn I noticed hair loss.

I started on it in June 2007, by December, I had gained 20 lbs, was out of breath most days and was weak all over. Had general sore muscles and felt out of strength. Been off now 5 days, strength is returning and am feeling much better. No weight loss yet but at least I feel much better. Sleeping was not affected one way or the other.

March 2nd 2008

4.45pm indigestion and feeling of fullness as if I can't breath too easily. Also have atrial fibrillation and palpitations appear worse since taking Simvastatin 40mg tablets for 2weeks was previously on 10g Rosuvastatin. Has anyone else experienced similar symptoms.

Weight gain, headache, stomach pains, fatigue, balance issues, not able to sleep sound, itchy crawley feelings at night keeping me tossing and turning. I was just chalking this up to over work, I was concerned about the the weight gain and decided to check if there was a site that would let me know if anyone else had that issue and found this site. Nothing changed diet or otherwise, started taking the pills gained 15 pounds and all the other extras noted above started showing up. If anything my activity level was up so I don't understand the gain. Lots of mental foggy stuff lately with some depression, but depression seems normal when dealing with all the other stuff. I'm an "ok, get over it" type, so nice to know it isn't just me.