Simvastatin and lipitor

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!

Dizzy, like getting sucker punched in the head; dizzy while LYING DOWN? This also happened with other statin. While bending over to pick something up or tie a shoe, almost fell on my head. Yet, cardiologist thinks it's "all in my head." It sure IS!

After 18 months of 80mg daily simvastatin my right shoulder pain kept me awake at night. Soon after my left shoulder followed suit. GP immediately took me off the drug but after 2 weeks the pain is still excruciating at night and I have acute pain, weakness, lack of mobility when trying to raise either arm. I'm hoping physiotherapy will help. Would welcome other suggestions

I have been reading all of your Simvastatin experiences with high interest and would like to share my adventures with all of you as well. My story began seven years ago when I was relatively healthy and enjoying life. My doctor prescribed Lipitor for my elevated cholesterol and two months later I found myself in the emergency room after having a severe bout with vertigo for the first time in my life. I have since spent the last seven years fighting this debilitating illness which continues to haunt me after having seen every top neurologist in my area and having taken every neurological test available. It would be as difficult to convince me that I was not somehow "poisoned" by Lipitor as it was for me to convince my doctor.

I was eventually prescribed Simvastatin 40MG and seemed to stabilize for a few years even though my dizziness problems persisted. Suddenly I began experiencing bouts of upset stomach and severe lower abdominal pain. I allowed my doctor to order basically every nasty test known to man in an effort to discover the cause of this new problem, but all have come up negative so far. Eventually I began to experience total exhaustion in the middle of my work day, not to mention the back, neck, and muscle pain that has been described so vividly in this forum. Basically, I have become a 53 year old man who feels much older, has absolutely no energy, and rarely has a day when I can honestly say I feel alive and well.

I am not a doctor and I can't honestly prove that Simvastatin is the cause of all of my problems. However, I do have common sense and after reading all of your thoughtful comments on the subject I would be foolish to at least not suspect that the drug may possibly be making me less healthy and not more healthy. Thank you all for opening my mind to this possibility and I certainly plan on discussing this with my doctor very soon, who may no longer by my doctor should he continue to insist that I take this nasty drug.

August 12, 2009. I have been on Zocor/Simvastatin (40mgs) off and on over 5 years. I do not have any muscle mass left. I am an avid walker and exercise as much as possible in addition to still working in a high pressure position at the age of 72 (thankful for the job). My entire body hurts constantly, hands, fingers, legs, knees, neck, back, head and other parts to numerous to mention. My sex life is the pits. My doctor tells me I have high cholesterol that must be controlled by medication. I had a quad bypass in 1999, a cardiac defibrillator installed in 2003 (Actually 3 of them, first one was defective and went off, got a severe infection on reinstall #2, and 3rd one still is in and working hopefully). I never had a heart attack, no high blood pressure, just clogged up. I take enough medication to kill an elephant. At 72 I am going to trash the Simvastatin because I know it is the basis for my muscle loss and severe pain constantly. Doctor also had me on Lipitor for a long time (5 years). Statins really suck!

Update..1 week off the simvastatin now. Still not myself, but I am noticing that I have a little more energy. I can go outside again and visit with family and friends. Some days are better than others. I still have terrible pain in my upper right abdomen, and my ankles still really hurt when I walk, right shoulder is still very stiff and sore to move. I hope what ever damage this poison did to my body over the 11 months will get better. I am only 36, and this pill made me feel like all I wanted to do was die! I AM SO MAD at my Dr. Fresh out of med school. I haven't even called for my next appt. yet, I'm worried that I wont be very nice to her at all. How can they give this to people. She never said anything to me about any of these possible side effects. I did a search on FDA and Simvastatin, I can not believe they would allow Doctor's to give this poison, I guess it is all about the money for them, while we the consumers suffer.

My healthy, active 55 yr old husband of 30 yrs was prescribed SIMVASTATIN in Aug. of last year. He started having pains in his legs & back and had an appointment in Oct. with the dr. to check on how he was doing with the new drug. When he went in to the office, he was having terrible pains in his chest, legs & back. The dr. immediately called 911 thinking he was having a heart attack. He was in the hospital for a week while they ran a multitude of tests. All came back clear for his heart. He kept telling the dr. that the back & leg pains were still there. They didn't seem to be concerned about anything except his heart. He was dismissed continuing to have pain. The pain steadly increased over his whole body, then in Feb. of this year, he suffered a major seizure and spent another week in the hospital. This time they wrote it off as epilepsy and put him on anti-seziure pills. After he was released, the symptoms increased, his memory, vision & balance are all effected, he has chest pains, depression, and is in constant pain. He's been sent for numerous MRI's, bone scans, blood tests,etc. He has been to neurologists, neurosurgeons, chiropractors, physical therapists, etc. The entire time, his health has declined because he was being poisoned by Simvastatin. Finally, after doing our own research, we found a neurologist that recognized the problem. He told us that this drug distroys muscle tissue and that the damage may be irreversible. My husband can no longer work, drive, or enjoy life. He walks without a cane or walker, and depends on pain pills because the pain is so severe. He stays in bed most of the time due to the pain and lack of energy. He has been off Simvastatin for a week now with no change. We are hoping & praying for improvement over time. PLEASE, if you are your loved one are taking this drug-STOP IMMEDIATELY. The results can be devastating. I can't imagine why the FDA would approve a drug like this that destroys quality of life.

my mom has been on simvastatin
40 mg for 3 months & she has had
back pain leg pain & know kidney
failure she is a diabetic but never had any problems before but taking tthis medication it has ruined her life plus she gets lots of night mares & night sweats she
feels & looks like she is drunk
but she has never drank in her life

Great Drug! Not...
Two months on the drug. Light Headedness, Dizziness, Lethargy, and a General Fog. Slight loss of balance sometimes.
Doc, said go off for 2 weeks and see how you feel. If better, we will try another statin.
Went off 2 days now. Feeling much more myself!!

This drug is scary. Who would want to go thru life taking this drug with it's side effects. Not me!

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?

Hi and please feel free to email me. I was on Lipitor for quite a while (20mg)without any issues. Due to insurance etc I was switched to 40mg of simvastatin---with in a short time i noticed i was waking nearly every morning with a mouth full of junk requiring a deep throat clearing. Then a low level sore throat that persisted for more than two weeks. I went to my doc who agreed that it may be related (though I think she doubted it) and had me stop. Now i have been off for 5 days and still my throat is sore (though not sore to swallow) and mouth generally feels "messed up".

If any of you have had any sore throat experiences etc please let me know. Also how long did your side effects last once you came off the drug?

It has helped me a lot reading everyone's experiences with the "dreaded" Simvastatin. I have been off this poisonous drug for 7 weeks, and am still feeling rough, and thinking when is this all going to go away ! My doctor swears blind it is nothing to do with the Simvastatin, but I am a 100% sure it is , as I felt fine before I took these nasty tablets. I still have persistent buzzing in the ears , dizziness, palpitations, constantly tired , and generally feel as if I am on another planet. Ive had blood tests , ecg tests and nothing has been found. Im hoping one morning to wake up feeling "normal". I will never , ever, take Cholesterol drugs again , as I don't want to go through all this again. I really feel for everyone that is suffering, and would be interested if anyone is having the same after affects as myself.
Good luck to everyone who is suffering like me .

I've been on Simvastatin 40 mg for about eight months now. Cholesterol levels dropped significantly. But man have I been hating life! Joint pain mainly in the legs. Beginning to walk like an old man and I'm only 62. Also more pain in my back than ever before! I talked to my doctor, who suggested I get off them for 6 weeks. I did, and I feel like a million bucks. I've got to get back hold of him to find out what he recommends? Probably some other pill!!! Just today I was talking with my pharmacist, and I told him my symptoms. He said the muscle deterioration could actually lead to death. I don't think I'll ever go back on them. I'm going to try and watch the old diet and get more exercise. Hope this helped someone? Good Luck!!

I am 59 and switched to Simvastatin from Lipitor. Much lower in price. My cholesterol is 200 and the doctor was very pleased with the number. So far no side effects but it has been only 5 days. The dose is 20mgs. Now after reading all the BAD side effects I am very scared!
Is there any positive statements about Simvastatin?
S.

Have been on simvastatin on and off for 15 months now. First of all 10mg came off for a while - cholesterol level up to 7.6 again so was put on 40mg. Very nauseous and came off the 40mg. Went back on to 10mg in Nov. and since then no nausea at all. At present I am getting terrible pain when laying down in my right leg from my hip into my buttock right down to my foot. It is similar to cramp in leg but it lasts sometimes for a couple of hours. Cramp usually disappears in a few minutes but it is the same sort of sensation. Also needle-like pains in my hand and foot. Above symptoms only since going onto Simvastatin. Would be interested in any others have these symptoms too. Trouble is damned if you take them and damned if you dont. Current research does show however that there is no benefit to women over 60 taking these wretched pills - everybody reading this should try and get or borrow the book by Dr Malcolm Kendrick entitled The Great Cholesterol Con (Dundee UK GP) written in 2008 who also is of this opinion. I am not advising not to take Simvastatin but please do research and read this book and reach your own decisions.

I was on 40 mg of simvastatin for 4 months with seemingly no side effects when my doctor said my cholesterol wasn't coming down quickly enough to suit him, so he added lovaza - had me taking both at the same time. Within 2 months I was noticing sore muscles but didn't relate it to the meds. After about another 2 months I was so bad I could hardly walk - extreme muscle and joint pain over my entire body, severe weakness, shortness of breath. Then I found out that both of those drugs can cause these side effects. I wish I had tied it together sooner. I have been completely off of them both for about 3 months and still have some pain in my feet, shoulders and elbows, along with severe pain in my hands, and I am still weak and short of breath. I don't know how long this is going to hang on, but I certainly hope it isn't permanent. I can't stand to think that I might have to live with this pain for the rest of my life. My hands are so close to useless, and I am so weak, that it's about all I can do to take care of my job and make a living. I haven't been able to work around the house for months. I want to work on my cars (my hobby). I have 2 antique cars that I enjoy working on and driving, but I don't think I'm going to be able to do very much with them this summer. My hands just won't let me. And the beauty of it all? My cholesterol numbers did not come down any great amount. Since I stopped taking the meds I have brought the numbers down by changing my diet - eggbeaters instead of whole eggs, less beef (venison is very low in cholesterol) more chicken & fish, oatmeal, plus I'm taking vitamin C, D3, garlic and cinammon for cholesterol and B complex for muscles, msm and glucosamine for joints. I also bought a hot tub, which helps with the pain and stiffness. This has definitely not been a fun thing. I just hope it goes away some time soon.

After many months on Zocor, I began to experience sore knees, stiff legs and sore lower back. All at once, in about a one week period, I could no longer walk. My leg muscles were completely gone. I have been for xrays, MRI and more. I am convinced it is the zocor and have quit taking it, however after almost a month without, I still cannot walk without support. My upper body is fine..Right leg better than left leg, left leg almost useless. No more statins for this 71 year old and used to be VERY active male. I hope I can get it all back.

I started taking simvastin (the lowest dose) about 6 months ago with amazing results when it came to my cholesterol. After about 2 months I started getting headaches. I went off the drug for about a week and the headaches went away. I went back on the drug and 3 weeks later the headaches came back. This went on for a few cycles. This last time I went off the drug was February 7. I have not taken it since and I have had a headache since then. This time it has not gone away. I HAVE NEVER had headaches before taking this drug. And all I know now is that for the last month my life as I knew it completely changed. Of course the Dr. put me on some pain meds for the headaches that made me sick, sick, sick after 3 days. I just can't take the pain meds as they are worse than the headaches themselves. HAS ANYONE HAD THIS and if so how long did these headaches take to go away.

omg, im 32 years old been on zocor for 3 months now and am experiencing dizziness and disassociation with myself. I know now that it is from the drug. It seems like i want to sleep all the time. I was pretty convinced it was from stress but i have been in war in Iraq and under stress-post war depression and its nothing like statin side effects!! I went on statins because of a genetic disorder that runs in my family, the cause, well high cholesterol. Now my levels are fine but i feel like im a zombie most days? i know in the long run its healthier for my heart and veins to have low levels but at what extent? i think im going to go off for a few weeks and then back on it.

I am so happy to have found information concerning Zocor on the internet and this particular website. My husband and I started on Zocor about 3 months ago when our insurance company, Caremark would not pay for Lipitor which we were on for about 10 years prior with little side affects. I started to notice that my hair was falling out and I started to have insomnia, something I never suffered from. Also started to notice heart palpitations.
My husband, meanwhile had started to notice extreme joint pain in his thumbs and seemed to be spreading to his fingers. Since I'm fairly new to the internet and google, I goggled Zocor and I can only say that I was shocked to read about all the side affects that we were experiencing appear on the many websites. I feel sorry for all the men and women going thru the trauma of hair loss and pain and a lot of other side affects from this drug, who may not have access to this kind of information. I plan on emailing the FDA so at least Zocor should disclose these side affects.

I am 38 years old and had my second child 7 months ago. My family history for heart disease is very poor and my cholesterol was 6.2 so my doctor prescribed 10 mgs of simvastatins in November. Before taking them I felt fine in myself, since taking them I have felt exhausted, not just tired, I have insomnia, very bad nightmares when I do manage to sleep. On top of this I have started to feel depressed and anxious, short of breath and my hair is falling out! I had myself convinced that i had post natal depression but decided to stop taking statins a few days ago, feeling slightly better. My doctor prescribed me an anti depressant today, should I take them? Does anyone know how long statins stay in our system?

Hi-I am a 59 year old female have been taking 20mg Simvastatin for 3 months for a cholesterol level of 238 and have noticed significant symptoms that cannot be from any other origin than this medication-dry skin, change of hair texture, psoriasis and bulging in thumb joints, stomach flu, shoulder pain and tingling in hands, vision problems. I am a healthy flight attendant except for all these things that have happened in the last 3 MONTHS!!! I am seeing my doctor tomorrow to discuss a change. I want to take a natural medication to lower my cholesterol.

Wow, i cannot believe what i'm reading. I have been taking Simvastatin for almost three years. My Doctor never mentioned any side effects. It has gotten bad enough for me to seek information on the internet. What medicine cause all my symptoms; Tingling in the hand and feet, weakness of muscles, dropping things, dizziness, memory problems, sore muscles, sinus problems sore knees, arms, shoulders, stomach,numbness, sensitivity to light. I'm sure glad i have found this web site. I think i am going to take myself off of it for a week and see if things improve. Drug companies must be making a killing on this medicine since they refuse to warn potential patients.

My hair kept coming out by the handfuls. I've lost at least 8 inches since I started simvastatin! I mentioned this to the endocrinologist and he said he didn't know, but he prescribed it. I am furious, hair is a woman's crowning glory.

No side effects yet - coz I haven't taken it!!! I recently had my blood work done, it had been 2 years slightly elevated cholesterol so, in those 2 years leading up to latest bloodwork, I've eaten oatmeal every morning, taken Flax/Omega 3, B-complex, olive oil for all cooking, I have a glider, 20mins. 5 days wk. but had to watch myself, lost too much weight, I'm only 105lbs now, etc. etc....so, shock and horror my latest results: 232 Total Chol. 157LDL 57HDL-good number really, and best thing, 91 triglycerides, glucose 87 - so I guess some of the above improved some numbers. Dr. suggested a doppler/carotid.....a note received yesterday "some build up" and enclosed prescript. for 40mg. of this poison which seems kind of a high dose to me? So, is he not telling me the extent of "some build up?" what's "some"....I need to find that out first - but I really don't think I'm gonna be taking this stuff - there is so much info out there debunking this cholesterol thing....I'm 58, would there be natural build up in arteries, I mean your plumbing pipes don't stay pristine forever - there's bound to be build up, surely? Or am I kidding myself. Any suggestions out there, people!????

My doctor prescribed 40 MG Simvastatin to be taken 1 on Thursday and 1 on Sunday.That doesn't seem like much but I have only taken them 3 times and the pains in my knees are much worse also my feet hurt, my neck is a little sore, I have bad cramps a few minutes after I eat and even during the night....I also have had 2 nights of very strange dreaming.
Several years ago I was on Lipitor and after a year I could hardly walk with my knees so I told the doctor I was not taking that any more..he put me on Zetia and I did well on it and the pain in my knees lessened a lot ,until my insurance co. decided not to pay for Zetia anymore, I told the doctor and he put me on Simvastatin. I am not going to take any more of it and will discuss it with the doctor next week,.

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 am 45 and have been taking statins for 5 years since having 3 heart attacks in a 4 day period.At first I was on Atorvastatin 10mg and didn't suffer any side affects,I was put on Simvastatin 40mg 2 years ago due to cost.Since then I suffer with very sore muscle pain down the length of my right arm.My GP keeps on prescribing painkillers and doesn't mention the fact it may be side affects of the Simvastatin.I find it sad that costs of drugs are the reason I am in pain.

Iv been on 40mg for a year now i could be feeling perfectly fine then suddenly an intense tiredness comes over me and i feel very sick and start heaving quite violently and desperately need to lie down until it passes, sometimes i fall asleep and sometimes not. This is a day occurrence, sometimes even 2 to 3 times a day. This only started when i started taking these tablets. The doctor says is not anything to do with the medication but im convinced it is. Has anyone else got these side effects?

I started simvastin on Aug 11. Lately I got severe lower back ache every time I get up in the middle of the night and every morning but the lower back ache goes away as I starts my day after 1 hour. I am also experience short memory loss.
Pls advice if this is a serious side effect of the drug.
Thanks....hw

please can u tell me does anybody on this site suffer from memory loss cause they are taking simvastatin

I have muscle pain, weakness, and chronic lower back pain. Started statin drug, Simvastatin, on 11/21/07. I take no other drugs. Within two weeks, I could not sit without severe lower back pain. Reported problem to family medical doctor on 1/11/08. M.D. sent me to physical therapy for 8 sessions. No relief from physical therapy so I requested an X-ray on 3/20/08. X-ray shows very mild degeneration at one lower vertebrae. M.D. sent me to an orthopaedics doctor who recommended continued physical therapy. Went to a Chiropractor instead. After six chiropractic sessions with little relief, I made an appointment with an Osteopathic doctor. My M.D. sent me to a rheumatologist who prescribed high dose naproxen for two weeks. The rheumatologist ordered and X-ray of my lower back area. The lower back X-ray produced no negatives. The rheumatologist's next step will be to order and MRI of my lower back area. The D.O. suspects statin induced myopathy and because of hyper reflexes he ordered an MRI of my brain and cervical spine. I am now recommended to a neurologist who specializes in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Am I getting the run around? Only one doctor said I might have statin induced myopathy. The rest will not even mention the statin drug theory. I just pray for ache and pain relief. I have some improvement after four months off of the statin which I believe is quite a strong point that it was the statin drug and not some unknown condition. I don't think arthritis or MS conditions improve. All I know is that I had no health issues before taking the simvastatin. Good luck to everyone who has or is taking a statin drug. BEWARE!!!

I'am only 26 but I have been a insulin dependent diabetic since the age of three. Being a diabetic for so long has made it difficult for my body to maintain normal cholesterol and triglceride levels. (I'am not overweight and I am very active) At 19 I was put on lipitor but it gave me severe stomach pains when I called the doctor they told me "it was just a side effect" and should subside. I wasn't on it for very long when I found out I was expecting and had to stop taking it anyway (can't take statins while your pregnant it can cause severe birth defects) Anyways, after I had my daughter they said my cholesterol was fine and they weren't going to put me back on anything. Yes! Until just recently my doctor discovered that my triglceride and cholesterol levels were so high he had the lab re-draw my blood tests! Odd because I feel perfectly fine. Because of the stomach pains years ago with Lipitor he put me on Simvisatin and Antara. Every since I have been on the Simvastatin my cholesterol levels are perfect but I am soo tired all the time. When ever I tell my doctor he says it's because I am a young mother of three and work full time. But this is a different kind of tired. I seriously could drink a five shot extra strength espresso and fall asleep this isn't normal. All my blood work is fine. It has to be a side effect.

My husband was prescribed 40mg of this drug 2 years back,for his high cholesterol reading. He is an ex-services and has always been extremely fit, he was tired for almost a year, then he began having headaches to the point he had a brain scan, because he thought he had a tumor. He also has had knee and neck joint problems and now the joints of his fingers are giving him pain He now wakes up each morning feels really ill and feels as though hes being strangled, the sensation lasts sometime for hours and he has to lie down. His doctor said it was blood pressure but he keeps a monitor and his pressure has been normal. His doctor said he should continue to take it, but when you read all the symptoms that people are getting while taking this drug it makes you realize they are all just guinea pigs for a large scale trial of the drug

I'm 58 years old and I've been on 10 mg Simvastatin for 14 months since I was diagnosed with Diabetes 2. Also Metformin and Glipiside as my bs got up to 499 at diagnosis with high cholesterol.

I had NO IDEA that my suffering the past year could possibly be tied to one of the drugs I've been prescribed. In the first three months after diagnosis, my Diabetes was controlled and I've even backed off some of the meds. My cholesterol also came down beautifully. However, the debilitating weakness and muscle aches (which has increased over the 14 mos.) has become so bad (especially this last week) that I came to the Internet looking for possible reasons for 'body ache'.

And get this: I take a packet of vitamins every day which includes a daily dose of Q10... BUT I haven't been able to take them for about a week and this last week I felt like I was ready for a wheel chair~!!! Worse than it's ever been, knees and feet in horrible condition, hands and wrists unable to open a water bottle. Total body aches so severe it made me want to research something, anything to see what might be the problem.... before seeing the doctor about it!

My shock at seeing my medication here listed with the horrible side effects I'm experiencing has been a revelation~!! I am going to stop the Simvastatinn and see what happens. BTW, I've been an active person all my life, was a 2nd Degree Black Belt and taught Tang Soo Do and know what muscle aches and pains are, know my body (at least I did) and pretty much thought my active life was over.....

Not now~!!! I'm FURIOUS!!

I have been taking simvastatin since June 28, 2008. I am 44 years old and have always been majorly active with my 17 year old daughter. Recently I have become chronically fatigued so much as to want to go back to bed within 2-3 hours after I get up in the morning, (definitely not me). I have felt spaced out,depressed to the point of wanting to cry all the time, have severe back, hip, knee, leg, and hand pain. I go to pain management for my back and hip problems (past surgery), but the usual pain has been intensified over the last 2 months and I wasn't sure why, until i decided to check out the Simvastatin to see if it has made me put on a few pounds, and boy have my eyes been opened!!!!!!!!! I AM STOPPING THE MEDICATION IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to all who have spoken up, I wish I would of checked on this sooner!!!!! I'm calling my Dr. first thing in the morning!!!!!!!!!!!

By exhausted in Canton

I was prescribed Simvastatin four days ago, against my wishes, as I had heard about the side effects of muscle pain and numbness in the joints and feet. However, what I had not expected were the terrible nightmarish dreams that followed. On the fourth night I stopped taking Simvastin as I was literally too afraid to go to sleep.
I then slept fitfully but did not experience the vivid and disturbing dreams of the previous three nights.
I shall ask my doctor for alternative medication. If she cannot offer me anything other than statins, I shall stick to Benecol and research further!

Jacqui M.

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 was diagnosed with type II diabetes and extremely high cholesterol about a year and a half ago. I was put on metformin and simvastatin. Through diet, exercise and 'natural' meds (banaba leaf, Gymnema, chromium, vanadium, among others) I got my diabetes under control to the point that I was able to go off metformin, but I was kept on simvastatin. I never experienced any of the horrifying symptoms described in previous postings; however, when I went on vacation a month or so ago I forgot my simvastatin- within 48 hours of going of this med, my libido actually returned- I had attributed the loss of not only function but desire to diabetes. When I resumed taking the pills, my libido once again evaporated. I went off of simvastatin completely a week ago and I feel like a new person!

I am 43 yr old woman and have been on simvastatin on and off for the past 3yrs, it's only since coming across this website that I have actually managed to find a connection between this awful drug and a whole heap of medical problems. The most recent course made me so ill that I thought I had an incurable illness that no one could diagnose, at times I have been in so much pain I thought I was going to die. It started with severe knee pain, I have a little arthritis in the knee but doctors were baffled at why it would hurt so much as x-rays on knees and hips were ok. I ended up having an operation to cut a ligament, that was over a year ago and had been in crippling pain ever-since. Also; foggy head, headaches everyday lasting all day, pain in jaw, shoulders, neck, swollen throat, incredible limb swelling, numbness all down right side, kidney problems, weakness in muscles, aching hips and legs, itching, insomnia, to name a few. I complained to my doctor when I was prescribed 50mg of this poison because as soon as I took it, I immediately felt ill and collapsed from terrible weakness, couldn't even lift a feather. They reduced it to 20mg, and I blindly kept taking it, in the meantime, my leg function was worsening, my back was killing me, I couldn't sleep because of the unbelievable burning in my shoulders, hip, neck and legs, everything hurt so much. I have been in tears from the pain and frustration of not knowing what was happening to me, painkillers, even high potency prescriptions just didn't work. I was a healthy gym-going person with a slightly high cholesterol reading, and suddenly, I was almost crippled, unable to function or look after my family, couldn't even handle simple chores that I had done a thousand times before, couldn't think, speak well, do crosswords, it was unbelievable. I have had ECG's, heart stress tests, been to and fro to doctors, hospitals, specialists, even seen an osteopath with these pains, they must have thought I was a hypochondriac! Finally, I insisted on an MRI on my thigh as it had changed shape as there was a lot of muscle wasting in both my right arm and thigh, and so much pain. A lump had also appeared and was really worrying me. The doctor tried to fob me off and said it was a fat lump, I argued that if it was fat it wouldn't hurt so damn much, so the result of the MRI is that I have a tumor which is getting bigger. If I find out that this is a result of the medication, the gates of hell will open.
I took myself off this lethal stuff immediately as soon as I realized there was a connection between it and my debilitating condition, though it's too late to save my 12 yr relationship, that went down the tubes because I just couldn't function well, oh, and my job. and any chance of working after being ill for so long.
I have been off it just a few days but already I feel almost human again. I know it'll be a while before I can see a marked difference and do some of the things I used to be able to do like walk the dog!! but I am furious with my doctor's and have written a letter of complaint, and have told them that I would rather take my chances with god and be a happy person than ever trust them again. I am in no doubt whatsoever that this drug has ruined the last 3 years of my life and probably caused irreversible damage to my leg muscles. Why take a pill because the doctor said so??NEVER AGAIN from now on everything will be checked via websites like this, I am so disgusted that instead of helping me, my own doctor just prescribed other medications I need not have had because of this pill when all he had to do was take me off it. I find it hard to believe that they don't know of these side effects, or pretend not to, how can they not make the connection?? Absolutely furious. I am in worse health now than I ever was, there should be a serious health warning before this is given to anyone, and the first port of call for any complaints should be the doctors who prescribe them instead of offering alternative solutions. This is a time bomb waiting to explode.

i started taking Simvastatin a month ago an suffered with extremely bad pain in my stomach,nausea,and my cholesterol when up even higher,Bad chest pain and my fingernails became brittle also headaches