Simvastatin and new zealand

been taking 20 mg for several months, stopped it for about a month, and started back taking it at night for 1 month now. It seems that every time I bump my hand or arm it turns into a bad looking blister, someone asked me tonight if I had poison oak, which I don't. I have had blood tests and everything is normal. It really looks bad.

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

hi
I was on a stain for 1 1/2 years on a 80 mg didn't effect me at all, me and the doctor decide to bring me down to an 40mg my chol was at 119 now
on the 40mg for 3 weeks and all hell breaks lose.my joints and mucluse and my feet just hurt,i was walking like an old 100 year man,I took myself off now 8 days much better maybe at feel 80/90 percent better,lease im walking better joints still hurt a little,still cant sleep used to sleep like a rock now its like 2 maybe 3 hours a night and wicked night sweats,lets hope I sleep better in a few
im so glad I found this site,THANK YOU EVERYONE for letting read your letters

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.

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.

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!????

Have been on Simvastatin since May 2007. Have experienced debilitating headaches every day for the first three months, neck and shoulder pain, lower back pain, tiredness to the point of having to stop what I am doing and go to bed and am wondering now whether any other female taking Simvastatin has experienced a burning sensation when passing very hot water and extremely uncomfortable and painful sex.

Unable to focus eyes on any target while moving. Later extreme muscle soreness and weakness. Unable to do some simple chores. Lower back and upper legs ached mostly first thing in the morning, got a little better later in the day. Have stopped taking Simvastatin. Will wait and see. Have taking statins since an angioplasty 11-12 years ago. T.

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?

This site may have saved my life! My blood pressure & cholesterol meds were changed last Sept., and like Virge, 3 months later I had a severe vertigo attack (while driving). Long story short, I have been a wreck ever since...feeling dizzy & faint, anxiety attacks, spiking BP, acute insomnia, soreness in the back of my neck, overly sensitive to bright lights and loud sounds, and several reactions to anti-anxiety meds & vitamin B pills (some of which placed me in ER!).

I've seen over 20 different doctors & specialists, and NOT ONE has ever questioned the Simvastatin. A couple weeks ago, I Googled Simvastatin & vertigo and saw that vertigo was listed as a side-effect...then I saw the notes on this site. This prompted another visit to my doctor.

I've been off it ever since, and have noticed a substantial change for the better (I can sleep well again!) - although I'm still always dizzy and my BP has risen. I'm hoping that by taking it for so long, I haven't incurred any substantial long-term side-effects! I'm also wondering why some of us react so negatively to the drug - if there is another underlying medical condition that would cause such an adverse reaction?

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?....

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.

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.