Vytorin and avail

I'm crying reading these posts. I thought there was something wrong with me. I'm 41 years old - and my family has a health history of "making" cholesterol. Both parents were on statins. My total cholesterol was 267 a few months ago - LDLs were 171 and my HDLs were 42. I started taking flaxseed meal every day - and within a few months, my cholesterol dropped to 193, my LDLs were 117 and my HDLs were the same.
My doctor's didn't think it was the flaxseed - they had prescribed Vytorin which I reluctantly took for about a week. They attributed my lowering numbers to the statin, not the flaxseed - so I followed their advice and started taking the Vytorin about 3 weeks ago......
Now I don't know if it's coincidence, but I have developed a severe left ear problem....and have taken 2 separate antibiotics, but to no avail. I have also developed a severe pain in my left shoulder, the back of my left arm and sometimes it shoots into my chest.
I suffer from anxiety attacks, so of course, to me, this is a heart attack, but since I've been tested so many times and I'm a healthy woman, I know that's not it. I thought I'd log onto google today and search out what could possibly be causing these troubles. I read these posts and I literally have been crying for about 15 minutes. My doctors have told me that Vytorin is almost a "magic" pill. They said if someone could tell you that you could take this pill and it would reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke by 50%, why wouldn't you take it? Given the history of your parents, it would be foolish to not.
I have also been given instructions to lose about 25 pounds (not bad), and I know that if I could just exercise, eat well and take my flaxseed as well as making sure I eat 2-3 meals of fish a week, then I have to be better, don 't you think?
Do you think statins are the only way to go? I'm so happy to know I'm not alone - I'm not going crazy - I'm not experiencing any heart attacks....my anxiety is ten-fold lately - I wake up after a full-night's sleep feeling exhausted. I have four wonderful children and a wonderful husband - I live for them - and I feel so sad and depressed lately.
Oh my gosh everyone - do you really think that the Vytorin would have such an incredible impact on all of our lives?????