Vytorin and muscle pain

Was on Vytorin for 2 years & experienced no noticeable side effects during that time. It lowered my cholesterol to 179. Had a hysterectomy (complete) in Dec., 2007. In May, 2008, I began a sudden on-set of severe numbness in both hands (especially when lying down)--classic carpal tunnel symptoms and intense pain in all joints. When I move from a sitting position to stand up, I can hardly do it. This is what I thought I would feel like at maybe 80 years old--not 46 yrs. I thought maybe it was because I'm not taking hormone replacements, but my doctor said it could be the Vytorin & he took me off of it. I've been off for 2 months, but the symptoms are not improving. The carpal tunnel seems to have lightened up a bit, but the joint pain (especially hips) has not gotten any better. I wonder if it ever will????? Also experience fatigue, foot pain, & weak fingers.

headache,memory loss,muscle pain,fatigue,insomnia.

I was on Vytorin for about 3 years. Originally I was prescribed 40 mg and when my ldl didnt go down enough for the doctor. I was prescribed 80 mg a day about a year and a half ago. A bit of history....I had a heart attack at 33 years of age and at that time was given angioplasty. I am now 44 years old and have not had another attack. I have been having muscle pain for over year, although it feels more like my syatic sp? nerves in my lower back. My knees are so bad that I have been having to wear knee braces periodically and can no longer kneel without falling over in extreme pain. My muscles in my thighs have been deteriorating even though I have been working out with a personal trainer for over a year and my calves were getting huge to compensate. I also went to an eye dr. as I was having trouble reading and driving at night due to blurry vision. They said that I still had 20/20 vision and to start using very light reading glasses when reading and that should help. The last straw was when I was on vacation and had a terrible bout of paranoia. It was so bad that I can't even tell anyone what it was about. Another major effect that I have had over the years from any statin is the fact that my sexual urges are basically non existent.

Now for the good news!!!! In late April, after returning from my vacation, I decided that I wanted to see if the Vytorin/Simvastatin was giving me a majority of these symptoms and decided to quit cold turkey. Well 2 months later I can say that I feel about 90% better. I haven't had to use the reading glasses within 48 hours of stopping (I'm not even sure where they're at now). Within a week I noticed my libido returning and the paranoia completely gone. Within the last 2 weeks I have noticed my thigh muscles coming back and the muscles around my knees getting stronger. I am so thankful that I am returning back to normal!!

I will never, ever take another Statin again!!!!

Hey guys....I'm 27 and have been on this for about 2 years and everything was ok, until a month ago. First... abdomen uncomfortableness, not really pain. Then, I was driving and it seemed like I just couldn't hold my neck up and it was so tired. I just wanted to lay my head down. Weird random muscle pains in my legs like the calfs and thighs. Then one night a pain in my left shoulder blade.....more muscle pain. Oh...and really crazy sweaty feet and sweaty joints like in the back of the legs and in the arms. This went on for about a month. I am posting this because I want to get the word out that it doesn't matter what age and totally normal healthy people can get this. The side effects were not Terrible but weird and not fun. You don't have to have the whole gam-met of anxiety attacks and insomnia. I have been off for 2 weeks and it got a little better...we'll see. Time to take fish oil instead. I will post later. Cya

1. Throbbing and radiating pain in thigh muscles, back muscles, and arms and hands.

2. Calf cramps when sleeping and Restless Leg syndrome.

3. Numbness in toes

4. Headaches when in a lot of pain.

5. Blurry vision throughout the day along with dry eye syndrome

6. Dry Skin problems, and bacteria infection of hair follicles on head.

7. Chest Pains like having a heart attack.

8. Forgetfulness, short and long term

9. Anxiety, Depression, disorientation, panic attacks, worrying about everything

10. Overly Aggressive behavior, not normal to past personality

11. Feelings of dying and death in general. Being overly concerned that life insurance is paid up etc...

12. Problems swallowing, breathing, and sleeping

13 Kidney & Bowel problems

14. CPK Test of 2300, 2600, and rising until medication stopped.

15. Glucose variations between 62 and 136 during repeated fasting FBG

16 Biopsy of thigh muscle showed Statin Drug throughout thigh muscle causing severe degeneration & inflammation.

17. Five months after stopping Vytorin CPK is down from 2650 to 900. I still have symptoms, but throbbing and radiating pains seem to be gone. Still have muscle pain & weakness, difficulty swallowing and breathing, and am being treated with an anti-inflammatory drug, a pill for anxiety and depression, a sleeping pill and CPAP machine for breathing when sleeping. However I still have trouble sleeping and pains in the night.

My calves feel like I walked up 25 flights of stairs, similar with my thighs. I started reading the side effects and have been on Vytorin for about a year, and for about 8 months this has been going on. I thought I might have restless leg syndrome. I am going to stop Vytorin for a few weeks and see if this muscle pain decreases

I never thought about Vytorin being an issue until I went to the ear, nose and throat guy the other day for an earache and bronchitis I had been having for the last month. Reviewing my chart, he said what ever you have heard in the news about Vytorin just ignore and keep taking it. Long story short, every since August I have been having what the doctors might think is MS, but they can't peg it. Tremors and seizures, constant pain in my legs and arms, a vision problem, tired all the time, numbness in my face legs and arms, headaches, depression. the list goes on. I had stomach problems but they could never find anything wrong for my feeling sick all the time, so I'm on another med for that. I was just hospitalized again, this time for pancreatitis, again they have no idea why this occurred, they can't explain it. I just know that I am tired of feeling like crap and being sick and being in the hospital all the time. I am going to talk to my doctors about being pulled off the Vytorin and we will see how I feel then. Plus I guess I need to consult my attorney also.

I have been on Lexapro for several years to help with migraine auras brought on by anxiety.
6 months ago my doctor put me on Vitorin for my high cholesterol (280 total) which was not being controlled with Lipitor. Lately I have been having the auras again and thought maybe the Lexapro had stopped working.
I also have a problem sleeping straight through the night, have recently started having strong frequent urges to urinate, and some strange mental/visual experiences. e.g. I was recently in route to JFK terminal and I swore that a sign said "Jet Blue-terminal 4". My daughter said that it was 6 but my brain literally SAW 4. She was right.
The other day I was taking a frozen dinner out of the freezer for lunch. The package said "Stouffers" and I was surprised because I didn't think I had bought Stouffers. When I went to open it it was a "Smart One" frozen meal, but I SWEAR I saw "Stouffers." I'm 54 but thought maybe I had a brain tumor or early Altsheimers or something.
I came upon this forum by mistake looking for answers. Maybe Vytorin is my problem, even though I do not experience any of the joint or muscle pain.
I need to go back to my primary physician to have the cholesterol rechecked. This better all end soon because its scaring the daylights out of me!

I have been on Vytorin for several months. I had issues, but didn't think it was the drug, like tennis elbow. Now two days ago, I have had severe muscle pain from my lower back to the tops of my feet. I've had to take vicodin for the pain so I can sleep at night. I stopped taking Vytorin and only pray that the pain will go away. I have read many websites that say the pain may never go away due to damage to the muscles. I can't believe this. I am suppose to have surgery to have my ovaries removed due to pain in my pelvic region, now I am wondering if it's Vytorin causing the pain. I have also experienced headaches for days, blurred vision, severe sleepiness all day, painful hip joints, irritable to name a few.

My doctor has put me on four different statins - with reactions from all of them. The one I just went off of - Vytorin - had me suicidal. I had pains so bad through my upper back that it felt like two kitchens knives were stuck in my muscles. My feet and hands were swollen. I had battled a cold for over six weeks - even going through a Z-pack. I was exhausted - taking naps in the middle of the day - NOT LIKE ME - I was sure I had lung cancer or something. Then, I had an "AH HA" moment - What took me so long. I went to Vytorin side effects and instantly went off of it. I feel wonderful. East statin affected me differently but, all had severe stomach and muscle pain. Please don't wait for that Ah Ha moment - Always read the side effects first. I won't even go into what Plavix did to me...

A nightmare drug. Very good at bringing my cholesterol down to 145, which for me was a record low since my first test BUT.........

From right shoulder pain to major tennis elbow pain, to cramped feet to tingling knees, to swelling ankles and cramped two fingers on my right hand it was a virtual nightmare. And, when I think back to the 1980's and my 'fun' with Zocor, it now becomes apparent that it was my reaction to statins that created all the problems.

1. DON'T DO WHAT I DID!!!! I didn't call my general practioner, who prescribed the Vytorin to me, and let her now. I went through neurologists, orthopedic surgeons and lots of physical therapy, $10,000s worth of special tests and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. My GP said she should always be contacted first no matter what the problem is. Mistake #1.

2. I didn't read any of the prescription printouts that comes with medication. I was lazy, I guess. It screams about the muscular side affects.

3. All the specialists/doctors I went to knew what medications I was on. Yet none of them 'got it.' Scary.

Getting up in the morning was the most difficult time. The more exercise I did, the better. Walk eight miles, great. Bike 27 miles, great. But fly five hours, bad. Obviously not sports injury types of muscle pain.

After three weeks off Vytorin about 92.67% fixed. Been tested for the enzyme side effects; no problems.

Good luck!

After having taken various statins for over 8 yrs., my Doc decided my bad cholesterol wasn't coming down fast enough to suit him. A yr. ago, he put me on Vytorin, not the advised dosage, 10/40, but 10/80. I have been suffering from severe panic attacks for over 30 yrs., but they had been bought under control with meds..With the Vytorin, the panic attacks have started again, I am horribly depressed, afraid to go anywhere and panic at the thought of anyone coming to visit. I also have night sweats and muscle pain in my arms so badly it is agony to stretch. Muddled thinking, outbursts against those I love, inability to concentrate, etc. finally caused me to seek my own remedy. After reading of others' experiences with Vytorin, I put 2 and 2 together and stopped taking it on my own, My doc's gonna have a fit when he finds out. But 2 wks. after stopping, my energy levewl has returned the depression is not as bad and the panic attacks are easing. The bad pain is still there; don't know if that will ever go away.....

I'm a 55 yo male, that has been taking Vytorin for 6 yrs. A year ago I was diagnosed with Fybromyalgia, at a very large research hospital in St. Louis.
I entered a drug study, but after 4mos had to leave due to a neccessary surgery. I was able to find out, what the medicine was, and contimued taking it. It was Cymbalta. It provided about a 75% reduction in my symtoms, which were: Major muscle pain, throughout my body, fatique, constipation-diarrehea, memory loss(Fybro Fog), erectile dysfunction, body temp, always hot, with sweating, and just feeling tired and crappy 24/7. I accidently came across this site, about 2 wekks ago, and began reading these and other testamonials, and started thinking, maybe it's not Fibrom, but the Vytorin. So I quit taking it. My symtoms have dramatically decreased, almost by 90%. I hadn't told my Doc, so I'll be doing that this week.And run some blood tests to see what my numbers are doing. But I am convinced, Vytorin has something to do with my condition.

I have chest muscle pain and some nausea. I have trouble with a lot of cholesterol drugs. Because I am hypothyroid, I am wondering if it is the Povidone Iodine in all of these drugs.
The one statin I haven,t tried is Lipitor and my research says that it does not have any Povidone Iodine in it. Has anyone else had these side effects?

Ezetimbe, and Zocor: I have a lot of the same problems, muscle soreness, head aches, swollen hands, restless nights not sleeping very much and no sexual drive at all. As well I now have a blocked artiry, and a valve that is not closeing.
I believe this was caused by the Zocor witch caused long and short term memory loss, short temperedness, tiredness all the time (with out doing anything to cause this problem) as well as muscle pain all over my body. I am a man about 64 years old with no heart problems before this. I worry that the Zocor has effected the heart muscle, and has caused the problems with the valve not closeing. If you have had problems with either medication please let me know, also tell your doctor and keep telling them if they don't listen change doctors.