Zocor and crestor

wow- glad I found you guys! I'm female, 54, thin, healthy, have always exercised and watched my diet. cholesterol went up to 280 a couple of yrs ago- tried more diet/exercise but it only came down to 250, so since then have tried 4 low-dose (40 mg) statins (crestor, lipitor, zocor, and now pravastatin), all of which after 2-6 months made me feel like I was jumping out of my skin and caused chest pain and palpitations that stopped almost immediately when I discontinued them. Also, I've always fallen asleep quickly and now take an hour or more, and recently my fingers have started falling asleep/tingling. I'm stopping the pravastatin today! Maybe 250 isn't so bad, if this is the alternative. Does anyone have any remedies to suggest besides low fat/low sugar diet? I just read that we should avoid reduced-fat milks (I drink 1%) because they contain oxydized cholesterol, which irritates the artery wall.

I started taking Zocor 6 months ago, switched from Crestor because of muscle weakness. About a month and a half ago started to get fuzzy head and could not sleep thru the night. I awoke up to five times a night and could not go back to sleep. I had tingle feeling on my head above the ears. Sometimes I had to get up from whatever I was doing and walk around and it felt like an “anxiety attack” with a feeling of tightness on the back of the neck. My knees are weak and I can feel them whenever I get up from a chair or getting out of the shower. A few times, I felt sharp pain on my right shoulder blade and my head hurts a lot. Cold and hot flashes mostly at night and sometimes in the morning after the shower and during the day together with the “anxiety attack”. Once in a while I would have warm flush feeling on my face. I also have a few pimples like tiny bumps on my head. I could not carry on my normal daily life for the last month and a half. I could not concentrate on anything except constantly feeling the fuzzy head/head heavy/pressure on my head. I also had a MRI on my head and brain to make sure there are no tumors inside and it came back negative. I just found this website a few days ago and I told my doctor that I am taking myself off of the Zocor for a while. I am feeling at least 50% better already after a few days. I am hoping the rest of the side effects would go away eventually. I feel for you all who have been taking this drug for many years.

I had my first MI at age 57 on Oct. 29th 2004. I was given Zocor 40 meg. and my problems started in the hospital. I had terrible leg aches and they even looked for clots. Finding nothing I was sent home after 5 days with two stents and told if I got tired just rest. I had to take two months off work. In January I returned back to work but the leg aches continued at night. In January I returned to the hospital with another episode and received three more stents. My cholesterol was at 110. The Dr. continued me with the Zocor 40 mg. twice a day now. I continued to have problems with clogging arteries and in the next four months I had another 4 stents. In the summer I walked a lot and still continued to have leg aches at night. After a year of complaining I was put on Vytorin and things really got worse. In six months I couldn’t walk right, kept falling, couldn’t sleep with the cramping, my joints all felt like they no longer supported my frame. I was put on Crestor, then Lipitor, then Zetia, and then I took matters in my own hands. I stopped the statin drugs. My cholesterol skyrocketed of course to 289. It was only 189 at the time of the first MI. I have slowly regained my ability to walk and joined Curves. This is about all I can do and am slowly getting better. I tell everyone I can about my horror story with statin drugs. I’ve been to an arthritis specialist, negative on all forms of arthritis causing this. I went to a gastric specialist and no stomach problems. I was sent to a neurologist who told my muscles were very weak and not to take statin drugs, but like all the Dr.’s I’ve been referred to none would touch the statin drug issue. My last referral was to an orthopedic surgeon because of my walking problems, and at first I was told that if my hips didn’t stop degenerating I would need them replaced to be able to walk. Last month after 9 months off statin drugs he retook x-rays and said my hips are looking fine. There is hope. I have been on a strict diet and exercise program and am ready to start stationary bicycling to try to rebuild muscle mass lost during the 2 years on different statin drugs. I also took C10 150 megs. after getting off statins to see if that would help and I don’t know, but I am told to keep doing what I’m doing. I hope the cholesterol will come down as I eat more oat bran or oatmeal. I hope my story helps some of you because I do believe I am getting well.

After by-pass heart surgery in 2002, my cardilogist put me on 40mg of zocor.
I was in good health with no physical limitations. I had no heart damage. The restriction of heart arteries were found due to my stress test that was performed each year as a part of my annual Physical. After surgery I was on zocor for three years, during that time I experienced a little tiredness, little weakness, a little muscle aches. some tingling in my right arm and shoulder. I went to my heart doctor Jan. 2006 and he changed me to vytorin (10mg zetia and 40mg zocor). about 6 months all of the about symptoms got worse.
By Jan. 2007, my muscles became so stiff, I could not walk, had balance problems, severe muscle aches and cramps, numbness and tingling in both arms and hands, also stifness and pain in my hands, stiffness and pain in both feet, stifness and pain in my back and weird nerve sensations over my entire body. During Jan. and Feb 2007, I was seen by my family doctor, a neurologist, and a muscle doctor. Thanks to the internet, I found info on zocor and zetia, which is the drug vytorin. Warnings described the same symptoms I am experiencing. I stopped vytorin, I am not taking any statins drugs now. My doctor order a blood test to check for muscle damage, It indicated severe damage, a Creatine level of 770. This level should not be over 200. After being off the drugs for 30 days the creatine level dropped to 645. My condition has improved by 25%. I am walking a little better, but I still having muscle problems, there is improvement. I think there will be a very long recovery. There seems to be some evidence that these Statins affect people of age much more than the young. I am 70 years old. PLEASE PEOPLE, IF YOU ARE TAKING STATINS DRUGS, STOPPED NOW! SLOVE YOUR CHOLESTROL PROBLEMS BY OTHER MEANS. Since I stopped my cholestrol has gone from 157 to 280, but I am not going back taking these drugs. I am trying the natural way now. I have read post after post on many web-sites of people with the same symptoms that were using these drugs. The drug companies and the FDA are responsible for the the degradation of people's health taking these statin drugs.

Wow - I just found this site and am relieved to know that I haven't been imagining all these symptoms. I started on Crestor because my doctor had samples, then when those ran out I started on generic Zocor. The day after starting the Crestor I felt like I'd been hit by a truck by attributed it to overdoing it at the gym. I have horrible pains in my hip joints and my knees and have recently been experiencing unexplained fatigue and sharp stomach pains. Does anyone know if drinking alcohol will increase these side effects? I've been on the Zocor now for a few weeks, and the Crestor I started mid-December.

I've been on simvastatin for about 8 years - recently increased to 20mg pd. Side-effects seem to match up very closely with other posters. Back and shoulder pain, often quite acute. Pain in left side under ribs. Various stomach pains and a general feeling of being unwell. Recently had treatment for trigger finger on right hand.
I'm fairly certain that the longer one takes this medication,
a/ the side-effects gradually get worse and
b/ the side-effects last longer when you stop taking the drug.

I have also developed a trigger finger on my right hand and since so many others have mentioned this problem I would like to know if anyone who stopped the Zocor sometime ago has experienced improvement as I was sent to a hand specialist who suggested a cortisone shot or surgery. I am not ready for either at this point.
Thanks for any info on this. I hate to think that this condition won't go away after the Zocor is out of my system.
****** Please write trigger finger for subject

I was diagnosed with high chol. in 1987. 360 now 260. I have taken Zocor for some 16 years now. Within 1 month the leg pains and cramps began. The Dr. told me I wasn't getting deep REM sleep and put me on Ambien. Still leg pain & cramps. I accepted the pain as a trade off for lower chol. My chol. is hereditary, not diet related. I can't recall my last egg, butter, milk, etc. I now see the long term effects of Zocor, 2 years ago I went to 40 mg. I suffer from depression, more medication, can't work, do simple chores, play golf, even walk around the block. I am now taking Oxycodone for pain. Severe, all joints, leg muscles, neck, knees, elbows, you name it. The Dr. finally said it must be heredity and put me on Crestor. Too little too late! My girlfriend is disgusted because I am half what I used to be since all the other meds to offset the Zocor effects. I have lost friends and career. I am tagged a hypochondriac. I have sought help from specialists and alternative measures to relieve the pain. No-one, I mean no specilalist even suggested the damaging results of the Zocor until I stumbled onto the "net." I can't walk, much less get out of bed in a reasonable amount of time. I am severely limited in my ability to do anything. I am glad I know what has caused this situation but fear my diminished quality of life and ready to give up. I am not crazy as has been suggested and can now give my detractors a name for my condition. I am relegated to SSD instead of working. DON'T TAKE A STATIN BASED DRUG. Seek alternative methods. They are liars and have cheated me out of my life!