Zocor and curves

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.

I have been taking zocor for about 3 years. Started out with 10 mg every other day, then every day; for nearly the last year I have been taking 20 mg once a day. It did lower my cholesterol enough to suit the doc. Did not really notice any symptoms at first. It seems I have been noticing more and more problems recently. Especially after my husband decided to tell me that he thinks something is very wrong. Maybe my problems are just age related. Most recently I have had two falls brought on by a simple "toe stubbing". For the past 3-4 months I have had unrelenting lower back pain and hip pain. Both to the point that I can't sleep and am having trouble walking. All of that I attributed to arthritis which I do have in my hands. The tingling, pins/needles sensations and foot pain started over 2 years ago but my doc said that couldn't be the zocor. My liver function was normal every time he checked. Diabetes has been ruled out. I am overweight so I just wrote off the fatigue to that. But - three years ago I was walking daily on our farm - up and down hills for over one hour at a time - and teaching high school full time. I am retired now and I don't think I could do that much walking because of the pain and stiffness. Does any body know how long it will take me to get rid of the symptoms? I stopped the zocor without the doc's knowledge day before yesterday.