Zocor and medicine

PLEASE HELP! My father, age 74, was on lipitor for a year or so and then was switched to zocor a few weeks ago to help control his cholestorol. In the past week, the tightening he experienced in his leg, while on lipitor, has become debilitating leg pain now while he is on Zocor. Ultrasounds have ruled out a blood clot. He has no pain when he sits, but he describes the pain has his calf wanting to explode when he stands and he cannot walk with out the help of a cain. The pain radiates from his leg up to his hip.

His cardiologist has taken him off the zocor for a few weeks to see if there is an improvement. It has been 3 days and he feels a bit of relief. SO here is the million dollar question: His labs indicate his cholestorol is normal now, most likely thanks to the statins.....can anyone suggest another form of meds that will help regulate his cholestorol....say COeq10 and fish oil? Any help is SO appreciated!!! Thanks to each of you for your posts. It is so comforting for my dad to know he isn't developing a new issue and that it can be resolved with the removal of zocor!

Same here folks. I've been on Zocor for 2 months and have a constant pain in my left leg on the side of my calf. Always there; sometimes I get up from a chair and have to wait a minute before I move. My doctor advised me to go off for one week and see if I'm better but after reading these articles I want off it AS OF TODAY. NO more. I'm calling the doc and asking for another med. This is too scary - permanent damage may rise from this. Thanks for sharing and good luck to All.

I was prescribed Zocor for high cholesterol. Almost immediately I began to experience body aches -- some days more severe than others. I would take ibuprofen and it would help. Then, I started getting a pretty strong pain on my hip which radiated down my leg onto my foot. The pain was so severe, even the Motrin 800 mg. pills didn't help it. I am 53 years old, but I felt like a 90 year old. I had problems walking, especially after sitting for an hour or so. I had problems with stairs. Even laying down was painful. I tried heating pads, ointments, etc. When I told my doctor about it, she said that this was a typical side effect of statins, and that because I am diabetic, I need to continue taking Zocor to keep my cholesterol down. Just the other day, I stopped taking Zocor for 3 glorious days and guess what? NO pain!!! I resumed it because my doctor insists that I stay on it, but I wish there was something else I could take that wouldn't cause pain.

My cardiologist prescribed 40mg zocor in Dec 07, I couldn't understand why I was feeling tired, having muscle aches and pains and just recently every joint in my body was hurting and inflamed. I haven't been able to do anything but lay around.. even getting up to take a shower or use the restroom was a task for me. I was also very depressed and just not myself. I am 47 and I have always been very active and full of energy and couldn't understand what was happening to me. I never would have thought that this horrible medicine was the culprit. I quit taking it on Sept 15th and already feel so much better. I can only hope and pray that there is no long lasting effects. I can manage my cholesterol without it!!!!!