Zocor and neurologist

i was a healthy 35 year old male but had high cholesterol, so the doctor prescribed lovastatin (mevacor) and tried it for a month but developed muscle weakness. months later, i'm still experiencing severe muscle spasms and my neurologist is stumped -- mri's, spinal tap, emg -- all normal. I just want to feel normal again. can anyone help? please email me!

I have been on Lipitor for several years, but switched to generic Zocor (Simvastatin) for 3-4 weeks because of the high co-pay. I didn't seem to have any bad side effects with Lipitor (or not as bad as Zocor), but have had swollen ankles, sore knees, and difficulty walking for the past couple of weeks--that's why I'm here--to see what others are experiencing.

I was reading the various side effects and I have one more to add. Has anyone experienced vertigo--not dizziness but spinning. It lasts for about 15 seconds and it's enough to scare you to death! I've also noticed that the whites of my eyes turn red.
I've also experienced pain in my legs, heels and knees. It's so difficult to walk that I had cortisone shots in my knees and three series of epidural in my lower back. No doctor ever thinks it could be from medication. I've been on Zocor 10mg for two years
I've gone to more doctors now than I have in all my years. Everyone is a specialist. No one treats you as a whole. Now I have to go to a neurologist for the vertigo.
I'm thinking all this is related to Zocor. The only other medicine I take is Protonix.

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.

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.

Anyone have peripheral neuropathy on Zocor? I had shooting pains down both arms for a few days one month into taking Zocor. This stopped but is replaced with intense muscle pain in arms, hands, shoulders and back - and recently hot flashes. I stopped taking the Zocor 3 days ago AMA (against medical advice) as my doc said the neuropathy is not a side effect of Zocor.

MY WIFE HAS BEEN TAKING ZOCOR FOR ALMOST 4 YEARS, SHE NOW SUFFERS FROM BACK PAIN ,JOINT PAIN ,MUSCLE PAIN,GENERAL STIFFNESS ,BACK MUSCLE TWITCHING,STOMACH PAINS AND FATIGUE. IN THE LAST YEAR ITS GOT SO BAD THAT IT HAS COMPLETELY CHANGED HER LIFESTYLE(MINE TOO...I NOW KNOW WHERE THE HOOVER IS KEPT!!!!!!!)
DEXA SCAN MRI SCAN NEUROLOGIST ORTHOPEDEIC SURGEON
NONE COULD FIND ANYTHING WRONG!! WHILE ALL THESE INVESTIGATIONS HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT HER G.P. CONTINUES TO PRESCRIBE ZOCOR!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR INFORMATION FROM THIS MOMENT SHE WILL NEVER TAKE ANOTHER ONE

I had been taking Zocor for about five years when I developed a tingling in my feet & toes. I went to my Doctor
and he said I probably had a pinched nerve that was causing the problem. So I went t a chiropractor for about a month, but the problem got worse. Went back to my doctor and he immediately said that I had neuropathy. I went to a neurogolist had tests taken and sure enough I had nerve damage to my feet & legs with severe shooting pains and tight
muscles. I asked the neurologist what caused the problem, he said it was the statins in the Zocor I was taking. I stopped
the Zocor the immediately but the damage was done. The neurologist told me the statin break down the fatty tissue covering the nerves and could take months even years to heal. Now I was a very active 70 year ald man went to the ymca three times a week walked 3-4 miles a day, worked the weights even played golf 2-3 days a week. Well, all that has stopped. walking has become a chore. because the pads of my feet feel like they have big knots in them. But the good news is I wont give up and let this rule my life. I still work the weights and still struggle thru the pain of walking that 1 mile a day. oh yes I have started taking vitamin C for my cholesterol

I don't remember when I started taking Zocor - I think it was late 1990's. Recently I've been having pins and needles in my legs, arms and other parts of my body. Doctor did an EMG and it came back normal. Blood tests were also normal. He's now sending me to a neurologist. I researched Zocor and found that it can cause nerve damage which is what my doctor said I probably have. The research said that it starts in the feet then travels to the rest of the body. In 1999 I went to the doctor with pins and needles in the feet and he diagnosed it as arthritis and gave me quinine. I was in a car accident in 2001 and have been on pain medicine since then which was covering up the pain. The pain sometimes has me using a cane.

This is in response to guest #36367. I am also wanting to know about any class action lawsuits. I have been off of Zocor now for four months. I am still left with my problems such as muscle twitching (I would say it is about 75% better), sore legs and shaking. My doctor told me she has another patient who has the same symptoms as I do, and after a year she still has problems when she is stressed, sick or tired. I don't think this problem will ever go away. My neurologist couldn't find anything wrong with me and said he thinks I had a neuromuscular reaction to statins. I have always been in good health and felt good, but not anymore. I hope someday I am 100% better, I was shooting first for one month, then was hoping maybe at two months, now I am hoping at six months I am back to me. Good luck.

I'm a 28yo male. I have already shared my experiences as guest #31827. This is an update of my condition.

It has been over four months now since I've stopped taking Zocor(which I only was on for one week at 10mg), and there has been little change in my condition. My neurologist said that I have drug induced myopathy and It can take six months to recover from, with 100% recovery, and there is nothing they can do as far as treatment for it right now. I found out that my muscle enzymes were up to almost 6000 when I was on the Zocor. I'm still very fatigued, weak, muscle tightness, bad tension headache, neck stiffness/pain, vivid dreams every night, very out of it mentally(brain dead). I'm a firefighter/paramedic for a living, and have been unable to work because of this. I'm really hoping and praying that I recover very soon and get my life and job back.

Does anyone out there know about any class action lawsutes going on? Has any of you been in my condition and fully recovered, and how long did it take you? I'm young and healthy otherwise. This shows you how powerful and dangerous statins are! If you have any insight for me and others about recovery write back.

I started Zocor the night I had a heart attack and the leg aches and muscle problems started that next day. I was even taken to ulta sound lab looking for blood clots the pain was so bad. I continued taking 40mg twice a day for six months before the Dr. listened and then he tried other statin products. I am female and 57. This yo-yo affair with statin drugs continued for another 18 months before I refused to take them again. I am still having problems, muscle aches and etc. I have been sent to other specialists from gastric, arthritis, neurologist, and now I am seeing an orthopaedic Dr. I have had physical therapy to try to get my muscles working correctly, but no Dr. will even give the slightest acknowledgement it just might be statin drug side effects. The arthritis Dr. said I did not have any form of arthritis and did not fit the profile of any patient he'd ever had and sent me to the neurologist. My muscles respond to electric shock and are coming back according to the neurologist and as a bit of advice he said that even Dr.'s have had problems like mine and have had no problems until one morning the wake up weak, unable to exercise, and general muscle weakness. There is no way to prove our problems are because of the statins. My last blood work now show I may have liver problems and kidney problems. This slow death is not over for me, even though I am off the statin drugs. My last drug was red yeast rice used under Dr.'s care and it too is a statin. They all caused problems. I have tried them all. My advice is to listen to your body and your gut feelings about these products. I have had 3 heart attacks even on the statin drugs so they did not prevent future problems for me. I now have nine stents and am thankful to be alive, but my quality of life is deteriorating. I teach school and continue to do so, but I am having difficulties with extreme fatigue. I am looking at early retirement from something I have always enjoyed doing.

I have not taken Zocor in eight weeks. The pain in my legs is almost completely gone. I can stand up for ten minutes (which is nine minutes longer than 8 weeks ago). My balance is still off, and I still fall, though not as frequently. I feel better mentally and physically. I don't know that the damage already done will be reversed, but I can say with certainty that I have not gotten worse since I stopped taking the Zocor.

Good luck to anyone that will end up having to see a neurologist. I am finding that physicians and the drug companies work together.

My prescription plan at work is sponsored in part by Merck,
who also makes Zocor.

I started to have balance-problems, problems with depth perception, falling, walking with a cane, experiencing muscle weakness, pain and spasms, walking with a walker. Finally had to stop working because I could not get around by myself. I'm a 61 year old female on Zocor for three years. I'm seeing my third (via referral chain) neurologist. No-one has ever made an association with my progressive debilitation and Zocor.
I am going to STOP taking Zocor. I feel deeply that it is the cause of my neurological problems. Very limited discussions on neurological side effects.

I'm a 28yo male. my over all cholesterol was elevated at 248. I am a very healthy person otherwise, and active. My HDL chol is very good. My Dr. had me try to lower my chol by diet and excersise at first for a little over a year, but didn't work. About two months ago he decided to put me on Zocor 10mg. The day i started taking it I felt very tired, weak, very dazed. I told my Dr. and he said it was a likely side effect and to keep taking it. After a week I was still feeling bad to the point where I had to call in sick to work. My Dr. finally told me to stop taking the Zocor and come in to the lab to get my blood drawn. A few days later my results showed that my liver and muscle enzymes were way elevated. My Dr. called me and said to drink copious amounts of water to flush out my system. After about a week of still feeling terrible my liver and muscle enzymes were back down to normal range. That was almost two months ago and still feel terrible. I've been very fatigued,muscle weakness,muscle spasms all over my body,dizziness,very sharp headches, stiff neck,but mostly pressure in my head and in my ears which cause them to pop and ring. My back even got really stiff and sore for a couple of weeks. I've been in such a daze. After 8 hours of sleep when I wake up in the morning, I feel like I've only had about two hours. I've been back and forth to my Dr. many times over the past couple months, and he's started telling me that because of taking a low dose of Zocor for only a week, he doesn't think it was the statin that is making me feel like this and said it could be a virus, and has been drawing blood for lyme disease and mono etc., which have all came back normal. I believe this is ALL from the Zocor!! I think I have drug induced myositis. I am scheduled next week to see a Neurologist. Hopefully he can give me some answers. I hope my experiences can help one of you out there. Alot of Dr.'s out there aren't aware of how dangerous these statins really are!.

I am having generalized body paon, severe muscle pain and muscle spasms. I have just bee nreferred to a neurologist. He has no idea what is wrong with me. He and my GP feel that I have been off the ZOCOR for over 3 months and that that shouldn't still be affecting my body!! I am scared, depressed, in pain and unable to work. Does any one have any suggestions? what would/did you do? What specialist helped? any? thank ou for any info.