Anti cholesterol drugs side effects

Kashkai

Hi all,

I've been on anti cholesterol drugs for 2 years now (Lipitor for 20 months and Crestor for the past 4). Now I'm only taking 10mg a day and the drugs have reduced my cholesterol level from 7.5 to 4.5 (there's a family history of high cholesterol and a change of diet & exercise didn't reduce my cholesterol level enough). However, the problem is that for the past year I've had unexplained muscle soreness, darts of pain in my joints/muscles and a general feeling of tiredness. I had myself checked out thoroughly and got a clean bill of health. Then I read the leaflet that comes with the anti cholesterol drugs and it specifically mentioned that if I get unexplained muscle soreness, then I've to stop using the drugs and see my doctor. Some further research on the net has shown that there is a sizable number of people who have had these side effects from the anti cholesterol drugs. My doctor has taken blood for a test to see if my liver is producing a certain enzyme that is a reaction to the drugs. Have to wait until next Friday for the results.

So the question is, has anyone else suffered a similar reaction? I seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, i.e. keep taking the drugs and put up with the side effects or stop taking them and have my cholesterol rising again.

If anyone else knows of an alternative (i.e. not another branded anti cholesterol drug) treatment for cholesterol, I'd be grateful to hear.

Thanks

David

pharmacien

The side effect is called rhabdomyolysis, which is quite rare, but significant. I'd recommend stopping taking the statins in the short term, until your LFTs come back (it's only till Friday) and see what the results are and you can discuss the best of action with the GP. Making any decision in the absence of these results is not a sensible thing to do.

Why were you switched from atorvastatin to rosuvastatin? Was it not producing the desired decrease in cholesterol?? I'd say that atorvastatin has a good profile in respect to the balance between efficacy and incidence of adverse effects.

There are other drug classes for reducing cholesterol. However, they are not as effective. Wait for the results and discuss with your GP.

Kashkai

I had started getting these muscle pains while on Lipitor but I ignored them for about 8 months but when I casually mentioned it to the doc during my 6 monthly blood test, he sat up straighter in his chair and said he'd have to switch me to another brand of drug. Unfortunately, the Crestor seems to have made the muscle aches worse.

Lucky me to be one of the rare few who experiences these side effects:(

DrIndy

chat with the old doc again - muscle aches only really matter if there are raised muscle enzymes and other telling features, he will figure them out for you. There are other cholesterol medications out there which don't have this effect.

tbh

ARe these drugs that you need to take for life, or do you take a course of them until your cholesterol improves and then stop? OP it sounds from your post that it's a lifetime thing..

Kashkai

tbh wrote:

ARe these drugs that you need to take for life, or do you take a course of them until your cholesterol improves and then stop? OP it sounds from your post that it's a lifetime thing..

'Fraid its for life. I run 6 miles a day, eat very healthily, but high cholesterol is a hereditary thing in my family. Mine was 7.5 at one stage before the drugs brought it down to 4.5. However I believe it will go back up again as the Doc says I make my own cholesterol so I'd be doomed even if I just drank water all day!!!

N8

Comments from another newspaper article mentioning side effects about which the OP asked…

Statins: the truth
The Daily Mail (UK) Jan 29 2007

I was searching for risks as well as benefits for a statin my Dr prescribed. Now I know that since I lowered the cholesterol on my own, it is better to keep trying to raise the good HDL without the drugs.

Thank you.

- Ilene, USA


For years I had high cholesterol and I was on Pravachol but my reading was 250 total and the doctor didn't change my medicine. Then I had a heart attack in 2005 and they put me on Zocor 80 mg. I have been on it ever since. I watch my foods and try not to eat a lot of fats high in cholesterol. I have my total cholesterol down to 163, but I am still told to have to take the Zocor. I feel that I should be able to get off of the medication now. What do you think? I just feel it didn't prevent me from having the heart attack and that I changed my eating habits that is why my cholesterol is down now not because of the Zocor. I worry about it all the time I don't want to take the medication anymore. It makes me irritable, moody, and I am more forgetful it seems. Please help me?

- Margaret Epperson, Mentor, Ohio USA


There are always alternatives to man-made drugs for everything man/woman can get. However, the alternatives are not patentable and therefore do not make money for pharmaceutical companies. Enough said.

- Peter, Chesterfield


The truth about statins is out there and has been so for a long time. The real news however is that most prescribing doctors don't know much about cholesterol, or what really causes heart-disease, or how statins work, or why they cause more problems than they solve. Doctors are still stuck in the pathetic diet-heart hypothesis of the 1950ies; that cholesterol and saturated fat clog up the arteries, and if we can just lower the cholesterol we will save lives. Statins are developed from this disaster of mental reasoning, and it has nothing to do with good science. Sorry doctors, you have been tricked, saturated fat and cholesterol are natural foods for humans (mother’s milk is packed with it). Why not tell your patients to stay away from the unnatural stuff, such as sugar and refined starches? If you require simplicity, that would be it. Sugar is the real killer in this context. Wake up, do your homework and save lives.

- J Michael Nicholls, Alingsås, Sweden


I was prescribed Lipitor 3 years ago and most of the side-effects that are listed on the leaflet I have experienced and they are getting worse. I take 20mg a day. For the last couple of years, my level has been 4.mml/l which I understand is OK. I am very angry with my doctor for not following me up. I had an accident several years ago and suffered a lot of pain, which was very similar to the side-effects of statins. I have almost recovered from the accident, but my symptoms are becoming worse. Talking to a hospital pharmacist, the advice was that I take 10 mg a day for a week or so and then reduce down to none. I have not had any indication and have been negatively tested for coronary heart disease, diabetes, vascular problems caused by illness (only the accident). I am hypertensive but I notice that a side-effect of Lipitor is water retention! For the water retention, I was prescribed a diuretic which in turn caused a build up of uric acid in my joints...

- Anne Whitburn, Sutton, Surrey, England.


Oh how I would love a brave newspaper to ask all statin users if they have have experienced muscle pain, weakness, lack of energy, lack of sex drive, memory problems or any of the other common effects of lowered cholesterol.

The vast majority of sufferers are told by their doctors that what they are experiencing is just due to advancing years.

- Jane Dawson, Isle of Islay


I was taking lipitor 10mg my cholesterol was 8.0 it came down to 6.5 so my Dr increased the dose to 20mg. I then started to experience deafness and vertigo, I was sent for a MRI scan and was told I had nerve damage, my hearing would not improve would I like a hearing aid. I then started to experience a lot more side effects,rhinitis,leg pains, tinnitus and dry throat. I reported to my Dr and asked if it could be the statins, I stopped them for a while and my hearing came back so Dr tried other statins which within 2 days made me deaf again. I have now stopped taking them and my hearing is back to normal. My sister in law was also on 20mg Lipitor and she woke in the night and both her arms had gone dead, she asked her Dr and he said to stop the Lipitor and this problem stopped.

- Rosemary, Surrey, UK


About 3 years ago I had a cholesterol reading of 6.4, my Doctor prescribed LIPITOR 20mg, I lost 5 stone in weight, and after 12 months my reading had increased to over 9.

My doctor increased my dosage to 40mg, my reading for two subsequent years has been 3.7 and 4. I am 34 years old and have a very healthy lifestyle now, Statins helped me and I have no side effects at all.

My cholesterol was hereditary though, this might make a difference?

- Hal Jaffer, London, England


My doctor has recently increased my statins (Simvaststin) dose from 20 to 40 mg. For no other reason than "This is the standard dose". I have heard, from another doctor, that 40mg is CHEAPER than 20 mg! Perhaps there is a reason after all. I am not entirely happy about it...

- Colin Maguire, Manchester, England.


I'm 60; after two heart attacks and an unsuccessful heart bypass operation I've been on 40mg Lipitor daily for about five years. Although my cholesterol levels have reduced from around 6.5 to 4.2, the side effects from this drug have been a big problem. The worst of these are the bouts of nausea which arise about three times weekly and last for several hours. Previously, I drank a small amount socially perhaps twice a week (never more than two beers) but now I seem to have developed an intolerance to even the smallest volume of alcohol (feelings of nausea again) and have thus abstained entirely. Attacks of muscle aches have also arisen from time to time.

At my Dr's suggestion, I've tried other medication but they are far less effective at reducing cholesterol - so realistically, I'm stuck with the statins and all the side-effects.

After reading your article about other effects (cognitive problems; liver damage) I've decided to flush the whole lot down the loo and trust in nature!

- Paul, Weston-super-mare, Somerset


I have been on statins for approx 10 yrs after it was discovered I had inherited a cholesterol problem. My readings were at the time 9.6 after being on statins 10mg for apprx 6 months the reading had dropped to 4.6mg. Then my doctor told me I had to change to a different make as they were cheaper and these were 40mg. The only problem was I had severe side effects. So I have gone back to my other tablets as with the new ones my cholesterol level went up by to 5.6 so it just proves the government are penny pinching with peoples lives at risk.

- Pauline, Cornwall


I am a 54 year old woman and have been taking Simvastatin for approximately 3 to 4 years and have Type 2 Diabetes. I have suffered considerably from brain fog but honestly believed it was the onset of an early dementia. After reading your article I realised that the brain fog was due to the statins. I stopped taking them straight away and within a week found a huge benefit in my memory. I feel a conned. I was never asked about muscle weakness and am concerned that I have had a history of muscle cramps in my legs and feet since the age of 14. I feel tons better regarding my memory and will not be going back on to the statins.

- Cynthia Burtenshaw, Haverhill, England


I have suffered from IBS for over 10 years, sometimes very acutely, having to leave funtions ect in great pain. On learning that taking statins could have side effects I stoped taking them as an experiment and, bingo, my IBS dissapeared.

- Alec Daniels, Surrey


I had a heart attack in Feb 1998 and subsequently a bypass in the early March. Previously my colestral level was 8.7 - there is a family history of heart and colestral problems. I was put on 20mg Lipitor plus other drugs and my colestral lowered to 5.4. In 2004 I had three stents put in the main artery and was put on 40mg of Lipitor and my colestral level lowered to 4.6. Since that time I have had problems with my back, hands, joints etc and finally nerve damage to my lower leg and foot, due to sciatica. I have put myself on Q10 and have asked my Dr to lower the Lipitor which she is not happy to do. I now await a further colestral test and if this is low I will definitely have the Lipitor lowered. Fingers crossed.

- Jan Murphy, Hainault, Essex


I have been taking statins for 5 years and have never been told about the adverse affect it has on the production of Q10. So what else have I not been told? With this in mind I stopped taking statins and the night-time abdominal pains have gone, so has tiredness and poor memory although cramp in my feet continue. I am now taking Omega 3, drinking plant sterols and exercising everyday. Will my cholesterol level shoot up? Watch this space.

- Sheila Mcadams, London


I have been on simvastatin for 4 days I have never felt so ill in all my life, stopped taking them. Symtoms were fog brain, dizzy felt like I wanted to vomit. My cholesterol level was 6.8 I will try to keep the level low by diet. Wondering whether to tell doc or just go it alone with the diet. I am 66 yrs old.

- Moira Haggerston, North Yorkshire


Had been taking statins for three months when an old injury to my neck flared up. This became much worse and I developed severe tiredness, aches in my arms and felt less sharp than usual . The doctors kept denying any link to the statins but eventually a specialist recommended me to stop them to see if I improved. Within days the extra aches and tiredness had improved. I've still got the pains in my neck but that is due to osteoarthritis which I am learning to manage. I finally feel I'm back to being me again and I will never take the statins again, to me they were poison. The doctors need to be better informed especially about the effects on Q10.

- Catherine, Kettering, Northants, UK


also interesting…
Statinisation of the population
The Independent (UK)
Letters
Published: 31 July 2007

Statins are not wonder drugs, and they can have bad side-effects

Sir: The Government's heart tsar, Roger Boyle, calls for a public debate on statinisation of the population ("All men over 50 should be offered heart pills", 28 July). Such a debate is possible only if the available evidence is clearly and dispassionately set out but, at present, there is incessant hype for the effectiveness of statins as wonder drugs.

The evidence used to justify statin use is based on several large studies, sponsored by pharmaceutical companies and it is well-known that studies so sponsored almost always produce favourable results for the company's drug.
Relative-risk reduction looks much more impressive than absolute-risk reduction, so the studies highlight the reduction of relative risk. In one trial, the relative-risk reduction was 31 per cent, but the absolute-risk reduction was only 2.4 per cent.

In another trial, the relative-risk reduction of cardiac event, not death, is 36 per cent; the absolute-risk reduction of a cardiac event is just 3.4 per cent events per 1,000 patient years of treatment.

The statistical manipulation and selective presentation of the evidence means that properly informed consent will be impossible to ensure.
The view that statins have minimal side-effects is erroneous. As a rheumatologist, I have spent a significant proportion of the past few years seeing patients who have suffered musculo-skeletal ill-effects from statins. Some of these effects have been severe, leading to major disability, and even the lesser effects have led to considerable loss of quality of life.
Even if the incidence of side-effects was as low as some studies have suggested, with such huge numbers facing long-term statin treatment there will be significant statin-induced disease and disability in the population. There are large hidden costs in this aspect of statin therapy.

The only wonder about statins is to wonder why the nation is being urged to take part in mass medication based on such underwhelming evidence.

IAN M MORRIS
CONSULTANT RHEUMATOLOGIST, ROTHWELL, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE


And lastly this I came across this... The Benefits of High Cholesterol with all references written by an MD PhD..

DrIndy

N8 - tread carefully.

Cholesterol can be very well lowered by people who look after themselves extremely well and eat the perfect diet and exercise constantly. However - many people cannot make those normally astronomical dietary changes needed so as a result have to resort to a statin.

Also the commonest inherited disease in the world is familial dyslipidaemia which is inherited high cholesterol - people with this, no matter what efforts they make can only rarely reach their cholesterol target with diet.

Although statins have a myriad of very serious side effects, these are rare for most people and the evidence for their benefit in early treatment of high cholesterol is superb.

Kashkai

DrIndy wrote:

N8 - tread carefully.

Cholesterol can be very well lowered by people who look after themselves extremely well and eat the perfect diet and exercise constantly. However - many people cannot make those normally astronomical dietary changes needed so as a result have to resort to a statin.

Also the commonest inherited disease in the world is familial dyslipidaemia which is inherited high cholesterol - people with this, no matter what efforts they make can only rarely reach their cholesterol target with diet.

Although statins have a myriad of very serious side effects, these are rare for most people and the evidence for their benefit in early treatment of high cholesterol is superb.

Yes, I'd agree that if it works for you with no side effects, then by all means stay on the medication. However, in my case, I've been getting these inexplicable muscle aches in my arms and legs since I started on the statins 2 years ago. I'm only 38 but somedays I feel 108 as I'm knackered, and when I go for a run my legs feel like lead. I've also become very forgetful as I'll leave the house in the morning without car keys, wallet phone etc. I stopped taking my Crestor last Friday and in that short space of time, the muscle pains have gone and I feel full of energy. Co-incidence? I don't think so. To prove it, I might go back on the Crestor and see if the symptoms reappear.

N8

No problem DrIndy.

I have always believed that in examining any point of view there are three sides; a valid left, a valid right, and somewhere in between where the truth lay. I also believe that individuals have the right to hear both sides of an argument, be allowed consider them logically and without bias and then decide for themselves.

Providing one side does not provide for debate or proper examination of a subject.

This was an anonymous forum until the whole ‘Introduce yizzer selves.....’ thread/sticky removed that and left us with assumed levels of authority and the imposition of 'I know better than you' which I have deliberately refused to buy into.

This is forum is losing the Biological & Science edge and starting to become one that in the main is for some medical professionals to provide information and empathy whilst others trade ego massages, telling how good they are, how great the medical pharmaceutical industry is and then claim there are no other solutions when the only solution they provide is a comfortable deterioration.

God help those who would hope to provide a differing opinion.

Unfortunately I do not have the time or inclination to hunt down or memorise references given the amount of material I have made it my business to cover. Maybe I should have identified myself into the pecking order so a need for such was not needed.

A consultant rheumatologist above clearly stated adverse side effects from statin use was not rare and was a significant draw and waste of his time in practice. Perhaps he is telling the truth.

Did you know that epidemiological studies into high cholesterol reflect an infectious nature? It has also been suggested this is a purposeful action of the body in reducing cancer risk. Perhaps this is not widely known. Perhaps it is conveniently ignored. Perhaps it is a conspiracy...

The Medical Profession since partnering the pharmaceutical industry is failing to provide real health care for its patients whilst pharm companies return a profit for shareholders. National Health Care Systems cannot continue drain a nation's wealth and resources simply to provide profit for shareholders over ill health care for its citizens, never mind education and other necessities for its peoples.

The realisation of this has provided health and social care systems in the likes of Cuba and Canada which are the envy of the world. This is not a conspiracy as suggested previously but fact and if you were up to date with your Medical Journals (assuming you are a medical doctor) you may have noticed this coming under more and more scrutiny.

Do statins picture in all of this? I don’t know but without examining the subject we will never know and stifling its discussion is hardly the way forward.

Continuing to allow pharmaceutical company funded studies to lower what is considered a good cholesterol level whilst at the same time calling for wider and wider use of its products is something to be questioned, as is above. US Health Insurance Companies now are and are beginning legal action not to be compelled to provide such medications based on information from their vendors.

Cheers again for the advice DrIndy

Good luck with the Crestor Prosperous Dave if that’s how you go or if Q10 if that helps. Perhaps you might re-evaluate the whole situation.

Goodnight

nesf

There's an enormous difference between a theoretical debate on the merits of certain drugs and offering advice or answering questions posed by someone on a specific drug.

tbh

N8 wrote:

This was an anonymous forum until the whole ‘Introduce yizzer selves.....’ thread/sticky removed that and left us with assumed levels of authority and the imposition of 'I know better than you' which I have deliberately refused to buy into.

what? This is a forum to provide support for people with long term illnesses.

This is forum is losing the Biological & Science edge and starting to become one that in the main is for some medical professionals to provide information and empathy whilst others trade ego massages, telling how good they are, how great the medical pharmaceutical industry is and then claim there are no other solutions when the only solution they provide is a comfortable deterioration.

God help those who would hope to provide a differing opinion.

Unfortunately I do not have the time or inclination to hunt down or memorise references given the amount of material I have made it my business to cover. Maybe I should have identified myself into the pecking order so a need for such was not needed.

Honestly, I don't know what you are talking about.

Anyway, you've made your point. If you've any feedback or advice on the running of this forum, feel free to use pm, feedback, or better still post it here.

pharmacien

This seems to be hi-jacked the same way as the vaccines thread :mad:

A list of letters from various newspapers does not prove anything at all (well, maybe one thing: those who shout the loudest get the attention!!!!). This is not evidence and nothing can be deduced from it.

N8 wrote:

And lastly this I came across this... The Benefits of High Cholesterol with all references written by an MD PhD.

WTF. An MD PhD!!! I hope it's genuine, and not bought off the internet the way "Dr." Gillian McKeith got hers!!!! Why am I criticising your source. Well for starters, have you even looked at the people behind it. Published by, and is on, the web-site of the Weston A. Price Foundation. Who are they?? Well, Quackwatch will tell you. Do you really trust anything these people say?????

N8 wrote:

Unfortunately I do not have the time or inclination to hunt down or memorise references given the amount of material I have made it my business to cover.

I apologise profusely. How dare I (or anyone else) bother you to give some evidence to back up your theories. Bit convenient though, making wild accusations, and don't have any inclination to back it up.

N8 wrote:

A consultant rheumatologist above clearly stated adverse side effects from statin use was not rare and was a significant draw and waste of his time in practice. Perhaps he is telling the truth.

Maybe he is telling the truth. But then again, maybe all the consultant cardiologists etc who support statin prescribing, are right. If you are going to base this on consultant opinion, I bet you'll lose (certainly, based on consultants I've worked with)

N8 wrote:

Did you know that epidemiological studies into high cholesterol reflect an infectious nature? It has also been suggested this is a purposeful action of the body in reducing cancer risk. Perhaps this is not widely known. Perhaps it is conveniently ignored. Perhaps it is a conspiracy...

Suggested ... OK? By who? A suggestion makes it far from it being true. That may make it a point to be discussed, but are you really basing a whole conspiracy theory on some person's suggestion!!!!!

N8 wrote:

if you were up to date with your Medical Journals (assuming you are a medical doctor) you may have noticed this coming under more and more scrutiny.

You must be up to date with medical journals so. How about you prove it. How about you back up with points with evidence from a proper peer reviewed journal. Not the letters page of the Sun or the Telegraph or whatever. Not some Quack web-site. a proper journal paper.

tbh

Thanks for your input folks, this isn't the forum for this kind of discussion.

Saibh

i had the same symptoms as you. my cholesterol was high and on account of family history the doctor told me i would be on lipitor for life. but after a few weeks taken the tablets i got the same symptoms that you described told my doctor and said it wasn't the tablets... i stopped taken them myself and managed to keep it low on diet etc. for a while but it is now over 5.6 and the doctor says if the next blood results are still high i will have to go back on the tablets

Kashkai

Don't know what the tablets cost where you live but Crestor (10mg) cost €45 a month in Dublin or €500 a year. Bloody expensive especially as they are not the wonder drugs they claim to be (in my case). I'm sick of aching arm and leg muscles which make me feel weak when lifting my kids or going for a run. I suppose if I thought long and hard about it, I could come up with all sorts of conspiracy theories about how the doctors and pharmacists are in collusion in forcing these drugs onto people without explaining the potential side effects - in my case there was never any mention about muscle pains etc.

Saibh

like you i only found out about the aches and pains in muscles when i read the leaflet that came with the lipitor tablets but the doctor thought it was all in my head...

Kashkai

ulster wrote:

like you i only found out about the aches and pains in muscles when i read the leaflet that came with the lipitor tablets but the doctor thought it was all in my head...

Well try coming off the lipitor for a week like I did and you'll notice the muscle aches will go away - they did for me. However, due to family history of high cholesterol, I'll need to source some other form of "control" to keep the bad cholesterol down. Does anyone know of any herbal/chinese medicine that might work. I'm open minded and will consider anything (apart from eye of newt, ear of dragon etc). I don't believe that western medicine is the cure all for everything.

mike65

I'm on lipitor 20mg and have been since late last year, I have slight pains in my limbs and an feeling somewhat tired but I'm not sure if its the drug or merely the sustained damp weather which can induce low level muscle pain and weariness. Its not bad and I can live with it, I proberly should be getting more sleep too.

Mike.

DrIndy

Prosperous Dave wrote:

Well try coming off the lipitor for a week like I did and you'll notice the muscle aches will go away - they did for me. However, due to family history of high cholesterol, I'll need to source some other form of "control" to keep the bad cholesterol down. Does anyone know of any herbal/chinese medicine that might work. I'm open minded and will consider anything (apart from eye of newt, ear of dragon etc). I don't believe that western medicine is the cure all for everything.

There are other cholesterol lowering medicines out there which are not statins - you're doctor would know them. Alternately, he may refer you to a cholesterol clinic in a hospital for greater level of specialist input.

mike65

Just a bump to say I stopped using Lipitor 20mg (last pill on Saturday night), my slight pains and tiredness have gone! I'm going to continue without it until the weekend then I'll resume the normal dosage and see what happens.

Mike.

N8

mike65

Too true.

Mike.

Kashkai

I stopped using the Crestor over 2 weeks ago now and the aches in my arm and leg muscles have gone. My doctor wasn't too pleased and has referred me to a cardiologist as he says I'll have heart trouble in a few years as I have stopped using the crestor/lipitor. This has kind of p!ssed me off as while I acknowledge that my cholesterol levels were reduced by the statins, I was fed up with the side effects which were never pointed out until I did my own research (although I should have read the leaflet that came with the drugs ) He said there was no other treatment for cholesterol apart from the statins - however, I believe that this is untrue.

Ogham

I was interested to read about others in a similar situation to myself.
I had cholesterol of 6.5 early 2007 and GP put me on a combination of simvastatin and ezetimibe with the brand name Inegy. Expensive stuff - thank god for the drug payment scheme!

After about 3 months I was feeling tired , depressed , aching and one day just decided it must be the drugs and stopped taking them. I felt a lot better after a few days. I eventually mentioned it to the GP (left it a bit too long) - he didn't mention blood tests just prescribed Crestor. I have been on that a month and started getting bad back pain and feeling sluggish again. I have stopped the Crestor for just 3 days now and am feeling a lot better.
From what I have read - statins can have these type of effects on some people. I think I will stick with the "high" cholesterol. There are some people out there who would argue that the whole high cholesterol thing is a con anyway.

mike65

Reduction of cholesterol can be achived to some degree with a change in diet.

Mike.

Drummerboy2

I'm aged 50 and had a stent inserted last year after I had a instance of shortness of breath. My cholesterol was 3.7 and I considered myself fit. However there is heart problems in my family. I'm on 40mg Lipotor for over a year now. I have only experienced the muscle pains once and stopped taking the statins but went back on after about a week and they haven't returned. My cholesterol is 1. What really worries me is despite all the exercise, weight loss and medication, my good cholesterol hasn't improved. However I do feel fine.

DrIndy

This is metabolic syndrome - where you have a very low HDL level (good cholesterol) and a disproportionately high LDL (bad cholesterol) - it is the balance of those which cause the increased risk of heart disease and it is usually an inherited risk. Also statins reduce inflammation which is also associated with causing plaques and so even people with normal cholesterol can benefit from statins just from that alone. Some doctors check high-sensitivity CRP to calculate the underlying baseline inflammation which causes this risk.

If you are worried - you can talk to your doctor to see if there is more can be done.

mike65

I should update my own experience, I told my consultant of the reactions and he took me off the Lipitor and I'm now on 1000mg Omacor which is omega3, twice a day.

Mike.

LegacyUser

Hello David.
I have been taking Lipitor 40 mg for maybe 7 to 10 Years.
My cholesterol was brought down from 6.5 to 4.5.& there it has stayed.
I suffer from Fibromyalgia which is Muscle Pain and connective
Tissue pain any where you care to mention.The pain moves about a lot
but I am never free from Pain.
I only learned yesterday from A Practitioner that yes the Drug does
Eat / Stop Cholesterol but it also stops another substance being made which your Body
needs.
There are many other things I could tell you but it would take all day.
I also take Anti-Depressants & Anti- Inflamitory Drugs.
Sincerely. Alfred Dublin Ireland.

john hanrahan

hi i have been on lipotor 40 and lopid 1200 mg another statin for 7 years and i have experienced muscle pain and tiredness , my chemist maintains any person on statins should take co q 10 which helps maintain healthy muscle

ask your doc it worked for me

mike65

Just to update my own situation the Omega I was on wasn't doing quite enough any longer so I'm now on Ezetrol 10 mg which appears to have no side effects on me.

locum-motion

Myalgia (pain in the muscles), Myositis (inflammation of the muscles) and Myopathy (muscles not working properly) are all documented side effects of the statins. Myalgia is the most common, and least serious, of the three, but it could be a symptom of one, other or both of the other two. If ignored, it could progress to rhabdomyolysis (the breakdown of the muscle tissue).

If any person taking a statin has any unexplained muscle weakness or soreness, it should be investigated by their doctor. It may just be uncomplicated myalgia, but even if it is, it could progress. So, it has to be investigated.

The pharmacist who dispensed a person's very first prescription for a statin should have explained this. Also, the doctor who wrote the prescription should have explained this. Unfortunately, it can happen that each assumes the other has done/will do it.

Personally, I'd prefer that the same thing was explained twice than risk it not being explained at all, so I explain it to every patient who is getting their first statin prescription from me.

Skittlers

locum-motion wrote: »

Myalgia (pain in the muscles), Myositis (inflammation of the muscles) and Myopathy (muscles not working properly) are all documented side effects of the statins. Myalgia is the most common, and least serious, of the three, but it could be a symptom of one, other or both of the other two. If ignored, it could progress to rhabdomyolysis (the breakdown of the muscle tissue).

If any person taking a statin has any unexplained muscle weakness or soreness, it should be investigated by their doctor. It may just be uncomplicated myalgia, but even if it is, it could progress. So, it has to be investigated.

The pharmacist who dispensed a person's very first prescription for a statin should have explained this. Also, the doctor who wrote the prescription should have explained this. Unfortunately, it can happen that each assumes the other has done/will do it.

Personally, I'd prefer that the same thing was explained twice than risk it not being explained at all, so I explain it to every patient who is getting their first statin prescription from me.

I have read every post...I was put on Crestor 10mg 2 months ago I too have suffered very sore muscle paiin in my right arm an pains in my legs..I had polio 48years ago an was left with no muscle strenght in my right arm but never suffered pain only weekness but have bad pain with 2 months also lost the use of my hand to do things i was able to do 2 months ago..Very Intresting????? Im goin to stop and see if it makes a differance...I wil keep ye posted also....

dragona

Fascinated by this thread....... I also started on Crestor 10mg a few months ago, and by the end of the second week I felt as if I had been run over by a lorry. Terrible back pains, could hardly move my arms or legs. Went straight to my GP who told me to stop immediately. Gave me a week off with no meds and am now taking Zocor 10mg (Simvastatin)
No side effects with this, and cholesterol down from 6.5 to 3.9. It is obviously a common side effect.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1226238/Side-effects-alert-statin-users-drug-linked-depression-memory-loss.html

Interesting article about statins........

Skittlers

dragona wrote: »

Fascinated by this thread....... I also started on Crestor 10mg a few months ago, and by the end of the second week I felt as if I had been run over by a lorry. Terrible back pains, could hardly move my arms or legs. Went straight to my GP who told me to stop immediately. Gave me a week off with no meds and am now taking Zocor 10mg (Simvastatin)
No side effects with this, and cholesterol down from 6.5 to 3.9. It is obviously a common side effect.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1226238/Side-effects-alert-statin-users-drug-linked-depression-memory-loss.html

Interesting article about statins........

Intresting reading..Im stopped now taking crestor 10mg with 3days and
i have improved..Goin to see doc in the morning..Its not 1st time i have got side affects from meds i ended up in hospital 2 times..Another tablet i must add to list of tabs i cant take..Never ending..

Skittlers

Hi again,I was put on EZETROL 10mg today by my doc but have read leaflet
to see about side affects..Muscle pain,Tenderness or weakness..Im confused now because that was same side affect i got when i was on Crestor ie Statin,.I dont know wheather i will take them..Has anybody had
any side affects from Ezetrol?? Any help would be very much appreciated..Skittlers.

mike65

I'm on Ezetrol (Lipitor gave me pains/fatigue) and its not had any side on me.

Ogham

Ezetrol just lowers absorption of chelesterol in the gut. If your diet is very low in cholesterol it will probably have little effect. I am on it - but I keep to a low fat diet and I doubt if it is having much effect. Excercise will have a better effect I think.

Skittlers

The reason im on cholesterol tabs is because my body is over producing it.Im on a low fat diet i dont eat much fatty food..My problem is also the side affects i got them when i was on Crestor witch is common..Its also a common affect with Ezetrol as stated on leaflet..Thats the dilema for me
now because im prone to side affects especialy musculer pain and weakness..I will go back to doc and discuss it..Thanks all for your feed back much appreciated..

nesf

Skittlers wrote: »

Hi again,I was put on EZETROL 10mg today by my doc but have read leaflet
to see about side affects..Muscle pain,Tenderness or weakness..Im confused now because that was same side affect i got when i was on Crestor ie Statin,.I dont know wheather i will take them..Has anybody had
any side affects from Ezetrol?? Any help would be very much appreciated..Skittlers.

Two drugs, which share a side effect may not both produce that side effect in an individual (i.e. muscle pain with drug A but not with drug B despite both having muscle pain as a common side effect). Doesn't apply all the time to all drug side effects but it is often the case. You doctor will know if there's a chance of this happening and this is probably why he prescribed you a different statin to try. You hopefully will have less side effects on this one!

_Whimsical_

Ogham wrote: »

Ezetrol just lowers absorption of chelesterol in the gut. If your diet is very low in cholesterol it will probably have little effect. I am on it - but I keep to a low fat diet and I doubt if it is having much effect. Excercise will have a better effect I think.

My mum keeps to a low fat diet but had cholesterol of 7.9 in August. She hadn't tolerated other statins in the past and was reluctant to try Ezetrol but did and after 6 weeks on it her cholesterol had dropped to 5.1. She didn't make any new change in diet or exercise. She hasn't had any side effects from it so far and she's on it 4 months now. Hopefully yourself and others will have the same luck.

Skittlers

nesf wrote: »

Two drugs, which share a side effect may not both produce that side effect in an individual (i.e. muscle pain with drug A but not with drug B despite both having muscle pain as a common side effect). Doesn't apply all the time to all drug side effects but it is often the case. You doctor will know if there's a chance of this happening and this is probably why he prescribed you a different statin to try. You hopefully will have less side effects on this one!

I dont think Ezetrol are Statins?? Its seems i cant take Statins thats why i was put on Ezetrol?? I stand corrected if im wrong..

nesf

Skittlers wrote: »

I dont think Ezetrol are Statins?? Its seems i cant take Statins thats why i was put on Ezetrol?? I stand corrected if im wrong..

I do not know. I was only referring to the possibility of trying to avoid a side effect by using a different drug in case they were related. It's something I've seen a lot of personally with bipolar and I thought it might be useful for you to know.

Skittlers

chilly wrote: »

My mum keeps to a low fat diet but had cholesterol of 7.9 in August. She hadn't tolerated other statins in the past and was reluctant to try Ezetrol but did and after 6 weeks on it her cholesterol had dropped to 5.1. She didn't make any new change in diet or exercise. She hasn't had any side effects from it so far and she's on it 4 months now. Hopefully yourself and others will have the same luck.

Thanks Chilly hope i do find the right one..Could not contact doc today
but i have to try something mabey Ezetrol will be ok..

Skittlers

nesf wrote: »

Two drugs, which share a side effect may not both produce that side effect in an individual (i.e. muscle pain with drug A but not with drug B despite both having muscle pain as a common side effect). Doesn't apply all the time to all drug side effects but it is often the case. You doctor will know if there's a chance of this happening and this is probably why he prescribed you a different statin to try. You hopefully will have less side effects on this one!

I dont think Ezetrol are Statins?? Its seems i cant take Statins thats why i was put on Ezetrol?? I stand corrected if im wrong..

_Whimsical_

Skittlers wrote: »

I dont think Ezetrol are Statins?? Its seems i cant take Statins thats why i was put on Ezetrol?? I stand corrected if im wrong..

You're right. Ezetrol is a cholestrol absorbtion inhibitor and not a statin. Ezetrol selectively inhibits absorption of cholesterol in the intestine. Statins inhibit production of cholestrol in the liver.

LegacyUser

Well I may be faceing the same issues if you all. I have been keeping an eye on my cholesterol for a while now. In the last blood test I had it was high. however my good cholesterol count was high as well as my bad one. Would one cancel out the other? I know this issue is in my genes for my dad has been on cholesterol meds most of his life. I want to try to advoid them so I have done some resurch and found that if you eat 2 cloves of garlic that may lower your cholesterol. I am also taking lecithin. I have cut way down on the amout of sugar I eat for my tycristiads are high as well. I also do things like pat try any mince I have cooked or if I have a rasher I pat that dry as well with a paper towel ( not that I eat many rashers or mince). Hopefully this will work b/c I really really reall do not want to go on cholesterol meds for I have read once you are on them you become depent on them. I am planning to have my follow up blood test soon.

Only1Keano

Hi All, thank you for your very interesting thread on statins because you have helped me come to the conclusion that my Rosuvostatin 10mg tablets are the cause of my mysterious aches and pains.

My dad survived a heart attack in 2009 and he 2 stents fitted after a 93% blockage caused mainly through high cholesterol mixed with some poor lifestyle choices ie previous smoker & fond of a pint of Guinness. My dad was 53yrs old and not over weight and worked manually all of his life so he was still very active in his early fifties. The Doc's advised my 7 uncles & my dads 3 sons to have their cholesterol levels checked and low and behold 8 out of the 10 males in the family all have "glue for blood"

My story is I had a cholesterol level of 7.4 and my doc put me on Rosuvostatin 10mg tablets and monitored my levels over 12 months and I lowered to 4.6 so I thought this was perfect. I was happy that at 28yrs old I had identified my cholesterol was abnormally high and I had taken steps to prolong my life

I have been very fit all of my life and I rejoined the gym soon after going on statins 2 years ago. I have used the gym on and off all of my life and I have felt that I was getting no results from workouts and my weight never changed even though I watched my diet a "bit" better. The thing is I have always felt the benefits of training and my body would show it & most importantly I would feel better in myself, however this has not been the case.

To add to all of that I have in the last 6 months been feeling a bit lethargic and I have had an achilles ache, a back ache & an ache in my left arm which dont seem to be improving over time.

I attended a top sports physio about my back and I mentioned my leg & arm aches and after 2 sessions he today suggested it could be the statins and he will talk to my GP.

What I dont understand is...I attended my GP last month for my routine check up & blood test results et and I told him all about my back ache...my GP referred me to this physio who basically says my GP should know its the statins.

God damn

Sorry for the long winded post but I think by writting this out I actually helped myself more