Calling all lipitor user's come in

[Yaps]

lipitor users... , I have huge complaints concerning this statin ,and wonder if any others do as well.
List: pain ,ache ,not just legs but every where.
Heart burn, digestive ulp! backup....
weight gain
lethargic
memory, really gone
I am going on a statin walkout!!!! ,refuse to poison myself anymore ,and if my #'s go up..so be it.
Between the PAD and these statins, I cant even go and pet Spaz outside ..any care to join me in this revolution???
love the pup

[Karlynn]

lipitor users... , I have huge complaints concerning this statin ,and wonder if any others do as well.
List: pain ,ache ,not just legs but every where.
Heart burn, digestive ulp! backup....
weight gain
lethargic
memory, really gone
I am going on a statin walkout!!!! ,refuse to poison myself anymore ,and if my #'s go up..so be it.
Between the PAD and these statins, I cant even go and pet Spaz outside ..any care to join me in this revolution???
love the pup

I have some cramping in my feet occasionally, that I attribute to Lipitor. But other than that, I don't have issues with it. I do have a friend that was getting horrible back and leg pain that was eventually attributed to Lipitor. She went off it and the pain went away.

[Hank]

The only effect I have noted from using lipitor for over a year is lower cholesterol.

No other problems that I am aware of.

[Yaps]

have complaints and some dont..but its the lipitor... just one week off , and the pain is not as severe.... :confused:

[hensylee]

We had a huge discussion on this last year (GO BACK TO March, 2004 maybe a month prior, and April 2004). I posted some really angry stuff about Lipitor. I meant it then; I mean it now.

Maybe time for an update. I can walk again, the walker is folded and the cane is in the closet. But I think there is probably some residual damage.

As I said more than a year ago - I will NEVER consume a statin again. Some can take it, some can't. I can't.

[Yaps]

hensylee,I was afraid I was going crazy..... :(

[Harrybaby666]

Hi yaps,
I have chronic pain, and the lipitor amplifies it, although the docs have told me to not worry about it because of 1. I have morphine for pain 2. Darvocet for pain, and 3. Daypro for the arthritis. What he did tell me to look for is if my muscles get very tender, and if that happens, stop it immediately...so far I have been ok and the pain meds have covered the pain so far, but I just hope that I don't get the muscle pain, because they say that it's a very serious side effect. Harrybaby666

[Yaps]

thankyou, Iknow the pain , thankyou Hank, henylees,& Karlynn

[Rich]

Hi Yaps,
My wife has tried every statin drug out there.
The results were always the same.
She experienced severe muscle problems, especially in her legs.
This is a woman who goes 100 mph all day, every day.
Within a short time after starting the statins, she could hardly walk let alone do all the things she normally did.
And please remember when it comes to muscle damage, the HEART IS A MUSCLE!!
We know a number of people who have been using statins for years with no major side effects.
But people like my wife cannot, she did as Ann did and quit taking them, now she is back to herself.
Our cardiologist sent her to an MD who is a cholesterol expert. He deals with non-statin medications and natural supplements.
Although my wife's numbers aren't quite there yet, she has made some very good progress. This also must include some diet and exercise.

[bvdr]

I too quit Lipitor because of muscle and joint problems. I've had arthritis since I was a teen but I do think the Lipitor was making everything worse. Next week I have a cardiology appointment and I will have to tell him then about quitting my statin. I have no recommendations for other people but I sure have no plans on ever going back on to a statin. I felt like I was 100 years old. (Now I only feel 90 ;) .

[hensylee]

Betty, there is a fairly new drug for lowering cholesterol, but not as effective as statins. It is Zetia and I take it w/no side effects, tho I have not had a test in the time I have been on it. Bout time for the test, tho.

[Rich]

Betty and Ann,
My wife has been taking Zetia for quite some time now.
It may not match up to the statins performance wise but it does not seem to cause any problems.
They also had her on Tricor for a while, in combination with the Zetia but it didn't seem to help much so they stopped that one.
It is definitely a congenital thing for her.
We both have always done the same things as far as diet and exercise.
I have no problems with cholesterol (170 at last check) but she does.
Go figure.

[Karlynn]

Betty, there is a fairly new drug for lowering cholesterol, but not as effective as statins. It is Zetia and I take it w/no side effects, tho I have not had a test in the time I have been on it. Bout time for the test, tho.

I'm going to mention it at my Card. appt. next month. My cholesterol wasn't ever above 230, so I'm thinking this new med may work okay for me. Thanks for the info.

[Yaps]

everyone, I know Im not alone, and that means alot to me. I know Dr Buckley will have fits with me..but Im not taking that pill anymore... in fact they had a watery demise :rolleyes: oops accident as John flushed.. :p

[hensylee]

I simply told my cardio that I had quit taking Lipitor because I had so much pain/muscle weakness with it and that I refused to take it anymore and would not ever consider it again. He agreed with me and said that there are some who cannot take it (like those above), he agreed with my decision, and then rxed the Zetia.

[Johnny Stephens]

Called my doctor just yesterday and informed them I was done with Lipitor. I started feeling crappy the day after I started on it. I had fatigue, cramps in my toes, calves and in my abdomen. I'm playing phone tag with him now to find out what my options are.

[SHerrin Hutt]

I have been on some type of stain drug for yrs. But I was put on lipitor in the last 4 months and my legs cramps have become unbearable. They blamed it on the pinched nerve in my back but had that taken care last week and the leg problems aren't any better. I also have restless leg sym. but it has never been this bad.

[JimChicago]

I have a friend who was put onto Lipitor recently and shortly thereafter developed an insomnia problem.. I saw insomnia listed as a potential side effect on some websites.

I'm trying to avoid going on statins - my PCP says my cholesterol is OK since I have a high hdl (80) though my total cholesterol was 219. Whereas my cardio doc would like to get total cholesterol down to 150 or something. I've read a lot of negative things about the statins and how crp, homocysteine and Lp(a) may be better markers for heart disease. I have enuff muscle pains as it is - if the statins gave me a potential 6 mo increase in total life span but I had to suffer with muscle pain the whole time - I'd rather take my chances on something else - maybe resveritrol - something other than statins.

[Yaps]

High homocysteins ... that is the marker for me, docs know this. They have yet to say Ive high cholestorol,I guess they put me on it for cya situation... but this is just too much, since Ive flushed Ive actually felt better.lol...Im 48 years old,,, and sure didnt feel it, and nothing eases it, nothing short of morphine I guess.Thankyou

[hensylee]

Perhaps this thread could be a marker for those who have muscle problems and are taking statins. Those of you who have quit, why not come back in a few weeks, and then a few months to report your conditions/improvements.

Lipitor was the highest prescribed medicine in the U.S. for awhile (maybe still is), probably made the most $ for the company than any other drug they ever made. Drs are rewarded for rxing certain drugs, you know. Example - I am now on Zetia. After every refill I get a letter from my 'pharmacist' when it's time to refill the rx. The letter supposedly comes from the pharmacy but actually it's from the manufacturer of Zetia. (this cost probably is added on to the cost of the rx) So these drug companies know when you refill - and who rxed it. They keep track. Unbelievable what goes on under the table - out of the limelight. And the patient never knows this, do we?

[Karlynn]

Is this issue just with Lipitor, or do all statins have these side-effects and to what degree?

[hensylee]

I speak only for Lipitor because that's the one I took for so long. However, I believe statins, in general, have the same properties. Others may have comments on this, but you can also do a search on google for 'statins' and see what is said about side effects.

[Yaps]

as lipitor is the main one Ive taken, took niaspan with lipitor right after ohs..dont recall why it wasnt refilled :confused: Ive read of all statins giving problems to some people, but I personally believe lipitor is the worst, isnt baycol a statin? It was removed from the market, as it caused some deaths? Am I remembering wrong? :confused:

[inlaguna]

I think you are right on the baycol. I have been on lipitor for about 10 years ( since it was introduced) and thankfully have not had the same problems. I did experience some memory issues at the very start ( short term memory loss) , but that stabilized pretty quickly........I think....maybe I don't remember. Anycase, total cholesterol went from 290s to 150 and with my family history I think that's where I need to be.

dan

[Phyllis]

I was on 20mg Pravachol, but my doctor was not satisfied with the results, so put me on Lipitor- I couldn't take that- strange headaches and muscle aches. She then put me on 40 mg Pravachol last year and last winter, I could hardly walk the grocery store aisles so I convinced her to put me back on 20mg dose. She wanted to add Zetia to that, but I turned that down unti I get my next blood test in May. I told her I would work more on the "diet", but have not been that successful at that down here in FL. :) I seem to tolerate the 20mg of Pravachol, but still do have "weary" legs- not sure if my arthritic knees are adding to that or it's the statin. Zochor, Lipitor, Crestor, Pravachol are all statins and all have the same side effects listed. I believe the higher the dose, the more prevalent the side effects.

[Old clicker]

I've been on Lipitor for over 2 years now. The only two symptons I have are lower cholesterol, and cramps in my feet. The cramps I hadn't attributed to the Lipitor, until now.

[Yaps]

I havent had a headache, honest, not one. Still have the pulsation and dizziness when I turn my head due to carotid.
I can swallow :p , this quite amazes me as I had posted of my swallowing difficulties a while back, doc buckley said it was my carotid doing this ,and jaw claudication. Well my swallowing has improved ummmm... 80% maybe?
I was afraid to eat.. :eek: .
I can walk a little better, claudication still slows me down, but before I was having excruciating pain while doing absolutely nothing .
So overall I am quite pleased with the Great Flush.
Love the pup

[hensylee]

could niaspan be co-q10? It was suggested by my cardio's nurse practitioner that I add co-q10 after I told him of my muscle problems. Anybody else been told to take co-q10 with statin?

[Yaps]

You probably hear about LDL ("bad") cholesterol most often because it's closely linked to increasing your risk of heart disease. However, by taking away excess cholesterol, HDL ("good") cholesterol can actually decrease your risk of having a heart attack, so the higher your good cholesterol, the better.

Keep in mind that it's important to manage good cholesterol, bad cholesterol, and triglycerides to reduce your risk of having a heart attack.

NIASPAN® is approved to prevent recurrent heart attacks in patients with high cholesterol, but has not been shown to prevent the development of heart disease.

Ask your doctor if NIASPAN is right for you.

NIASPAN is a prescription cholesterol medication, used along with diet and exercise, to significantly increase your HDL ("good") cholesterol while also lowering your LDL ("bad") cholesterol.

Taken once a day at bedtime, NIASPAN has been proven (average effect depends on dose) to:

Increase HDL ("good") cholesterol by 10% to 26%
Reduce LDL ("bad") cholesterol by 3% to 17%
Reduce triglycerides (TG) by 5% to 35%

Your doctor may prescribe NIASPAN with lovastatin (a statin) to improve your cholesterol levels even more.

Important Information About NIASPAN
NIASPAN® (niacin extended-release tablets) is a prescription medication, used along with diet and exercise, to improve cholesterol levels. NIASPAN® increases HDL ("good") cholesterol and reduces LDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglycerides. NIASPAN® is not for everyone, including those allergic to its ingredients. Consult your physician if you have a liver problem, stomach ulcers, or a serious bleeding problem.

NIASPAN® is approved to prevent recurrent heart attacks in patients with high cholesterol, but has not been shown to prevent the development of heart disease.

If you take NIASPAN® in combination with a statin, tell your doctor about any unusual muscle pain or weakness, as this could be a sign of a serious but rare side effect. Also tell your doctor about any other medications and vitamin supplements you are taking to avoid possible drug interactions. NIASPAN® should be used with caution if you consume large amounts of alcohol. Your doctor will do simple blood tests before and during treatment with NIASPAN® to check for liver problems.

NIASPAN® is the only prescription extended-release form of niacin. Do not switch to another form of niacin, as it may cause damage to your liver.

Flushing (warmth, redness, itching, and/or tingling of the skin) is the most common side effect. This sensation usually occurs when you start taking NIASPAN® or when your NIASPAN® dose is increased, and becomes less frequent over time. In most patients, flushing is mild to moderate. Some people may experience more severe and intense flushing. Additional symptoms may include rapid or pronounced heartbeat, shortness of breath, swelling, sweating, chills, dizziness, and in rare cases, fainting. Other common side effects may include headache, pain, diarrhea, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, itching, and rash. These are usually mild and tend to go away.

NIASPAN® may cause an increase in blood sugar levels. If you have diabetes, you should carefully check your blood sugar levels and report any changes to your doctor.

[Raverlaw]

I've been on a low dose (10mg) of Lipitor daily for 13 months now. In combination with a low fat diet and exercise, my cholesterol is rock bottom (I can hear the chant now: How low can you go? How low can you go?)

I have experienced muscle cramping in my legs and especially in my feet, usually in the evening about 1-2 hours after taking the Lipitor. Between the cramping and the cost (my health plan charges me a huge deductible for this one), I've been considering going off of it, but I'm going to wait for my next cholesterol test and see how I'm doing.

[JimChicago]

Hensylee -
Here's alink to Dr Whiaker's petition to the FDA concerning CoQ10 and statins -

From:
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2002/aug2002_legalnotes_01.html
>>>>
DR. JULIAN M. WHITAKER PETITIONS FDA
TO INCLUDE COENZYME Q10 USE RECOMMENDATION IN ALL STATIN DRUG LABELING

On May 23, 2002, Dr. Julian M. Whitaker filed two citizens petitions with the Food and Drug Administration. The petitions call on the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to change the labeling of all HMG CoA reductase inhibitor drugs (the so-called statin drugs), and to issue a Medication Guide, warning consumers of the need to take coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) whenever they take a statin drug, as follows:

Warning: HMG CoA reductase inhibitors block the endogenous biosynthesis of an essential cofactor, coenzyme Q10, required for energy production. A deficiency of coenzyme Q10 is associated with impairment of myocardial function, with liver dysfunction and with myopathies (including cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure). All patients taking HMG CoA reductase inhibitors should therefore be advised to take 100 to 200 mg per day of supplemental coenzyme Q10.


Pictured: Dr. Julian M. Whitaker

The petitions explain that statins deplete coenzyme Q10 stores in the body and increase congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy risk. They call on the FDA Commissioner to take immediate action to safeguard the millions of statin drug users.
>>>>
[full article at above link]

[SHerrin Hutt]

I was on Zocar for yrs and never had all theses problems I have with Liptor. I can't sleep and my memory is the pits and the leg cramps are horrible. Over the yrs. I've been on Zetia and Creator and creator cause the most problems with my PT. I had to take double the warfine. Then went they stopped it my pt went off the charts and fell and it was a good thing I landed on my foot and nothing else or I wouldn't be writing this right now. The whole experience was a nightmare. I hope none of you have to go through what I did. So be careful with some theses new stain drugs.

[geebee]

I have high cholesterol and triglycerides but also very high HDL. Since I have fibromyalgia and restless leg syndrome both which contribute to sometimes excruciating muscle cramps, my doctor has decided against statin drugs. Right now we are simply working on diet & exercise. I have to be careful of diets as well to make sure I get enough potassium, etc. to avoid more muscle cramps.

Luckily I have great HDL and regular tests have indicated no sign of arterial buildup. I am comfortable with staying off cholesteral medication.

Of course, only time will tell if I made the wrong choice :o .

I am also one of those people who are very sensitive to meds and try to avoid adding any new ones.

[Harmony]

Last year a Neurolgist I was seeing form my Migraines said i should take Pravachol 10 mg as my LDL was 133 and HDL was 81. He thought this might help me with my Migraines(of course it did not) MY PCP never thought this was necessary as my HDL was very high. Then in May when I found out my MVP had progressed to moderately severe and a TEE showed a patent fora patent foramen ovale my new Cardio said I should keep taking Pravachol. Blood taken 2 weeks ago show HDL 98 and LDL 96. I started to get leg pains about 1 month ago usually on the lower part of my left leg several inches above the ankle on the front of my leg. My PCP thought it was nothing but as the pain was really bad he sent me for a arterial doppler which is a vascular ultrasonography on Thursday. I dont have the results yet. When i read this topic today I am wondering if this problem is caused by the Pravachol as it is also a statin drug. Till last year MVP was the reason I took antibotics before seeing a dentist. My former Cardio that I saw for 6 years always told me my MVP was nothing to worry about and then I found out it went from trace regurg to +3. Do you think this leg pain is something for me to worry about

[Blanche]

Al has been taking Lipitor (20 mg) for three years and has enjoyed lower cholesterol levels with no other concerns. I have been taking Zocor. At first, it gave me some very troublesome muscle spasms. Our doctor monitored me closely...very closely. He also takes Zocor and advised that he had some muscle problems at first. The spasms lasted about two weeks, off and on. Scared the beegebers out of me, but I continued because of my confidence in the doctor. Have had no further problems, but do maintain a significantly lower cholesterol level...from 265 to l75.

With the Baycol scare, it is so hard to know what to do. When I first got a muscle cramp, I was so very worried. I'm glad that I have access to my doc. Without that, I would have stopped at once. I don't mean to make light of anyone's concerns because we do know that there have been serious side-effects of statin drugs. I merely share my experiences, for what they are worth. As always, one size does not fit all.

Regards,

Blanche

[bvdr]

I have never had any problems with high cholesterol. The reason I was put on the Lipitor is that there are some studies that seem to indicate that statins may retard the progress of valve calcification. I hate taking any medication that isn't clearly necessary and especially one that, in my opinion(and that is the one that matters to me here ;) ), was really reducing the quality of my life. My cardio will understand.

[Yaps]

I see dr today, and will inform him of The Great Flush, same as some in here, my cholestorol has never been questioned, homocysteins were and still are, which is why I take folate and vitamin b-12 & b-6.... I thank all who have responded, and am pleased to know I am not alone. Love Yaps

[charlie b]

I just had my aortic valve replaced last week. About 3 months ago my Primary Care (a very good Doctor, and trusted friend) put me on Lipitor. After taking the med. for 1 month my numbers were good. On his suggestion I continued taking it until my surgery. During all of my presurgery testing they found no artery problems whatsoever. I mentioned the Lipitor to the cardiologist on my release day and he said go on taking it. I will be having follow-ups with surgeon and cardiolgist in the near future. I had already planned to pursue the matter with both of them. At this point (3 months of taking the med.) I have had little or no side effects that I am aware of. All of that to ask this, for about the last 3 weeks I have had a ringing in my ears, sort of like a cricket chirping. Has anyone ever experienced this, I was hoping to come out of surgery with the ringing gone, as I thought it might be caused by my valve/circulation problem. Thanks charlie b

[Yaps]

chirping, but I do tend to get dizzy, sometimes blackout when I turn my head sharply to the left, had a by-pass last month on left carotid so its not as severe.
Still hear pulse though.
The chirping almost sounds like Meneieres disease?
love Yaps

[DuchessBear]

Another side effect of statins to look out for is peripheral neuropathy. Here are the symptoms from a WebMD page:

• A tingling sensation in the toes or in the balls of the feet that eventually spreads up the legs toward the trunk. Less commonly, the sensation may begin in the hands and spread up the arms.
• Numbness in the hands and feet that spreads up the arms and legs.
• Weakness or heaviness in muscles throughout the body. This may be accompanied by cramping, especially in the feet, legs, and hands.
• Sensitive skin that may be painful to the touch. Prickling, burning, tingling, or sharp stabbing sensations may occur spontaneously and usually worsen at night.
• A foot-drop walking gait and/or problems with balance or coordination

[SHerrin Hutt]

I stoped my lipitor teh first of the week and I can't belive how much better my legs feel.

[Yaps]

honestly say I feel better, never a statin down this throat again..ever..