lipitor and feet and hand muscle cramps

Home  Site map  About  Contact

Health Supreme by Sepp Hasslberger

Networking For A Better Future - News and perspectives you may not
find in the media

Networking For A Better Future - News and perspectives you may not
find in the media

Health Supreme

News Blog

Site Map

NewsGrabs

Economy

Environment

Epidemics

Health

Human Potential

Legislation

Pharma

Science

Society

Technology

The Media

War Crimes

Articles Archive

See also:

Communication Agents:

INACTIVE

Ivan Ingrilli

Chris Gupta

Tom Atlee

INACTIVE

Emma Holister

Rinaldo Lampis

Steve Bosserman

CA Journal

Robin Good's
Web sites:

Activism:

AIDS:

Vaccines:

Pharma:

Information:

The Individual - Human Ability:

Society - Politics:

Economy:

Technology:

January 31, 2004 Print this article

Lipitor - The Human Cost
========================

CategoriesHealth
Pharma

Lipitor, a cholesterol lowering drug made by Pfizer and sold to
millions of health conscious but ill informed patients, is one of
the most profitable drugs the pharmaceutical industry has ever
come up with. Sales account for a quarter of Pfizer's $ 32 billion
annual sales. Expected to gross more than $ 10 billion this year,
Lipitor is poised to become the largest-selling pharmaceutical in
history, surpassing Pfizer's other wonder drug, Viagra.

But the price to society is much higher than a mere 8 to 10
billion dollars. Lipitor and other drugs in the statin class, such
as Bayer's version Baycol - removed from the market by its maker -
are not only lowering cholesterol. These drugs apparently ruin
perfectly good lives with "side effects" that lead to slow
degradation into physical disability. The story of Doug Peterson
and other residents of Tahoe City may be coldly dismissed as
"anecdotal evidence", but there is no excuse for scientific
statistical sofistry. Every tragedy is real - when it happens to
you, the risk is 100%.

Let's look at the pharmaceutical profit model for a moment. Drugs
are developed and they have to be sold, otherwise - no profit. In
the case of Lipitor and its similars, that means a market has to
be created. Cholesterol, a beneficial substance in the human body,
is targetted as a bad sign of impending heart disease. Drugs are
promoted to "lower cholesterol". Mind you, not to prevent heart
disease but to turn off the blinking warning lights. Billions are
made, a huge empire of multinational corporations is built to
"take care of our health" - by selling us drugs. National
economies are all but bankrupted by the costs of health care, most
of it to pay for drugs. What's more, national and personal
economies are also bearing the cost - sometimes vastly greater
than the mere cost of a prescription - of these drugs' side
effects, the cost of drug induced illness and disability.

Who is responsible? The drug barons? The medical researchers? The
media which never told us?Or none of them?

I like what Karla, Doug's wife, has to say: "We are hoping he is
going to get better. That's our number one goal. Anger is a waste
of energy at this point. We are trying to recover and get the word
out."

Also Doug is taking the matter with a good deal of philosophy: "At
this point, I consider myself lucky I'm not in a wheelchair," says
Doug, who is currently in phsyical therapy. "There are no
guarantees in life. Your birth certificate doesn't come with a
warranty."

In other words: Do it yourself. The responsibility is ours. Help
get the word out about what is really happening.

Also see links on the cholesterol scam at the end, and
particularly this one, which pulls the rug from underneath the
recommendations to "get your cholesterol down" by all means, even
with medication that has serious side effects.

January 29, 2004

LIFE AFTER LIPITOR: Is Pfizer product a quick fix or dangerous
drug? Residents experience adverse reactions

(Article originally found in Tahoe Tribune)

By Melissa Siig, Tahoe World Staff

At first glance, Tahoe City resident Doug Peterson looks like he
is recovering from a stroke.

His speech is slurred, he has difficulty walking in a straight
line, and he can't sign his own name. By afternoon, he is so
fatigued he has to sit down for the rest of the day. When asked
his age, Peterson says he is 52. His wife Karla, standing nearby,
corrects him. He is 53.

Doug has never had a heart attack, and until the onset of the
symptoms almost three years ago, was an active skier, biker and
scuba diver. Now he is limited to walks on the treadmill. Doug
traces his problems to a drug he started taking almost three years
before his health began deteriorating - Lipitor. Two other Tahoe
City locals have also experienced negative side effects from
taking Lipitor or other statins, the name for a family of
cholesterol-fighting pills.

While there is no concrete evidence linking Doug's health problems
to Lipitor, after doing years of research, meeting with doctors
and talking to other statin sufferers all over the world online,
he and Karla are convinced of the connection. Pfizer, the maker of
Lipitor, claims the drug is effective in lowering cholesterol and
has minor side-effects. But as Doug and others would ask, is it
worth it?

WONDER DRUG OR DANGEROUS PILL?

Doug, who has hereditary high cholesterol, was first prescribed
Mevacor, a statin made by Merck, in 1998. Six months later, his
doctor had him switch to Lipitor, which comes in higher doses, and
upped his dosage from 10 to 20 mg. His cholesterol dropped from
285 to a low of 160.

"The doctor was very pleased," said Doug, "but meanwhile the
symptoms started."

In the fall of 2000, Doug began having restless sleep patterns.
His twitching and flying arms got so bad that Karla had to sleep
in another room. One time, Doug even fell out of bed. The couple
didn't think anything was seriously wrong until a few months later
when Doug started slurring his words. This was followed by a loss
of balance and the beginning of what Doug calls the "statin
shuffle" - a slow, wobbly walk across a room. Next to slide was
Doug's fine motor skills. It took him five minutes to write four
words, much of which was illegible. Finally, he tired easily and
his cognitive memory processing diminished. He had trouble
following books with complex plots.

Confounded by Doug's illness, over the next two years the
Petersons traveled all over California meeting with neurologists,
internists and acupuncturists. Doug had MRIs, brain scans and
neurofeedback tests done. Last February, Doug's doctor suggested
he go off Lipitor to see if the drug was causing his health
problems. After three weeks, the symptoms persisted, so the doctor
put Doug back on the pill. Since Doug wasn't exhibiting the most
common side effect, muscle cramps, and his liver function tests
came back normal, the physician was doublly sure that Lipitor was
not to blame.

Finally, last spring, a doctor in Pasadena suggested Lipitor could
be the culprit. Doug went off the drug in May, and since then his
symptoms have stopped their downward spiral and his health has
slowly started to improve. According to Karla, his mind is
sharper, his balance is better and his speech is more clear in the
mornings, before he gets tired. But he still has a long way to go.

"Before, I was a good father and family person," said Doug, who
has two children with Karla. "At this point, I can't do that
much."

A former Navy diver and owner of Sierra Tahoe Computers, a repair
and service business, Doug has had to cut down his work schedule
because of his fatigue and loss of hand coordination. He is
considering going on disability, but Karla remains optimistic.

"We are hoping he is going to get better. That's our number one
goal," she said. "Anger is a waste of energy at this point. We are
trying to recover and get the word out."

DID PFIZER DO ENOUGH STUDIES?

Since Parke-Davis (later acquired by Pfizer) developed Lipitor in
1997, it has become the number one prescribed cholesterol-lowering
drug in the United States, with more than 18 million Americans
having been prescribed the drug. New York City-based Pfizer, the
world's largest pharmaceutical company, derives a quarter of its
$32 billion in annual sales from Lipitor, according to an article
in SmartMoney. With sales expected to top $10 billion this year,
Lipitor is poised to become the largest-selling pharmaceutical in
history, surpassing Pfizer's other wonder drug, Viagra.

Lipitor is proven to lower total cholesterol by 29 to 45 percent.
As with any prescription, it comes with a list of possible side
effects, such as muscle pain or weakness and liver dysfunction.
Pfizer's Web site states, "The most commonly reported side effects
are gas, constipation, stomach pain and indigestion. They are
usually mild and tend to go away." In a nine-month study of 2,502
patients, Pfizer found that more serious side effects, such as
facial paralysis, colon inflammation and gallbladder pain,
occurred in less than 2 percent of those treated.

Pfizer was unable to commment on reported adverse side effects in
time for the Tahoe World's deadline.

The problem, say the Petersons, is that Pfizer has not conducted
any long-term studies. Doug's health issues didn't start for two
and a half years after he started taking Lipitor. Similarly, Tahoe
City psychologist John Altrocchi, 75, was on Mevacor for around
three years when he started to develop calf pain that became so
severe he could hardly walk. He also experienced a case of
temporary memory loss called transient global amnesia (TGA), which
has been linked with statins. A day after watching the 1998 Super
Bowl game, Altrocchi had no memory of the event.

"There's no way you could prove that Mevacor was responsible for
the TGA, but it's very possible," said Altrocchi, who stopped
taking the drug about three years ago and convinced his brother, a
retired neurologist, to go off Lipitor. "Especially for older men,
I think it's wise to get off statins right away. There is very
little evidence they do much good."

While most symptoms seem to start after a few years, Ed Ontiveros
of Homewood began having physical problems within 30 days of
taking Lipitor. After experiencing muscle aches and weakness for a
few days, the 75-year old fell in the bathroom and didn't have the
strength to get up. Since going off the drug, he's had no
problems.

"It reduced cholesterol is not worth it with the side effects,"
said Ontiveros. "You may not live as long, but you sure don't want
to die earlier."

Doctors are quick to prescribe Lipitor, says Karla, because they
perceive it as a magic bullet in the battle against cardiovascular
disease, the leading cause of death for Americans, and it's easier
than prescribing a long-term regime of healthy diet and exercise.
But the evidence that high cholesterol leads to heart disease is
not conclusive, said Altrocchi, and there is even speculation that
cholesterol provides protection for the brain and spine.

THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

The Petersons say Pfizer is too powerful to take on alone, but
would consider joining a class-action lawsuit against the company.
However, lawyers have told them a lawsuit is only possible if
Lipitor gets recalled by the Food and Drug Administration.
(Another statin, Baycol, was recalled by Bayor in 2001 after 31
people died of kidney failure while on the drug.) The Petersons
filled out a complaint on the FDA Web page and encourage other
Lipitor sufferers to do the same.

Frustrated by doctors who doubt the connection between Lipitor and
health problems, the Petersons are awaiting the results of a study
being conducted by Dr. Beatrice Golomb, a neurologist at the
University of California-San Diego, on the effects of statin
drugs. As reported by the Wall Street Journal this week, Golomb
found that 15 percent of statin patients developed some cognitive
side effects. In the meantime, the couple is focusing on Doug's
recovery and staying positive.

"At this point, I consider myself lucky I'm not in a wheelchair,"
said Doug, who is currently in phsyical therapy. "There are no
guarantees in life. Your birth certificate doesn't come with a
warranty."

For more information, contact Doug Peterson at dwp22@hotmail.com
or visit Drug Information Technologies at www.ditonline.com.

Here is an update from 12 February:

February 12, 2004

Letters to the Editor

Lipitor article draws debate

I've had some interesting conversations with community members
after the "Life After Lipitor" article was printed on Jan. 29. I
am not a doctor and do not want to give medical advice, but I
believe that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs can harm some of
the people taking them.

Statins are extremely popular drugs and we know that they are
being prescribed to millions of people. Last year, more than $13
billion was spent on the two top selling statin drugs. U.S.
citizens pay three times as much for medications than people in
other first world countries, yet overall we have a shorter life
expectancy (see Time magazine, Feb. 4, 2004.) So it is interesting
to note that spending more on medications does not necessarily
prolong life.

We are ultimately responsible for our own health. Heart attacks
occur because of many different risk factors. Cholesterol is just
one of many. Other factors include weight, age, stress, diet,
smoking, exercise and family history. We still have a lot to learn
about how to prevent and treat heart disease.

In the past, my doctors told me that statins did not have serious
side effects. But when I read the very fine print about possible
adverse reactions, I found over 130 side effects reported by the
manufacturer. I realize that statins and most other drugs have
side effects and there is a risk in taking any medication.

I believe the manufacturers report that 2 percent or less of
statin patients develop most of the known side effects, while
other researchers are reporting problems in up to 15 percent of
patients. We do not know what the total figure will eventually
prove to be, and it may be far greater than what we initially
suspected. If you are one of the people who are harmed, then the
percentage probably doesn't matter to you!

The side effects of statins seem to be related to several factors,
including the age of the patient, dosage, type of statin, and
duration of treatment. Some statins are far more powerful and
therefore, I suspect, more likely to cause side effects than
others.

To me, there seems to be three groups of statin patients. The
first group includes the people who take the drug without any
apparent side effects. The second group includes people who use
statins but are developing side effects. Then there is the third
group that took statins, had problems and stopped taking the
medication.

If you are in the first group of patients and are tolerating your
statin medication, please be aware of the possible side effects of
the drug. They are listed in very fine print on the manufacturer's
information sheet. If you are taking the drug and are developing
unusual symptoms, consider the possibility that the problems may
be related to your medication and know that the symptoms are
likely to continue as long as you take the drug. For those of you
who already experienced problems with the medication and stopped
taking it, try to be patient. The more severe your symptoms, the
longer it seems to take to recover.

Doug Peterson

Tahoe City

• - - - - -

Several of those who commented on this article have asked for
information on natural ways to lower cholesterol. Here is a link
to a site discussing this question, found on the Alternative
Medicine Forum (Yahoo Group):

Lowering Cholesterol with a Healthier Way of Eating
How is high cholesterol defined? High cholesterol or
hypercholesterolemia is defined as total cholesterol greater than
200 mg/dL with the high risk category greater than 240 mg/dL. At
these levels, particularly when the ratio of LDL to HDL
cholesterol is greater than 4:1, risk of cardiovascular disease is
significantly increased. The ratio of LDL: HDL should be at least
4:1 because each HDL can pick up and transport 4 LDL back to the
liver. If I have high cholesterol levels, can a healthy way of
eating help me lower them into a normal range? ...

• - -

A C T I O N A L E R T   

( September 2006 )

Some people commenting on this article are asking what can be done
to end the tragedy of people getting sicker and sicker with the
use of statin drugs, and many are ready to join a class action
against the drug makers.

Here is another action anyone in the U.S. can do, as suggested by
Duane "Space Doc" Graveline, who has collected much information
about statin drugs on his website and has written a book: Statin
Drug Side Effects

The action: Write to the members of the Senate Finance Committee
explaining that statin drugs such as Lipitor do not help the U.S
economy at all. You can put some of your own experiences in that
letter, but for a general outline, here is a sample text to
download. You should of course suitably amend it, leave out parts
you don't care about and add in what you yourself think is of
importance, before sending it off to your Senator or Senators.

For a listing of the members of the Senate Finance Committee, go
to this site.

More recent action:

Petition calls on World Health Organization to investigate Statin
Drug Use
Statin therapies are being prescribed to people around the globe.
Evidence has emerged that statins can be hazardous to health. The
prime rationale for their use is the notion that raised
cholesterol is harmful. However, much evidence suggests that a low
serum cholesterol is associated with depression, suicide, muscle
damage, memory loss and general ill-health. The petition calls on
the World Health Organisation to initiate a full and impartial,
global investigation into the damage caused by therapeutic doses
of all available statins, for the treatment of all forms of
hypercholesterolaemia. There are far too many casualties of statin
therapy for them all to be statistically insignificant.

• - -

See also other links on statins and cholesterol:

Is High Cholesterol Really Bad?
People with high cholesterol live the longest. This statement
seems so incredible that it takes a long time to clear one's
brainwashed mind to fully understand its importance. Yet the fact
that people with high cholesterol live the longest emerges clearly
from many scientific papers. Consider the finding of Dr. Harlan
Krumholz of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Yale
University, who reported in 1994 that old people with low
cholesterol died twice as often from a heart attack as did old
people with a high cholesterol. Supporters of the cholesterol
campaign consistently ignore his observation, or consider it as a
rare exception, produced by chance among a huge number of studies
finding the opposite. But it is not an exception; there are now a
large number of findings that contradict the lipid hypothesis...

STATINS MAY CAUSE NERVE DAMAGE
A Danish study reports that some people who took statin drugs to
lower cholesterol developed a type of nerve damage called
polyneuropathy. Polyneuropathy is characterized by tingling,
numbness and burning pain as well as decreased sensitivity to
temperature or pain. When a person suffers nerve damage, a doctor
is supposed to look for a cause, such as diabetes, lack of vitamin
B12, Lyme disease, kidney disease, thyroid disease or alcohol
abuse. People who had taken statins and developed polyneuropathies
were checked for known causes of nerve damage. Researchers showed
that people taking statins were 4 to 14 times more likely to
develop polyneuropathy than those who did not take statins.
Statins include Lescol, Lipitor, Mevacor, and Pravachol. Check
with your doctor about any side effects from your medications.
Reference: Neurology May 14, 2002;58:1321-1322, 1333-1337

Lipitor, Neuromuscular Degeneration, and Recovery
by Jonathan Campbell
Numerous adverse side effect reports have implicated Lipitor and
other statin drugs as a probable cause for severe neuromuscular
degeneration. Some people who have been using Lipitor for as
little as six months report symptoms similar to Muscular
Dystrophy, Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis or ALS - Lou
Gehrig's Disease - in which they are losing neuromuscular control
of their bodies or losing significant muscle mass...

Cholesterol is NOT the Cause of Heart Disease
...an article on Dr Mercola's site for more background on
cholesterol

THE TRUTH ABOUT CHOLESTEROL
By Dr. James Howenstine, MD. - February 20, 2005
Cholesterol is not really the villain portrayed in the
pharmaceutical ads. It is actually a vital substance needed in
every cell of the body...

Statin drug Crestor damages kidneys of patients, says Public
Citizen
The statin drug Crestor is a highly dangerous prescription drug
that causes an alarming rate of kidney damage, says Public
Citizen, a consumer protection group. The drug, manufactured by
AstraZeneca, is responsible for a rate of kidney disease 75 times
higher than with other similar drugs.

Transient Global Amnesia – A Side Effect Of Statin Treatment

"You're my Wife?" Amnesia is Possible Side Effect of Statin Drug

The Vitamin C Foundation's Statin Drug Alert

Statinalert Org

The Statin Scam Marches On
Considering that tens of millions of Americans now take statins to
lower cholesterol, the following headline was conspicuously absent
from the major media this month: “Statins Found to Turn On Gene
that Causes Muscle Damage.” It’s now a fact of science; a new
study shows that taking statins destroys your muscle to a greater
or lesser degree. And let’s not forget that the heart is a muscle.

Place this study juxtaposed to another rather interesting recent
finding: the more fit you are the longer you will live – and the
two just don’t add up. How can you destroy muscle and be more fit?
You can’t. Sure you can drug your cholesterol number lower, but
will you be healthier, fit, and live longer?

High cholesterol may protect against infections and
atherosclerosis

Vitamin C beats statins in cholesterol - heart disease

Statin Drugs: The Ultimate Manifestation of Anti-Cholesterol
Stupidity?

Statin Drugs - A Critical Review of the Risk/Benefit Clinical
Research

Let them eat cake, butter, cream ... For decades the advice has
been to cut cholesterol and protect your heart. Now some doctors
think it makes no difference

Cholesterol Drugs Tied to Birth Defects U.S. government study
finds an unusually high number of abnormalities in babies of women
who took statins during first trimester of pregnancy

Cardiologists Overlook Lifesaving Discovery

Colesterol Myth - It's official: Statins proponents have lost
their minds!

Consumer Group Seeks Cholesterol Drug Ban

Cholesterol drug warning issued

The Dangers of Statin Drugs: What You Haven't Been Told About
Cholesterol-Lowering Medication, Part I

The Dangers of Statin Drugs: What You Haven't Been Told About
Cholesterol-Lowering Medication, Part II

The Dangers of Statin Drugs: What You Haven't Been Told About
Cholesterol-Lowering Medication, Part III

The Dangers of Statin Drugs: What You Haven't Been Told About
Cholesterol-Lowering Medication, Part IV

The Dangers of Statin Drugs: What You Haven't Been Told About
Cholesterol-Lowering Medication - References

THE HIDDEN ORIGIN OF STATIN DRUGS

The Hidden Truth About Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs
... is yet another weapon fit for your arsenal of intellectual
self-defense against the myth that cholesterol causes heart
disease and that, to protect your health, you must contribute your
fair share to the $26 billion/year empire of cholesterol-lowering
statin drugs. The author Shane Ellison possesses a Master's degree
in organic chemistry. After first-hand experience in drug design,
he abandoned what he calls "synthetic medicine" to become an
independent researcher, nutritional consultant, developer of
product testing certification, and designer of numerous
nutritional supplements. He is also a member of The International
Network of Cholesterol Skeptics.

The side effects of Lipitor - apparently not so uncommon as the
manufacturer of the drug would have us believe - are starting to
provoke some action. There are two recent (June 2006) lawsuits,
and an older class action filed at the US District Court in Boston
in September last year. See:

Lawsuits Filed Over Lipitor Side Effects

Class Action - Statins Increases Heart Disease By 10% In Women

Fish Oil Works Better Than Statins at Improving HDL Cholesterol
An interesting study shows how fish oil -- not the statin drug
Lipitor --influences how HDL cholesterol works far more safely and
better than taking a pill. Australian researchers studied the
effects of fish oil and Lipitor in a six-week trial on 48
insulin-resistant, obese men, both separately and combined. No
surprise, fish oil and Lipitor, together, greatly lowered plasma
triacylglycerols and raised HDL cholesterol levels. But it was
fish oil, not Lipitor, that influenced HDL cholesterol...

Cholesterol, Lipitor, and Big Government: The Terror Campaign
Against Us All

Permananet Side Effects from Statin Drugs
Not only have statin drug companies failed to adequately warn
prescribing physicians of permanent cognitive loss associated with
statin use, they have failed to warn about permanent neuromuscular
and neurodegenerative consequences. Thousands of unsuspecting
patients have become victims and in most of these cases their
doctors, having had no advance warning from the pharmaceutical
industry, have tended to disregard patient complaints, offering
almost any explanation other than the correct one.

Patients Can Report Statins' Adverse Effects On New Web Site
A new web site at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
School of Medicine - http://www.statineffects.com - will enable
people from around the world to self-report adverse effects of
statin drug use, or use of other cholesterol drugs. The site will
provide access to a broad group of people, facilitating the
opportunity for patients to confidentially share information about
their experience.

Low cholesterol linked to higher death rate: study
In what scientists are calling a "cholesterol paradox," new
research is linking low cholesterol with a higher death rate in
people with heart failure -- the opposite of what researchers
expected. A study of 10,701 patients with suspected heart failure
found those with low cholesterol were 1.7 times more likely to die
within 12 weeks of being hospitalized than people with normal
cholesterol. Having very low cholesterol was nearly as dangerous
as having very high cholesterol, says Dr. Periaswamy Velevan, a
research fellow in cardiology at the University of Hull in
England.

Do Statins Raise the Risk of Parkinson's?
A study in the United States has found that patients with low
levels of LDL cholesterol are three times more likely to have
Parkinson's disease. The researchers are planning largescale
trials to determine whether the drugs are the cause ... experts
sought to reassure patients that statins were safe and should not
be stopped.

CoQ10 helps relieve statin induced muscle pain
Muscle symptoms commonly occur with statin drugs. In some cases
myopathy, or damage to the muscle tissue, can actually occur. Very
rarely, if myopathy occurs and statin therapy is not stopped a
very dangerous condition called rhabdomyolysis can occur which can
sometimes be fatal. According to an article in USA Today, Public
Citizen, a consumer watchdog group, “linked 72 fatal and 772
non-fatal cases of muscle breakdown, known as rhabdomyolysis, to
all six of the statins sold between October 1997 and December
2000. The study found 29 earlier deaths.”

A study in the May issue of The American Journal of Cardiology
examined the use of CoQ10 supplements to improve muscle symptoms
in patients being treated with statins. The controlled,
double-blind study provided half of 32 patients 100 milligrams
(mgs) of CoQ10 a day for a month and the other half 400 IU of
vitamin E. At the end of the month the patients who were reporting
statin related muscle pain that received the CoQ10 showed
“decreased muscle pain by 40% and improved the interference of
pain with daily life activities by 38%”.

Video: Cholesterol corporate killers
An English bloke describing his personal experience on cholesterol
lowering drugs...

January 2009: First comprehensive paper on statins' adverse
effects released
"Muscle problems are the best known of statin drugs' adverse side
effects," said Golomb. "But cognitive problems and peripheral
neuropathy, or pain or numbness in the extremities like fingers
and toes, are also widely reported." A spectrum of other problems,
ranging from blood glucose elevations to tendon problems, can also
occur as side effects from statins.

Statins Damage Muscles In Many People Taking Them
Over half of individuals taking statins complain of muscle aches
and pains. A new study demonstrates that 56% of those with these
symptoms have injured muscle fibers based on muscle biopsy.

The statin propaganda machine likes to claim that severe muscle
problems are only 1% - 2%. While that may or may not be true, the
issue of actual physical damage to muscles is far higher.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

posted by Sepp Hasslberger on Saturday January 31 2004
updated on Monday July 13 2009

Print this article

URL of this article:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2004/01/31/lipitorthehumancost.htm

Related Articles
----------------

Lipitor: Side Effects And Natural Remedy
Serious side effects have been reported for Lipitor and other
cholesterol-lowering drugs - the so-called statins - prescribed to
millions for preventive purposes. The prescription of these drugs
is based on the discredited hypothesis that high cholesterol
levels cause heart attacks. The cholesterol myth has been one of
the most long lived falsehoods around - probably because it has
been excellent business, both for large pharma producers as well
as... read more
March 18, 2004 - Sepp Hasslberger

STATIN DRUGS Side Effects
and the Misguided War On Cholesterol is an incredible book (an
update of an the earlier book LIPITOR,® THIEF OF MEMORY, no longer
available, now includes all statin side effects not just
cognitive, hence a new a title and cover). A must read for anyone
who is even remotely interested in how our sickness care, billed
as health care, system works. Dr. Graveline, like many, obviously
a very conscientious doctor,... read more
June 28, 2005 - Chris Gupta

Lipitor Neurological Side Effect: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,
Alzheimer's
Lipitor and other statin drugs are well known for their
degradation of muscle tissues and the sometimes excruciating pain
that comes with this. What is less well known is that the
progression of this muscle wasting side effect may lead to a
diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou
Gehrig's disease or motor neurone disease, described as a chronic,
progressive, almost invariably fatal neurological disease. Duane
'Spacedoc' Graveline,... read more
October 07, 2006 - Sepp Hasslberger

Statins May Scramble Memory
Adding to the long list of side effects of statin drugs, a charge
was made by Dr. Golomb that statins may "hamper the brain's
performance and trigger other serious problems." She is leading an
independent clinical trial to find out what harm statins may be
doing. CBS talks of "mind boggling effects" of the statin drugs
and relates the story of Jim Matthews, who found himself reeling
"struck by cognitive... read more
May 25, 2004 - Sepp Hasslberger

Lipitor - Vioxx: Discovering The Statin - Painkiller Chain
Reaction
The recent withdrawal of Merck's blockbuster painkiller Vioxx may
actually afford us a glimpse of a chain of events that is normally
well hidden in research papers, at best selectively disclosed to
the medical community. Vioxx and other new-generation painkillers
such as Bextra and Celebrex have all come under fire for their
tendency to cause an increase of heart attacks. Statin Drugs, such
as Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, Lesocol and Mevacor... read more
December 06, 2004 - Sepp Hasslberger

NATURE'S PERFECT STATIN®
This great article form many on Owen's site is an appropriate
follow up to the recent articles in Vitamin C. See also:
Orthomolecular Solutions to Heart Disease Researchers: Vitamin C
Deficiency Widespread - Link to Heart Disease, Infections, Cancer
Bad News About Statin Drugs LIPITOR,® THIEF OF MEMORY Chris Gupta
NATURE'S PERFECT STATIN® Copyright 2004 by Owen Richard Fonorow
Vitamin C is the original HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor I've not
only... read more
July 12, 2004 - Chris Gupta

Readers' Comments
-----------------

Josef:

That's the sad part of excessive marketing games and profiteering
goals.

Wonder how many more life may get affected.

Suhit

Posted by: Suhit Anantula on February 2, 2004 11:12 AM

Suhit,

I believe that many more lives are already being affected, but by
necessity we can only catch a glimpse here and there. The tragedy
is of world wide proportions.

Josef

Posted by: Josef on February 2, 2004 11:53 AM

Pretty disturbing reading. To my mind, this points again to the
need for good nutrition to build a healthy immune system. As
opposed to
waiting for a weakened immune system to manifest illness and then
relying on powerful drugs (with dangerous side-effects marketed to
maximize profits) to treat the symptoms of the weakened immune
system.

p.s. yes, high cholesterol and heart disease are linked to a
weakened immune system.

Posted by: Bob W on February 3, 2004 07:31 PM

I have been having palpitations after starting Lipitor. I have
started it three times for various reasons. Doctors not agreeing
etc. I am 37 and typically healthy. It seems that each time I
restart Lipitor palpitations resume. I restarted 3 days ago as an
experiment on my own and guess what? My palpitations restarted
today. Previously it took about 30 days for palpitations to begin.
After the second time I began to think that there might be a
pattern. Well I am still not sure if there is any real connection
but my bottle went into the trash today. Have you heard of any
cardiac symptoms connected to lipitor?

Posted by: Mike Cowan on February 27, 2004 03:18 AM

My husband has been taking a high dose of Lipitor for several
years and recently started vomiting every morning. After having
blood tests it turns out his liver was shutting down and dumping
high levels of amonia into his system. He stopped taking Lipitor
and no longer has feels like throwing up every morning.
Hmmmm.....I wonder if it is related.

Posted by: Josef on February 27, 2004 12:09 PM

I just started lipitor a few weeks ago and shortly after I did I
started having trembling in my sleep. The trembling got so severe
it would wake me. I called the Dr. but they said they didn't think
it was related to the lipitor. Does anyone know how long I would
need to be off of the lipitor to find out if that is the cause?

Posted by: Sandra on March 17, 2004 01:15 AM

I took lipitor for two years and then read Dr Michael Eades book
on Protein Power Lifestyle. Started on the program and with in 6
weeks I was able to go off Lipitor. I had no idea drugs were so
dangerous. Thanks for you information.

Posted by: Don on March 24, 2004 04:10 PM

I'm sure Lipitor caused my mother death, in Oct 2003, she was on
Liptors for approx 6 - 8 yrs. she always complaint about
headaches, stomach cramps, neck pain, and had develope renal
disease, cancer in the gallbladder bile duct. I strongly believe
that Lipitor is responsible for many death's and illness and
therefore this medication should be BAN from the market place!

Posted by: Lucy on March 28, 2004 02:00 AM

I was prescribed Lipitor for high cholesterol three weeks ago and
from the very outset have been having palpitations. I read with
interest that Mike C is having the same problem.

Posted by: Noelene on April 4, 2004 01:21 PM

Anyone/please;
My dad took Lipitor for one month and has severe muscle
degeneration in his legs. His Dr. will not admit culpalbility and
therefore will not find out how to treat the problem. Please send
an e-mail to me at dkgrey@tds.net and natural ways you people are
utilizing to recover.

Posted by: David P. French on April 16, 2004 12:52 AM

I was put on Lipitor on March 23, 2004. My BP was 115/70. I
questioned the Dr. about the possible muscle damage that Lipitor
can cause, since I have Fibromyalgia, Dermato Polymyositis,
Tendonitis of my wrists and Osteo Arthritis in my hands. She
didn't think it would be a problem. After three weeks on Lipitor,
I quit taking it. My Muscle pain was severe, I could no longer see
the bones in my ankles or hands and it was difficult to take a
deep breathe, my BP had shot up to 186/96 and wouldn't come down,
had blood clots coming from my nose and many other strange
symptoms. I looked up the side effects of Lipitor and I had at
least 95% of them. I sent the list to my Dr. with a letter stating
all my symptoms and she said .... "She didn't think my symptoms
were caused from the Lipitor." It has been one week since I
stopped taking the Lipitor. I can once again see my ankle bones,
my hand bones, can take a deep breath and fill my lungs. I am
still having pain in my muscles, but it is not as severe. I am
just hoping there was NO permanent damage done to my body as I am
still so weak and feel like the Lipitor had zapped all my strength
and all I wanted to do was sleep. I have litterly been sleeping
since 2pm on Sunday, getting up only to drink liquids or go to the
bathroom or have something light to eat, than back to bed. I was
so frustrated at my Dr. not believing that the Lipitor caused my
symptoms, that I came to the computer and found this website.
Thank you to all for writing as I now know it was not "just in my
head" And to the gentleman who told of the book Protein Power by
both Dr. Eades, a husband and wife team, is the same book my
daughter recommended that I use to regulate my Cholesterol. I have
ordered it and it is on it's way. Again, thank you to all who
posted their problems that stemmed from Lipitor.
Gerry

Posted by: Gerry on April 20, 2004 06:52 PM

My husband has been taking lipitor for
6 years and although he is only 43
feels like he's 60. Lately he's been having severe lower back pain
and neck pain. He feels weak. He will be seeing the Dr. again. I'm
assumming
all this relates to lipitor?

kate

Posted by: kate on April 27, 2004 05:25 PM

I've been on Lipitor for over 3 years with no other side effects
other than gas. Recently I also heard that it can have positive
preventive effects on male prostate cancer. I am doubting the non
medical info that this article contains

Posted by: atfz@comcast.net on May 10, 2004 10:23 PM

I have been on lipitor 2 1/2 years. I have been experiencing
debilitating effects , for the last year and 1/2. I resent the
time I have lost over the last two years. I am considering some
sort of recourse, just wondering if anyone else is?

Posted by: Charles Auvil on May 12, 2004 02:17 AM

My internist at Northwestern prescribed Lipitor last Tuesday,
together with 1000 mg. omega 3 fish oil because of a cholesterol
of 259 and a CRP of 9,9 I am happy to have found this webside and
read the experiences. To date, I have told him I would not take
Lipitor or any other statin. Will vitamin C really help
cholesterol and arterial inflammation? Marylu

Posted by: Marylu G on May 15, 2004 05:53 AM

I took Lipitor for 7 weeks, ending Feb.2004 because my cholesterol
was 227 & my doctor handed me samples. I failed to research it and
did not receive any information about side effects. After
experiencing severe leg pain and intestinal discomfort, a friend
told me Lipitor is poison. I looked up the side effects on the web
and immediately ceased taking it. My doctor sent me to a physical
therapist for 3 weeks for the severe knee pain I still have (it's
May 16th 2004 now) and tomorrow I see a knee specialist, then
Tuesday, a gastroenterologist. At least NOW, I have some
information to support my claim that all my pain and suffering is
due to taking Lipitor. Thank you for that! I only hope the side
effects will eventually go away. I'll let you know if I find out
anything of value from the medical folks...the ones that put me
here with their great concern for possible side effects of high
(not hardly) cholesterol. And the drug companies keep getting
richer by the minute at our expense! Rock on...

Posted by: Michelle on May 17, 2004 03:46 AM

Just found out about the problems with Lipitor. I thought they
were all just mine. I have had all the problems and the latest is
the Muscle contractions and degeneration that mimics ALS. I have
been so frightened that I had it but then I started reading the
systoms everybody was having and they all fit.Pappitations,
Sleep,Tremors (waking and walking the floors at night) Cramps,
Nausea, Vertigo, Dry eyes, pain and stiffness in neck, calf
muscles pain, abdominal pain, weakness, spasms, buzzing and
numbness in legs and feet, big time trouble swallowing and
breathing, trouble talking and pronouncing words, General fatigued
all the time, gallbladder pain bent me double for quite some time
had just removed this January, facial numbness, Missed shopping
for Christmas because my joints were so stiff and hurt so bad,
trouble walking, Knee Pain hard to even get up out of chair or off
the bed, Kidney problems, but the ultimate is the muscles
contracting like rubber bands from my feet to my hips with
excuricating pain that I was sure was ALS. I have complained to my
Doctor but he just gives me another medicine that causes more
problems. I have just come off of the Lipitor 40 on my own which I
have been taking for more than 3 years and the Lipitor 20 I took
another 4 or 5 years and during that time I had a blood clot that
nearly killed me. I hope and pray that this is reversible and that
I regain my strength, the ability to walk without sauntering, talk
with out pauses and be with my family for many years to come. By
the way I am not a medicine freak as I had went long periods of
time without medicine or the help of Doctors except for an
occasionly cold. I have tried to keep many of my problems from my
family but they are now watching me deterioate and it is
frustrating. God save me from the effects of Lipitor. Helen L.
Panter

Posted by: Helen L.Panter on May 18, 2004 07:12 PM

I want to stop taking the lipitor. On 5-11-04 I had congestive
heart failure now I have angioplasty with stents. I had stop
taking the medication because I knew it was harmful but it was
re-started at the hospital. I am slightly over weight, 60Yrs,
African American, with diabetes and high blood pressure. I am very
concerned about the 80mgs of lipitor I am taking daily since the
CHF. which is a lot. I will pick up Protein Power Lifestyle by
Eades this weekend. I believe the lipitor is harmful and will
cause me more damage in the long run. I have been off and on
Lipitor for years. I take omega 3 oils sometimes. I believe I can
change my diet and get safer results. Please send me other info on
reducing my cholesterol so I can get off the Lipitor for good.
Thanks for the info it was very informative.
kci1722@aol.com

Posted by: karon cummings on May 29, 2004 07:48 AM

My grandmother was put on Lipitor in April of 2002. She had always
been a very healthy and strong person but only two months after
starting the medicine she started experiencing extreme muscle
weakness and other side effects it causes. She did in the middle
of July, 2002. This drug is so dangerous and it is wrong that the
industry pushes it like it does and is not held accountable for
what it acutally causes.

Posted by: Leah Manning on May 30, 2004 03:26 AM

Anyone prescribed a statin drug should search on google or yahoo
for "Statins did your doctor tell you". I have been prescribed
statins but never took them. #1 half the people with CVD have low
to normal cholesterol. #2. Cholesterol doesnt cause CVD anyway.
search google THINCS

Posted by: JohnnyS on June 1, 2004 10:03 PM

Have been on Lipitor for 4 years - requested doctor take me off
about 3 months ago - I
had stiffness in my knees & was suspicious - he had me take a
blood test after being off the drug for a month - my
cholesterol was high, so he put me back on the Lipitor -
since then I have been experiencing severe leg pains & have barely
been able to walk for the past 7 weeks - for some reason I never
suspected the Lipitor - thought I'd pulled a groin muscle at first
- the doctor kept telling me to alternate hot & cold packs, which
did no
good - finally went in to see
him yesterday & he told me to
stop the Lipitor - got online
this a.m. & am reading other
people's muscle problems and am convinced this is a Lipitor
problem - went off it yesterday and pray I will be get my legs
back!!!

Posted by: Joan on June 2, 2004 04:13 PM

thanks for your comment on my site and I hope you'll find your way
through the maze of disinformation that is there on both
cholesterol and on preventing health trouble.

A site I have found to contain invaluable information is the one
of Dr. Mercola

http://www.mercola.com/

which you should certainly explore. Mercola not only blasts the
pharmaceutical money makers for their dangerous drugs but offers
nutritional alternatives to improve your health.

There are also those who say cholesterol isn't the cause of bad
health, but quite the opposite.

William Campbell Douglass II, MD

says that cholesterol is actually needed for good health. His
views might seem a bit radical at first, but all he is saying
really is that our traditional way of eating has not killed us in
thousands of years - why should it do so now?

Of course you will have to make up your own mind about all these
things. But do make sure you do your research before you decide
what to believe.

Posted by: Sepp on June 5, 2004 12:58 PM

I have been on lipitor for 3-4 yrs. now. I went back to college
and noticed that it seemed so hard to recall & remember
information. When many people could remember things learned after
only 1-2 times, it would take me 5. Which was not the norm for me.
I was worried that I was actually maybe getting early alzheimers.
Thought everyone would just think I was crazy.. I have noticed my
speech and mental processes slower. I sometimes forget what I am
saying in the middle of conversation, or what I am doing as I walk
into another room(what did I come in here for?)
The funny thing is that I did not know Lipitor even could do this
to people until this week. Then, it all became very clear...I
don't ever recall having the same kind of memory problems prior to
taking this med. I used pride myself in learning/remembering
things pretty quickly, not anymore. Anyone else w/the same
side-effect?? Oh yeah, I have just turned 40. No history of
alzheimers that in my family that I am aware of. Just took my last
Lipitor tab last week.

Posted by: Jen on June 10, 2004 05:15 AM

Does ANYONE know of ANY remedies and/or alternative treatments for
the MUSCLE SORENESS AND DAMAGE caused by lipitor?????? Please,
please post if you do. Thanks.

Posted by: Terrina on June 12, 2004 10:49 PM

Hello Terrina,

co-enzyme Q 10 has been implicated as the culprit in
statin-induced muscle pains. See this short article for an
explanation.

When Baycol (statin made by Bayer) was taken off the market
because of its deadly side effects, it was discovered that Bayer
had been sitting on a patent that discussed the discovery of
statins lowering coQ10 levels, and patented the solution: a statin
with coQ10 included. Bayer never did make the product with coQ10.

Also, this more recent article on my site may be of interest:

Lipitor: Side Effects And Natural Remedy

Posted by: Sepp on June 13, 2004 11:33 AM

Interesting to read all the comments. My husband has only been
taking Lipitor for about 2 weeks and told me that he guessed he
was getting old as his eyes were getting blurry. When I told him
he needed to exercise more to help with his weight, he then told
me that he was having such muscle soreness. This rang a bell with
me, and when I looked it up in my drug book (I recommend Complete
Guide to Prescription & Nonprescription Drugs by H. Winter
Griffith MD) sure enough these were side effects of the Lipitor
and statin drugs. I have learned that indeed these statin drugs do
cause a depletion of coenzyme Q-10 and so the side effects. I told
him to stop the Lipitor and within a day he noticed an improvement
in his eyes. He is still suffering from the muscle soreness
though. It has only been 2 days. I am giving him 200 mg of CO Q10
and am anxious and now more determined than ever to find more
natural ways to deal with this high cholesterol problem. I am
going to check out Protein Power Lifestyle. Thanks. Good luck to
everyone in getting off the statin drugs. If I find out anything
new, I will try to get back in touch.

Posted by: Nancy Clayton on June 22, 2004 08:07 PM

I've been on 10 Mg of Lipitor for the past 3-4 years and can't
directly attribute Lipitor to any of the various health problems
I've had...but maybe it's involved there and I simply am not aware
of it. Would appreciate any replies as what I might generally look
for here.
Bill

Posted by: Bill on June 25, 2004 03:20 AM

My husband have been using lipitor for 1 year and is having
problems sleeping. He sleep for two hours and he's up walking. He
is also having problems with depression and anxiety. He also get
sick to his stomach after having sex and throws up. Almost any
meal will upset his stomach. these are all problems which he
wasn't having before lipitor, and he takes no other medication.

Posted by: Bernice Beard on June 27, 2004 07:20 AM

I have been on 10 mg of Lipitor for 3 years. Slowly, very slowly,
I developed a lot of muscular pain, starting with a possibly torn
achilles tendon a year ago. Last winter when I was on a European
vacation and walked a lot my hip-haunch was killing me. Then I
started going to Curves, and the exercise made all hell break
loose. I now am limping and in a lot of pain in that hip-haunch as
well as knee and calf of other leg. It is much woirse in the
morning. I control pain with large does of Advil whicj were
prescribed by my doc and which I hate to take, stretching
exercises, and BioFreeze. All temporary fixes. Since I decided
maybe it is the Lipitor causing all of this pain, I stopped taking
it 6 days ago. Not sure if I see any imporovement yet---does
anyone knhow how long it takes to see a difference, if Lipitor is
the culprit?

Posted by: Deborah on July 13, 2004 05:26 PM

I had been on Lipitor for 2 years. I am 58 years old. My muscle
pain started slowly. But, I actually never checked the strength of
the medication. But, now I know it was only 10mg. In the beginning
I thought the pain was just the beginning of old age. I couldn't
sleep and started taking Tylenol PM for the pain and sleeping
problem.
Then I thought it was the bed, so we bought a new $3,000.00 bed.
But it still didn't help. I could barely get out of bed in the
morning. My cholesterol really wasn't that high anyway. But I was
overweight and didn't excercise. So, I decided to go on an
expensive medical weight reduction plan. I loss 40 pounds and was
walking. My cholesterol came down very well. I asked my Dr. if I
could get off the Lipitor. He said no, just for the prevention
side of it. Well, my diet Dr. asked me if I was having any pain
with the Lipitor. I said I don't know, I though it was just old
age. He said you might want to check it out. I asked my regular
DR., if at my age, should I feel pain all over my body, so bad I
could hardly get out of bed. He said, no. I said, then I think I
should stop taking the Lipitor because one of the side affects is
muscle pain. So, he said OK. But, I'll give you another drug.
Provachol 20mg. When the pharmacist said muscle pain, legs cramps,
etc was a side effect. I said, but that is why I can't take
Lipitor, he said it is not as strong. So I took that for one week
and the pain got twice as bad. So I stopped. Then I decided to
check the internet and discovered the statin issue and that
coenzyme Q-10 (400mg) could help. So I bought some and laid off
the statin for a month. So, I thought I would take the two
together. I asked my Dr. if it was OK and he said sure. And to let
him know how it worked. So back on the Lipitor. For three weeks I
felt pretty good, taking the Q10 and Lipitor 10mg, then the fourth
week, the body aches, leg cramps, etc. started again and then
memory loss, which I never really contected with lipitor before.
Then my blood pressure went up to 170/98. I have never had high
blood pressure. Now I'm on Narvasc for high blood pressure. My
husband thinks I'm ready for the old folks home. I have now
stopped the Lipitor. It has been only three days and I feel much
better. I thought the Q10 was going to be the answer, but it is
not. I'm going to take the rest of the Q10 to finish off the
pills, they were very expensive. And maybe they will build my
muscles back up.

I will never take another statin drug again. for two years I
suffered with the pain. I felt 80 years old. I'm going to let my
Dr. know how I feel. I am going to use diet and walking to control
the cholesterol. I would be glad to join any class action suit to
stop this from happening to anyone esle.

Posted by: Nancy on July 16, 2004 08:48 PM

Has anyone out there lost a considerable amount of weight while on
Lipitor? My husband has been thru so much testing in the last 3
months due to a 35lb weight loss and while every test reveals
nothing the only time he started feeling any better was when
Lipitor was stopped.

Posted by: Mary-Jo on July 18, 2004 07:35 AM

Wow! I have just been reading all this info. on Lipitor. I've been
on it(20mg) for the past 8 months and have experienced symptoms
like I never felt before. The bottom of my feet hurt so bad in the
mornings that I can bearly walk. Once I get moving my feet limber
up only to get stiff again when I sit for some time. My Doctor
told me my sypmtoms were from the vitamins I was taking. So I
stopped all of them. No change. My neighbor told me of a relative
of hers experiencing problems with Lipitor similar to mine and
that person stopped taking it. I stopped taking it about 2 weeks
ago. I too am wondering how long it takes for the symptoms of
muscle aches(I'm talking some serious aching now)... will lighten
up. I am almost 55 and feel much much older. I was blaming it on
Crohns disease. Just like alot of others wrote, I had not
suspected Lipitor until I did some research. Well, that's my input
on this. I'm now waiting to hopefully regain my energy and memory
I had before Lipitor.

Posted by: Joyce Pendleton on July 19, 2004 04:18 AM

I started taking Lipitor in March. In April, I started to notice
that the tops of my arms and legs felt weak. Then, one day sitting
on the sofa, my bladder contracted and felt like a punch to my
gut. As the weeks progressed, I had so many developing symptoms
EVERYWHERE, it was ridiculous. Numbness, tingling, crawling and
itching sensations, muscle jerks, spasms, eye lid twitching,
weakness, over-active startle response, you name it. I took care
of my mother for 13 years in my home when she had Parkinsons
Disease and she had just recently died, so I thought maybe I had
anxiety or depression. I went off Lipitor in May, was treated with
Xanax, which helps a little with the muscle twitches. Zoloft only
made me aggitated. Mornings are the worst. It seems that when I
wake up, everything gets active and starts "cooking". I have to
take a hot shower, massage my muscles and start moving to get some
relief. It has come to the point where I hate to sit still because
everything is so much more noticeable then. I read a message on
the Internet from a former Lipitor sufferer that I can expect this
to last from 3-6 months. I certainly hope this is true and that
there is an endpoint to all of this.

Posted by: Carol Lambert on July 28, 2004 06:04 PM

I started taking Lipitor last November and it did lower my
cholesterol and triglicerides but in May of 2004 I developed
muscle pain in the back of my legs. The pain increased and over a
period of two or three weeks moved into both shoulders, hips,
knees and to a lesser extent into my ankles, wrists, and hands. I
am currently in Scotland and won't return to the US until mid
October so am seeing a Doctor here. He has done 4 blood tests and
so far all are normal. I have another appointment tomorrow and
will talk about Lipitor.

Posted by: Orville Bowland on August 10, 2004 02:10 PM

My doctor put me on lipitor a few years ago and within a short
period of time I was in so much pain when I laid down to sleep I
couldn't rest. Every muscle in my body hurt so bad I couldn't
stand it.
I told my doctor and he took me off the lipitor and tried to give
me something else. I told him "NO Thank You".

Posted by: Steve on August 12, 2004 03:51 PM

About three months ago my husband's doctor prescribed Tricor for
his cholesterol. We ignored her advice and he started taking 1200
mg's of lecithin in capsule form each day. He recently had lab
work done and went to the doctor for his followup. When the doctor
found hubby hadn't taken what she prescribed she read him the riot
act about all the dangers of high cholesterol. Then she looked at
his lab report. Cholesterol 190, bad cholesterol down, good
cholesterol up. We'll admit he has been getting more excercise,
but I think the lecithin did it.

Posted by: SANDRA BELANGA on August 13, 2004 02:46 PM

I have been taking Crestor for 2 months. Previously I took
Pravachol with no side effects but my doctor wanted some better
numbers and switched me to Crestor. After just 2 weeks I began to
have facial twitching starting on the left side on the eyebrow and
eyelid. Now it has progressed to the cheek, mouth and has begun on
the right side. I had a heart attack 9 months ago at the age of 55
after taking an Imitrex for migraines so I don't want anymore
problems due to meds. I see the cardiologist this week. Do you
think my this twitching is from Crestor? It is driving me crazy.

Posted by: Pam Rossi on August 16, 2004 12:45 AM

I am a 52 year old male.I was on Lipitor for 10 months and my lab
work showed I had muscle breakdown. I had memory loss, muscle
aches and cramps, extreme fatique, heavy limbs, hardly able to
walk by the end of the day, sleeplessness and joint pain. My
doctor took me off of it and in 1 week I felt better.
Unfortionately he put me on Zocar and the symptoms came back worse
than before. I already have a history of heart disease with stents
put in. I am now going to try Zetia which is a different class of
medication and works in the intestine. I hope this works without
the side effects.

Posted by: Jim Voorhees on August 17, 2004 11:31 PM

I was on Lipitor for over 2 years. I had muscle pain on and off
but lately it got worse. The pain in my joints were excrutiating
at times. I was not sleeping good at all and my legs would ache so
bad when I lie down at night. I also had vertigo and was quite
fatigued. I asked my doctor if it could be the lipitor and he said
he doubted it but if it made me feel better I could stop taking
the lipitor but only for 2 weeks. Well I have stopped now for one
month and already I feel much better and am starting to sleep
better. Never will I take it again. When I shared this with some
people they then told me their story while on lipitor and the
horrific side effects they had while taking it.

Posted by: Betty on August 20, 2004 12:29 AM

Here it is, just 3 days since my last post. I couldn't stand the
facial twitching any longer and stopped my Crestor after 2 months
of taking a 10 mg. pill daily. I never would have just stopped
without calling my cardiologist but I knew I was seeing him today
anyway. I can't believe it, after 48 hours, I knew I was feeling
better. And now, after 3 full days, I am completely free of facial
twitches. I am thrilled. My doctor put me back on Pravachol and
added Zetia. I am hoping I don't have any new side effects but he
insisted I need a statin drug to protect my heart. In fact, he
admitted that he, at only 34 years old and in great shape is also
on Crestor for high cholesterol due to a family history. I have a
great deal of confidence in him and am willing to give this
another try.

Posted by: Pam Rossi on August 20, 2004 01:31 AM

My husband (who is 79 years old) began taking statins in 2000
after quintuple bypass surgery. In Nov. 2003 he had a pacemaker
put in and they said his arteies were clear. For the past year and
a half he has developed pretty severe aphasia, memory and
comprehension problems. He has lost the ability to write and is
having difficulty expressing himself verbally.

Tests reveal no stroke, tumor or other reasons for these problems.
He also is experiencing muscle stiffness and difficulty getting
going in the morning. Could the statins be causing these problems?
I would appreciate any help as to current studies or personal
experiences with these meds because he is fading quickly from the
once vibrant and energetic fellow he was not too long ago. At this
point he is not able to accurately put together a sentence and
today is the first information I've stumbled upon that gives me
hope that perhaps it could be caused by that 20 mg. of Lipitor he
faithfully takes daily with his Coumadin and Digoxin. Any
suggestions for further information or encouragement would be
deeply appreciated.

Posted by: louise on August 22, 2004 01:38 PM

Dear Louise,

please read a more recent article on the subject, which might give
you more data as to a possible solution. (There are also a number
of comments from people who have found themselves in a similar
situation of yours).

Lipitor: Side Effects And Natural Remedy

see also

Statins May Scramble Memory

Posted by: Sepp on August 22, 2004 11:15 PM

From: healthmyths@safe-mail.net

To download the book, "What You Must Know about
Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs", right click on the link below. Then
choose to save it on your desktop. After completion of download,
you will be able to open it. Then print and read.

www.health-fx.net/eBook.pdf

Shane Ellison M.Sc.

www.healthmyths.net
www.health-fx.net

Posted by: Sepp on September 8, 2004 11:14 AM

Today is my first day on lipitor. I'll try to keep a diary and
keep you posted as things progress (or not).

Are there any stats on proportion of people having bad side
effects?

Posted by: Bob on September 9, 2004 05:36 AM

Thanks for your comment Bob,

I don't think all people do get side effects, but from the other
comments it seems many of them do. It will be interesting to see
how your case develops.

Have not heard of anyone compiling actual stats. The side effects
are being kept as quiet as possible. Who would want to destroy
their own business?

Posted by: Sepp on September 9, 2004 08:57 AM

I guess the thing is that millions of people take the drug. The
real problem is doctors continue to push the drug even after
adverse side effects show up.

My cholesterol is at 210 but couldn't bring it down with diet +
exercise.

Posted by: Bob on September 9, 2004 03:00 PM

I'm wanting to hear of any experiences with Tricor, which my Doc
has order me to take. My Trigliserides are around 450 and have
been up as high as 700. I run, am fit and thin, eat right but the
cholesterol hangs in the mid 200s. What will i expect with
Tricore? thanks

Posted by: Kent Suter on September 11, 2004 01:24 AM

So here I am,having added the Zetia 10 mg. to my Pravachol 80 mg.
program. The less common side effects of Zetia say that some
people can get an upper respiratory infection. And guess what? My
Primary Dr. thought I had pneumonia but after an xray it turned
out to be bronchitis. Thank goodness for small favors! Of course,
she still won't blame the Zetia so I stopped it for a week and now
am taking it again. I am curious to see what happens. Seems like I
just can't get this regiment of meds right. For some people it is
easier than for others. The Crestor was by far the worst side
effects for me. The facial twitching nearly put me "over the
edge". Hope the numbers on my next bloodwork is worth all this.

Posted by: Pam Rossi on September 11, 2004 05:52 PM

I have recently quit taking Lipitor after two years as I started
having real bad pain in my left hip and leg. I had the doctor put
me on Zocor recently to see if there would be a change. So far,
the pain has not subsided. I am only 48 and feel much older. I
stay tired all the time and my energy level is 0.
I have never been this way in my life as I have always been a very
active female. I just don't know what to do at this point and I am
afraid to just stop taking it.

Posted by: Kathy Howard on September 13, 2004 03:15 PM

I started taking lipitor 3 years ago. Had a genetically high
(300+) cholestorol level.
In spite of taking it I had a heart attack a year later.(mid RCA).
I developed, slowly,various palpations in my arms chest and back.
You could see the pulsing & twitching. Then developed cramping in
toes, calf(like charlie horse)& forearms. My doctor suggested
magnesium...no help. I was taking 10 mg then 20 then 49 then 80
becasue of lack of results. When he added Zetia..magic levels went
down to 160. I asked to come off lipitor but he suggested not to.
I am now cutting my 80"s in half to 40mg to test results. So
far..2months only slight less cramping. Now that I found this site
I think I;ll just stop the lipitor and keep the zetia.

Posted by: Don on September 13, 2004 07:05 PM

Bob,

you are correct, once a drug is out there and making a lot of
money, side effects seem to have a hard time being taken
seriously.

About cholesterol - it's like soap. The body uses it to clean out
toxins. Some people have high cholesterol for a reason...

Also, it's an indicator at best, not a cause of heart attack. So
why switch off the indicator, instead of finding out what's making
it high?

This article Cholesterol - What A Business Plan has a lot of
information on cholesterol and the drugs used to lower it.

Posted by: Sepp on September 13, 2004 08:26 PM

If you are taking any cholestrol lowering medication, you would be
wise to read a book and take it to your physician. The name of the
book is called, "The Cholesterol Myths", by Dr. Uffe Ravnskov,
M.D. (kidney specialist) Ph.D. (Chemistry). In case you are not
aware, Kidney specialists (Nephrologists) are really, really sharp
as a tack, physicians. Most physicians do not have the hard
mathematical background to read drug studies. Most physicians only
take Calculus I, and do not have the math background of a Chemist
or a Physicist. For a Chemist or Physicist, they start taking math
at Calculus I, and for them, they are just getting started in hard
mathematics. I had my dad who is a graduate degree in Chemistry
and Physics, read the math in the book, he said it was
outstanding. Dr. Ravnskov has been extensively published in
academic medical journals on end-stage renal (kidney) disease.
This book will blow your mind.

Mark

Posted by: Mark on September 15, 2004 03:13 PM

Im 42 very fit exercise daily eat very healthy almost a vegetarian
and still have high t and cholestrol I guess it heredity, but if
statins are bad what do you do

Posted by: deborah on September 20, 2004 12:02 AM

Has anyone ever experienced nasal/facial pain using Lipitor? I've
been on Lipitor for over 5 years and I've been suffering with pain
in my nose (neurologist says it's migraines). The migraine
medication Imitrex is the only thing that will stop the pain. I've
had 2 sinus surgeries and I still hurt. I'm thinking about going
off the Lipitor, but don't want any adverse side effects. Anyone
else had nasal pain using this drug? Thanks

Posted by: Karen on September 30, 2004 04:17 PM

around the middle of August I provided some blood to my doctor so
the lab could check cholesterol. The results came back. My total
cholesterol was around 200. My bad cholesterol was 151. The Dr.
said everything look good. And six months my cholesterol would
would have been great. I saids Dr. I am running four or five miles
a day. I am . I didn't mention it to the dr. I thought because I
am 62 I was just getrting oldtrying to lower it. He said well we
will put you on Lipitor. He gave one months suppy of 20mg tablets
and said to come back in a month and have my blood checked. The
inference was that the only side effect was something to do with
the liver. I went back in a month. I could no longer run four or
five miles. I didn't say anything to the doctor I thought it was
my 62 years catching up. I gave the sample and left that was on
September 17th. On October 4th I got a serious pain in my lower
stomach, between my navel and my scrotum. It was bad I eurinated
approsximately 15 times that nignt. I told my wife about it in the
morning. She suggesgted a gal bladder infection. I said no way.
where would I have got one.I called my doctor nurse. I asked her
if my blood test results were back yet. I told her my symptoms and
asked if there was a possibility that the Lipitor was the culprit.
She said she didn't think so. She had me hold on while she looked
up my test results. She clame back and said you are doing fine
your cholesterol is 131. Your bad cholesterol is 45. I asked agin
about my symptoms and its possible connection to Lipitor. She
again said I dont think so. I felt good. However, My wife called
the local called theFamily Drug Company in our area and asked
about Lipitor. They told her it c ould be a serous problexm for
the muscles. I jumpped onto the internet. I short order I stopped
taking lipitpr and went to the emergency room. lThey did blood
test and I was high in some of the test results. I had called down
to my doctor and was told I couldn't have an appointment until the
21st of October. The doctors assistant in the emergency room
diagnoses was MYOFASCIAL PAIN SYNDROME:I will let you look that
up. Basicly I had been in an auto accident and my muscles were
sore. I called the administrator of the hospital and told him what
happened. They revised their report to in clude what i had said
and included it LIPITOR was the suspected cause of my problems.
Thanks to all of you and your information out there.Every joint in
by body akes. I used to run fuive miles. I now hobble. I didn't
prof this sori Dick

Posted by: dick on October 15, 2004 02:55 AM

I have been taking Lipitor for about 6 weeks and I was told by the
doctor that if I get any body aches whatsoever, I should tell him
immediately. I noticed today for the 1st time a pain in my right
groin (leg). It seems to hurt when I moved while I am sititing in
a chair. Will advise my doctor on Monday and will pass on the info
to you.

Posted by: Lynn on October 15, 2004 06:36 PM

I've been taking 20 mg of Lipitor for 2 or 3 years now. (Not sure
exactly). For about the past year and a half I've been
experiencing severe leg pain and a lot of breathlessness. All my
life I've been a nature walker but now I have to stop about every
200 ft to rest my legs and get my breath. Also, people think I've
been drinking or am high because I slur my words badly. I don't
drink nor do I do drugs except for this lousy Lipitor. After
reading this site, I will no longer take Lipitor. I may die a bit
younger of a heart attack but at least , ( I hope ) to have a good
active life like I had before Lipitor. I'm a 45 year old male.

Posted by: Rick S. on October 17, 2004 06:36 PM

Don't know if you received my first comment, however am leaving it
again. Today is Oct. 19, 2004. I was on Lipitor for quite some
time. I complained of muscle pain often to my doctor and after
awhile he decided to take an enzyme test. The test came back as
elevated. He ran two more tests on me to make sure and of course
they were the same, elevated. I was sent to a Arthritis
specialist. He has been treating me and had a bone (full body)
scan run. At that point, per the results, he said it, the
inflammation, was coming from my bones. He ran 2 more enzyme test
and both times the lab did it incorrectly. So I insisted on a new
test and the doctor spelled it out on his prescription pad (to the
lab) exactly what he wanted. Well, you guessed it, again they say
it is coming from my muscles. Again, on my last visit my enzyme
level is elevated (1.1 over the norm) and so he gave me a cortison
shot, to last 3 months, and I am to have another blood test done
in 5 weeks. I did all this because I actually thought I might have
ALS, just like a lot of other people with this problem thought. It
amazes me at how long a person has to complain to their doctor
before they run a test, all the time knowing that you are taking
Lipitor. My husband, who has already suffered one heart attack, is
also on Lipitor. He had his enzyme level tested and there was no
elevation, however my husband complains of hurting all over and
especially his hip and leg (right side). Hopefully he will turn to
another doctor to look into his misery.

Barbara A. 10/18/04

Posted by: Barbara A on October 20, 2004 04:05 AM

Hi Barbara,

no, I had not seen your first comment posted before.

Anyway, thank you for sharing your personal experience with other
readers of the site. It is only by insisting with doctors and not
taking NO for an answer that we eventually may get to the bottom
of this tragedy.

Lipitor (and other statin drugs) do have - among other things - a
specific muscle related side effect. The drug causes muscle damage
starting with pains and in some people leading to muscle wasting
and possible death by renal failure.

Even med line states about lipitor (also called Atorvastatin):

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor
immediately:
- muscle pain
- tenderness
- muscle cramps or weakness with or without a fever

So you are right to insist and should stick your doctor's nose
into the description of side effects and demand a clear answer.

By the way, this effect is not limited to Lipitor. It seems to be
a common trait of statin drugs in general. Bayer's Baycol was
taken off the market some years ago because the documented cases
of drug related deaths reached such proportions they could no
longer be hidden.

Posted by: Sepp on October 20, 2004 05:40 PM

I, been on lipitor for about three to four years now. I have
experienced all of the above noted symptons of thight aching
muscles, sleepless nights and now heart palpations.During this
time i've been treated for chest pains combined with muscle
wekness. my ecg has always been good, but this is my body and I
know that something is not right. I feel as though I,ve been given
some sort of sugar pill on some occassions because when I am given
the real thing all of my worst muscle and heart related problems
return with a vengence. We all know how expensive these pills have
become, could I be right???? I am very worried and concerned,
stopping my intake as of today.

Posted by: Alphonsus Fitzgerald on October 26, 2004 04:04 AM

My mother took Lipitor and swears it caused her to get ALS, she
was a healthy 72 year old, with high cholesterol but able to do
things until she went on Lipitor, she wanted everyone to know that
she believed Lipitor caused her illness. All the symptoms everyone
is mentioning is what she had for the 2-3 years she took the
medication although her doctor claimed it wasn't the lipitor. She
died two years ago from ALS, she always said she would rather die
of a heart attack than to deal with the horrible disease and I
want to further her cause.

Posted by: Karen on October 29, 2004 09:14 PM

I was taking Lipitor since 1999 (20 mg), shortly thereafter I
began to complain to various specialists that I could no longer
walk further than approximately 50 yards. In April the
cardiologist increased the dose to 40 mg, & by May I was no longer
able to walk more than 20 yards, and by July less than that. My
muscles associated with the hip would just cease working. The Drs
completely ignored the fact, and by July when I collapsed due to
Rhabdomyolosis (destruction of muscle whose toxins are expelled
thru the Kidneys)I was in Acute Renal Failure, & within hours of
dying. The longer lasting effect has been the consistent pain
(24/7) despite 4 narcotic prescriptions, & spinal nerve blocks. I
suggest that in all lab test you get your Creatinine Kinase (CK)
checked. This should be especially checked when starting or
increasing the dose. Pfizer now discloses a warning about the
condition on its drug info sheet. This came about after a warning
letter from the FDA in 2002. The hospital took me off Lipitor but
refused to attribute it as the cause. Four of the Drs I have seen
since say that it was the cause, but I doubt its stated in there
official records.

Posted by: Ron on November 1, 2004 10:27 PM

I am now taking Zetia 10mg for the past 10 weeks in conjunction
with my Pravachol 80 mg. which I have taken well over a 2 years.
(That dosage was raised from 20, to 40 and then 80 last November)
Of course, as in my last post, I was taken off Pravachol and
attempted to try Crestor which gave me terrible left eye
twitching. 48 hours after stopping Crestor, the twitching also
stopped. Now, unfortunately, I am experiencing right eye twitching
and I am confused with if it is the Zetia or the long term, high
dose Pravachol. I am also exhausted with lower back pain. I know
these statins are important for my heart as per my cardiologist
but I really hate the way I am feeling.

Posted by: Pam Rossi on November 5, 2004 12:25 AM

Father died of a heart attack & 2 brothers had heart bypass in
early 60's. I am now 59. Doctor put me on Lipitor because the
cholestrol levels were borderline high. Within a week had sore,
achey arm muscles, dull pain in left temple, bright flashes in
left eye, and occasional dizzyness in the morning. Waited a few
days for the symtoms to go away and went to the doctor. I was seen
by the eye specialist, sports medicine specialist, and several
tests. Everyone said it was ok and should go away, got strong pain
med for the sore muscles which gave me stomach pains (I quit
taking the pain med). The head pain left, the arm muscle pain did
not. After 3 months I asked my pharmacy if Lipitor can cause sore
muscles. The lady behind laughed loud and said "Oh, yes, my
husband has terrible muscle pains from Lipitor" and the pharmacy
said that is a side effect and to tell my doctor. The last 3 weeks
I have also noticed memory problems. I have an appointment soon
with my doctor and expect to go off the Lipitor.

Posted by: Lee on November 5, 2004 01:29 AM

1. years ago my doctor put me on Lipitor. I immediately had muscle cramps all over my body. Talked to doc after first blood test showed a reduction of cholesterol count.

He insisted that it was not the Lipitor causing my problems and to
keep taking it.

The muscle contractions and weakness became worse, Especially in
the calf muscles.

Finally it got so bad I could hardly walk.

I decided to stop the Lipitor after taking it for only 3 months.
It has taken me 3 1'2 years to get back to where I can at least
walk normally now without pain.

I am better but have still been diagnosed with Peripheral
Neuropathy in my lower extremities causing my feet to be numb.

I can live with that.

I feel that I am fortunate that I stopped taking this poison
early.

For those of you who have been left with this muscle problem I
beleive that I have only improved by forcong myself to exercise my
legs every day for at least 2 hours over the last 3 years.

Did a lot of research on this and have concluded that had I
continued to take this drug. I am sure I would have ended up being
diagnosed with Rhabdomyelosis. The confusing part of thi is that I
know many people taking this drug that have no side effects at
all.

Posted by: Harry on November 13, 2004 12:47 PM

At the end of 1997, following a triple by-pass operation, I was
put on pravachol. At the time of the operation my cholesterol was
4.5 - in Australia 5 is considered safe. Despite this, my
cardiologist wanted my cholesterol in the mid 3s. After a year I
began to have stomach pains and I was put on lipitor. My
cholestorol stayed in the mid 3s, but after a year I suddenly
developed a problem with my kidneys in that I was unable to
control my bladder. I was sent to a urologist who told me that
everything was ok. My specialist told me that it was all in my
mind. The problem persisted and I feared I would be housebound. My
wife suggested that I go off lipitor and within days my problem
went away.

Posted by: david mcewan on November 15, 2004 10:40 AM

After the recent announcement in the news that the once acceptable
cholesterol levels were too high and needed to be lower, doctor
switched me from 10mg of Lipitor to 20mg. Suddenly, blood pressure
has risen. Initially I did not attribute to the drug, but by
process of elimination have decided that the dosage increase
raised the BP and causes some ear ringing as well. It usually
takes about 2-4 hours to experience the change, and the effects
seem to increase and decrease in intensity.

Posted by: Bob on November 21, 2004 01:06 AM

A comment received by e-mail from J. Ball:

My father died in August from taking 20mg Totalip/ Atorvastatin
(Lipitor), and not in accordance with the information leaflet, in
that lifestyle changes were not tried first, and the recommended
starting dose is only 10mg.

Please do you know of anyone in England who is concerned about the
over- use of, and risks attached to, statins, and who would look
into my father's case? The National Health Service and drug safety
bodies here are stonewalling all my attempts to get answers.

It wasn't reported as a suspected serious adverse drug reaction
(ADR) on my father's admittance to hospital in June with liver
failure and subsequent kidney failure. I think he had
rhabdomyolysis, but this was not mentioned to us, and I didn't
know about it at the time. I do not know if he was tested for this
condition, but he had the symptoms. These are recognized side
effects of statins and should have been reported as such then,
when statins were about to become available here over the counter.

I was told a month ago that my father's case would be reported as
an ADR, but have not yet had the confirmation I have requested
that this has been done. I suspect it would not be reported if I
were not making such a fuss, and that other cases go unreported,
thus distorting the facts about drug safety- or not.

I would be most grateful for any help or advice you can give me.

Posted by: Sepp on November 21, 2004 01:34 PM

I took lipitor for about two weeks, I became dizzy, my vision was
fading in and out, I felt like I was having a panic attack at
times, my heart was pounding, my stomach hurt and I felt a burning
from navel to my lips, I knew it was the lipitor so I stopped
taking it right away, called my doctor and said, I won't take it
anymore. I am getting better, it's been about a week, but am still
feeling strange in my chest area, and my hands are cold. I didn't
have any problems with this before the medicine? I will never take
it again. I did not know about all the things it could do to harm
people. Please, be careful, I was lucky, I had a reaction right
away, and isn't the heart a muscle? and it causes muscle
damage??????????????

Posted by: rosie on November 23, 2004 05:34 AM

I have high cholesterol and my brother suggested Lipitor, since he
has the same high cholesterol and hasn't had any side effects from
the lipitor.

I got my doctor to perscribe 10 mgs. Lipitor. I took it for about
20 days, along with a blood pressure medicine.

I had gas, nausea immediately after eating, and suffered
sleeplessness and muscle ache, particularly the tops of my legs
and arms. The ache seemed to be getting worse and traveling to
other parts of my body. I had a muscle test done and indeed, in
comparison to a baseline test I had done the month before, I had
risen about 50 points to the bad. My doctor said it was
"trivially" below normal, but it was a 50 point difference from
the first baseline test.

No more lipitor for me!

Posted by: maureen on December 8, 2004 05:09 PM

G'Day: I've been taking Lipitor 80/mg for seven years now.
My chol. levels sit at 16.8 without and no lower than 8.1 with
lipitor max. dose(obviously use a different scale over here).
Normal is considered to be below 5.
I've suffered severe pains in the Liver area, back and neck ache,
pains in my elbows,wrist and knees. Also suffer short term memory
loss and dry eye problems similar to welding flash. At 43 i
suffered a series of mini strokes(9) which resulted in left side
paralysis for a short term. The final stroke occured at a doctors
Xmas party so things happenned very fast. I ended up with a Quad
by-pass Carotid endarterectomy with a radial arterial transplant.
I was put on lipitor just before the ops.
After experiencing the symptoms for a couple of years and
complaining to my doc. I was told it wasn't the lipitor and there
are no known side effects. On doing extensive reading and
conversing with some naturopath mates I added Chitosan, Omega3,
Garlic, Spirulina, Chlorella, Elimitona to my med. regime. I also
reduced my Lipitor intake to alternate days only. Also I make sure
I drink a minimum of 6 litres of tank/spring water daily.But, for
each cup of coffee or beer,wine etc I add an extra glass of
water(250ml)to balance out the dehydrating effects. Meat intake
restricted to white meats and fish.
I've followed this regime at this level for about 6 months now.
The effects are tremendous. No aches or pains at all. No dry eyes
memory recall much improved and stamina levels allowing heavy work
thru a full day (12 hours) and able to repeat the load day in day
out. I'm now 50 y/o and feel in better shape than I was at 25. I'm
6Ft 2 inches tall, 83 Kg weight. My last blood test showed Chol. @
5.1.
Of course I don't tell my Quack any of this. He maintains it's all
bulldust anyway. Everyone that knows me have noted changes from
general looks to attitudinal changes. Not that I notice all
changes going on. In the end I guess this all allows me to feel
"normal" for much extended periods each and every day. I also take
50 mg Tenormin each morning for blood pressure but have backed off
to alternate days also. I take Cardaprin(aspro) when I take the
Tenormin) ostensibly to keep my blood thin.
Ultimately I hope to dump the drugs altogether as I learn more
about alternatives and keep a close watch on my Chol. and BP
levels. If they continue to "normalise" then I'd suggest that
nutrition/diet and excersize are really what we need to be looking
at. Of course I'm only iterating whats already been stated by many
others.
Ironically the vast majority of the info I glean is from American
sites/sources. You've got enormous resources available virtually
at your fingertips and most is free.(unlike here where you pay for
everything in sight...Aus).
Hope this helps....Chris

Posted by: Chris on December 10, 2004 11:37 PM

AS a disabled Veteran at a VA clinic I was given lipitor for high
chol. and BP. I found pain, in my muscles, legs, toes so severe
that my doctor had a physical therapy program for me. The bone
pain felt as if it was in the deep middle of the bone. My
condition got worse. My doctor increased the lipitor. I thought I
was going to die at night from the pain. 80 mg was given and I
knew that the statin drug was killing me. I could not walk at
times, my eyesight became very bad. My urine was the color of
carmel. Over 2 years my life has deteriorated to where I have
almost given up hope or trust in meds or doctors.

Posted by: DEAN on December 15, 2004 05:15 AM

I have experienced extreme muscle wasting and high cpk enzymes,
memory loss, and debilitating muscle pain, fatigue, etc. I have
been off Lipitor for 10 months and still I am having problems. I
now can not work due to the effects. It is ruining my life. Does
anyone know what we can do? Any attorneys that will take our case?
Please let me know I would like to join.

Posted by: Deborah Stone on December 18, 2004 04:36 AM

I have recently read in The Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA)that there was a 12 fold increase in
rhabdomyolysis when combined therapy is used, and it did not
diminish with long term usage, and the occurrence of rhabdo in the
absence of statin or fibrate therapy appears to be extremely rare.
They also suggest the higher risk conferred by combination therapy
may warrant that physicians instruct their patients to stop
therapy. By combined therapy they are writing about taking a
fenofibrate such as Tricor together with Lipitor or other
Statins.Gemfibrozil such as Lopid was also mentioned in the study.
Note that JAMA uses the words that rhabdomyolysis is extremely
rare without the use of Statins or combined therapy while Pfizer
uses the word rare, presumably to mitigate its effect on the
consumer or patient.

Posted by: Ron on December 23, 2004 02:14 PM

I have been on Lipitor since june 2004. Had a triple bypass 4
years ago and was not on chlos. meds at all . then one dr. got all
worried I needed to be on something so he said Lipitor.
I now have severe memory problems and lose my way, forget how to
get home.

How does one get off of this stuff and what do you do to help
chlos?

Posted by: Vince on January 5, 2005 10:12 PM

I was a healthy mountain climber. I was found to have total
cholesterol in 300's I was perscribed Lipitor. I got to where I
could not walk more than a few miles without my legs cramping up.
I tried to work out and every time I would injure myself with back
spasms or other injuries that would last several days. Finally I
lost three days of work when I pulled my back after sweeping the
pool. I also was assigned glasses which I never wore before. My
sex life died. I am off of Lipitor now for a couple of months and
I have a new ability to walk twenty or more miles. I no longer
need the glasses. Mowing the lawn was very difficult. It is now
Easy!!

Hmmmm can I have my sex life back now?

Kind Regards,
Mark Wardell

Posted by: Mark Wardell on January 11, 2005 04:39 PM

I have been on 20 mg/day of Lipitor for at least 5 years. About 2
years ago I started to have pain in my legs. Today the pain in my
feet, ankles and legs is so great I can only walk for short
distances. Over the last 9 months I have been to arthrists
specialists, podiatists, chiropractors and phsical therapist. Had
bone scans, doppler tests, MRI and x-rays and nerve tests. Nothing
was found. On December 13th I stopped taking Lipitor. So far the
pain is not getting any better. I know that each person is
different, however, if the pain is due to the Lipitor, when can I
expect to have some relief? Is there anything that can counteract
the effects of Lipitor? The coenzyme Q 10 has been mentioned.

Thanks for any help,
Gary

Posted by: Gary Zweig - Springboro, OH on January 26, 2005 06:19
PM

Listening to Dr. Ken Cooper(Cooperwellness.com) I started taking
CoQ10 BEFORE starting Lipitor. I had no manifest ill effects from
Lipitor 10 mg. once a day.
However, my liver functions
became slightly abnormal. Changed to zetia 10 mg. and all is good
now.

Posted by: Ralph on February 2, 2005 03:40 PM

I think I finally figured it out. It's the Lipitor! The doctor has
been trying to find a diabetic medicine that would work for me and
my symtoms started about that time. My legs were so swollen that I
could hardly make it up from the basement. I started pumping water
into me and the symtoms lessoned, but they are still there. My
legs ache so bad, I was beginning to think I had some sort of
polio or something. That's it, I am not taking another Lipitor and
will try the vitamin c instead. Thanks for sharing all your
stories.

Posted by: Trude on February 18, 2005 04:08 PM

I had a heart attack at 40 yrs old (female)was put on 20 mg
lipitor, had minor leg cramps that eventually went away, my cardio
recently put me on 40 mg lipitor and the leg aches are unbearable,
I hve back problems anyway, I thought it was sciatica, didnt take
lipitor today, legs and hip feel much better, Im going to
experiment to see if its the lipitor. Lipitor does have benefits
but it is certainly not for everyone.

Posted by: Jeri on February 22, 2005 06:57 PM

My husband didnt believe me when i kept telling him about all my
aches and pains,now my knees are so bad i can hardly walk and
problems with my bladder etc.,etc,.I will never take lipitor
again!

Posted by: jeanie on February 23, 2005 04:29 PM

Hello, I have been on Lipitor for the past 6 months and have
stopped taking this drug. My doctor asked me if I would go on the
drug to lower my cholesterol which was @235, I did, and initially
my I felt fine and cholesterol dropped to 159!! I was very
pleased, but over the past 2 months I started to have very severe
pains in my lower groin, testicals, and bladder and could not
achieve an erection and was told that I'm now anemic which I have
never been. Tests came back negative for tumors and other
problems. I stopped taking the drug.I feel much better in the last
week than ever before. The public needs to be made aware of all
the side effects. I'm going to lower my cholesterol with natural
methods. Mark

Posted by: mark on March 8, 2005 05:00 PM

I have read all the comments about Lipitor 10mg with great
interest and having been on the drug for 4.5 years, I am horrified
to see that many of my "peculiar" symptoms might be associated
with this drug. My doctor is reluctant to let me come off the drug
but I am definitely going to stop now. Muscle cramps, twitches and
forgetfulness combined with those odd sensations in the legs, and
some muscle pain too - what a con - why don't the doctors read
these pages and evaluate the comments for themselves?? I just hope
the damage done is reversible because I am only 56 and there was
no real reason to put me on this particular drug in the first
place.I had a bad reaction to simvastatin too. I will always
research things in future and not trust the doctor always knows
best.

Posted by: Gilly on March 9, 2005 02:34 PM

I'm wondering if the symptoms ever go away. I did get some better
with physical therepy and now go to curves to keep myself moving.
Still have problems with my legs if I'm on my feet for very long
without sitting down. I've been off the lipitor for almost a year
now. Still get very tired and some memory problems. Blood work
never proved my muscle problems.

Posted by: Mary on March 14, 2005 11:04 PM

I have itchiness, moderate memory problems, severe aggitation and
blurry vision. I'm not taking this any longer, this is ridiculous.
I'll eat rabbit food first. My husband has slurred speech, muscle
twitches that caused me to sleep elsewhere last night.

Posted by: Lisa on March 21, 2005 05:00 PM

Has anyone experienced and been diagnosed with neuropathy while
taking lipitor and zetia?

Posted by: Joyce on March 22, 2005 02:39 AM

Thank you for all the information... I had high cholesteral and
was placed on Lipitor. After only 4 months I noticed swelling of
legs, dizziness, fatigue, and I even had weight gain. I plan to
take your advice and drop the lipitor....What are the natural ways
to help control cholesteral?

Posted by: Susan Arrowood on March 23, 2005 05:04 AM

JUSTA COMMENT ON CHOLESTROL MEDS I HAVE TAKEN THEM FOR YEARS AND I
THINK I AM STARTING TO PAY A PRICE I HAVE ACHING JOINTS AND
PALPITATIONS. CURRENTLY I TAKE 100MIL. LIPITOR A DAY I HAVE
CORONARY ARTERY DISEASEAND HIGH CHOLESTROL. I'M GOING TO THE
DOCTOR AGAIN TO COMPLAIN ON ACHING JOINTS AND STIFF NECK. I DONT
KNOW IF THE MEDS ARE THE PROBLEM BUT I CERTAINLY DONT KNOW
ANYTHING ELSE THAT IS CAUSING MY PAIN. BY THE WAY AFTER YEARS OF
MEDS CHOLESTROL STILL REMAINS ABOVE LEVELS DRS SAY ARE SAFE.

Posted by: MATT on March 23, 2005 06:53 PM

It is 12:30 am, and to begin with I just could not sleep which is
a nightly thing these days. My husband is sleeping up in our bed.
Oh yes and twitching. So I finally decided to do an internet
search for night tremors and here I am. We both take Lipitor. So
it looks like I may have found the answers to my search thanks to
this site. I lay in bed every night scared that something is very
wrong with my husbands health, Scared to death he my even pass
away in his sleep. He is always in pain, as am I. But the shaking
in his sleep can be so severe. I want to thank all of you for this
site, since I now have something to look into for getting my
husband some help.

Posted by: Darlene E Bradford on March 24, 2005 06:43 AM

Thank you for your comment, Darlene, (and others who commented
before)

there is really no reason to suffer. For starters, cholesterol is
an indicator rather than a cause that needs to be expunged.

This site has an internal "google search" function (top center of
each page). If you put in "cholesterol", there are many articles
to follow up.

Here is what I recently wrote to someone else who asked about
taking cholesterol lowering drugs:

please understand that I am not a medical doctor but merely an
interested layman who mistrusts what we are being told about
the necessity to take pharmaceutical products to protect our
health. For that reason, I really cannot give the type of
advice you are asking, without making very clear that you
should consult a doctor or other health professional who is
conversant in the use of natural products. Some suggestions
would be

Dr. Mercola (http://www.mercola.com/article/statins.htm#)

Dr. Andrew Saul (http://www.doctoryourself.com/)

Jon Campbell (http://www.cqs.com)

That said, I will give you my personal opinion. Cholesterol is
not the bad guy. It is a substance the body needs and produces
in the liver, in addition to finding it in foods. It's a
cleansing substance, a kind of soap. Any constant poisoning
(think for instance poisonous chemicals applied to golf
courses) or other factors in the diet, will cause the body to
increase cholesterol production in an effort to combat the
poisoning.

Cholesterol has been connected to heart trouble, but that does
not mean its presence is more than an indicator. While high
cholesterol (or high counts of certain cholesterol fractions)
are associated with cardiovascular disease, the cholesterol is
not necessarily the cause.

If you drove your car and the red light came on blinking,
warning of too much oil pressure, would you rather find the
reason for the oil pressure increase or unscrew the bulb of
the blinking red light?

Perhaps those sites linked will give you some more information to
"get your teeth into"...

Good hunting.

Posted by: Sepp on March 24, 2005 11:21 AM

I started taking Lipitor 10mg 8 months ago. Since then I've had
problems with my right eye - vision problems that come and go -
initially I was told migraine- but then the nasal pain went -But
not the vision disturbance - flashes,transient blindness, 5
seconds at a time. Anyway, I don't know if the Lipitor is
responsible, but it's a strange co-incidence that all the symptoms
started shortly after starting the therapy. I've decided to bin
the product for the time being to see if my symtops improve or
vanish - Oh, and yes, I've had MRI's Dopplers,Eye exams &
everything is normal.....
God bless all you other sufferers- The quest for profit know no
morality...

Posted by: richard on March 27, 2005 10:06 AM

I started taking lipitor 20 mg in feb.My cholestrol was over 300.
It is now the end of March. 3 weeks ago I could hardly walk. My
knees were killing me. I was afraid that I was going to have to
quit my job. I was in great pain and could hardly walk. Sitting in
the car I would get bad muscle cramps. I cut my lipitor in half
and my knees quit hurting. I hit on this web site. How scary. I
don't know how I linked the knee pain with the lipitor...but I am
glad I did. What a difference.

Posted by: maryann on March 29, 2005 07:37 PM

Earlier this week I visited a cardiologist for a check up as a
preventative measure because there is a history of heart disease
in my family. The doctor prescribed lipitor without doing a blood
test to check cholesterol levels and even after I informed her
that my GP had done the test and cholesterol levels were normal.
She also told me to take a daily dose of aspirin even after I
indicated an allergy to aspirin on my medical form. When I asked
about side effects of Lipitor her resonse was perfunctory and she
said minor muscle aches. This alone concerned me because I have
joint pain from arthritis. She dismissed my concerns. As a teacher
I know the value of research. I am glad that I did some on my own
and discovered this site. I have seen a nutritionists and have
committed to a diet and exercise routine to help with weight loss.
I plan to do more research to find out how cholesterol can be
managed through diet and nutritional supplements. My heart goes
out to all the people out there who have had side effects with
this drug. I believe taking control is the first step to better
health for us all.

Posted by: Barbra on April 8, 2005 04:18 PM

I started on Lipitor 40 3 weeks ago. The only symptoms I have
experienced are leg cramp and ringing ears. I will continue taking
the drug until I get tested again in 2 weeks time. After the test
I will look for a herbal or other remedy involving plant sterols.
I do not know too much about plant sterols at this time but they
seem to be much safer option to help lower cholesterol.

Posted by: Clive on April 25, 2005 05:19 AM

I'm thankful we found this site last night. My wife and I were
just prescribed Lipitor 10 mg. We were hesitant to start it. After
reading the comments of so many, we'll pass. We're sorry so many
have suffered from the effects of this medication. Thanks for the
site. It is reminiscent of years past when Prevention Magazine had
a great Mailbag section with personal comments which were very
helpful.

Posted by: Jack on April 26, 2005 07:42 PM

I had only been on Lipitor for about a month when I experienced
the most horrific pain ever. It first occured in my left knee,
then left shoulder, then right knee and finally both hands. It
completely immobilized me and was the most painful experience I've
ever had. I stopped taking it immediately and now just a little
over a week I'm back to normal. I feel wonderful right now. I am
awaiting the results on some blood tests I had to have done.
Hopefully they will be normal also. Thanks for all your very
informative letters!

Posted by: Mary Ann on May 4, 2005 08:10 PM

I gave up statins on July 31st 2004 when I came upon this web
site. I had been on 40mg of Zocor, Pravachol and then finally
Lipitor. I had reached a point of being almost bedridden because
of all the unusual symptoms I was having. To be brief, I'll just
list them all, flushing, easy brusing in the arms and hands,
weight loss of 30 pounds which I didn't need to lose, leg aches,
back ache, chest pains with palpitations, body twitches, the face
and neck being most embarrassing and finally I came down with
essential tremor. My hands have always trembled a bit but now it's
in my head and neck. I went to several doctors, endocrinologist,
my doctor, cardiologist and finally a neurologist. I even had a
MRI. All agreed that that statins were not causing any of my
problems. All test results came back negitive. I found this web
site and quit taking the statins. 10 months later and the majority
of the symptoms are gone. They did not go away over night. I have
needed all 10 months to get to where I am today. I am left with
twitching in my calfs, my legs are still weak and the essential
tremor. So now I have to take a whole slew of new drugs, some with
side affects, to help with the essential tremor. I tried Niaspan
recently but it tore my stomach up. So I am left with my
cholestrol at about 260 and I think I will just live with it. I
eat a healthy diet and have actually been able to regain 5 of the
pounds that I lost. I wish I could prove that the statins set off
the essential tremor but that will probably never happen.

Posted by: Scott on May 18, 2005 10:40 PM

I have first tried Provacol to lower my chloesterol with pain in
my liver area and gall bladder area, thinking it was me, i
continued taking it...cramps and shooting pains inside my
abdomen..head aches...then my chest pain started and got so severe
i went to emergency..nothing found...aspirin is helpful..so i told
my doctor about this thinking it was the Provachol, since i
experimented and quit taking it for a day or two and then telling
my doctor about my symptoms...and still not making the connection
with the chest pain and heart pain....so she switched me to
Lipitor...and have used it now for about 2 weeks...and now getting
the same symptoms again! Life is too short to have this awful pain
in my abdomin!...I quit, there's got to be a better way...i think
the drug company is paying alot of money for news stories and ads
to make it seem statins are the answer to all our ills, when in
fact they are making us ill!

Posted by: Maggie Jones on May 19, 2005 06:53 PM

I am 78 yrs. old and have been on statins for 25 years. My
cholesterol went down and stayed below risk levels and I did not
suffer any of the side effects mentioned by your correspondents
UNTIL about 18 months ago. I now suffer from essential tremors
inmy left leg. I read of a study being conducted in some
university connecting statins to essential tremors and I decided
three weeks ago to stop the statins and to go to cinnamon tablets,
1000 mg/day to start. (Keyword cinnamon and cholesterol for info).
I wonder if others have tried this.I will keep in touch.

Posted by: Harold Belofsky on May 27, 2005 10:00 PM

Here I am reading all these postings of testimonials regrading the
use of Lipitor. And I am now convinced that it alone has caused
more damage to my body than high cholesterol could ever do. I am
only 48 years old and I feel like I have aged 20 years since being
on Lipitor. I have experienced all the symptoms described except
for slurred speech. Fortunately I was concerned initially in
taking this drug and therefore I was not religious about taking it
everyday. It did lower my cholesterol, but I can say for certain
that I would never have started on it or taken it at all if I knew
I was going to feel like I do today. As of today, June 16 2005, I
will no longer take this drug and I will support the fight against
Pfizer and the likes who simply create untested/unproven drugs for
the glory of profits. It disgusts me that we have to live in an
age where companies like Pfizer can conduct business in this way,
Greed Rules.....at the moment.

Posted by: Ross Nilsson on June 16, 2005 11:01 PM

I am 31 years old and have been taking Lipitor for 1 year. Within
the past few months I have noticed that my memory is not as sharp
as it once was, I am ALWAYS tired and have had difficulty seeing -
my eyes seem to be in constant blurriness. I have also been having
trouble remembering what I'm saying and finding the right words in
a conversation. I have NEVER had this problem before and I just
couldn't figure out what was going on. After reading all this
information, I know that Lipitor is the cause because it is the
only medication I am taking. I will be throwing my Lipitor away
tonight! Thank you for this website and thanks to everyone for
their comments.

Posted by: Darlene on June 30, 2005 06:34 AM

I have been taking Lipitor since May 1998. The last year has been
bad for me. The leg cramps, fatigue, short term memory loss, hip
and leg muscle pain so bad I can barely walk, sometimes having to
sit a few moments. Sometimes my feet and hands go numb, especially
at night.My blood test show the PCK (muscle degenerationlevel)at
344 when the range is 26-174. Pfizer should read all the comments.

Posted by: Curtis Newcum on July 3, 2005 04:25 PM

I was put on Lipitor two months ago. During those two months, I
experienced no side effects while my cholesterol dropped 150
points. However, this past weekend I experienced the rare side
effect of extreme pain in my thigh muscles; so bad I went to the
emergency room. After running blood work, they kept me in the
hospital for elevated CPK levels, over 15,000 (20-175 is normal).
The next day, over 42,000, though renal function was normal and I
left the hospital. (Still in pain in my legs with severe cramping
every hour or two.) Next blood test, 52,000 CPK level. Finally,
they seem to be coming down with my current CPK test a bit over
37,000. Needless to say I will no longer be taking any statin
drugs now or in the future.

I've been told that there should be no permanent damage and that
my kidney's appear to be ok. I'm hoping this is true as I slowly
recover from this event.

It's been quite a painful experience.

Posted by: GadgetGal on July 7, 2005 07:16 AM

I have to admit I feel great. I've never taken statins despite
what the doctor wanted. I'm 41 with total cholesterol of 297 and
330 triglycerides. I have no family history of heart disease, but
many have high cholesterol. My theory is heart disease is caused
my malnutrition not cholesterol. I recommend at least 500 mg Vit
C, 200 IU E (2g C, 800 IU E are not harmful), 100 mcg selenium,
and a B-complex every day. Vitamins will help your body help
itself. Forget about cholesterol. It's just a big mistake.

Posted by: VeryHealthy on July 14, 2005 02:37 AM

I have hereidary high cholesterol. I'm 48 and have had three heart
attacks. My cardiologist can't get my cholesterol down to
satisfactory levels. I am on Lipitor, 80 mg per day as well as
Tricor, 145 mg per day. I have noticed fatigue, muscle pain, and
some short term memory loss. Is it normal to be on such high
dosages and on two different statins?

Posted by: Cheryl Day on July 17, 2005 08:32 PM

If I may be so bold, i would like to pose this question,"why would
a person take any medication that doesn't help, cure, and/or
prevent an ailment?

All cholestrol medication manufacturers clearly state they do NOT
prevent heart attacks, nor do they CURE an individual of anything.
They only claim it HELPS you lower your cholestrol.

Which leads to my next question, " what exactly is the FUNCTION of
cholestrol?" Does anyone have a scientific answer?

The best way I can explain FUNCTION is through this following
example: If a patient presents themselves to a physician and has
an elevated white count, the physician KNOWS that there ia a
problem with that patient. Why? Because the FUNCTION of the white
blood cell is to attack "intruders"
in the body. It is natures way of combating various ailments that
invade our bodies. NO physician would dream of lowering a persons
white blood cells, would he/she????

Until there is scientific evidence as to what exactly the FUNCTION
of cholestrol is, perhaps it may not be beneficial to lower it!?
Perhaps it may even be harmful!?

A couple more questions to ponder. In the past 25 years or so,
hasn't ALS, MS, and other related neurological disorders
DRASTICALLY increased? How long has Lipitor been on the market???

Posted by: M L Stille on July 25, 2005 06:41 PM

Hi
I just happen to come across this board per chance. I was on
Crestor for few months about two years ago. Just taking a 10mg
dose for about three months produced so much pain in my body that
I had to stop the drug. In any case, at that time it was not known
where the pain was coming from so my doctor refered me to a
rheumatologist. He performed a full body bone scan. In this
process I was lying down on a bed for about 45 minutes when they
scanned my whole body, head to toe, with scan. Worse, somewhere in
the middle the technician said she did not do something right so
she had to do it again. (was it a double exposure?). Few months
later to that full body bone scan, The pain spread all over my
body including severe headaches for the last three months. I don't
know what to do. The doctors seem to care less about your pain.
and it takes screming to death to even make them move or listen
sometimes. Anyone has any suggestions?

Posted by: Andy on August 19, 2005 01:13 PM

I am 35 and had slightly elevated triglycerides about 8 months
ago. My Dr. (actually a P.A.) perscribed 20 mg of Lipitor. I had
no side effects but I have never liked putting man made drugs into
my body. My insurance broker told me about Red Yeast Rice (or is
it Red Rice Yeast??) which is what the statin drugs were modeled
from. I went off the Lipitor and took Red Yeast Rice only. My
cholesteral elevated and I was denied premium insurance (another
dilemna all together). So my Dr. perscribed 40 mg to get me down
which it is. BUT, I have started to get leg pain. I am very active
and bie alot but I went running one day and although I do not run
often, my legs felt like they were in a tiight vise for days
afterwords. I never had soreness like that but now it makes sense.
A friend at work who was a nurse for fourteen years warned me
today of the dangers of Statins and Lipitor and it's muscle
degenerating effects. I found this great site about others like
me. I hope you are all doing better and feeling better after going
off of Lipitor.
Is anyone taking Red Yeast Rice? Any success if so?

Posted by: Jeff on August 20, 2005 04:30 AM

First of all, I havent seen this site until today - 1 day after
taking Lipitor 20mg. so I can say that what's happened to me isn't
a result of suggestive thoughts. This morning my left leg was
twitching just above the knee, my chest doesnt feel that great,
sort of constricted and can't get a full gasp of air in me. At
lunch I dropped my fork twice, both my ankles feel stiff and
swollen and my vision is somewhat blurry. Yesterday will also be
the last day I take Lipitor, the 2nd drug my doctor has had me try
after Vytorin 10/40 left me with severe stomach pain, partial numb
face and rapid heart palpitations again after only the first dose.
Clearly statin's aren't for me, the question now is, what is?

Posted by: John on September 4, 2005 04:03 AM

I was on Lipitor 10 for about 6 months. With no side effects
whatsoever. Then my DR. decided to put me on a higher dose, I
never had such pain every where from my toes to my shoulders. And
now that I have read other comments on this page I realized I have
more than mussel pain I also have developed a breathing problem .
I told my Dr. about this and she has assured me that it was not
the Lipitor causing all my pain. I have quit taking it for about 2
weeks now,and some of the pain has went away but not all and I'm
still having a problem walking and breathing. I pray soon the pain
will all go away. I will never take the Lipitor ever again.

Posted by: Clara on September 8, 2005 10:37 PM

have been on lipitor 9 months....about 2 months ago, bad muscle
pain...real bad...need help getting out of bed in the a.m......saw
an article in a magazine about lipitor...relating to muscle
pain...pain also in hip...actually from waist down..needless to
say, yesterday marked the beginning of no more lipitor for me....i
hope i have not done permanent damage...by the way, the "liver"
tests keep coming back okay....it's too bad they don't check for
muscle damage when they do the liver testing....i, too, thought i
was getting ALS or MS.....what pain....i'm debating whether to
even call the cardiologist who prescribed...cholesterol came down
100 points....but at what price am i now paying with this muscle
pain...hopefully, it is not permanent...

Posted by: rosalie on September 12, 2005 03:34 PM

Australia spends about $800 million ( Oz Dollars ) on statin
drugs...a drug which is totally useless...see www.thincs.org This
money would be much better spent on providing better conditions
for many of our dispossesed Aborigines.

Posted by: John Van Leeuwen on September 16, 2005 04:29 AM

I too am a victim of Lipitor and I am very mad about what it has
done to me and to the others I have read about on the internet. I
think that there should be something that we can do. Maybe we can
all together and turn this into a suit. Why should that company
get rich off of people that it has crippled and will continue to
cripple?

Posted by: darlene boone on September 28, 2005 05:08 AM

i have been on statins for the last 3 years, but before that i
have always had ailments including svt which were ablated, but now
on a heart drug as it was not a complete success, then i was put
on these drugs did not really take much notice till they swapped
me on to Lipitor last dec, even then i was so use to having aches
and pains it did not occur to me. about three months ago i started
to go down hill, breathless, sore joints, feet painful on first
waking and walking, vision probs, get my words tied up in knots to
where people are noticing, slurring my speach when tired and
weakness burning in my muscles,insomia with a capital I, weight
gain even though i have been on a diet for last 6 months???. Got
to a stage where i went back to my heart doc as i thought it was
to do with that or maybe that i had cancer or something, and he
gave me ecg, echogram, complete blood test, although nothing
really bad the tests were slighty abnormal on the blood side, so
he than ran more blood test all came back neg, so know i am being
referred for a 2nd opinion, I mentioned that i have seen some
infor on Lipitor so he has now asked me to stay off this drug for
7 days to if there is any change, does anyone know how long this
drug takes to come out of your system. although i will be going
back to him now after reading this website as i have no intention
either way of going back on Lipitor again, also just spoke to a
pharmacist, he said no real problem with Lipitor , you might get
aches and pains and it has just come out that it is a wonder drug
curing all kinds of diseases, hmmmm wot that can me!!!! but i
guess what does not kill you makes you stronger!!

Posted by: denise on September 28, 2005 03:41 PM

It takes alot more than 7 days to recover. After 5 years on
Lipitor I am now 18 months post Lipitor and still do not have full
recovery from PN. Other symptoms (i.e. muscle spasms, psoriasis,
insommnia, dementia, etc disappeared within a couple weeks).

Posted by: Granny102245 on September 28, 2005 07:52 PM

I started taking lipitor almost seven years ago. This was before
the TV commercials said anything about "be sure and tell your
Doctor if you experience any muscle pain, as it can sometimes be a
sign of a serious but rare side effect." It was fine, everything
was great, my ldl levels dropped significantly. Then I developed
diabetes. I do not believe that this had anything to do with the
lipitor-maybe.

I was in the hospital for pneumonia, and they sent me home with
prednisone. When I took the prednisone, I couldn't walk the next
day. My hip sockets were not able to function. My MD, (the first
of two,) had me take an MRI, which came back clean.

That Dr. went away, and another MD from their firm took over for
him. (By the way, I like my Doctor, BUT...) A year later I started
feeling intense pain in my legs, from my knees to my lower back,
but centered in the hip joints. Within a week I could not walk
again. There was no prednisone this time to blame. Another MRI
revealed that I had developed Avascular Necrosis of my ball and
socket joints, meaning that the bones in my hips had died. No
thought by anyone at this point that lipitor could have anything
to do with this.

After 12 weeks of not being able to work, I told my Doctor that I
needed pain meds, and he agreed. I spent the next 3.5 years on
morphine and percocet, which confused the matter since it causes
symptoms similar to some of lipitors nastier side effects-foggy
mental faculties, impaired speech, a strange gait when walking,
etc. But taking the pain meds and using a cane was the only way
that I could walk, so it forces one's hand...

I had been talked into bariatric surgery to reduce the weight on
my hips (a suggestion from an orthopedic surgeon.) The surgeon who
did the bariatric, in what turned out to be a stroke of genius,
told me to stop taking the lipitor. within two weeks the pain was
dramatically reduced. I had not yet noticed that the muscles and
connective tissue in my upper legs was being reduced. It was, I
just had lots of things on my mind and had never heard that this
was a possible side effect of lipitor.

Four months later my Dr. finds out and put me on twice the dosage
of lipitor that I had been prescribed originally. Witin two weeks
I could not walk without a cane, and often times I had to use
crutches. Back on the morphine and percocet...

The pain kept getting worse, and eventually I had come to the
point where I offed myself or found out what was causing the
problem and stop it. I used to believe that suicide was a mortal
sin, but now I know that it isn't that black and white. I stopped
taking the lipitor out of desparation, since it was the only med
that had changed since the brief time after surgery when there was
much reduced pain.

Within two weeks (what a strange magic number) the pain reduced
drstically. I quit taking the morphine then. The pain was still
worse than anything that I had known prior to lipitor. It was down
to the level of a broken bone, and eventually lessened enough to
where I could take myself off the percocet three months later. I
had to take trammadol for the pain. Six months later still and I
can function with only aspirin and motrin, albeit at higher
dosages than recommended.

I usually think clearly now, but not always. I sometimes cannot
write legibly and sometimes my speech patterns tend to devolve for
a day or two. I can walk about a mile, and cannot sit for more
than an hour to ninety minutes without getting up and hobbling
around. I still walk with a strange gait-sometimes stranger than
usual. My upper leg muscles are missing about two thirds of muscle
mass and strength that I had always had and my range of motion has
been reduced to that of a near invalid, but the pain is now
manageable. Please note that I did not say it was gone. Not by any
stretch of the imagination.

I want to say that if you are taking lipitor and have ANY unusal
symptoms, quick taking it for at least a month. If your Doctor
doesn't agree, find another Doctor.

Posted by: Daniel Sprouse on September 29, 2005 11:38 PM

I have tried to get my doctor to listen...now I can barely walk
from the mail box to the front door. I have terrible leg cramps
and have torn muscles in my arms. I cannot sleep at night from the
pain.
I have been on this drug for years and believe my problems are due
to this drug.
It is time for this drug to be taken off the market and a class
action suit against its makers. Lets face it doctors are also
making money off this drug ...each script puts money in their
pockets...could it be they don't want to listen to the facts
because of the big bucks?????????

Posted by: Fred Smith on October 3, 2005 04:23 AM

I have taken lipitor 40 for many years and then the doc added
tricor 145mg for years. It helped the cholestrol and
triglycerides. Started to have neck pain and severe itching. Went
to the chiropractor and he checked the meds and said out of all
them in his opinion he thought Lipitor and Tricor. I stopped
taking Tricor and notice some difference and then the lipitor. I
got scared because I need the lipitor so started taking it again
and started excessively itching so stopped. The itching is not as
bad but it is still there. I am a new diabetic so am watching very
closely what I eat. I just hope i can keep my body inline for
healthy purposes.

Posted by: Diane Westover on October 10, 2005 11:51 AM

Six weeks ago I was diagnosed with Diabetes II. I had all the
familiar excessive symptoms including a yeast infection that
wouldn't clear up. That's the reason I went to Drs. in the first
place. My count was 390. They gave me insulin shot and
prescription for Metformin and wanted me in hospital. I went home
and got on net to research Diabetes. Two days later I submitted to
going into hospital. I layed there for under 24 hrs going thru
tons of blood tests and ekg and chest xray. I decided I was going
home the next morning and Dr came and he would not release me
unless I started taking insulin injections everyday. That's when I
made a choice that I was going to 'CURE" my diabetes with an all
natural diet and I signed myself out of hospital. Six weeks later
my sugar level is 102. Had I not been stubborn enough to do this,
I too would have been on Lipitor and many more meds for high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, etc. and NEVER cure nothing. I have a
girlfriend my age who just was diagnosed with Diabetes II and they
already had her on 5 major meds. Now she is on 3 more, one of
which is Lipitor. I have shared my sucess with her and she's
inspired and hopefully will get off all these terrible drugs.
Thank you for being there on the net. God Bless you!!! p.s. I have
done all this so far with NO WEIGHT LOSS, NO MEDS, AND NO EXERCISE
yet. So they are all liers and yes it's the money game.

Posted by: Karen Morganti on October 19, 2005 09:33 PM

Karen, please tell us how you accomplished reducing your sugar
level to 102. What do you consider a "natural diet"? My boss was
just diagnosed with diabetes and would love to know your secret.

Posted by: Pam Rossi on October 21, 2005 03:09 AM

Today, after reading the testimonials, and realizing the
associated side effects, I have sworn off of Lipitor... I am 50
years old and for all practical purposes have been pretty healthy
all my life. In May of 2005 I was taken from my place of
employment for stroke type systems to the hospital by EMS. My
first experience of this type. After undergoing a battery of test,
I was told I suffered a TIA, and my Doctor later told me a blood
clot had broken loose in my brain, thus the stroke like systems. I
was released from the hospital and prescribed Lipitor. Thru all
the test, scans, x-rays, blood work, etc..., the only thing they
came of with was acceptable blood level counts, and thus the
Lipitor. These posting have pointed out so many of the things I am
experiencing today, by so many people, I am convinced Lipitor is
something I need to run from! Having said all of that, I am the
type of person who doesn’t even like to take an aspirin. I believe
that Lipitor has robbed me from a quality of life that I have
enjoyed in the past. I only hope that my symptoms described by so
many reverse, as it has greatly impacted my quality of life. My
email address is Barry G Fox. I will be advising my Doctor of this
at my next visit.

Posted by: Barry G. Fox on October 22, 2005 03:16 PM

I had to post after reading this. I started on Lipitor in
June,'05. My doctor was doing blood work to monitor the liver,
everything looked fine, except my good cholesterol was also going
down. He added Tricor to the brew. Now the trouble begins. I am
flipping out at night, and I do mean flipping out. My legs are
cramping. I have to stand up and try to uncurl my toes to walk. I
have headaches, shortness of breath. This is not the worst of it.
When I describe this, I can't seem to get to the exact description
of what it feels like, only that it will not let me sleep. I have
a colony of critters crawling under my skin where I can not reach
them. When they choose to stop, they stab me with fine point
needles. I stopped both drugs two weeks ago, but the symptoms
won't stop. They are maddening. I feel like they are pushing me
over the edge. I am a student and a teacher and I feel like I am
failing at both. Nothing I do helps. I get so angry sometimes,
probably from not sleeping and then the madness brought on by the
critter crawling. Another teacher I work with had the same
symptoms form Lipitor alone and told me it got so bad he got out
the .38. He is on something differnt now, but I swear, I would
rather die from high cholesteral than experience this. I would
alos like to know how long it takes to leave your system.

Posted by: Debbie on October 23, 2005 08:07 PM

Thank you for sharing your story, Debbie.

Maybe it would be of help if you delved deeper into the (false)
assumption that Cholesterol kills people. Start with this article
and also follow the links at the end of it.

Cholesterol myth

If you ever have cramps again, get some magnesium. It gives almost
instant relief, if you take it in liquid form or if it's in pills,
chew one for more immediate absorption. This is a personal
observation of mine and it worked for me every time (getting up in
the middle of the night and chowing down on a mag pill). Charley
horse good bye ...

You can see more comments from readers on a later article about
lipitor: Lipitor: Side Effects And Natural Remedy

From these replies of other readers, it seems that the side
effects from cholesterol lowering drugs can take some months to
recede.

This later article also has a link to the site of Jonathan
Campbell, who provides a downloadable booklet with advice.

Posted by: Sepp on October 23, 2005 09:07 PM

I have high cholesterol probably genetics since I eat a healthy
lowfat diet & exercise. When I refused to take lipitor my Dr
suggested
red yeast rice. Anyone had success with this?

Posted by: cheryl on November 9, 2005 08:21 PM

This is the third site I have found where people who have been
prescribed lipitor can speak of their side effects. My husband was
prescribed lipitor after a heart attack (caused by taking VIOXX
for 18 months), didn't have high cholestrol, wasn't overweight,
wasn't a smoker, didn't have high blood pressure, we ate a
relatively healthy diet (low fat) but the cardiologist still had
him take 10 mg of lipitor per day. He had taken it for 2 years
before he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. After taking
lipitor for 5 months, he began to have right hand tremors and it
got progressively worse - right leg tremors, slow shuffling gait,
no energy and weight loss. He was taken off lipitor 2 months ago,
but there has not been any improvement. It didn't occur to me
until he was diagnosed with Parkinson's that lipitor may be at the
root of it. Seems like it affects many people only in different,
but similar, ways. This has really destroyed his quality of life.
I'm sure this is irreversible unless someone has some great
remedies.

Posted by: anne on November 20, 2005 11:59 PM

I have been on Lipitor for the last seven months after a mild
heart attack.Am I the only one without any side effects I wonder?
I feel great.I take other medication and watch what I am eating.I
am prescribed 80 mil. and my cholesterol have gone down from 6.9
to 2.5 in only three months.Wishing everyone the best of luck!

Posted by: Valentina on November 21, 2005 05:21 PM

I am 53 and have kidney disease. I've been on 10 mg Lipitor for at
least 6 months. Having lots of cramps in my feet. Thought it was
my shoes, etc. Now limping around for the past 3 weeks. Going off
Lipitor!

Posted by: P.Schiano on November 29, 2005 02:47 AM

Thanks to all who wrote so many valuable comments and brought
their words out on LIPITOR - a poison. I am far below 50 in age,
passed almost 6.5 years on Lipitor along with many symptoms of
side affects. My wife has been discouraging me from taking Lipitor
which I have been taking along with Norvasc, Metformin for last 3+
years. I did not do enough exercise and kept taking the MEds.
Recently, I discovered that My wife has been telling me the
aftermath. I have just been diagnosed with Shingles after a 3 days
of deadly painful shingles in my back. I went to the doctor and
came to realize about Shingles. I started reading on shingles and
discovered much informations which just scared me to the hell of
poison. A shingle is a disease that is seen only on aged adults (
60, 80s ). Or on people who have weakend immune system or who had
cancer or etc.. I am a guy who has always lived such a clean
orderly life with wife and a kid. The only reason I could get the
Shingles is "weakened immune system". Other possibilities don't
fit in my life. So - started looking back on all reassons
including meds that I take. My wife is right - " Your too much
dependence on Medicine is about to take your immune system away".
I looked at Lipitor and found so much devastating news that drives
me to stop Lipitor - from today Novemver 30, 2005. I have High
Blood Pressure controlled, I have had LDL, I have diabetes. So
what ? I will stop Lipitor, I will stop Norvasc, I will stop
Metformin. I met my doctor and took Actos to replace the
Metformin. I will take only Actos for keep insulin in control. I
will join the exercise club " Lifetime Fitness" and change food
menu from today and look for a better life or die without
medicine. Thats my committment and compromise against Lipitor and
other meds.

I will live by the blessing of God, not by the blessing of poison
- Lipitor.

After reading all of your conversation I find why I have been
loosing immune system, never ending pain on left hand, eye
problem, shingles, slowness on my life, slower work at daily life,
slowing down the brain, thinking, lack of strength in mind, body
and finally many other disorders.

Thanks everybody. I will write back to this column on December
30th - if I live well.

Good bye. Please pray for my new life from today.

Posted by: Shaheen B Salam on November 30, 2005 06:26 PM

I switched to Zocor and my painful problems are now gone! I
wouldn't advise anyone to stay on Lipitor. It made me feel like I
was ready for the rest home. I hurt continually in my legs and
feet when I was on that stuff. No more for me!

Kathy

Posted by: Kathy Howard on December 1, 2005 05:50 PM

I had 5 way bypass and mechanicle valve replacement feb, 15 2005.
I had previously been taking lovastatin and my cholesterol was
good. My atreries were not.
Since the sugury I have been back on lovastatin and have had much
pain in legs and joints. I also have had gout for 10 yrs or so. My
urich acid is always high. I control my diet,lost 70 lbs.
excersize walk,all the right stuff. Went to DR. today to check on
recent lab results and ALL was perfect. Except the pain,even right
now as I type,my right palm is aching.
the dr. suggested taking small(110mg) dose of allopurinal each
nite to see what that does. I have suspected statins as the
culprit for months.
any suggestions out there?

thanks

Posted by: perry harris on December 2, 2005 12:54 AM

I have been on Lipitor for over 7 years, and I too have been
suffering from muscle pain, cramping, heart palpitations. I
finally complained to my docter this past summer and he agreed to
take me off the Lipitor. After 3 months most all of these symptoms
disappeared, and I felt the best I have in many years.
Unfortunately, my Cholesterol level increased again, so he put me
on Pravachol. After 2 months, I am experiencing all of the same
symptoms again. I called by Doctor yesterday, and he agreed that I
should stop the Pravachol. I will never go on these meds again. My
goal is to lose 30 lbs. and control with diet, exercise, and
natural remedies, which I am already doing for lower back
problems. Do not wait like I did to make this decision, I wish I
had known more about these side effects much earlier.

Posted by: Marty on December 2, 2005 04:26 AM

I was on lipitor for 6 years,10 mg wasnt so bad but then my dr.
put it up to 20mg,then on july 04 she put me on 40mg thats when
things started to get really bad.I had alot of side effects before
the 40mg but my dr. said it was not the lipitor!By Feb. 05 I could
hardly walk my knees were so bad so i stopped taking the stuff.On
feb.05 i posted a message on here about all the aches and pains i
was having and about my knees well it has been 10 months since i
stopped taking lipitor,alot of the side effects are getting much
better but not my knees,i had xrays done Dr. said they are fine,oh
by the way i already had arthitis when dr. put me on this drug i
think the lipitor has made it worse.I still cant sleep good but at
least the heartburn is gone and i can drink coffee again!The sad
part is most doctors still say it`s not the lipitor.I say i think
it is!

Posted by: jeanie on December 27, 2005 02:03 PM

I've been on 80 mg. Pravachol and 10 mg. Zetia for 2 years since
my heart attack that was caused by taking an Imitrex for
migraines. (I've posted here in the past.) All of a sudden, after
thinking I had no side effects from these statins, I am getting
some facial twitching. I had severe facial twitching about a year
ago when my cardiologist tried me on Crestor. However, after only
a month, he agreed that was the cause of those side effects. Now,
all of a sudden I am getting some mild, pretty constant, facial
twitching again. Could this possibly be from the Pravachol and
Zetia? And, could it come all of a sudden, after all this time? My
cardiologist is a firm believer in statins, and no way will he
take me off of them. It would have to be my decision to stop and
totally without his approval. Other than the statin situation, I
feel he is the best doctor I have ever had and have great
confidence in him.

Posted by: Pam Rossi on December 31, 2005 01:20 AM

I hiked in the Colorado Rockie Mountians last summer without any
leg or knee pain.My cholesterol was 230 and my doctor wanted to
putme on Lipitor. I refused due to the side effects. So I started
Cholestoff a Statin also and over the counter. Witjhin a month I
began having severe legpain,weakness,and knee pain where it made
it difficult to walk. Luckily I recognized the connectio and quit
takingthe Cholestoff. But I continue with leg pain stiffness and
knee joint pain so severe,I wondered whether I would end up in a
wheel chair.
I have tried hyaluranic acid .with a little success. Then I read
where decreasing Cholesterol decreases and depletes you CoQ10
enzyme. I began taking Co Q 10 almost a week ago and am walking
without opain. The swelling in my legs hs disappeared as have the
nueropathy.

Anyone taking statin drugs may need to supplement with Co Q 10.

Posted by: Patsy on January 3, 2006 04:06 AM

Doctor started me on Lipitor in late spring. After about three
weeks... awoke during the night with severe pain and aching in
arms. Stopped Lipitor! Pain subsided some, but now has come back
full force, and keeps me awake at night. This is dibilitating
pain-never had any symptoms prior to taking this drug!

Posted by: Cindy Kazeck on January 3, 2006 08:35 PM

I am 39 started lipitor a year ago i started losing my memory
getting very tired and having lots of headache today after reading
the articles i am stopping the lipitor pray to God i recover
thankyou for all the information may God bless U

Posted by: rabiya mayet on January 9, 2006 07:54 PM

I have been taking lipitor for my cholesterol, avapro and coreg
for cardiomyapathy,and avandia for diabetes. Two years ago, I was
in an automobile accident and had to have artrosciopic surgery.
The surgery was not successful and now, I am in the process of
getting a 2nd. opinion with reference to a knee transplant due to
still having a sprained ligament and a tear in the knee, also my
knee in bone on bone.

I have gone from walking unaided to walking with a cane; I am
experiencing headaches and leg/hip/arm pain. When I sit down and
try to arise, it is very painful and I was so upset today, that I
decided that I should not have all this pain at my age (60), I
feel like 80. Today, I decided to check all my medications on the
internet and found that the one causing this pain is lipitor. I am
stopping this med. as of today and will see my doctor in a few
days. I may still need a knee transplant, but this poison has made
the situation more painful.

Posted by: marta rojas on January 12, 2006 12:10 AM

I am 43, a diabetic, and have been placed on Lipitor 10 mg QD for
prophalactic reasons. I was on it for 3 months last year and
noticed muscle aching, bothersome but not inhibiting. I ran out
and did not get a refill until Dec. 2005. I started up again.
Since I am a diabetic of 19 years with never having had
complications, I became very scared when I noticed within a week
or two, burning, tingling, and decreased sensation, along with
weakness to my feet and calves. My hands as well are tingly and
feel somewhat numb at times. I began to panick, was this normal
for peripheral neuropathy to set in so rapidly. I know I was a set
up for it, being diabetic. I am on a pump and have had good
control. Reading through everyone's input, I am left to hopefully
to believe this may be a side effect from the Lipitor. Should I
stop? Will these symptoms go away in time, or am I too believe
that the damage is done? Does PN occur so rapidly normally? Please
let me know if anyone can help. Thank you all.

Posted by: Green on January 15, 2006 05:44 AM

hi i am so glad i found someone who understands i thought it was
just me.i have been on lipitor for 3 years now.and things do not
get any better believe me. i have a back problem and thought all
the pain i was having was do to that .hip pain leg pain i never
sleep at night because of a lot of jumping in my sleep all night
long.and my memory is so bad each day i have to make a list of
what i have to do for the day.even the house work or i forget and
i am lost .my husband tells me i am loosing my mind i can not
remember a thing.i forget everything.i am 52 years old and thought
a lot of this was the change of life guess im not as crazy as i
thought i was but need a lot of help i am sceared to come off the
drug because of having withdraws or what they may be .or do you
even have withdraws when you come off this drug.i need someone to
talk to thank you wendy

Posted by: wendy on January 25, 2006 03:54 PM

Hi
my hubby was on Lipitor and he wasn't feeling all that good and as
time went on he was getting no better. He was complaining that he
ached all over, had no strength to do anything. If he did some
light work in the garage for an hour he had to stop because he was
wiped out. He had no power in his arms, legs. He used to walk 7
miles a day and he couldn't do it anymore because he didn't think
he would make it home.

He has a triglyceride problem so its important for him to
exercise. We saw a doctor down in southern Ontario and he strongly
recommended to quit taking Lipitor and metformin because he said
they were the two culprits. He recommended to take Chromium
instead. so he has and he is back to himself.

If a person is low in chromium in the body they are at risk of
taking a heart attack and this is either something the doctors
overlook about minerals in one's body or they just are out for the
dollar. It seems they will go to any cost to make money-kickbacks.

Elaine

Posted by: Elaine on February 7, 2006 04:40 AM

I have a script for Tricore that I am filling today..anyone know
anything about this one? thanks

Posted by: starr on February 11, 2006 01:49 PM

To Seth:

Age 55, recent increase in LDL levels, some high blood pressure
well controlled on Benicar/HCT without side effects. I started
taking lipitor 10 and then Vytorin 10/20, about four months ago.
I'm getting short of breath easily and losing my stamina. No
muscle aches. No chest pain, just winded with minimal exertion
compared with what I am used to. Should I be suspicious about the
statin?

Posted by: Phil on February 11, 2006 06:42 PM

I woke up one Sunday morning with sudden red spots all over my
body, fever, aches and pains like the flu. I realized soon that it
wasn't the flu, my legs and knees were in excruciating pain. My
knees had huge goose eggs on them for no reason whatsoever. My
arms and hands also hurt and were very swollen. I could not even
walk to the bathroom without assistance for about 2 weeks. That
was about 1 month ago. Now I am able to walk with great pain and
the swelling has gone down except for my right leg. I hope and
pray this goes away and I don't have to live like this forever. I
have always been very happy, active, loved the outdoors, and this
has thrown me for a loop. I find myself staying home all the time
and it is so hard to get up and about these days.
I stopped the lipitor the day I found this website. I will never
take it again.

Posted by: Cindy on February 13, 2006 06:09 AM

Hello,

I just read the article about Doug and his experience with
Lipitor. I came across the article doing research on the Web for
the drug Lipitor, trying to make since of a recent attack I had
that sent me to the hospital emergency room thinking that maybe I
was having a stroke.

My first and second attack came out of nowhere. My first attack
was an incident where I was just sitting at my kitchen table and
all of a sudden I had a pain on the left side of my head and neck,
dizziness, and suddenly lost all of my strength and fell to the
floor and couldn't get up due to lack of strength in my entire
body. I told my doctor about the experience and ask her if it
could be the new medicine I had been taking for a couple of
months. She told me that the medicine had nothing to do with it,
so she scheduled some tests to rule out mini strokes. Well, before
I could have all of the test down I had another attack and the
second one was worse then the first which cause me to call 911. It
came with even more symptoms that mimic having a stroke. I had the
same symptoms as above, but this time I had intense, painful,
tingling throughout my entire body from head to toe and couldn't
move my hands or arms or even lift my head or body due to lack of
strength.

To make a long story short, I had a 3 day hospital stay where they
ran a battery of test which included Cat Scans, MRI,
Echocardiogram, Ultrasounds and a test from the neurologist. The
conclusion that the Doctors came too was that it was just an
anxiety attack. I of course did not believe I was having an
anxiety attack just from going to the bathroom, so I never
accepted that conclusion and decided that I had to do some
research of my own. That's when I came across the article about
Doug.

I have since emailed the link to many family and friends hoping to
help get the word out about these drugs and maybe it will help
keep someone else from experiencing the same thing that Doug has
experience. I feel blessed to have come across the article,
because it just confirms what I thought all along that the drug
Lipitor was the reason I was having the attacks. I was lucky to
come across the article because I had already decided to stop
taking the drug, but just need some additional information for my
own peace of mind.

I want to thank you for writing the article and sharing Doug's
experience with the public.

Sincerely,
Ann

Posted by: Ann on March 9, 2006 08:07 PM

Thank you for your comment, Ann.

I am happy that the information is making the rounds.

If you need some more ammunition to warn friends and family, there
is a second article on lipitor,

and there is also one on painkillers, in case you are taking any
of these...

Posted by: Sepp on March 10, 2006 05:18 PM

Within the past few months I have noticed that my memory is not as
sharp as it once was, I am ALWAYS tired and have had difficulty
seeing - my eyes seem to be in constant blurriness. I have also
been having trouble remembering what I'm saying and finding the
right words in a conversation. I have NEVER had this problem
before and I just couldn't figure out what was going on. After
reading all this information, I know that Lipitor is the cause
because it is the only medication I am taking. I will be throwing
my Lipitor away tonight! Thank you for this website and thanks to
everyone for their comments.

Posted by: Amber G on March 16, 2006 01:04 PM

Thank you for helping me to get my quality of life back. I was on
Lipitor for the last 6 months until I read your article, now I'm
not. I only had high cholesterol 7mmol. I got cramps in my feet
and hands, growing depresion, extreme tiredness yet sleep was very
restless. Lost concentration. I stopped taking Lipitor and I am
rapidly getting back to my normal healthy self. Regards from
Australia.

Posted by: Joe on April 7, 2006 12:57 AM

I had been on Lipitor for approximately five years. I was put on
that statin drug after my doctor stated I had high colesterol. I
did not question him about the drug, and as a mind numb robot I
took it faithfully for years. I have always been a strong healty
person who possessed good physical strength, long endurance in
both work and my personal life. Slowly I began to experience aches
and pains in my muscles and joints. I found I could not sleep
through the night. I began to forget simple things. When I took a
shower and shampooed my hair before I finished I could not recall
if I washed my hair. In the recent past, my joint pain was so
severe, it would bring tears to my eyes. I mentioned all this to
my doctor and he scheduled me for blood tests but he never came up
with any answers. Finally one day after renewing my monthly
prescription for Lipitor, I took the time to read the print out
provided by the drug store. I was shocked to see that every
problem that I was experiencing was listed as a side effect. I
told my doctor that I would no longer take Lipitor. I now take a
natural remedy from a Doctor with a good background in alternative
medicine. It has been a few months since I last took Lipitor, but
I still have the aches and pains in the muscles and joints. My
muscle tone has decreased dramatically and my ability to walk any
distance is greatly diminished. I am hopeful that I will recover
from this scourge placed upon me by Lipitor.

Posted by: Charles on April 11, 2006 02:23 AM

I have been taking Lipitor for one year now and of late have
started to have joint pain,weakness lack of drive and energy, loss
of sexual appetite and what appears to be a partial blockage of
the rh side muscle that creates an erection causing pain and kink
to the right as well as the poor sleep and many of the other
symptons that users and having. I was a very fit healthy 59 yr old
who had a very slightly elevated Ldl9 (bad stuff). I have decided
that after reading these many pages today I am definitly off the
Lipitor and will take my chanced with my cholestoral levels. I
have now got to hope that no permanent damage has been done to my
body by taking this very bad drug that has been allowed to be
administered to the public by the drug barons.
In the Far East they execute people who peddle dangerous drugs

Posted by: jeremy mundy on April 11, 2006 06:59 AM

I started taking lipitor 10 mg in Oct. 2004 due to high
cholesterol (300+). By Feb. 2005, my total cholesterol was down to
160 (HDL 48). My doctor was amazed at how well it was working and
stated that if things continued to go well he would consider
having me take it every other day. In March I began to experience
muscle and joint weakness. I mentioned this to my doctor and he
ran more blood test to be certain. The blood work did not show any
issues and within a month the symptoms were gone. In July 2005 my
blood tests were still normal and my cholesterol was still low
(though my triglycerides were too high 270+). In mentioned to my
doctor that I was experiencing mild muscle aches and stiffness in
my joints. In January 2006 I began to experience digestion issues
and abdominal pain especially after eating fatty foods. My doctor
ordered more blood work and a sonogram of my gallbladder. The
blood work came back normal (though triclycerides were still too
high 300+). Due to this, my doc decided to increase my lipitor
dosage to 20mg. Also, the sonogram test showed that my gallbladder
was not filling with bile and remained contracted even after
fasting. My joint stiffness has gotton worse and i'm experiencing
mild swelling of my hands and feet. My doc has put me on prilosec
while I await a HIDA w/cck test. After coming across this Web page
I've decided to take myself off of lipitor. I've been off for 3
days (swelling in hands and feet getting better but still there).
I'm also hoping that by getting off lipitor it will help my
digestive/gallbladder issue. I don't have proof that the
gallbladder issue is directly related to the lipitor but I am
suspicious. Thank you to everyone who posted on this site.

Posted by: Kambiz on April 12, 2006 03:32 PM

Can lipitor cause loss of vision.

Posted by: Cecilia on April 15, 2006 08:33 PM

I was on Lipitor 10mg for 8 months.And while i was taking it i got
leg and foot cramps so bad that the pain woke me up at night.And i
developed pain in my right arm muscle and hand.I Had trouble
remembering things,
And i have lost muscle mass
to the point that my skin is sagging i don't know if it's possible
to ever get that muscel back again.My legs and arms look older
then i am.

Posted by: M.Elias on May 4, 2006 06:50 AM

Cecilia
I heard that Statins can cause
Vision problems.It was on a News report a few months ago.Lipitor
is a Statin.

Posted by: M.Elias on May 4, 2006 07:08 AM

I was on Lipitor for about 2-3 years and got off of it when I
began experiencing muscle degeration. I find myself not able to
walk propertly (due to muscle loss ???), not able to write (and
being and legal secretary, it is very important that I write and
type), and find that I am unable to speak properly at times
(slurred). I am off of the Lipitor (on my own) and am taking
Garlique tablets. Is the muscle loss due to the Lipitor?

Posted by: L. Keilers on May 4, 2006 06:33 PM

All statins list a known, "uncommon", serious side effect called
rhabdomyolysis which is breakdown of muscle fiber.

Posted by: K. Church on May 6, 2006 12:38 AM

Dear reader,
I have been taking Lipitor on and off for about ayear now. Lately
i have had a stretch where i've been on 80MG and my muscle
twitching started in my calf muscles first. Then it spread to my
thigh muscles and feet. Cramps in Hands and feet, depression and
Constant pain and weakness in the extremities, mostly the legs.
Some joint pain in the shoulder area. Neck Cramping also. Went
down to 10 Mg and problems are persisting.Several Emergency room
visits later and docs say keep taking Lipitor as there is no
connection. BULL!! I am off the Lipitor now thanks to this website
and will search for an alternative. Feeling better already. Thanks
for all the help.

Posted by: Tom J on May 29, 2006 04:54 PM

I am a 53 year old man who at times feels like I am 100. I was
originally on Baycol for about 5 years when the symptons
originally started. I am now taking Lipitor 10mg daily for the
past 6 years. My feet and toes are numb and at times I have severe
back pain that comes and goes, sometimes lasting several days. My
calf muscles have severe muscle spasms which look as if there is
something living in them the movement is so severe. I also can no
longer use any kind of cologne or deodorant without breaking out
in a severe rash that lasts for weeks on end. I also have a
numbness in the tips of my fingers. I have also developed a
shortness of breath all of which I can only relate to Lipitor. I
can do very little without having severe muscle pain and today
will be the last day I take this poison. Hopefully I can find
another method of lowering my cholesterol.

Posted by: John J on June 9, 2006 04:39 PM

My husband was scheduled for surgery to correct the pain in his
lower back, legs, pain and numbness in his feet. He has been on
Lipitor for some time. Every side effect all these people are
experiencing he has. Our life has been Hell because of this drug.
The surgery will now be cancelled. If a class action suit ever
results from Lipitor being recalled we will participate.

Posted by: K Mills on June 9, 2006 09:15 PM

I took 20 miligrams of Lipitor for about 2 years. I was loseing my
memory funtions and had pains in my legs that was quite bad. Had
trouble getting in and out of an automobile. I met a man in the
Mall using a walker that told me he had the same symtems and was
also taking lipitor and decided to stop taking it when he had
heard about the problems. He felt much better since he quit and
was sure he could he would not have to use the walker much longer.
From talking to him I stopped taking it on my own and everything
started getting. I am now taking which Zetia which don't contain
the Statin drug and so far my condition is getting somewhat
better.

Posted by: V. Law on June 11, 2006 08:34 PM

The side effects of Lipitor - apparently not so uncommon as the
manufacturer of the drug would have us believe - are starting to
provoke some action. There are two recent (June 2006) lawsuits,
and an older class action filed at the US District Court in Boston
in September last year. See:

Lawsuits Filed Over Lipitor Side Effects

Class Action - Statins Increases Heart Disease By 10% In Women

Posted by: Sepp on June 12, 2006 04:19 PM

My Mother is on Lipitor and Plavix, (to name a few).
I am looking for safe alternative therapies that can replace the
Lipitor (for one).
Thanks

Posted by: steve mazur on June 14, 2006 11:05 PM

I am 40 and has been taking Lipitor for the past 6 years - started
at 10mg now 40mg. While it has helped bring my cholestrol levels
down; my left calf pains have only gotten seriously worse. It is
1:30AM and I woke up from the pain and I writing this. The dilemma
is which is a better evil - having a good HDL/LDL ratio or
suffering the severe pain. I have thus choosen to suffer the pain;
but I am surely changing my mind.

Posted by: Sudhi R on June 15, 2006 07:29 AM

Sorry Steve (and anyone else asking for personal advice),

I can't really give health advice on a personal basis - I'm not a
healer.

You should find a practitioner (medical, naturopath, etc.) who
knows about nutritional intervention and does not give damaging
meds.

You can also do the research and make up your own mind. All the
information is available just for the searching of it. Google or
any search engine will greatly help you, once you figure out how
to best formulate search terms...

Another way to proceed: Go to Jonathan Campbell's website
http://www.cqs.com/
and start your search there. Find the link to "Cardiovascular
Disease" and take it from there.

Posted by: Sepp on June 15, 2006 02:29 PM

I am a 56 year old female and have been taking lipitor(10mg.) for
the past 9 months. it has brought my cholesterol down and my blood
work has always been good. about a week ago i was having pain in
my stomach and needing to urinate a lot. i went to the dr. and had
a urine tests. my white blood cells were numerous. i had a
urinary-tract infection. i have never had this before in my life.
am taking 7 days of anti-biotics to clear it up. have also had
some numbness and tingling in my left hand. has anyone out there
had any problem with their kidneys? gonna throw my lipitor in the
trash when I get through typing this.

Posted by: sylviabreshears on June 18, 2006 06:12 AM

I am 44 year old female i have been taking lipitor for the past
year,and i suffer from systemic lupus all my test were done for my
liver and the lupus i seem to be doing good, i have been
complaining of facial numbnes and body ache but since i suffer
from lupus they blame everything on the lupus i dont understand
but the doctor tells me that i have to be on lipitor for life

Posted by: rose on June 19, 2006 04:34 PM

I am a 55 year old female and have been taking Lipitor for about a
year now. My symptoms are muscle and joint pain, lost sense of
taste, emotional mood swings, depression. For anyone interested,
take a look at this:

www.health-fx.net/eBook.pdf.

Lipitor is poison!

Posted by: Martha on June 22, 2006 02:05 PM

I have been taking Lipitor since 7/1997 and my dosage was increase
from 10mg to 20mg in 3/2001. Yesterday I went to my doctor and
complained about muscle pain, weakness, and a complete lack of
stamina. The first thing he said was "stop the Lipitor". Maybe
some in the healthcare profession are starting to see the light.

I know after reading this article I won't be going back on
Lipitor.

Posted by: John on June 24, 2006 09:06 PM

I don't take medication except for a low tyroid med, levoxyl,
until I started Lipitor exactly 30 days ago. Extreme fatigue began
to set in after taking it two weeks. I thought it a thousand
things but this drug. Finally I began to wonder and decided to
research. After reading other's experiences I saw that my recent
cramps also could be associated, my right eye socket pain, and the
pain in my right hand! Though only thirty days into Lipitor I
sincerely believe it is the cause! My body chemistry has always
been very sensitive. Anyway thank the good Lord for bloggers -
which I have never done before! Mike

Posted by: Mike on June 30, 2006 02:07 AM

NATURAL CURE AVAILABLE!!Hello, I am a medical student who has seen
first hand the negative effects of many pharma medications. It has
since become my passion to search for natural medications and ways
of healing via naturopathic medicine. Another motivation has been
seeing my parents continue to add to their collection of
medications as they age. It wasnt until recently that enough was
enough. My father had been taking Lipitor and began suffering the
effects that many of you have reported. He had experienced the
heart palpitations, muscle weakness, twitching of extremities, and
until I took him off the medication has been pretty much bound to
the chair and only able to attempt to walk with the use of two
canes. Anyway, back to my passion, I have discovered a company
that has an all natural cure for lowering cholesterol safely and
effectively. I am now working as a distributor because I am so
excited about this. I have witnessed this first hand with my
father. After getting off Lipitor and taking this cholesterol all
natural drug his cholesterol lowered 29 points in 30 days and his
is back to feeling normal. I am so thrilled with this medication
and the best part about it is we do not have to worry about what
negative effects will come with it , like we did with Lipitor. If
any one would like to speak to me personally via the web or phone
please contact me first via email and I will then send you my
phone number if you wish to talk personally. I wish to help all of
you who have experienced the same devastation that my father has.
I too have always been skeptical about trying new things but I
tell you what seeing is believing and that is why I am soo excited
about this medication. I look forward to answering any questions
or talking with all that are interested in staying away from
Lipitor for good! Shay jjkbsk@aol.com

Posted by: Shay on July 1, 2006 06:24 AM

I started taking lipitor 10 mg on may 20th 2004 to lower
colestrol.
I stopped without any advice from the doctor on July 2004 because
I was losing my memory, shaking badly, and my speach was getting
slurred, also the muscles in my neck ,shoulders and arms was
aching, I thought that I had been run over by a truck.
I have since then had two frozen shoulders, and they still give me
lots of pain, i find it hard to concentrate. I am now 66 years
old. and If I could I would join a queue to seek class action
against Pfizers

Posted by: Ian Simmons on July 24, 2006 10:14 AM

My dad has been taking lipitor for the past 12 months (80Mg very
high dose I think)and in the last 5 weeks has had muscle loss to
the extent can not get out of bed or barely walk at all
the doctors are saying they think it is the lipitor, he has been
off it for four weeks and no improvment, we are very upset about
this and wondering if there are any good aftermath stories, will
he get better? how long can it take. We are in Australia and
wondering if there is any thing going on to bring the bastards
making and pushing this drug down!!!

Posted by: Ben on August 10, 2006 05:13 AM

I have only been taking Lipitor for about two weeks or two and 1/2
weeks. However, doing this time, I have experience restlessness,
fatigue, muscle aches and the last two day stiffness in my neck so
bad that I could not move. My stomach is always upset and there
has been pain in my gallbladder on and off since being on this
medication. There have also been palpitation of my heart and gas.
I had a feeling that it was related to this med, but was not sure
until I read the posting which all states my symptoms. Thanks God
that I now know what is going on.

Posted by: Sarah on August 22, 2006 02:21 AM

I have a very low amune system, and any drug I take is very low
dose. I was on the lowest dose of 10 when I was on lipitor. I
noticed by the next day-I started having an itchy face. Then sores
that looked somewhat like pemples. My memory then started to slip
a little more than my usual-not good for a full time psyc student.
Then I started getting pain in my neck and middle back. Now-even
after quiting lipitor-I have extream pain in my middle back and in
my tail bone. I have now been told I will need surgery, but the
tail bone is degenerating at such a fast rate that it may be very
dangerouse to even operate in this area. I am a female of only 44
years old-with a young child to take care of-what happens
next???Only god knows now...

Posted by: A. Kinney on August 27, 2006 03:13 PM

Male, age 73, healthy entire life. Experienced angina in biking
uphill in 2005. Had stents inserted in one coronary artery. Doctor
prescribed Plavix,Lipitor,Atenolol,aspirin. After several months
experienced swelling and pain in left lower leg. Read about this
symptom due to Atenolol. Stopped taking it and pain and swelling
disappeared. Plavix discontinued after one year. Now, I read all
about Lipitor and have just stopped taking it. Going with a
naturopathic doctor and using a regimen of exercise, fish oil,
niacin, vitamin E, Vitamin C, Nattokinase,red yeast rice, and
pomegranate juice. Feel good.

Posted by: jerry stack on August 30, 2006 10:06 PM

Having just learnt about the side effects from taking Lipitor I am
convinced my fibromyalgia pain, night sweats, tingling nerve pain
in my face, weight gain, tripping and falling with a somewhat loss
of motor skills has been caused by taking this drug. I ceased
taking it as of Tuesday September 12 and my cognitive thinking,
motor skills and fatigue have improved in only two days! I am now
going to begin taking a natural cholesterol inhibitor

Posted by: Signy Austen on September 14, 2006 10:38 PM

My doctor kept pushing me to take statins the last being Crestor.
In my last blood work, he was thrilled that my cholesterol was on
the money! He was thrilled that the Crestor was working, except I
never took them. I've read all there is to read and opted for
alternate measures. Instead, I'm taking NSP Select Cholesterol
Counter Formula sold at Great Earth Vitamin Stores and according
to the lab results, it works! I'm not even experiencing any side
effects. My blood pressure is normal now too, so he took me off of
that medication. I'm not saying it reduced my Cholesterol and
lowered my blood pressure but at least it did lower my
cholesterol.

Posted by: John on October 5, 2006 11:24 PM

Recovered comment (some of them got swallowed by the system)...

My husband took Lipitor for about 7 months, he stop and some month
after he started pain in the legs, he haves severe Tendinitis in
both legs, he walks with lots of pain, it have ruined our lives.
He says if i had known before the side effects I had better follow
a diet or make sport. Pfizer people are hiding important
information. It's not fair. We have small kids and now he's unable
even to come to walk with us, they are alwys asking..wheres my
daddy mom??...home resting honey, he cant walk.
is there a web page where I cant write to make stop this, maybe
theres an International institution that can stop Pfizer to sell
Lipitor after its not safe enough?
Thank You,
Monica Arias (Quito, Ecuador)

My answer:
Yes, there is now a site that does collect this kind of
information, see http://www.statineffects.com

Posted by: Monica Arias on October 6, 2006 06:06 AM

Recovered comment (some of these got swallowed up by the
system)...

Hi
I have taken only Zetia off and on for over l year. I have all the
symptoms as previously mentioned by most people taking statins. I
discontinue it for a couple of weeks and return to near normal,
begin again and in about 3 weeks the pain and suffering starts
over. I know for sure the problem but why Zetia? I don't read
complaints from other people on this drug or am I missing
something? I Just fould this site today. Thanks

Posted by: ??? on October 6, 2006 06:19 AM

After taking Lipitor for over two years, I have been told my
cholesterol is down, but my kidney disfunction is now in the
severely high range. Does anybody out there have any information
to share about this being related to Lipitor? Thank you

Posted by: AussiSue on October 7, 2006 10:17 AM

I have been taking Lipitor for about 9 months. I have (family
members too) noticed lately that I have been tripping a lot on the
stairs because I don't lift my leg up high enough to get to the
next step, but I don't feel any pain in my legs. I have had a dull
ache on my left side of stomach under my rib cage for 2 weeks now.
I have had some memory loss of events that took place 6 months
ago. Sometimes the left side of my upper lip goes numb. I stumbled
across your site while doing a search for Lipitor side effects.
Lipitor is the only medication I am taking so it's hard to blame
it on others. I am in tears now and just threw my Lipitor in the
trash.

Posted by: Julie on October 10, 2006 11:22 PM

I am not sure what the exact date is that my dr. put me on
lipitor. I was not taking it regularly so he prescribed caduet,
which is a combo (norvasc & lipitor). Earlier this year I started
twitching under my right eye. Dr. said it could just be stress.
This summer my legs stared hurting. I thought it was my job
because I stand. Then, just in the last 6 wks. I have started
cramping in my legs and on my right leg it has gone into my foot.
I left a message with the doctor that i only want to take the
norvasc (high blood pressure) and will set up an appointment asap.
I hope he will do this as I need the norvasc. I will let you know
the outcome. I am mad at myself for not realizing sooner that
lipitor could be causing all my pain!

Posted by: Pat on October 22, 2006 09:08 AM

I've been on Lipitor for 5 years and I have deteriated since then.
I have problems with my muscle's and nerve. I thought it was only
me. never paid any attention to the side effects. my memory is no
good no more ,can't stand more than 5 minutes at a time.I feel
like my whole body is one big muscle spasm that wont let loose. I
thank Our Heavenly Father Im still around. If theres any class
action suit going on. I wanna be involved. This drug is killing
alot of our americans. Its a silent Killer. The word needs to get
out there and fast. Im sooo angry right now discovering this so
late. I will start my progress in getting better without ANY
STATIN DRUG.

Posted by: Betty J. Perez on October 30, 2006 12:47 AM

I had 6 bypasses 11 years ago. Heart specialist started me on
provachol then Lipitor. I asked if there were any side effects and
was told there were none and I would be able to take them forever
with no problems. Within the first six months I started to getting
a numb tingling feeling in my feet, shoulder pain in my left
shoulder and was unable to sleep. My GP and heart specialist both
thought these were possibly from the heart surgery. I started to
attend a pain clinic which put me on pain killers which I have had
to take for the past ten years. I tried to resurrect my working
life but struggled to make a go of it and eventually gave up after
three years. All my symtons grew worse over the next four or five
years, including new ones like stomach & back cramps, burning and
numbness in my feet, tinnitis, memerory loss, weakness and
numbness in my thighs, numb & tingling fingers, bowel and stomach
problems including anal bleeding and a general lethargy that was
keeping me chairbound for longer periods. I had seen up to 20 docs
by this time, half of which were specialists - none knew what was
wrong although one actually doubled the lipitor from 40mg to 80mg.
After this the deterioration was rapid. I had to double my
painkillers just to get by and within six months I was almost
totally chairbound my memory was non existent to the point that I
couldn't remember the sentence I was talking in. 14 months ago I
found tis site and stopped taking Lipitor Imediately. I have had
many arguments with doctors most of which think I have lost it. I
have had no help at all from the medical community but since I
have stopped Lipitor everything has improved though nothing fully.
I am now working 6 to 8 hour days, my memory is returning and the
numbness is starting to fade. If I overdo it I generally end up on
my bum for a week. sorry I have been so long winded and for taking
so long to write this but I owe it to you all as this site
probably saved my life. God bless you all and thanks. Mal

Posted by: Mal Anderson on November 1, 2006 05:14 PM

I started taking Lipitor, prescribed by my doctor, in July 2006. I
was really looking forward to it to try and lower my cholesterol.
I am 40, and I have never been in the hospital. I'm not in shape,
or really out of shape. My cholesterol was at 253, so I really
wanted to get it down. I started taking it religiously. By
mid-August I could feel my joints and bones starting to ache. My
ring figer on my right hand began to

Posted by: Mary Grafflin on November 30, 2006 05:57 PM

I took Lipitor for one week in October, 2006. In one week's time,
while climbing stairs, my knees felt like bone on bone. I could
hardly make it up the stairs and then back down.

Prior to this, I was in pretty good physical shape. The stairs
only the week before/previously, I used to run up and down
effortesly.

I also became extremely tired often falling asleep right after the
dinner meal.

After the adverse episode running up the stairs - my legs felt
like 500 pounds a piece, I called my doctor and said that I would
no longer take Lipitor. One week later being off Lipitor, I
developed knee complicatons which are resembling a Baker's cyst
and calf pain.

I have never had any problems with my knees/joints/legs before.
This is something new. I have also been lightheaded since (over
two weeks now since discontinuing).

Am heading back to the doctor's office next Thursday, December 14,
to diagnose and document.

Bottom line, before Lipitor I was walking for exercise, strength
training and swimming 4-6 times a week. Since Lipitor, it has all
ended, and I am praying that I can get back to the point I was at
before Lipitor.

It is not worth the risks if you have to sacrifice your physical
health, well being and routines of daily living.

I am 55 years old.

Posted by: Mary Kujawa on December 10, 2006 03:58 PM

Lipitor almost destroyed my life as well. I found the muscle loss
progressive and then as time went on the pain started and got
terribly bad. I got to the point that I was so tired all the time
that even taking a shower seemed like work. I think every part of
my body hurt. I also had problems with a devastating cough that
was a lot like asthma which has also gone now that I am off it. I
had memory loss which I never really noticed until after I went
off of it and when the memories started coming back it was
strange. I hadn’t even realized they were missing. I found every
day I was remembering things that had pretty much vanished and
still I don’t actually know if they are all back or not. I have
been off it for about 10 months now and feel so much better. I
still don’t have the energy I use to have before it but I am
feeling much better. I also have spoken to all lot of others that
are or were on statin drugs and they too had a lot of side affects
as well. I think I am lucky to be alive just to tell my story. I
was so exhausted all the time. I don’t know if I will totally
recover but at least things have improved drastically since I went
off it. I think we have to keep a watchful eye on drug companies.
Seems they care more about profit then people. From Canada

Posted by: E Eady on December 17, 2006 08:43 PM

I took a statin for less than a week a few years back. I had such
horrible leg pains and looked it up online. Thank goodness I found
information on how much harm statins can cause and I quit them
immediately.

Posted by: vicki on December 20, 2006 12:29 AM

MY FATHER IS 75. HE HAS BEEN TAKING LIPITOR 10mg FOR 8 YEARS.
ABOUT 2 YEARS AFTER TAKING LIPITOR HE DEVELOPED ACHES AND PAINS
FROM HIS KNEES DOWN. HIS MUSCE MASS HAS DEPLETED 40%. THE TISSUE
AROUND HIS LEFT KNEE HURT SO MUCH HE HAD IT REPLACED THINKING IT
MAY HELP. NOW HE IS IN EVEN MORE PAIN. SWELLING IN THE FEET. HE IS
ALMOST UNABLE TO WALK AND NEEDS A CANE. I DEMANDED THAT HE QUIT
TAKING THE EVIL STATIN DRUG. IT HAS BEEN TWO WEEKS. NOW ...THANK
GOD...THANKS FOR THE HELP
WHAT ABOUT CoQ10 ENZYME. SHOULD I HAVE HIM TAKE IT.

Posted by: JASON ANDERSON on December 21, 2006 08:26 AM

Why are doctors giving their patients drugs with side effects that
are worse than the condition they're trying to treat in the first
place? One answer is getting "proper nutrition" and that is
impossible today by just 'eating right'.
There is no mineral content of trace elements in the soil where
fruits, grains, and vegetables are grown, consequently, these
minerals cannot be in the food you eat.
Ask a good dietitician or nutrionist they will tell you that
minerals are most important. Vitamins won't even work without
minerals to catalyze them into useful enzymes.
There are alternatives that woek. But I don't want to be accused
of commercialism, but
I think I can help and if anyone would like more information you
can email me if you like.
I'm happy to share useful information on nutritional and common
sense health remedies with anyone.
I hope this is accepted in the spirit it was intended.
Happy Holidays

Tim Baran (tbaran55@yahoo.com)

Posted by: Tim Baran on December 23, 2006 02:36 PM

I took Lovastatin for 3 months and became a cripple! Soon asfter I
quit I was fine again.

My mother has been taking Lipitor for years and has always
complained
of leg pain. Now for no apparent reason, she is too weak to walk
and
had to use a walker. She is 86, but the deterioriation has been so
sudden. I am trying to convince her to stop taking Lipitor but
wonder if the damage is too far along.

My hysband was given Vytorin to try and within only days felt
crippled in all his joints. I read the patient information and
when
I saw "unexplained muscle pain....rare occasions can be serious".
I told him to stop taking it and the pain went away immediately.

Posted by: Visitor on January 15, 2007 04:02 AM

My husband started taking lipitor 3 years ago. His health has gone
down hill, before he took the pills he looked 10 years younger
then he really was now he looks 20 years older than he is. He has
pains in his side every day and he lost like 20 pounds.

Also he can barely hear or see any more. He wears multiple pairs
of glasses when he reads, and wont go to an eye doctor. He has
also became very violent. Every time I talk about anything he gets
very angry!

It seems as though he is in his own world he will do the same
thing over and over, like watch the same exact TV show or read the
same thing. He becomes obsessed with things. His doctor refuses to
tell him any bad things about the drug and tells him there's no
way it could cause him these side effects. ANY ADVICE?

Posted by: Visitor on January 15, 2007 04:05 AM

4/2/05 – Started Lipitor

4/27 – Somulance, weakness and muscle fatigue started, slept 2
days without waking up

5/2 – ER visit, CK 316 -- dc’d Lipitor

6/1 – ER visit, breathing difficulties – Chest x –ray r/o
pneumonia (10 days antibiotics)

6/6 – ER visit – breathing crisis – diagnosed w/ bronchial asthma
(Prednisone 20mg, Theodore 200 mg x 8 days)

6/16 – ER again --- BP 200/110, weaker, dizzy and lightheaded

6/17-6/22 – BP averaged 180/100

6/23 – ER again --- BP 167/99 w/ productive cough and tight chest,
P 95 and irregular, could feel heart beating in my chest Heart
monitor , IV lasix – diagnosis pulmonary edema, kidney functions
now elevated (1.5) – started Lasix PO

6/28 – PCP apt. started attenelol 50 mg, referral to cardiologist
(7/13)

6/29-7-4 --- BP averaged 158/86 glands and face swollen, fat pats
at base of neck and under arm pits, muscle pain, (neck and back)
Thighs weaker and taking longer to recharge, hardly able to climb
stairs or to care for self at this point.

7/6 - 7/7 --- Inpt. LMH --- Hypothyroid (synthroid 50 MCG) Echo
cardiogram OK, pulmonary functions now OK, Neurological
inconclusive at this time. Kidneys (1.4) Increased edema (fat)
clavicle area and armpits

7/13 --- Cardiologist appt. and chemical stress test – results
normal

7-13 – 9/05 – PCP visits, continued edema and thigh fatigue
gradually getting worse.

10/1 – Dr. Shurgin (Endocrinologist) – work up for Cushing’s
syndrome

10/5 – PCP visit started on Hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg to try to
stabilize BP (averaging 158/88, P 64) and ultram for neck and back
pain. Referral for PT for neck

10/9 – 10/20 – PT for neck – 12 sessions, quit as made the pain
worse and increased the surface area of the muscles affected

10/25 --- f/u Dr. Shurgin, started Cytomel 5MCG, to try to
increase energy level, physical condition unchanged, to return in
3 months to re-check for Cushing’s as still not ruled out and
suggested to see a Rheumatologist at this time

10/28 – PCP appt. BP averaging 135/ 86 and P64

10/27-10/28 – Increased somnolence from Cytomel

10/29 – 10/31 – Flu like symptoms ( sweats, nausea, weakness,
balance probs., chest pains and problems breathing) from Cytomel
dc/d on 10-31 AM and 2 days later was fine

--11/18 – up most of night w/ weird feelings in legs, electrical
vibrations

11/19 to 2/3 --, lost approx. 50 of stamina in thighs, always feel
tight, problems walking on flat ground now

11/23 – PCP appt. blood work and physical exam. Referral to
neurologist.

12-1 Moved to an apartment complex that is handicapped accessible
and has elevators because of the difficulty with stairs

12/8 – Rheumatology appt. Dr. Pastan, blood work taken to r/o auto
immune disorder, blood tests consistently hint as to some kind of
auto immune disorder

12/17 – Called Dr. Pastan blood work indicates no auto immune
disorders – he states he believes is Cushing’s

12-28 – had T4, T3 and TSH levels done T4 was .86, was feeling
lethargic

1-03-- Called Dr. Shurgin and faxed blood tests – she never
returned my call --- FIRED also cancelled neurologist appt.

1-18 – PCP appt. increased Synthroid to 75 mcg and started Lexapro
10 mg as been isolating and sleeping way too much –Referral made
to MGH Endocrinology Clinic appt.1/26 w/ Dr. Lowe

1-19 – diarrhea, nausea and vomiting from lexipro d/c’d will try
again ½ tabs in one week

1-26 – Appt.Dr.Wexler MGH Endocrine Clinic. Stated did not have
Cushing’s. Extensive blood tests ordered and referred to Mass Eye
and Ear for ENT consult for sub-mandibular glands as they have
been severely swollen for over 8 months now. Stated to me she was
sorry that we were back to square one but she did say whatever I
had was very serious.

1-30 and 1-31 --- Cushing’s saliva test completed and delivered
2-1

1-30 Spoke w/ PCP will be taking more control of my treatment from
now on. Going on premise is Lipitor related and not really
treatable in standard medical model. Try to work way out of
fatigue and go w/ homeopathic treatments. E.g. acupuncture

2-3 Woke up @ 5:30 AM agitated, anxious, took klonopin and then
slept to 12:30. When I got up felt really good for first time
since 4/27/05. Glands ½ size, redness gone from my neck. Legs
still somewhat weak but different. Mentally totally alert, and not
tired at all, also first time I have felt rested and alert since
4/27.

2-3 – 4-28 Gradual improvement in strength in my legs, able to
take long walks and climb hills, mentally more alert and less
somulant.

4-28 Crashed in ER BP bottomed out to 50/30 almost needed to be
intubated, crit 26 from GI bleed and potassium 3.2, admitted to
Tele unit at Whidden Hospital and d/c’d 4/30

5-1 Went to PCP heart rate 140 when arrived could not catch
breath, brought to Lawrence Memorial Hospital by ambulance and
admitted till 5-3, found 9 mm duodenal ulcer, apparently lost
approx. 3 ½ pts. Blood. Dc’d with scripts for protonix and iron
sulfate. No BP meds for 6 days and BP is lower then when on meds.
Chol 188???? Total days in hosp. = 6

5-8 Labs drawn, crit 29 and chol. Is 210, potassium 4.7 also
returned to work. Still no BP meds and is still lower then 136/86
but fluctuates.

4-20 – 5-16 9 appointments with chiropractor for treatment of my
neck. Dc’d the appointments as neck got worse with treatment,
believe she did something to make my neck worse (? Damaged a disc)

5/25 Red blood cells now in normal range, but weakness has
returned to thighs, edema returned to neck and BP is elevating
again and am taking ½ pill attenelol (25mg). Neck is also at its
worst, severe discomfort and reduced range of motion, clunking
noise when I move it. Also hip and back pain has returned.

TOOK SUMMER OFF – No doctor appointments

7/1 – started taking 100 mg of CoQ10 – noticed slight improvement
in leg strength and increased energy level. Still not able to take
brisk walks for more then several minutes as my calves harden and
it becomes very painful to walk. Usually loosen in about 5
minutes. Upper body good and doing light weight lifting and
stomach exercises. Have lost 13 lbs. now 177 lbs.

9/25-- Calves hardened just walking to parking garage after work –
got a Charlie Horse in my left calf and still have severe pain and
sig. limp 5days later, hurt to touch 8 days

9/26-- Dr. Lynch (orthopedic surgeon) would not treat me. States I
have severe degenerative disc disease C3 is rubbing on C4 and only
fusion surgery can correct that. States if muscle discomfort is
from lipitor and is similar to my leg problem then no treatment he
knows of will help. States does not want to deal with someone as
medically complicated as me. His best suggestion “Deal with it” or
see a neurosurgeon/neurologist if I would like as would be more
appropriate then him.

9/16 -- PCP appt. ordered new neck x-ray ( done 9/16), started
cytomel 0.5 mg., royal jelly and biotin, TSH was .7 talked w/
doctor and will try to get it to 2 or 3 THS done and referral to
Dr. Ruth Knill for acupuncture, also looking for neurologist
referral

9/21 -- Dr. Ruth Knill, the acupuncturist, had 2 session w/
electrical stimulation, neck got much worse

9/21- 11/20 – decreased synthroid to ½ pill every other day and 75
mg the other, cramps in calves seem to have decreased but still
occur with brisk walks do not know current TSH but assume it has
increased. Still have same level of weakness in the thighs.

12/18 – Dr. Edward Fisher, Neurologist, states my blood work
indicates to him an auto immune disorder (? Single strand was +)
ordered Acetylcholine receptor antibody
( Myasthenia gravis) and Angiotensin converting enzyme ( for
increased BP) blood tests , Lumbar and Thorasic MRI’s ordered and
scheduled for 1/4/07.

Posted by: Roland on January 16, 2007 10:10 PM

I started taking Lipitor in Sept. 2006 and I had leg pain that got
worse. Then I began to have pain in other muscles. I was almost
bedridden by December and I asked the Dr. could it be Lipitor. I
went off of it on December 10, 2006. I am doing better but I still
have stiffiness in my legs, feet, and hands. I am on painkillers
and muscle relaxers. Will this ever end? It is a good thing that I
took a year off of teaching because I couldn't do it now. At 48 I
feel 98.

Posted by: Vera Langston on January 17, 2007 08:28 PM

Great site, recommended by a friend from US
(I am from Australia).

Posted by: Chi on January 19, 2007 05:11 AM

1. months been on lipitor gained 13kg. do lawn mowing for a living also play indoor cricket for sport could not understand why my calves are always in pain as never had cramps there before only started happening the last 4 weeks. always waking up tired will be throwing my 40mg of lipitor in the bin tonight and will take my chances. i am 36 years old.

Posted by: DAVID on February 8, 2007 06:33 AM

have these people complaining of side effects been informed about
the THINCS website where they are looking for people who\'ve
suffered nasty side effects?

There\'s an address you can contact - a university in the US, I
believe - which is doing research into this.

Also very informative on the subject is the new book by Malcolm
Kendrick \"The Great Cholesterol Con\" - a must-read for anyone
whose doctor wants to prescribe statins and who is - needlessly -
worried about cholesterol levels or concerned about heart disease.

amanda wood

Posted by: amanda wood on February 11, 2007 12:10 PM

In march of 2006 I was diagnosed with CAD with a 100 blocked left
anterior descending artery. My cardiologist also stated that I
have opened collateral circulation and that my condition was
stable and at this time it was up to me rather or not to have a
single bypass or not. I prefered not to. A year later i am still
doing fine although throughout the year i have had unstable high
levels of cholesterol and tryglecerides. My doctor has put me on
different statin drugs and i am now on lipitor. May i say that
this drug has increased my B.P. from a normal 110/70 to a daily
high of 140/90. My BP medicine is metoprolol and was working fine
up till that point. When i stop the lipitor my bp gos down. When i
re-start it, it gos up. It also lowers my pulse to 55. Normal for
me is 70-75 with meds.

Posted by: Gary on February 24, 2007 12:55 PM

I only looked up this webside since my father, age 60, was given a
presicription for Lipitor last week. This weekend we went to visit
my uncle and his wife told us a horrific story about the side
effects of this medicine. Apparently her sister was using Lipidor
and a Homeopath asked her how old she was on which she replied
"54". He then said it looks like she is having the body of a 70
year old....... I want to warn my father not to take this drug if
this is what can be happening to him in a few days, months or
years??

Posted by: Karen on February 26, 2007 07:25 AM

i had a heart attack on feb 20th the doctor put me on lipitor and
metformin twicw a day lipitor is 40 mg iam getting arm pain so bad
i went to the er they said they cant find anything wrong and now
iam reading this . also iam forgetting things at timesand what
scares me i have only been on this meds a couple weeks now is
thier any over the counter meds i can get to do the same job as
liptor and metforminplease let me know

Posted by: debbie on March 11, 2007 12:11 PM

WOW i could not belive what i have just read i live in the u.k and
have been taking liptor for 8 months i have been suffering quite a
few of these side effects disturbed sleep, muscle pain, losing
concentration, eye sight getting worse, weight gain.

I dont think that people in the u.k are aware what these drugs are
doing to them i stumbbled on to this site by chance trying to gain
more info on my heart attack and the condition it left me with. i
will try and pass this info on to as many as i can.

A lot of people do not read the info they are given when they are
prescribed these drugs they just take the medication prescribed by
the doctor with the attitude doctor knows best, but surely a
doctor should know what side effects a drug he prescribes may have
on you. I would be interested in any comments you may have on
this. Wishing everyone the very best of health for the future
TonyC

Posted by: tonyc on March 25, 2007 06:33 AM

I think you're right Tony, most people don't read or even look for
information, and doctors usually are less than forthcoming when it
comes to side effects of the drugs they prescribe.

Change will only come through ourselves however - we must all take
more responsibility for our own health and for telling others to
watch out for themselves...

Posted by: Sepp on March 25, 2007 10:23 AM

About 5 years ago I was prescribed Zocor 20mg, a statin drug. I
was about 39yrs and quite active. After a few months I noticed
that using a shovel I would get very painful upper arms (lactic
acid pains so I thought) also when I did my favourite sport of
windurfing I would get pain in my upper arms so severe I would
have to grip my arms for 10 minutes to massage them to try and
reduce the pain. Being on the beach there are no other painkillers
available. The pain would subside after 20 mins and I could then
go on sailing for the rest of the day. I wondered whether it was
the Zocor or daily aspirin. My doc said it was the Zocor. I
stopped taking it. I decided life with Zocor was not worth it.
5years later mid 2006 my cholesterol was about 7-8 so i said I
would give Lipitor a go as it is an alkaline compared to Zocor
which is an acid. I thought perhaps it would be ok. After 1 month
on 10mg Lipitor I had frequent morning bowel movements and loose
stools. I also had a return to painful tingles in my small toes
that I had experienced on Lipitor 6 months back.I was also taking
a vitamin B Tab and a Naturopathic herbal medicine. Two weeks ago
I stopped all of those including Lipitor and the bowel seems to be
settling. I had not previously considered that there would be any
side effects to Lipitor or Zocor so I was not predisposed to
getting the side effects as I didnt know there were any. Since so
many people seem to be taking them I assumed they were almost
completely safe. It appears I was wrong. I also had an elderly
aunt who died a few years back. She was very skinny and had a high
cholesterol of 13 which could be say 500? on the US measure. The
symptoms she died of bear some similarity to what is described on
this site. I dont know what she was on but Im sure it was a statin
drug. At 87 years somethings goin getcha, but it would be a shame
if it were a prescription drug.

Posted by: Ross W Australia on March 31, 2007 03:43 AM

I took 20 Mg of Lipitor for 7 or 8 days. After the first few days
I felt like my arms were falling asleep during the night. I
continued to have numbness in my arms and discomfort to the point
where I stopped the Lipitor. - Now it is at least 6 weeks since I
stopped and I am extremly weak - tired all the time arms are still
very strange numb- painfull also other joints feel painfull. I
feel like I aged 20 years. I am only 56. I have gone back to the
Doctor - he is getting some blood tests - I am sure it started
with the Lipitor
I just want it to go away. Hell I only took it for 7 or 8 days. It
must be poison.

Posted by: Rita Hunter on April 8, 2007 10:38 PM

Hi, It is my second day to take my Lipitor. I was really concerned
when I opened the box to find there was no literature explaining
what the drug is, or the cons and pros of it.

I am not a big drug user but I do like to know what I am taking,
especially when Iam so anti drug. I ended up here looking for the
information concerning this drug. Why do Pfizer feel it is OK not
to have any information in their box of (tricks) drugs?
I will be writing to the company to ask the same question.

Ps Not everyone has access to a computer or the internet.

Posted by: robyn aylward on April 17, 2007 12:09 AM

I was prescribed Lipitor but it is so expensive I can't buy it. I
don't think it is worth $6.00 a pill.

Posted by: Sherry Alexander on April 19, 2007 02:31 PM

My Doctor has just given me Lipitor as my cholesterol is 6.2. I
asked the doc if there were ant side affects and he laughed and
said no not at all! Can someone tell me what do i do. I am sure I
do not want to end up with all the problems that everyone seems to
get with the taking of this medicine.

Posted by: Viv on April 27, 2007 05:08 AM

I have been on Lipitor 10mg for over 1.5yrs. As of 3 months ago, I
started to experience hives and skin rashes which have now
progressed to a sometimes over-whelming weakness in my legs and
arms. My liver and kidney functions are normal and my doctor does
not want to acknowledge that the Lipitor may be the culprit. He
insists that I would have had the symptoms when I started the
drug. From what I have read on this site, many people have been on
fairly long-term therapy. I have also experienced mental lethargy
and difficulty in recall. I have suspected that the Lipitor may be
the cause. I am now going to take control of my healthcare and
throw the Lipitor in the trashcan. I would appreciate any
feedback.

Posted by: Joanne on June 1, 2007 11:56 PM

Hi,

I started Lipitor about 2 months ago. Since then, I have had
stomach cramps which come and go throughout the day. The most
annoying thing is the twitching. It is most in my feet, where it
feels like I will get a foot cramp but it just continues off and
on twitching. I have also felt minor twitching in other areas. I
think I can tolerate this symptoms if they don\'t get any worse.
But I am concerned about other side affects.

Posted by: Laurie on June 20, 2007 08:30 PM

I am on day 5 of taking Lipitor. For the last 2 days I have been
having leg cramps and twitching. Today I started having a sharp
crampy pain on the right side of my abdomen. After reading all of
the comments on this website I am totally freaking out! I wish I
didn\'t take the pill tonight. I am angry that my doctor recommend
I take it. I am so surprised that people continue to take the drug
just because their doctor says they should. The remainder of my
prescription is going right into the trash.

Posted by: Kim on June 24, 2007 12:14 AM

This is very interesting. I have high \"Good\" Cholesterol, low
bad Cholesterol, and not a high number combined, but had a
blockage in the coronary and angioplasty. The Dr. right away put
me on Lipitor, which gave me so many problems, incl. incredible
stomach pains, headaches, and nausea. I ask him why do I need
this, I have good cholesterol, he said it was preventitive. Well,
forget it. I am sick of taking drugs, that have these side
effects. I quit the drug, and after reading this, I will now go on
a vitamin C regimen. I think we all take way too many drugs as it
is, some are necessary, but some you wonder about.
Thanks.

Posted by: Erika on July 12, 2007 09:30 PM

i TOOK LIPITOR

I AM IN A WHEELCHAIR

STOP NOW

DO NOT DOUBT YOUR FEELINGS

STOP LIPITOR

Posted by: nancy gendron on July 16, 2007 06:33 PM

70 of cholesterol is endogenous, which means it\'s made inside
your body. This means that altering your diet will not save you if
you have high cholesterol. It\'s a proven FACT that high LDL (bad
cholesterol) causes plaque buildup in artery walls causing heart
attack and stroke. If you deny this you are simply an idiot, it\'s
not a theory it a FACT! Lipitor has some side effects, but so does
eating McDonalds and people don\'t seem to be turned off that. In
addition to that, there are hundreds of peer reviewed studies that
show Lipitor\'s ability to SAVE LIVES of people who are at high
risk of having a heart attack. Don\'t listen to a bias website, go
and get the real evidence and look up the scientific journals on
the subject. Or find a Dr you trust and ask them, i think they
might know a little more about the topic then the uneducated
people who set up this website trying to fear monger.

Posted by: John on July 23, 2007 05:45 AM

John's right to say that much of the cholesterol is made inside
our bodies. But that is how far it goes.

No one has proven for a fact that the cholesterol causes heart
attacks. It may be an indicator of a problem coming, but very
unlikely it is the cause.

Indeed we NEED cholesterol to survive, and the liver produces more
in case of increased need.

"Lipitor has some side effects..." - well, tell that to the people
whose life turns into hell from the pain of muscle deterioration
that Lipitor causes.

"there are hundreds of peer reviewed studies that show Lipitor's
ability to SAVE LIVES..."

I challenge you to provide references to those mythical studies
that show Lipitor actually has an effect on mortality, i.e.
increases the life span of those taking it vs. those who don't.

And by the way, calling people who don't agree with you idiots is
definitely out on this website. You can bring sound arguments if
you have any, but generalities and ad hominem attacks won't do.

Posted by: Sepp on July 23, 2007 12:50 PM

I was told by my doctor that Ishould be on lipitor, because my
cholesterol was too high. I\'m really scared to take it, because I
also have Lupus and take many medication. Does anyone w/lupus take
this med and what are the side effects?

Thanks.

Posted by: Alecia on July 25, 2007 01:10 PM

Alecia,

check out this page:

http://mb.rxlist.com/rxboard/lipitor.pl?noframes;read=3929

Posted by: Sepp on July 25, 2007 02:01 PM

I've been taking Lipitor for the past three years... first at 10
mg, now 20 mg daily. My cholesterol level has increased where my
doc now wants me to 'double up' and take 40 mg!

Luckily, I have had no major or obvious side effects, other than a
lack of energy.

I've had it. I am going to an all natural approach and, yes, I\'m
even exercising. I told my doc I\'m going to give it two months
and then get my blood rechecked. I'll let you know how it goes...

Posted by: melanie on July 30, 2007 02:34 PM

Hello, thank you very much for this valuable information. I have
been on Lipitor since 1999 (initially 20mg then 10mg for the last
18months). I have pain in the left leg and memory loss. I have
just gone off Liptor, can I expect these symtoms to go away?

Posted by: Ian on August 26, 2007 04:11 AM

I have been on Lipitor 10mg. for 3 or 4 yrs. I have been having
lots of stomach problems which I never in the world suspected
might be related to Lipitor. I have had nausea, gas, belching, and
pain in the upper abdomen that went to the back. On several
occassions I had diahrrea, and severe vomiting which left me weak
and listless the next day. When I went to the doctor he did an
endoscopy, and ultra sound thinking maybe it was gallbladder. That
was ruled out but I still had the gas, belching and nausea. This
doctor moved on to emergency room work and closed his practice. I
then started seeing a woman practitioner.
My cholesterol began to rise in spite of the Lipitor. I started
hearing about Red Yeast Rice and the good results some people were
having with that as a natural cholesterol lowering alternative. I
went off the Lipitor and onto the Red Yeast Rice with my doctors
ok. I tried that for about 3 months. Never suspecting why, I began
to notice I was feeling great and not having the stomach distress.
I began to suspect maybe the Lipitor had been causing my problems.
I continued to feel great and then I had my bloodwork done 3 weeks
ago only to find my cholesterol was still elevated, including the
LDL and Triglycerides. I talked to the doctor and we decided it
was time to go back on the Lipitor. I\'ve been back on it for one
week and the problems are back. Today I had a doozy attack of gas,
incredible belching and pain in the upper abdomen that again made
it\'s way around to my back. I have also had problems with feet
and leg cramps at night. Those also got much much better when I
was off the Lipitor. This last week I have had to get out of bed 2
or 3 times each night with leg and feet cramps. Today I called the
pharmacist and told him of my dilema. I asked him if he knew of
stomach problems and/or leg and feet cramps as a result of using
Lipitor. He said absolutely yes and advised me to get off of it
right away. He suggested discussing Zitia with my doctor which
supposedly lowers cholesterol but is not a statin.
What amazes me is the 2 doctors I\'ve seen about all this neither
one ever suggested there might be a correlation between my
symptoms and Lipitor. I believe the pharmacist are better
qualified than most of these doctors. One really needs to take
responsibility for his or her own health. It\'s up to us to do all
the reseach we can before we see the doctor. I am personally fed
up with the medical profession and I am going to look for natural
ways to deal with this problem. My doctor is in such a big hurry
she tells me I can only talk about one issue at a time when I\'m
in for an appointment and then when she thinks I\'ve taken enough
of her precious time she jumps up and leaves the room leaving me
with unanswered questions. She then wants me to make another
appointment because I\'m only allowed 10 min. at a time.
Unbelievable!!

Carol

Posted by: Carol on August 27, 2007 10:47 PM

I\'m a 62 year old female with a history of heart blockages. I
have three heart stents and currently a 67-69 blockage in my left
artery. If it gets worse they are talking by-pass surgery as it
blocked in a spot they are unable to use a stent. I was placed on
Lipitor 10 mg in Feb. 2003.
By Nov. 2005 I was given my 3rd stent and the doctors increased my
Lipitor to 20 mg. I actually didn\'t start
taking the 20 mg dose until
about April or May 2006. I began to have lower back problems;
shoulders hurt; knees, and feet hurt along with elbows. About
every major joint in my body hurt each and every time I would try
to stand and walk. I took this as part of my old age and ignored
the pain. Then in Sept. right after Labor Day, I noticed that my
back was hurting worse. By
Friday I was doubled up unable to walk with severe pain and
pressure in my bladder and lower back. I was placed in the
hospital with a severe UTI infection. I had no history of any
problem with my kidney\'s or bladder prior. Then after 2 weeks, I
was hospitalized again with yet another UTI infection. I was then
given CT Scans and multi test to try to determine where the
problem was coming from. No such luck, and for the past year, I
have had one infection after another. I then began to have feet
and leg cramps nightly. Some nights being so severe that I would
be up 8-10 times walking off the cramps. My lower back and bladder
spasamed so badly that I was living off of
A-Zo Standard taking 6 pills daily. My bladder felt as if I was
about to give birth to a 9lb baby. I hurt at every joint in my
body. I hadn\'t been able to stand and walk for any period of time
since January, 2007 and as a result I couldn\'t shop unless, I
could ride in a motorized wheelchair. I couldn\'t stand to cook or
clean my home. I could stand long enough to walk from one room to
another and then would have to be sitting or lying down the
remainder of the time. My body hurt so bad trying to hold my body
upright. Then I started to notice that I was belching, and had a
great deal of gas build up. I became nasua and felt sick and could
barly eat. I began to get sick prior to eating and then
immediately after eating it got worse due to the gas and bloating.
I was going to the doctor at least (1) a week for various
complaints. I had test after test. I had specialists for my heart,
kidneys, stomach etc. No one could find anything wrong. No one
suspected or mentioned that it could be Lipitor. Then on August
12, I was reordering my drugs and I pulled up the website
to re-order and decided to ask for warning side effects of each of
my drugs. To my surprise when I read Lipitor\'s side effects it
hit me as it sounded just like what I was having. I immediately
stopped taking the Lipitor and contacted my doctor on the 14th and
took the information I had obtained with me. He did blood work and
found out that my Creation was 32 and it had previously been 9. He
immeditely stopped me from taking the drug. I immediately saw an
amazing result. My feet, legs and hands are no longer cramping.
Joints don\'t hurt. Belching and gas is almost nil. Nausa
is almost nil. Better yet I haven\'t had a UTI since going
off the drug. The drug was causing my bladder not to empty and
thus I was backing up with my urine in my body and this is why I
had pressure and stiffness. My joints no longer hurt because of
the kidneys now working. I\'m walking and standing without effort
and I\'m feeling more and more like a normal 62 year old should
feel. I\'m just concerned that I don\'t have any permanent damage
to my kidney\'s or bladder? Has anyone else had this problem and
did they have damage? I would appreciate any response or
suggestions. Rest assured, I\'m not about to go back on Lipitor
again and I suggest anyone that does to please read up and know
the signs. Apparently, the doctor\'s are too busy prescribing the
durg and believing the distributor that they don\'t read up and
know all of the side effects. None of the 3 specialists that I saw
ever made the connection between what I was going thru with the
drug. I found it own my own and discussed with the drugist prior
to taking all of the information to the doctors. The doctor\'s had
no clue and it was so simple yet it caused me about of year of
suffering and untold medical expense when all was required was to
stop the medication. The FDA should really look at pulling this
drug and asking for more testing. It is obviously very dangerous
and shouldn\'t be allowed to be prescribed so freely.

Posted by: Sandy on August 30, 2007 01:55 PM

I have been on Lipitor for 7 years. On Jan. 22, 05 I noticed that
my feet were sore. Well almost two years later I can hardly walk
or do every day things. I am only 52 yrs old but feel like a very
old person. The pain that I have constantly in both of my heels is
almost unbearable. I have other muscle pain as well but the heel
pain is the worst. I have wondered about Lipitor but the dr.
always assured me that it was not the problem. Well, I will stop
taking Lipitor and hopefully I will recover.
Thank you.

Posted by: Shirley Keaton on August 31, 2007 12:30 AM

I have been on lipitor for one month and because of the pain in my
muscle and the little difuculty in walking I search for lipitor
side effect
its the same as every body the same problems I took lipitor 80 mg
and I am 37 years. I should look for alternatives pls help.

Posted by: Basel Alqadi on September 23, 2007 06:23 PM

COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IS WHAT I EXPERIENCED AFTER TAKING IT THE
LAST TIME ABOUT 8 MONTHS AGO. IT WAS PRESCRIBED TO ME ABOUT 5
YEARS AGO AND I STOPPED TAKING IT TWICE BEFORE. I THOUGHT THE SIDE
EFFECT MAY HAVE BEEN JUST A COINCIDENCE THE FIRST TWO EPISODES DUE
TO STRESS OR WHATEVER SO I GAVE IN TO THE DOC\'S ADVICE THE LAST
TIME. BUT THE THIRD TIME I EXPERIENCE THE SIDE EFFECT CONVINCED ME
IT WAS THE DRUG AFTER ALL. NO ONE KNOWS YOUR BODY MORE THAN YOU DO
SO WE MUST USE SOME INTELLIGENCE WHEN A MULTIBILLION DOLLAR
COMPANY (ALONG WITH GOOD INTENTIONED WIFES, FRIENDS AND DOCTORS)
TELLS YOU THAT THEY HAVE THE BEST THING FOR YOU. I'M NOT ANTI DRUG
BY ANY MEANS. I'M JUST AWARE OF THE FACT THAT PROFITS ARE THE NO.
1 MOTIVATING FORCE WHEN IT COME TO THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY.
I'M 57 YRS. OLD.

Posted by: ED SLANICKY on September 30, 2007 08:45 AM

i am a 40 yr old male and in good health about a year ago doc says
cholesteral @258 take 10 mgs lipitor went on for 30 days then doc
was on vac and i was feeling pretty fatigued never went back for
followup or more lipitor .1 year after changing diet went for
checkup and blood test doc says cholesterol down to210 but now
triglycerides are up and good chol is down and you NEED! to go on
10 mgs for 30 days and get re-tested.i did and 30 days later all
my #,s were good and chol down to160 while i ha d just some
fatigue. during the next thre weeks muscle soreness in my calves
then muscle contractions in calves that made it look like mice
running around under my skin followed by severe cramps that are so
painful they wake me at night,memory loss problems speaking to
that ihad difficulty completing sentences,or conveying thouts to
others,frequent urinating especially at night.i am now off the med
1 week and every thing has improved but cramps remain although not
as frequent. and 1 day after stopping hand cramps started but have
also lessened .notified doc and going to see him for moore blood
to rule out other possibilities but i know its the lipitor will
never take statins again ,i am too young to feel like this,hope i
am not permanently damaged. GET OFF THIS STUFF
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: paul,r on October 23, 2007 02:14 PM

I started on 20 mg of Lipitor about 5 weeks ago. Im a 28 year old
male, physically fit and have high cholesterol due to genetics and
to some degree my previous diet. In this short amount of time my
job as become jeopardized due to the side affects of this drug.
The first thing I noticed was my inability to sleep through an
entire night. Due to this I went back to the doctor and they
suggested that I stop it for a week and see if my sleep improves,
if it does try taking it in the morning. The last two weeks have
been an absolute nightmare. I have short term memory issues, my
mind is in a fog, I still cannot sleep, and I have anxiety issues
all of a sudden as well. I have noticed a lot of these postings
deal with muscle cramping but I have not had a lot of issues with
that. Have others experienced the mental side affects?

Posted by: Jeremy S on October 25, 2007 03:19 PM

My husband has been taking a high dose of Lipitor for several
years and recently started vomiting every morning. After having
blood tests it turns out his liver was shutting down and dumping
high levels of amonia into his system. He stopped taking Lipitor
and no longer has feels like throwing up every morning.
Hmmmm.....I wonder if it is related.

Posted by: Joyce on November 1, 2007 01:48 PM

In the past five years, my husband has had two hips replaced,
severe heartburn, and knee problems. He thought it was aging.
Recently, he's had severe heartburn, to the point that he's had
multiple test at hospital and extreme muscle pain in the legs and
groin. I am beginning to suspect it might be caused by lipitor. He
takes a high dose and has been taking it for several years. He is
in agonizing pain. The more I read about adverse effects of
lipitor, the more I think that this statin drug might be causing
these muliple symptoms.

Posted by: Denise Cohen on November 25, 2007 10:24 AM

I have been on 80 mg of Lipitor for--well--needless to say--I
don't remember how long--would have to look this one up!! At least
2-3 years.. I have complained since shortly after starting the
drug about muscle pain in my lower back and legs--and other places
too---I do have arthritis and fibromyalgia (maybe not afterall) so
I just assumed it was that but did tell the doctor since I was
warned to so in the drug info---of course this got brushed
aside--when I read about all the people that have suffered the
same symptoms I have it really made me angry and scared!!! I had
blood work done this week only to find out my liver count is
high--Won't know the next steps in this problem till next week...
The first step I took myself was to do some extensive research
into Lipitor---Needless to say I will never take another one---I
have Atrial Fibrilation and my electrophysiologist is the one that
insisted I take such a high dosage...then bragged that I was his
"Poster Child" for low cholesterol!!! Well, wonder if he knew he
was killing me in the long run!? He will hear about this soon~~~
I also have put up with the most horrible ringing in my ears and
went to several differnt doctors seeking relief for this to no
avail...and I read this may be a symptom also!! Shortness of
breath and not being able to walk very far and not being able to
walk normally anymore...I am so anxious to see if all this will
come back to normal after stopping the drug---I am als going to
take CoQ10 and vitamin C---Wish me luck---Thank everyone for
posting their stories...

Posted by: Marcia F. on December 1, 2007 01:05 AM

Action: Statin Drug Investigation Proposed - Sign Petition Much
evidence suggests that a low serum cholesterol is associated with
depression, suicide, muscle damage, memory loss and general
ill-health. As the signature count begins to climb, we can see the
impact of having patients telling of their own bad experiences
with statins. It has been the case for far too long now that the
medical profession, as a whole, has not seen the obvious nor has
it listened very well to what the patients on statins have been
telling it.

Posted by: Sepp on December 12, 2007 04:26 AM

I have only been off of Lipitor for 5 days and I can barely lift
my head...still! I have twitches and I am dizzy also. I went into
the hospital a few weeks ago with chest pain. A nice $20,000 stay
for one night and after reading this site, I am almost positive it
is the result of the Lipitor since I was exeriencing the
difficulty swallowing as well as "heartburn". Since I have been
off of this drug, I can breathe better at least and the chest
problems have all but disappeared for now. I am very lucky though
that my doctor is also well versed in the art of homeopathy and
truly believes in both the science of being a doctor but also has
knowledge of natural healing. She immediately told me to go on
COQ10. After the 4th day off of this drug. I am no longer waking
up with clenched fists and a stiff body. I know from an earlier
back injury that this is a sign that my body has had some nerve
damage and is repairing itself. So, those of you with this sign,
this is a good sign that your body is repairing itself. I wish
everyone the best of health. Stay strong and be informed! I am
hopeful that I will be able to recover fully.

Posted by: Kelly on December 24, 2007 05:10 PM

My 40 year old husband has been on Lipitor for the past two to
three years. My husband had major side pain last Wednesday night
(2/6/08), so I rushed him to the emergency room, thinking maybe he
was passing kidney stones. The ER ordered a CT Scan immediately,
which came back negative for kidney stones. So, he stated that he
saw something and ordered another type of CT scan. Within an hour,
we were told that my husband had Kidney Cancer. This is very scary
and I can not help but to wonder if they are related?

Posted by: Angela on February 13, 2008 08:45 PM

Hi from New Zealand. I have been taking Lipitor for a number of
years and have had muscle pains mostly in my legs.Complained to my
Dr.all the time telling her I thought it was the medication I was
taking.Finally I visited a Chinese Practioner to help heal my legs
and the first thing he told me was to throw those Lipitor away!!!
He is helped me alot with my diet and chinese herbs now I no
longer take blood pressure tabs either. I still have painfull
nights at times but feel heaps better in myself for being off
those terrible money making,life threatning LIPITOR.

Posted by: Carol Singer on February 19, 2008 05:50 PM

does anyone know what is a safe way to get off the Lipitor? I have
been put on 80mg daily right away as of Nov. 07 and it has not
been adjusted since. I became nervous after investigating the side
effects and have cut my dosage in half for the past week and a
half. I was put on it due to a heart attack on the 11th of Nov.
Some reports I have read indicate that people simply quit Lipitor
without gradually decreasing. Please advise a safe course to take.

Posted by: Shirleen Kainer on March 10, 2008 09:51 PM

Shirleen, there don't seem to be any problems of withdrawal. But
in any case, you should talk to your doctor about quitting the
drug and tell him why you have come to the conclusion you have
come to. I know it's difficult at times to go to the expert and
tell him/her you don't agree with what they have prescribed, but
many times doctors are very understanding. It of course depends on
how well prepared you are, that is, how well you have done your
own research.

Posted by: Sepp on March 11, 2008 01:59 PM

54 Yrs old. Numbness and tingling in right thigh. Soreness in
feet. Very sore knees, left elbow and right shoulder. On 10mg
lipitor for 4 years. Off for 1 day. Here's hoping for a speedy
recovery. Thanks to all who shared their experiences. I see my Dr.
in two days.
Cheers!

Posted by: Lawrence, Victoria BC on March 18, 2008 09:07 PM

I was in lipitor 10 mg for 5 years, on Feb18,08 I felt sick, I
went to see my doctor, he draw blood and found that my cholesterol
is high and my liver ensymes ast and alt over 500, my lhd 1315
alert and ck 10000 alert, couple days felt very bad and been to
the emergency for thourough check up, they stopped my lipitor,
they believe lipitor busted my liver and blood system, I had
muscle fiber break down, I was released from hospital couple week
ago, I'm at home and cant walk without walker, nurse shows up
twice a week to help me with therapy, I'm in a very bad shape.

Posted by: mohamed elbouazaoui on March 24, 2008 12:53 PM

I was on lipitor for almost 5 years because my cholester was high,
I been taken 20 mg then went down to 10 mg. I was a very healthy
person and never had any medical problem, one day all of a sudden
I felt strange,my body is no longer as used to be, felt weakness
and lack of energy, went to see my dr. blood bad,liver enzymes
both ast and alt 12 times higher than normal, LHD i/o 200 is 1315.
ck 10000, i was about to pass out,rushed to emergency, they
checked me from toes to head, cat scan x-ray etc.. no cancer tks
god, muscle fiber breakdown Rhabdomyolysis, cant walk or lift a
spoon to my mouth,I have a hard time to keep my head straight.my
Doctor told me to stop my cholesterol, I have already stopped the
day when I felt sick, at the hospital report, they mention problem
has relation with drug statin lipitor but not sure, it seems that
doctors they dont want to recognize or to confirm that drug is the
main problem, now I'm disabled at home, nurse comes twice a week
for physical theryapy and other to check my blood because at the
hospital being lain on bed for over two weeks,I had short of
breathe,they put on oxygen,been taken to x-ray immedialy were they
found blood clots invaded my lungs, now I'm taking warfarin and
prednison which may last 6 or 9 month. Lipitor company get rich
off of people that it has crippled and will continue to cripple,
maybe we can all together and turn this info a suit.. March 25,
2008

Posted by: elbo on March 25, 2008 08:14 PM

I have taken Lipitor for almost ten years. I was told by my doctor
that the pain and lack of energy were part of the aging process.
I'm only 42! Another Dr. in same office doubled my dose to 80mg
daily. I could not get out of bed and missed so much work. I have
never felt so awful in my whole life! When in contact with Dr
office, they just said to stop taking it for 2 weeks and then
resume. I will never take that crap again. I am just now regaining
strength and energy. I hope there are no long term side effects. I
can't seem to get anywhere calling my Doctors office. They accept
no responsibility and just blow me off. Time to look for a new
doctor.

Posted by: Joyce on May 2, 2008 01:44 AM

My mother got liver cancer from taking Lipitor which spread to her
colon. She battled it for 7 years before she died. It was only a
month past my 21st birthday and a few weeks away from my the end
of my junior semester. Could somebody tell WHY is Pfizer is still
in business. Why is there no lawsuit. Why is nobody held
responsible?

Posted by: shdwsclan on May 8, 2008 10:54 AM

I am 58 years young, feeling about 90 right now. Had a heart
attack 3-1/2 years ago and was put on 20 mg. Lipitor. Cholesterol
came down and I never had what I considered to be side effects.
However, looking back, I have had 2 episodes of major
depression/anxiety, treated with anti-depressants. The past 6
months, I have experienced numerous symptoms that doctors are
trying to assign to sleep apnea, even though I scored a big 0 on
the Epworth sleepiness scale. It started with occasional shortness
of breath, then unexplainable fatigue, then dizziness, constant
headaches (I rarey get headaches), bowel irreglarites that have
progressed from once-a-day-normal, to frequent, small stools mixed
with diarrhea, dry eye, weight gain, dizziness, tender & swollen
areas on chest, above knees, thighs, heart PVC's (pre-ventricular
contractions) PHEW! Have seen two specialists, and have had two
hospital stays via the ER in the last 3 months, one for trouble
breathing...they say it's asthma, even though I don't cough or
wheeze and their asthma meds don't help one bit, and one for a
stroke, which is hard to believe, since my blood pressure,
cholesterol and eating habits are all good, and I don't smoke
either. Have had too many tests to list, but all came back normal.
Two with false positives, at least according to doctors. After
reading these posts, I am almost certain now that it is Lipitor
that is causing my problems. I am a 58 year old female who used to
hike in the woods with her dog, cut her own grass and hedges,
gardened and kept up a house by herself (at least as of last
summer). I work at a job that takes up 11 hours of my day with
traveling time, but have not been able to be there for the last 6
weeks. As of today, I am stopping Lipitor and taking CoQ-10 to see
if I start to feel better. I am praying for all of you who have
Lipitor related problemsand or disabilities.

Posted by: Joy on May 11, 2008 07:20 PM

I am 75 years of age. Several years ago, I began having lower back
pains and eventually told my doctor about it who just shrugged it
off as part of growing old.
BULL-CRAP! I have since learned about the damage that Statin type
drugs cause and since giving up on them I feel 100 better
physically and am able again to do house-hold maintenance and
other chores which I had not touched in years.

Posted by: Gordon Giesbrecht on May 20, 2008 11:48 PM

Within a few days of starting Lipitor, I began feeling noticeably
'off'. I take no other medications, and haven't for years and
years. I was very very fatiqued, with swelling in my face and
hands, difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, sudden tears
welling up and streaming down my face, and so much tension and
irritation I wanted to scream, some muscle pain, (but I've also
been excercising). My head felt like a big fog bank and it was
hard for me to stay focused and remember things. I looked up side
effects for Lipitor and was shocked. With so many people I know
taking this, and my GP being so cavalier about prescribing, how
could this issue be so unknown??? I had no idea until I did my own
research that the liver should be monitored. I have had chronic
kidney stones for all my adult life (I am now 50), and there are a
plethora of stones in both kidneys currently. My kidneys don't
operate at 100, and I question the wisdom of a statin medication
under the circumstances. Today is the 7th day of taking the
Lipitor, and I am so done. I will commit to a change in diet and
excercise. If that doesn't work, I'll take my chances with high
cholesterol. I may seek a new doctor, as well.

Posted by: sheila scott on May 23, 2008 10:37 AM

In January of 2008 my doctor put me on Lipator with a cholesterol
level of 225. Within a month I started getting queasy feelings in
my stomach like going down in an elevator, my pulse quickened, and
my sense of balance deteriorated with episodes of vertigo. It was
like walking on a moving train. In two months the
stomach/abdominial pains began and woke me in the wee hours of the
morning...so severe I needed to get to the emergency room,
thinking I was having a heart attach. EKGs and bloodwork for
cardiac enzymes were normal. The doctors said "indegestion",
although I could not remember eating late, anything spicy, or
overeating that would cause that kind of indegestion. A third trip
to the emergency room resulted in ultrasound scans of my vital
organs, endescopy, and CT scan with contrast, all negative. Then I
heard that some people could not tolerate Lipator, so on my own I
stopped taking it. It is now two months and I have not had a
recurring episode and the balance/vertigo problems have gone away.
I attribute the problems to Lipator. For some this drug can be
hazzardous as proven by the many other people that have had
similar results. Robert Rand, Deerfield Beach Florida.

Posted by: Robert Rand on June 5, 2008 09:47 AM

I'M VERY ACTIVE AND NEVER KNEW THE SIDE AFFECTS OF LIPITOR UNTIL I
HAD LOWER HIP AND KNEE PAIN WHICH MADE ME FEEL LIKE AN OLD MAN. I
DID NOTICE THAT IF I MISSED TAKING LIPITOR FOR A FEW DAYS MY PAIN
WAS MUCH LESS. JUST SENT MY DOCTOR AN EMAIL DESCRIBING THE PROBLEM
TO SEE IF IT IS RELATED TO LIPITOR. AFTER SENDING THE EMAIL I
STARTED SEACHING THE WEB AND FROM READING ALL THE COMMENTS AND THE
LIST OF EXPERIENCES OF PATIENTS WITH MUSCLE PAIN IT IS AMAZING. I
HAVE STOPPED TAKING LIPITOR AS OF TODAY AND STARTED TAKING
COEMYZER Q-10, HOPEFULLY I HAVE CAUGHT IT IN TIME AND THERE IS NO
LASTING DAMAGE. HOW CAN PFIZER STAY IN BUSINESS AND KEEP THIS $15B
DRUG ON THE MARKET?

Posted by: ROBERT FALK on June 9, 2008 01:24 AM

My father was a very active intelligent man- until 5 years ago- he
began taking Lipitor and started having shoulder and neck pain,
then he began having trouble with walking and now he can barely
talk most of the time, feed himself, or do most things people take
for granted the doctor's thought it was Parkinson's, then
Alzheimer's the tests for these conditions have all come back
negative..they have concluded that it is parkinsonism..upon
researching this condition I have found that research is pointint
to chemical exposure, ie...Lipitor. Where do I turn for help now?
The expenses of the disease are too much for my parents to bear
and my mother can not care for him all alone(they live 6 states
away)Is there an attorney or a research group who is looking into
this...Who do I contact? Please help.

Posted by: Barbara Pickel on June 12, 2008 02:14 PM

In January, my husband had a mild heart attack, which was caused
by a 90 blockage in his main artery. He had stents inserted, was
put on Lipitor, Plavix, and asprin. One month later, he had a
stroke in his cerebellum. Thankfully, he had no side effects, was
put on ramiprimil. Now his fatigue is so terrible, he can hardly
work--not good for someone who is self employed. Doctors have no
answers as to the fatigue and I have noticed an increase in memory
loss. Husband just had another stress test to see if his heart
would respond to an increased demand, as his resting rate was 51,
but all was well and clear. Frustration has really overcome him
today. In searching for other possible reasons, I found this site.
He is stopping the Lipitor tonight. Will post back when he notices
an improvement, as we both think he will!

Posted by: elizabeth blevins on June 24, 2008 05:25 PM

My husband was on Lipitor and gradually turned into an old man in
all sorts of ways. He is otherwise a lively intelligent curious
physical man but all that disappeared including the intimate parts
of our relationship. He put it down to just ageing and I got
cranky. Very cranky. He started doing research on Lipitor and
decided to come off Lipitor after reading about the side effects.
Within days he started to return to his old self. Life looks good
again for both of us.

Posted by: Susan on July 9, 2008 06:44 PM

I still have hope!!! I quit Lipitor to be given Crestor. Now 2
months off Crestor I have noticed some small improvements. I have
had extreme weakness, getting out of a chair and going up stairs
very difficult, depression, memory gaps, difficulty concentrating,
saying the wrong words, Left upper thigh numbness, yet it itches,
and is painful to touch, all at the same time. Weight gain,
changes in fat tissue, now looks like someone stuffed me with moth
balls, these lumps are also very painful to press on. I had been
on these meds for several years and it was 2+ years before the
symptoms began. Now I pray that they go away. I know now that no
matter what medication a Dr may suggest, there will be a lot of
research FIRST.
Another type of med to be watched are the anti-depressants that
you CANNOT get off of, where the side effects of coming off are
far greater than staying on.
Blessings to all.

Posted by: Pat Johnaon on August 10, 2008 07:05 PM

My 16 year old, kidney transplanted, daughter has been prescribed
Lipitor for high Chol due to the side effects of her
immunosuppressant drugs that keep her kidney from rejecting. She
has been increased from 10 to 20 mg last month. She usually takes
it at night as the box says, and feel very naseous. I will be
watching carefully and re checking with her doctors. Her dose
seems high compared to the doses of much older people here are
taking (or now not taking!!) She has a lot of life to live
yet...!!!cheers

Posted by: wendy on September 20, 2008 07:20 PM

I was recently diagnosed with a blocked artery which was repaired
with a stent two weeks ago.
One of the medications given to me was Lipitor at 80mg.
I do not and have never had high chloesterol so this is the first
time I have taken this type of medication.
Following the stent op all was going well for about the first five
days and then I started to go down hill fast.
Muscle aches, Nausea, Fatigue etc, etc.
I and my family thought I was dying.
Went to the Doctors and was told just to carry on.
When I got home I decided to google all the medication and then I
found that all my symptoms were in fact described side effects of
Lipitor.
So all remaining tablets went down the toilet and I have started
on CoQ10 - 200mg per day.
Within two days I started to feel better and I am improving every
day but I tink it may be a while till I am back to 100.
Any other suggestions from anyone would be great.
Bev

Posted by: Bev Kemp on October 29, 2008 06:17 AM

I am a 54 year old male in decent physical condition. After
failing a routine stress test during a physical last year and
corresponding blood work showed high cholesteral and Tri's my Dr.
put me on 80 mg Lipitor. I was left on this dose for 6 months even
though I had follow up blood tests. After starting on the Lipitor
my fatigue was unbelievable as it was all i could do to stay awake
hours after getting up in the morning. i would also like to note
that I have long hair and started noticing large quantities
falling out. I finally felt like there was no way I should be on
levels of Lipitor that high and quit taking it altogether. Within
weeks my hair started growing back in and my energy level
increased dramatically. 4 months later i had another routine blood
workup and my cholesteral and Tri's were still high. Doc wanted me
back on Lipitor but I refused and I also insisted the levels were
too high. He finally relented and prescribed Simvastatin at a 40mg
level. I have been on it for 3 weeks and my hair is starting to
fall out again. as an example, when i stroke my hand through my
hair I can come up with 20-30 strands on every sweep. Has anyone
else experienced these symptoms? i'm curious if they are related
to the drugs?

Posted by: Ric Colestock on November 1, 2008 07:18 AM

I am a relatively healthy 45 year old male that turned into a 70
year old because of statin drugs. My insurance co. Cigna required
that I switch from Lipitor to Simvastatin at the beginning of
2009. I had been taking 80mg of Lipitor and had severe neck pain
and pain in my feet. I never thought that it could have been
caused by the Lipitor. When I started taking the Simvastatin I
developed severe abdominal pain with bloating,gas, and diarrhea. I
also noticed spasms and cramping in my abdomen along with extreme
fatigue. After meeting with a Gastroenterologist I was referred to
a surgeon to have my gall bladder removed even though the Gastro
doctor said the symptoms that I was having weren't totally
pointing to gall bladder disease. The surgeon convinced me to have
it removed because I had a few stones. After about 1 1/2 months of
taking the Simvastatin I noticed that both of my calves were
twitching all of the time. Both of the arches in my feet were
twitching non stop as well. Soon after I noticed the twitching I
started to get cramps in my feet and hands as well as random
twitching in my arms, thighs, and other muscles. There were times
that I was about to come out of my skin because of the anxiety
that I was feeling. I noticed more of a tingling feeling around my
mouth that would come and go. My feet also started to go numb as
if I had neuropathy. My wife finally figured out that all of these
symptoms started right after I began taking the Simvastatin. I
stopped taking the poison two weeks ago and have started to feel a
little better. I am starting to feel less fatigued, but I still
have the twitching in my feet and calves while they are at rest.
The random twitching in my other muscles is still around as well.
I went to my internist and told him about my side effects of the
drug and let him know that I will never take it again. I can only
hope that this drug didn't do permanent damage. My internist said
that it could take 6 to 8 weeks to get it out of my system. It
can't get out quick enough in my opinion. There is no question in
my mind that the Simvastatin caused all of these problems.

Posted by: William on May 13, 2009 03:35 PM

On lipitor for several years. Does anyone else have a metalic
taste and decreased taste in addition to generalized weakness,
neck and shoulder pain, muscle and bone aches etc? Let me knowb

Posted by: melrose on June 28, 2009 12:33 PM

I have been on 80 mg of Simvastatin (a generic Zocor) since Nov of
07 following a minor heart blockage. Had one a stent put in. I
have been working out 3 days a wekk in cardio lab for about 2-3
hours of intense cardio activiity. Over the past 6 months I have
had neck and back pain on the rith side of next and upper right
back. I thought it was becasue of the exercise. I am 62 years old,
5'4" and weigh 155 lbs. I am a health food and nutritional
consultant. I hate being on statins. I am alos on 5mg of
Lisinopril. My heart rate is around 65 and my blood pressure is
always under 120 over 80. Ususally 115 over 70!I was on 100 mg of
Metoprolol but found I was depressed all the time and insisted I
go off of it against the cardiologist recommendation. He wanted to
put me on an antidepressant! This is an endless downward spiral I
just can't buy into.

Posted by: Dale Southam on August 4, 2009 04:28 PM

I have a metalic taste, as well as a decreased taste, find I want
to salt my foods more than before. I have been on Lipitor for 2
1/2 years now. I also find that my whole being is achy and weaker
than before, as well. I stopped taking the Lipitor 4 days ago. I
do hope I will eventually feel better.

Posted by: Shirley on August 27, 2009 03:39 AM

have been on lipitor for 4 yrs. have shortness of breathe and low
blood count does anyone else have this problem?

Posted by: lee on October 1, 2009 08:59 AM

I've been on lipitor for 4 yrs. can these side effects like muscle
aches and charley horses and cramps in my hands start after 3yrs.?
that's how long this is going on.

Posted by: Lee on October 1, 2009 05:15 PM

My husband has just stopped Lipitor after 2 years and is
experiencing severe itching all over. Is this from stopping the
Lipitor? He has not had any of the other side-effects while taking
it, but wants to stop due to the possible harm it could be doing.

Posted by: Barbara on December 29, 2009 02:15 AM

I have taken Lipitor for about 15 years. Recently I was told that
I have fibromyalgia. Can Lipitor cause this problem? I have
muscle, joint, jaw pains, forgetful, lack of appetite and dislike
meat and cheese and lack of energy. Anyone else have fibromyalgia?
Thanks

Posted by: Piri Horvath on December 30, 2009 02:05 PM

My husband died at age 45 of cardiac arrest. He was on Lipitor for
10 years, he did suffer back pain, weight loss at a lot of points,
depression, some memory loss. He did also smoked and had a heaavy
meat based standard american diet which I believe did not help
either. But I believe the drug was not doing him any good and only
bad

Posted by: Rene on January 14, 2010 11:28 AM

Took lipitor for eight years with moderate side effects. Mild
muscle burning, neuropathy, some memory/cognitive issues. Doctor
added Tricor 145 to reduce triglycerides. I stopped both in the
fourth month. Extreme fatigue, muscle burning, weakness, muscle
mass loss, muscle/tendon pain. Please be very wary of this
combination.

Posted by: gene martini on March 8, 2010 02:54 PM

I am 63 years old male and have taken Lipitor 10mg for 11 years.
My medical aid forced me, due to cost to change some 6 months ago
to Aspavor - apparently an exact generic of Lipitor (made in the
same facility) - that is when my problems began. I started with
feeling weak and listless, always tired fatigued - something that
I never had in the past. I then started to lose weight fairly
slowly - I now have lost 11kg. I then felt that I did not have the
strength I used to have, I noticed that my urine was brown and I
started with severe muscle pains in my legs - could not sit down
for more than a few miniutes without experiencing pain/burning
sensation when I stood up again. I had pain in various parts of my
legs, feet, hands and arms. I lost concentration often and did not
sleep well, my muscle mass has reduced very much. I have stopped
using the Lipitor/Aspavor and have not had the muscle pains
anymore. I eat less and nothing tastes as it used to. I am now
working with my doctors to try and recover - has anyone out there
got any ideas for me to assist in my recovery.

Posted by: Peter Engels on March 21, 2010 09:02 AM

Name:

Email Address:

URL:

Comments:

Remember info?

 Security code:
 

Please enter the security code displayed on the above grid

Due to our anti-spamming policy the comments you are posting will show
up online within few hours from the posting time.

RGTV News
---------

Watch this video in a separate larger window

The Individual Is Supreme And Finds Its Way Through Intuition

Home  Site map  About  Contact

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

These articles are brought to you strictly for educational and
informational purposes. Be sure to consult your health practitioner of
choice before utilizing any of the information to cure or mitigate
disease. Any copyrighted material cited is used strictly in a non
commercial way and in accordance with the "fair use" doctrine.

912

RSS Feed Subscription here

Enter your Email

Powered by FeedBlitz 

Most Popular Articles Lipitor: Side Effects And Natural Remedy

Lipitor - The Human Cost

Fluoride Accumulates in Pineal Gland

Original blueprints for 200 mpg carburetor found in England

Medical system is leading cause of death and injury in US

Aspartame and Multiple Sclerosis - Neurosurgeon's Warning

'Bird Flu', SARS - Biowarfare or a Pandemic of Propaganda?

More recent articlesIs Daylight Savings Time Bad for Your Health? -
Health Supreme NewsGrabs Tuesday, 30 March 2010

EU vitamin laws must change - Health Supreme NewsGrabs Friday, 26
March 2010

Alliance to challenge EU herbal law - Health Supreme NewsGrabs
Wednesday, 23 March 2010

Patenting Plants: Bolivia says no! - Health Supreme NewsGrabs Sunday,
21 March 2010

Organic Medicine - Health Supreme NewsGrabs Thursday, 18 March 2010

EU Cancer strategy challenged - Health Supreme NewsGrabs Tuesday, 16
March 2010

Archive of all articles on this site

Most recent commentsLife And Gravity: Sleeping In A Horizontal
Position May Be Bad For You

Kohei Minato and the Japan Magnetic Fan Company

FBI Raids Liberty Dollar: Why Neocons Hate Complementary Currencies

Lipitor: Side Effects And Natural Remedy

Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Therapy Successful: Paralysed Patient Walks
After 19 Years

Candida International

What Does MHRA Stand For??

Bono and Bush Party without Koch: AIDS Industry Makes a Mockery of
Medical Science

Profit as Usual and to Hell with the Risks: Media Urge that Young
Girls Receive Mandatory Cervical Cancer Vaccine

Share The Wealth

Retardation, Low IQ & Depression From Fluoride

Over-The-Counter Natural Cures

C-6 = Legislative Disaster

Comments on: "Fluoride in Drinking Water"

Fluoride - Final Submissions Due Fri., Nov. 27, 2009

Evolving Collective Intelligence

Let Us Please Frame Collective Intelligence As Big As It Is

Reflections on the evolution of choice and collective intelligence

Whole System Learning and Evolution -- and the New Journalism

Gathering storms of unwanted change

Protect Sources or Not? - More Complex than It Seems

Consensus

Scuola del Risveglio

“Striscia”? Cani sciolti ed ignoranti

La truffa del vaccino contro l’influenza suina e l'ipocrisia buonista
di Striscia la notizia

Cancro alla prostata. Prevenzione naturale.

Avviso: La vaccinazione contro l’influenza suina è stata collegata in
Gran Bretagna ad una devastante malattia nervosa.

Diary of a Knowledge Broker

Giving It Away, Making Money

Greenhouses That Change the World

Cycles of Communication and Collaboration

What Is an "Integrated Solution"?

Thoughts about Value-Add

Best sellers from

912

of once that theirs theirs while where
any did our having him has in see not
or under he am once once these himself why below nor
down where with a so who and more that no some such
he own it a and lipitor and feet and hand muscle cramps maybe were more
down did off him into look it whom lipator and tricor interactions from than under stomach pain with lipitor then
for and in hers and not while too all
until herself this nor after between further there themselves
look or you most here and Right on! does over those then having
very each this such all
at visit - below hers yourselves hers maybe whom than they while outta sight the most against do
these lipator and tricor interactions over yourselves ours see same where
further at go there! as ours before
he all why at munchies should be her what visit - be lipator and tricor interactions
i whom at again under are about up because why off by the
theirs why a than munchies from surely does very