Atorvastatin (Lipitor) Causing Severe Muscle Pain?
Apr 22, 2014
I had a heart attack in June 2012 and was put on many medications one of them being Atorvastatin (Lipitor) 40mg per day. After a couple of months I was in absolute agony with muscle pain which started in my left arm and shoulder, even had some numbness in fingers. The pain over the last 18 months or so has worsened going into my left shoulder and left side of my neck and now is in the whole of both my shoulders and all the back of my neck. The doctor has constantly denied it is any of the meds that I am taking and has sent me to physiotherapy many times, needless to say none of the various therapists have helped. I have been to see an osteopath, this didn't help either. I have had steroid injections into one of my shoulders, no help from that.
My pain gets worse by the week and is seriously affecting my daily life from work (I am a secretary) to driving to doing any of my enjoyed sports of fishing and golf.
I have spoken to many friends on this statin and they all complain of similar muscle pain. Why won't the doctors listen to me when I tell them this.
I have today stopped taking the Lipitor as I cannot take this pain any more. I have previously stopped this on two separate occasions and found the pain almost went away until the Doctors got quite stroppy with me and told me I was going against medical advice doing what I was doing in stopping the medication.
Is there others out there that have suffered this and have found what to do to get GP's to listen to their patient?
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I've been diagnosed with hyperlipidaemia and high blood pressure. I've started taking 20mg of Lipitor few weeks ago to help me maintain LDL and total cholesterol levels. My doctor who prescribed Lipitor told me that it should also help with my hypertension. But since I've been taking it I got a terrible migraine headache. I was literally unable to get up or to do anything. The migraine pain is especially severe during the night. I could barely sleep. I never had a migraine before, just regular headaches, but not too often. I also got diarrhea and really bad smell when passing gas. Sometimes I feel nausea and cramps in my stomach. I've read that ingredient of Lipitor called atorvastatin calcium could be a cause of migraine headaches and other symptoms I'm experiencing. My doctor is unavailable until January, so I discontinued Lipitor by myself because I think it actually caused a migraine. Has anyone had any experience with Lipitor and migraine headaches while using it?
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I am a 43 yr old male, I had a massive heart attack in August 2014. I have always been very active in my work but was a heavy smoker, did not have a good diet and did not exercise.
I had my wake up call in August and stopped smoking instantly I completely changed my diet and I am taking daily exercise, that is until the knee pains hit me.
I had a stent put into my artery and was put on many pills at hospital, I had no information about what pills I was on until I started to research the pains. Upon leaving hospital I was informed that I had to attend the cardiac rehab gym and to follow the booklet to increase my exercise to get to 30 mins per day. I could not wait to start after a very emotional shock like I had. I slowly built up to a good 45 min brisk walk twice a day and have been doing this for a few weeks, well until just over a week ago.
I was walking and suddenly felt pains in one knee cap and around it, I slowed the walk down and headed for home. I ice packed it and elevated it but it would not ease. I did not sleep very well that night through discomfort and in the morning the pain was terrible. I had doctors appointments and mentioned the pains and was told it was due to me being new to exercise. After a week of terrible pains in both knees, one worse than the other, numbness in my shin to foot and aches in my ankle. My partner said she had been told at work about statin side effects. I did a lot of research and found page after page of issues with knee pains due to statins. I spoke to my Doctor who said I had 2 options either start lowering my dose or start in a very low dose and build back up to the 80mg I was on. I got the low dose but I have not taken them for the last few days and the pain is starting to ease so much so that I was able to walk around the block yesterday although I suffered with knee cramps for the rest if the evening.
I also have been sent for many blood tests and a glucose test. The Doctor called me yesterday to inform me that I was now diabetic type 2. Luckily I had the Pill hand out in front of my at the time that states that blood sugars increase on Lipitor. My Doctor looked up in his reference book and said you're right! I now have an appointment to see the diabetic nurse. I am not convinced that I am diabetic and I am going to request a re test in a months time after I have been off statins for a month.
Has anyone else been in this situation as I am a little worried about stopping medication but the pain is unbearable and I only seem to be getting information when I search
my list of side effects on Lipitor so is severe knee and ankle pains, sleepless nights, aching gums
I have started taking COQ10 as I know this is stopped by statins I am also taking vitamin d and b12 plus omega 3,6 & 9 gel capsules
I am very shocked that more information is not given to patients regarding these drugs also the information in the professional field. I called the out of hours doctor over the weekend to find out what pain killers I could take to help the pain, the doctor did not agree that it was the statins she said she had never heard of pains in the knees etc and to take 2 paracetamol and go to bed!
The main points I have been told by every Doctor is to exercise but how can you when you can't bend you legs to even go upstairs due to pain from drugs supposed to help you
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I was diagnosed with blocked arteries with up to 90% blockage in LAD, last year. Have a stent and need to take clopidogrel 75mg, this has given me endless problem, but this is must for one year.
at the time I ticked all the boxes on healthy side.
1) No smoking ever
2) No Alcohol at all
3) I am 5ft 5inch my weight 54kg
4) was going to gym everyday for 1hr every morning.
5) very fit no tiredness very active with walking and gardening and extensive diy work in the house.
6) my cholesterol at that time was 3.6
Recent test same level without any statin use.
I was prescribed atorvastatin 40 mg.
Started having very bad muscle cramps
they reduced to 10 mg. still gives same problem. I do not take them
My question is how much a person's cholesterol need to be/ Or is it an automatic requirement to have statin because you had blockage?
My diet is as healthy as it should be.
Will welcome information for alternative to statin or something that can effectively reverse the blockage,in arteries.
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I am aware that us folks with a gout flare-up are taking many different types of medications but I wanted to know if any of the folks in this forum are also taking Lipitor or the generic Atorvastatin for high cholesterol?
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I have been advised to take Lipitor but experienced muscle soreness and weakness. My doctor then reduced dosage, but it still had the same effect. He then recommended I take a low dosage two times a week as long as I could tolerate it. Will such a low dosage have any positive effect on reducing bad cholesterol?
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I know that it's known that lipitor has the side-effect of muscle tiredness and aches. Has anyone else have to deal with this? Man it's off the hook. I almost am paralyzed fro, lipitor. This horrible and I would like to talk to someone who's been through it. This is a very under-rated affliction IMO. I've been tested and it doesn't look like I have the Rabadolosis<sp? That spelling isn't even close. I was very scared before I realized what was causing this severe problem.. Now I know that lipitor has helped a lot of people, it brought my cholesterol down a bunch very quickly. Frankly i would rather have high cholesterol. I did have a stroke at the end of November, small, deep in the cerebellum. Hence the lipitor.
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for the past week I had severe joint pain and weakness, muscle weakness, bone pain in extremities ( had a blood test for lupus and RA[ no family history of either] Starting to get a bit better as long as I rest. recently sexually active with one person, now I just noticed feeling swollen like I was getting a UTI ( hurt when I urinate), but noticed it hurt in my vagina not urethra, checked and there are 4 small red bumps in my right labia minora and 1 in my left labia minora-odorless, feels inflamed and hurts now. Is this related to possible lupus or separate problem? I feel exhausted and run down.
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Was put on 80mg atorvastatin following a heart attack last October. Have had constant pain and muscle stiffness in both shoulders and cannot fully extend both arms. The cardiac nurse suggested I come off them for 2 weeks last xmas to see and ALL the pain went! After seeing the doctor he advised me to continue with Atorvastatin "and see". After one week I was in agony again. I reduced the dose to 40mg a month ago and it made no difference. Other side effects I have are twitchy eyelids, on and off loose stools and tiredness. I saw a different GP today as I cannot carry on like this. He has told me to stop Atorvastatin and has arranged for me to have an extensive blood test next Wednesday. He did say that there are risks with Atorvastatin re muscle and joint problems, liver etc. SO I will see what the tests say and how I am off the Atorvastatin.
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MY GP recently prescribed Atorvastatin to deal with high(ish) cholesterol. I have been taking Amlodipine, Losartan and Bezafibrate without any problems but in the past 3 weeks since starting the statins I feel like crap - Nausea, muscle pains, kidney pains and total lack of energy.
The blurb with the statins indicated there could be problems with Amlodipine but I started taking them.
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My Cholesterol was 7.8 and I was put on Statins 3 years ago. Because they gave me pains in my legs and other areas I stopped them.
A year ago my Cholesterol was still high and I had changed doctors and was prescribed Atorvastatin 10 mg after 2 months my doctor sent me for blood tests and in a phone call when I was at work he told me that Atorvastatin had caused Liver damage. He said I should stop taking the tablets immediately, pity this advice was not put on my notes so that when I phoned for my blood results a week earlier the receptionist could inform me to stop Atorvastatin. She just said Doctor will be in touch via phone call next week
He referred me to a Liver Specialist.
I went to see Liver Specialist after having Liver Ultrasound. Fatty liver was diagnosed and Liver Specialist promptly put me back on Atorvastatin claiming this would help my fatty liver. I couldn't believe it but what could I do?
Local GP had advised me to have bloods done again after being on tablets for 2 months. When my results came back the Locum doctor I saw said "whoa your Liver is not happy" STOP the tablets and have a blood test in 2 weeks.
2 weeks later Liver levels are coming down so thats a good direction. Dilemma is I have to see my Liver Consultant 16 June 2015. Wish me luck!
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I've been on nortriptyline for daily headache prevention for over 20 years. Has done an excellent job in headache prevention and just helping me feel normal. Just in the last year as I'm at the door of menopause, I've been experiencing pain and tightness in my hips, perineum, and sit-bones. Also a lot of stiffness and weakness in surrounding muscles. I attributed it to my sit-down job, but I now have a standing desk and am still experiencing a lot of pain. Wondering if nortriptyline is the cause of it, and am thinking of weaning of it. Has anyone else experienced this kind of pain as side affects of nortriptyline.
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anyone else suffer from severe insomnia? i attribute this to the spiriva and will stop taking this drug for 30 days and see what happens.
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Does anyone that suffers from Benign Essential Tremor suffer from muscle twitching involuntary jumps and cramp in hands and fingers?
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I have been on atorvastatin for years, starting with 10 mg back in the '90s now up to 80 mg since I had a stent placed in my LAD in 2009. I am in my mid 60s but have always been very active, going to the gym, etc. the past 6 mos. I have increasingly suffered from severe back aches with it traveling down my buttocks down to my ankle. It is now so severe that it hurts to stand any length of time and walking in the grocery store bothers me as well. My PCP gave me muscle relaxers & pain meds which don't help at all. PT for a month hasn't helped either. Today I went to an orthopedist who suggests with permission from my cardiologist that I stop my statin for 3 weeks since all x-rays were negative. I am hoping this is the culprit bc the pain is debilitating and my summer has been limited to staying home.
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Would like to ask about anybody's experiences of side effects of Atorvastatin (as oppose to Simvastatin) I think the latter is mostly prescribed because of it's low cost - the one I am on is rather more "up-market" and I particularly requested to change from Simvastatin, and was "lucky" because it is far more expensive and considered the better drug of the two. However, like so many of your experiences on this forum - I can relate to almost all of them. I am breathless to the extent where I have to sit on a kitchen stool to carve a joint or dish up a meal I have leg pains, back pains and every other B***** pain!
I also suffer with anxiety disorder which the side effects of statins do nothing for that!
Please let me know if any other patients have problems with these ghastly drugs - I have stopped mine now and will tell the Doc when I go next week! I have missed about a week's worth of pills, but have not yet noticed any difference! Does anybody know how long it takes for the drug to leave your system?
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Cramps so bad in thighs, I can't take the pain anymore
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In the space of six weeks I have been put on two different types of statins. The first ones Atorvastatin, made my joints ache and I already suffer from osteoarthritis. I was then put on another type and my face swelled and I could not pass urine well. The doctor said to go back to the Atorvastatin but the chemical levels in my liver was high, the reason that I was taken off them in the first place. The doc said that it was ok! I have not taken any for a week now and I am just getting back to being able to walk! I am very confused and worried as my cholesterol is high. Having said this, I DO know why my levels are high, tis because I have not looked after myself for over a year due to having a lot of stress and eating rubbish. I am trying to look after myself now but I am very worried about the whole affair. I am 7 on the cholesterol scale
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I have had lower back pain for years. It always gets worse when lying down for long periods or bending over for long periods. I've also had sciatic pain in my left leg for years. It comes and goes. Recently I have started to get the same pain in my right leg. The sciatic pain as gotten severe. I also have some other new symptoms. One new symptom is searing pain in my knee sometimes when I'm standing or when I bend my leg all the way in. The other is sharp pain in my pelvic area. Are these connected? Can you please possibly tell me what is going on? The only notable health history I have is ovarian cysts.
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I came across this syndrome when searching the Internet about extreme pain I have when I take the first bite EVERY time I eat and sometimes drink. That this could be a symptom of this syndrome but I don't know. I do have some of the other symptoms, i.e. neuropathy, blurry vision, muscle pain, fatigue but these can also be associated with Type 1 Diabetes which I have. Also, came across parotid/salivary glands are affected which also can cause the jaw to ear pain I'm having. Has anyone heard that the Coxsackie virus can have anything to do with it? How do you know for sure if it is Sjogren's and what type of doctor do you see about it - a primary?
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I am on my 5th week post-op TAH (removed uterus, cervix and Fallopian tubes). I was recovering well in the past few weeks with reducing pains.
Of all sudden, I had a painful swelling abdominal and soreness/pulling pain around waist yesterday coupled with giddiness and headache. Is it normal having a regression during recovery period? Any remedy members could share esp. now I still can't exercise. I put on an abdominal binder now to ease the pain slightly.
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