I know just what you mean! I took Lipitor for many years and I ached so badly in my muscles. Went off of it and the pain there went away. Of course the doctors had to put me on about 3 more different ones and they did the same thing for me. As of this year the doctor has taken me completely off of statins. It is an awful feeling to hurt so much, I feel for you. I hope you continue to improve.

Sue

I hope you find something better for you Laurel!
DH took Lipitor and blamed it on the Urinary Tract Infection he got. Don't know if he was right or wrong, but thats what he thinks and he refuses to take it after reading up on it.

My DH and my mom both took high cholesterol medication and had the same problems. My mom still takes hers but DH refused. His hands were hurting so badly, he could hardly work. He's a machinist and he has to use his hands all the time. He stopped taking the meds and it took a good month before his hands quit hurting. He also had other aches and pains.

I was on it for about a year before I stopped taking it. My doc was less than happy with me but no one knows my body as well as I. Every night, at least once, usually more, I was jumping out of bed with horrible leg cramps. I stopped the med and within 2 days the leg cramps were gone.

I take Lipitor, but I've had leg cramps for years and spinal stenosis, so I certainly don't blame any pain I have on the Lipitor. I started taking a combination vitamin of calcium magnesium zinc with vitamin D and that has practically stopped my leg cramps plus the sharp pain in my left pointer finger. I still have a little pain, but not the sharp pain, esp. if I touched or hit it.

I know two people who were almost crippled by taking chlorestoral meds. Luckily it wasn't permanent. I don't take any preventative meds, as far as I'm concerned they are far to dangerous. Most meds can cause exactly what you are trying to prevent. Just this week or last they stopped production of 13 pain killers because they do more harm than good. None of the Alzheimer's meds have been proven to help, they are experimental and very hard on your stomach. My husband's blood count was down to 6 before they caught his bleeding ulcers from Exelon.

I started taking Simvastatin (Zocor) in January. By March I was having stomach pains, gas, bloating, belching. But it did bring my cholesterol reading down 200 points! It was 322(!) down to 131. Now I am going to try Lovastatin, hopefully without the side effects but with the good results! (I had no luck bringing my numbers down with diet alone).

I took Lipitor for a month, then my doctor switched me to a medication called "Lovaza' which is a prescription strength form of omega 3 fish oil. Works fine.

My cardiologist just put me on a low dose of Lipitor last month,even though my chart clearly states i'm allergic to statins.My cholesterol was quite high,higher than it's ever been before.I didn't know this until a couple of days after i saw him,when the nurse called and told me and called in the prescription.I had just finished with 6 sessions of chemo and i asked the nurse if the cholesterol could be from that.She didn't know.

Back in 2006 my cholesterol was slightly elevated and they put me on lovastatin.That stuff gave me all kinds of charlie horss,day and night.Got them in my calves,thighs,feet,including toes.Got them to the point that my toes would cramp while driving,and i'd have to pull off the road.Told the dr,he didn't think it as from the meds,but i knew different and told him i wasn't going to take them anymore,and i didn't til last month.

I was already having some muscle,bone pain among other things from the chemo meds i'm on for the next 5 years.But they do seem to have gotten worse,so i'll make sure i tell the dr when i see him.

I didn't know about the thyroid thing,will have to check into that as well as i have no thyroid,except for what i get in pill form every morning.

I always say they give you a pill for one thing and it causes something else!!
Kathi

I "was" on Lipitor, but was having such severe foot cramps almost daily. I too read all of the side effects and told my family doctor I was going off it to see if that was the cause. It was. I waited a year to make sure it was all out of my system, then doc put me on Zettia and 4 fish oil. The Zettia is not bringing down the cholesterol level as quickly as the Lipitor did, but doc says I am not in the danger zone, so for now I will stay on the Zettia. He won't increase my fish oil intake, as too much of that can cause muscle damage he said.

No, my doctor wants me on something for my high cholesterol, but I know too many people who've had problems with them. I did get a prescription a couple years ago for Crestor but quit taking it.

I'm now working on my weight to see if I can get it down this way.

Isn't it amazing how our ancestors lived long lives without knowing that they probably had high cholesterol and didn't take any meds?

Surely their cholesterol had to be high, what with bacon, ham, eggs, gravy for breakfast every morning all their life and more of the same for other meals.

I think the pharmaceutical companies brainwash the doctors too much to prescribe their expensive, side effect causing drugs.

When I visited my doc re: my broken toe, she wanted to put me on blood pressure meds right away, I refused. Of course my B/P was elevated, I was in the dr's office and in pain. I take it fairly often at home and on rare occasions it will be high and the next time okay. I'd rather run the risk with a slightly elevated B/P than take meds with all their side effects.

I am not on any prescription drugs, take a few vitamins and DH only has prescription drugs for his eyes, he's gone blind in one eye from arthritis and has 3 different eye drops for glaucoma and pain. Both of us are in our 70s.

I have found ALL the statin drugs to be evil. I now take flush-free NIACIN and my numbers are better than they were before trying three of the prescription drugs.

I was on both of those statins and could not take either. I am on Zetia (alone) now and it seems to be working rather well. I go for blood draw next week, so will see if I am still in a good range.

I am to go for blood work next week and I know my blood levels will be elevated since I have not been on my medicine. I even was on a no animal products diet for 10 months once and my cholesterol level went up ten points! So diet didn't seem to help me either.

Sue

My doctor has given up prescribing cholesterol meds for me. The total number is WAY high, but the ratio between HDL and LDL is exceptional. None of the three statins did anything at all toward lowering the total. We've just decided I'm just made that way. BTW, my brother has exactly the same levels and ratio so I guess it's genetic.

I'm only taking my thyroid pill now, and the number has actually gone down after being off statins for a year. Dr just shakes his head. Calls me weird!

Right now my days are pretty good with just tylenol, but I probably have been doing too much. By bedtime, I'm quite uncomfortable and out of breath. I don't like to take stronger pain meds if I can help it. I guess total recovery is going to take some time.

The only thing I know for sure is that I don't ever want to take Lipitor again. Surely I'm grown up enough to be able to change my diet to something a little more healthy, don't you think?