I was taking atorvastatin for several months in 2022 and started noticing pain in my left calf when walking. Atorvastatin contains the active ingredient, arcoxia, which belongs to a group of medicines called statin anti-diabetic drugs. The leg cramps went away when I stopped the statins but the constipation hasnt. If I die of a heart attack or stroke, so be it. ldanv99@gmail.com, I have been prescribed with Atorvastatin 40 mg for my mild carotid artery plaque. I walk with a cane. Horrible aches All over. My high LDL is addressed with Statins as well as good diet, but not sufficiently. Even if you have no symptoms, tests can help your doctor determine if Lipitor is effective. I, was prescribed statins by my cardiologist. I stopped Lipitor, then had to take an NSAID in order to combat the inflammation, which in turn stopped the pain. Atorvastatin is also used to prevent heart disease. Go to find Linus Paulings therapy protocol. The easiest way to lookup drug information, identify pills, check interactions and set up your own personal medication records. The penance is a lifetime of cholesterol-lowering medications along with a boring lowfat diet. Then I went to a pain two different pain clinics, received injections in my buttocks and around my spinal column seven different times, which did nothing either. Gina Kolata. You should read this article, People with high cholesterol live the longest. Many people who feel perfectly healthy suffer from high cholesterolin fact, feeling good is actually a symptom of high cholesterol! Active ingredient: atorvastatin calcium Would you like email updates of new search results? He first took Lipitor prescribed by our Dr. and ended with terrible back and leg pains. Then I had constipation the likes of which I have never had in my life. Im on 30mg pravastatin. No I dont, never have and this illness is my first illness for 45 years. Continue reading for a comprehensive list of adverse effects. Grapefruit juice and grapefruits should not be consumed while taking statins. My sleep is dreamy, disturbed and I wake up every hour. After two years, the corn oil group had 30 percent lower cholesterol, but only 52 percent of them were still alive. I'm on a mission to Spread awareness about using and misusing drugs has become so significant nowadays. I was sent to a physical therapist that didnt help much, then I started getting pain in other muscles far from the spine. He didnt, I didnt. My mother was 90 when she died of a stroke. The next day the headache was gone and the other symptoms were improving. Do you take statins? Is 40 mg Statin a High-dose? - Meds Safety No thanks. Can I just stop or does it need to be tapered? Well, get to the root cause of what is attacking cholesterol = INSULIN, sugar, carbs! Efficacy and safety of ezetimibe added on to atorvastatin (40 mg) compared with uptitration of atorvastatin (to 80 mg) in hypercholesterolemic patients at high risk of coronary heart disease. They suggested we move to another pill(s). I really dont want to take it even though I have not had any side effects. When my Doc told me because of my blood cholesterol and glucose results this June 2017, I really want you to take a statin. My cardiologist wants to put me on 10G of the drug Atorvastatin to keep my cholesterol below 70. I am taking a statin and will discuss necessity with doctor. Not enough data about Atorvastatin 80 mg in breastfeeding. I still had not made the connection until a few weeks later < When your on statins you will miss the obvious answer to your problems. Lipitor Dosage (Atorvastatin 10mg, 20mg, 40mg, 80mg) Not certain of next steps, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIg8A_i4hhI. How is a layperson supposed to decide who is right? My primary care doctor and a senior neurologist seemed baffled by my condition. Now the Drs want to install a stent with all the above medications. She is a licensed nutritionist, certified by the Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists; a qualified expert witness; nutrition consultant to individuals, industry and state and federal governments; contributing editor to a number of scientific publications; Fellow of the American College of Nutrition; and President of the Maryland Nutritionists Association. According to a research of 250,000 patients, There were few side effects reported for simvastatin (Zocor) and pravastatin (Pravachol) in this class this drug. I am also told to take 300mg Co 10enyme. Doctors have discovered that injections of a certain substance can reverse heart disease in some patients. Cut way down on carbohydrates and youll be living a long time yet. My cholesterol has dropped from 290 to 237. I now suffer with problems of tingling and numbness of my right arm that travels down to my hand, and I have also been experiencing severe pain under my left foot at the toes area whenever I walk for a distance of nearly a mile or less. However, the dose is usually not more than 80 mg per day. This is the 2nd time Ive been taking it in my life. I just came across this forum while searching for statin side effects. I might sound like a bitter old man and at 76 i must admit writing a letter like this would not have been my way earlier in life. The bottom line, dont mess with the mevalonate pathway. So I did my research after the fact and discovered that red yeast rice contains monacolin K which is the same chemical structure as the statin drug lovastatin. I can only speak for myself, but I'm afraid the side effects can be this bad, I have muscle pain, especially across the shoulders, brain fog, severe stomach problems, headaches, dizziness and exhaustion, I was on 80mg of Lipitor after an MI in 2013, I am now on 40mg after going to the cardiologist and telling him about the problems I was having, this has lessened the side effects somewhat but every day I wake up wondering which part of me will feel like crap today. I stopped the lipitor without doctors advise because of the weight gain and muscle soreness. I cant take anything like that. To study the effect of high dose Atorvastatin 40 mg - ScienceDirect.com Graveline points out that we are all at risk when the general public is taking statinsdo you want to be in an airplane when your pilot develops statin-induced amnesia? 2018 Dec;33(12):2299-2309. doi: 10.1007/s00467-018-4036-x. Most recently, my primary doctor expressed concern about the heart murmer that Ive had for at least 65 years (Im 71) and sent me to a cardiologist. Langsjoen PH. Do you have references for too low total cholesterol numbers I can use when communicating to prescribers? I have been taking only 2 a day and am really think of stopping that as well, as I have taken it before and after a time it stopped working. Atorvastatin is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children at least 10 years of age with high cholesterol that cannot be controlled by exercise and a low-fat diet alone. We show you how to include all these nourishing traditional foods in your diet through wise choices and proper preparation techniques. I am on 40 mg of atorvastatin and my joints are so sore. Brand name: Lipitor. Its all about money, it seems to me. An article in Pharmacotherapy, December 2003, for example, reports two cases of cognitive impairment associated with Lipitor and Zocor.21 Both patients suffered progressive cognitive decline that reversed completely within a month after discontinuation of the statins. I have been on these for several months and recently have noticed that I an physically and mentally exhausted on a daily basis. Careers. I insisted and he practically shut me down by leaving the room and then commented to the nurse in the hallway that I had an attitude problem! She is the mother of three healthy children. No cases of rhabdomyolysis were reported. I have taken high quality fish oil for years and my inflammation markers are good. Distributed by: Parke-Davis, Division of Pfizer Inc., NY, NY 10017, USA. When admitted to hospital one question I was asked was do you take a statin. He does have a family history of heart problems so this was not totally unexpected. It is now June 17th. Reading over the scientific studies I get the impression that early Policosanol studies were quite positive but that at some point the human trials, especially in the US and Europe, may have been been corrupted by Big Money. [Supplement] My cholesterol here in the UK is measured at 8.2 which Im told is high and they like to get it below 5 Ive been on simvistatin 20mg once a day for at least 10 yrs I have been diagnosed with M.E / CFS some 7 yrs ago its something Ive learned to live with but depresses me because I used to be so active. I am a 72 year old woman. Graves are full of people, younger than us that were taking cholesterol. Although statin use may not show a difference in overall mortality, which is a different issue, statin use definitely reduces cardiac morbidity. expand_more. Lipitor: Side Effects, Dosage, Uses, and More That is something that will continue to bother me. I do take 200mg of CoQ10 daily, but dont know if that is enough. The findings should prompt doctors to give much higher doses of drugs known as statins to hundreds of thousands of patients who already have severe heart problems, experts said. At least that is what I would try before being bullied into drugs. PROVE-IT did not look at side effects but Dr. Andrew G. Bodnar, senior vice president for strategy and medical and external affairs at Bristol Meyer Squibb, makers of the losing statin, indicated that liver enzymes were elevated in 3.3 percent of the Lipitor group but only in 1.1 percent of the Pravachol group, noting that when liver enzyme levels rise, patients must be advised to stop taking the drug or reduce the dose.57 And withdrawal rates were very high: thirty-three percent of patients discontinued Pravachol and 30 percent discontinued Lipitor after two years due to adverse events or other reasons.58, In a similar study, carried out at the Cleveland Clinic, patients were given either Lipitor or Pravachol. And after already trying Lipitor which caused muscle damage and collapse, especially in my legs to the point that I could not walk. By HDL is 46. Meanwhile, the new BP med he prescribed was making me dizzy, and I decided to stop taking it after 2 days. that with some of these drugs has been shown to cause diabetes itself? Method: I was on stains for about 4 years. I am taking a baby aspirin, a vitamen c chewable and lipitor 20mg, for my high cholesterol daily since June 2014. Im wondering if anyone here has actually tried Policosanol as an apparently natural and risk free alternative to statins. Please get the book, Poisoned by Hannah Yoseph, M.D. I do not want to do it. Ed Ontiveros began having muscle problems within 30 days of taking Lipitor. C, especially LIPOSOMAL I finally said enough and took myself off the meds. I wont be going on a statin ever. sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal I have never had chest pain or any other signs and only have pain in arm when pushing a lawnmower, same action as pushing sheep, as small lawn, no problem. The Underlying Strategy. NCI CPTC Antibody Characterization Program. When I got home I looked at the sheets that came with my prescriptions and decided to stop the Lipitor on my own just in case. 2006;97:6167. Atorvastatin has been rated as pregnancy category X. Some researchers believe that cholesterol acts as an antioxidant.2 This is the likely explanation for the fact that cholesterol levels tendto go up with age. It hinders the body from having the ability to produce its own Vitamin D and CO-Q10, which of course we can now prescribe supplements for and make even more money. Isoprenoids make our cells replicate and renew. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2017/27223.10175. After crawling into the local chiropractor he asked me if I take statin drugs for cholesterol, in which I responded no, I take no prescribed medicine at all, only supplements. Cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream is unavailable to the brainboth LDL and HDL are too large to pass the blood-brain barrier, so cholesterol needed by the brain must be manufactured in the brain. 2017 Jul;11(7):FC01-FC05. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them: The most frequently reported side effects were nasopharyngitis, arthralgia, diarrhea, pain in extremity, and urinary tract infection. After reading your study, I wonder how they could be so unconcerned about the problems caused by this drug on an unsuspecting public they are supposed to be helping. With such paltry evidence of benefit, statin drugs hardly merit the hyperbole heaped upon them. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is highly recommended to avoid Atorvastatin. In the late 1970s, researchers in the United States and Japan were isolating lovastatin from Aspergillus and monacolins from Monascus, respectively, the latter being the same fungus used to make red yeast rice but cultured under carefully controlled conditions. Talk to your doctor about your current health situation drugs, and your doctor will recheck whether you are eligible to take Atorvastatin or not. An interesting question is whetherwidespread statin-induced neuropathy makes our elderly drivers (and even not-so-elderly drivers) more accident prone? The sins of omission are immense when it comes to the statin industry. Upgrade to Patient Pro Medical Professional? Please enable it to take advantage of the complete set of features! I was on Statin meds and quit taking them. A few days after starting the Lipitor I started experiencing terrible headaches, dizziness, clumsiness, confusion and neuropathy in my arms and legs. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4390443/ Also, statins cause mitochondrial dysfunction as a result of CoQ10 deprivation. I finally put 2 and 2 together and stopped the med. I recently had the shock diagnosis of a high calcium score and aortic aneurysm and my doctors put me on Lipitor even though my LDL was not too high but low HDL. problems wirth ll quit and was told ide effects would gradually disappear. Epub 2018 Aug 8. I do take fish oil with omega 3 that works great for trig. I have so far refused to take atvorstatin. My HDL is 35 and my LDL is about 100, and I have moderate triglycerides since I like my pastries. How many elderly statin-takers eke through their golden years feeling miserable and depressed, when they should be enjoying their grandchildren and looking back with pride on their accomplishments? Thanks so much for this article as it provides us with ammunition. It is discouraged and contraindicated. I hurt all over but my Dr said it had nothin to do with it. A study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh showed that patients treated with statins for six months compared poorly with patients on a placebo in solving complex mazes, psychomotor skills and memory tests.22. Lipitor Dosage Guide - Drugs.com - Prescription Drug Information Constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, or farting, Muscle weakness in the hips, shoulders, neck, and back. Why would you be trying to lower your cholesterol at all. A report in Southern Medical Journal described muscle pains and weakness in a man who took Chinese red rice, an herbal preparation that lowers cholesterol.10 Anyone suffering from myopathy, fibromyalgia, coordination problems and fatigue needs to look at low cholesterol plus Co-Q10 deficiency as a possible cause. I told her no I would not and she asked why. Unable to load your collection due to an error, Unable to load your delegates due to an error. Some dosage forms listed on this page may not apply to the brand name Lipitor. This study had ten times as many patients, lasted almost three times as long and used the same drug at the same dose in all patients. Patients can face mild side effects after starting it; these side effects do not require immediate medical attention. Stein E, Stender S, Mata P, Sager P, Ponsonnet D, Melani L, Lipka L, Suresh R, Maccubbin D, Veltri E; Ezetimibe Study Group. I have been on statins for six tears, and it has done almost nothing to lower my cholesterol. Blend togethering a blender, add ONE litre of water and bring to the boil, remove immediately from heat, strain through a sieve. After the Cholesterol Consensus Conference in 1984, the parameters changed; anyone (male or female) with cholesterol over 200 could receive the dreaded diagnosis and a prescription for pills. One new study indicates that a decline in total cholesterol levels precedes the diagnosis of dementia by at least fifteen years (Archives of Neurology2007;64:103-107). We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information. Cholesterol is good for you since 25-30% of it resides in your brain; and people wonder why they have cognitive issues that get worse the longer you take it. Extensive, deep review Several months ago I found myself standing in the street at 3am. Thus statin drugs can lead to unpredictable chaos on the cellular level. I was taking atorvatstatin at 40mg after my heart attack in October 2015. Coincidence? Continue reading for a comprehensive list of adverse effects. I defied him, and instead took Policosanol. And, Statins Accelerate Atherosclerosis how, by inhibiting Vit. So Im not one to give anyone advice. Thank you! The main issue centers around the understanding that Low levels of blood platelets. EBT is a very accurate way to measure occlusion from calcium in the arteries. Although Bristol Myers-Squibb (BMS), makers of Pravachol, sponsored the study, Lipitor (made by Pfizer) outperformed its rival Pravachol in lowering LDL. the leg pains did stay but not as bad as in the beginning when they first took these horrible Well I am not crazy and these side effects were very real and very terrifying. Epub 2008 Dec 26. Efficacy, safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic profile of evacetrapib administered as monotherapy or in combination with atorvastatin in Japanese patients with dyslipidemia. However, I disagree that the worst of these side effects can be mitigated.