Nerve Problem with Lipitor and Crestor: Ann's Story

What is difficult is convincing physicians that these drugs cause problems. And, since many of us who are prescribed Lipitor, Crestor, etc. are older, it is easy to attribute consequent problems to our age. Hard to know what to do, with physician trying to convince us to take them, and scaring us with threats of dire result if we don't -- and suffering the symptoms of taking the drugs if we do (muscle pain, feeling extremely tired in my case, and actually feeling down in the dumps--coincidence? don't know, but am concerned about drug effect).

Logic tells me that anything that makes one feel badly just can't be good for you.

I hope her case is this exception, but good to know.

I also took lipitor and became old almost overnight. I got so I could hardly walk. I made the connection and stopped taking it. Then I was put on Crestor. Same problem. Now I just have high triglycerides and am not doing anything about them. Think I'll try niacin.

I'm 85 and tried to get the doctor to agree that my cholesterol was not that important at my age but he prescribed Welchol which I have not taken.

My Mom was on Zocor for several years. When she started falling and having pain in her arms and legs we at first thought she was failing (80 yrs old at that time). The Dr thought it was arthritis and prescribed Celebrex.

Within a week she was so weak she couldn't walk and was forced to use a wheel chair to get around the house. My sister and I then went online and started reading about the side effects of these two drugs. We called her Dr and told him what we had found and that we were going to take her off of those drugs for a couple of weeks. He said that was not a good idea and that she needed those drugs, so we consulted another Dr in town and she agreed to take over.

Within 2 weeks my Mom was back on her feet. After 6 years she is still not 100%, but she is active and able to do pretty much what she wants to do.

Interesting. I to have been taking Lipator, for several years, for the same hereditary reasons and am 65 years old. I have experienced tingling and numbness only in my finger tips. However, I have developed nerve-like related pain in my left buttock that extends downward and is so painful that I can not run. Thanks for the info.

I also have had problems w/statins. My symptoms were similar to Ann's-I went thru the MS testing, neurological tests, etc. I took Crestor for only 3 days and quit. Thru my own investigation, I requested my dr to prescribe Lovastatin, the first statin to be approved by the FDA. It has fewer side effects than the newer drugs and it's also on Walmart's $4 drug list. It has lowered all my cholesterol stats significantly w/my total cholesterol down to 189 from 253 and I have none of the terrible aches. I started on 10mg and increased to 20mg. Maybe Ann should talk to her dr about Lovastatin.

I used Pravachol for a year, then Pravastatin, the generic. I hurt all over so badly, I felt worked over by a baseball bat. I could hardly get out of my car. The dr. tested me for fibromyalgia (no) and a friend suggested I stop the statin. In a week, the aching was way down. I waited a few months and tried the statin again. In 3 days, I was back to aching, weakness in my knees, pain going straight down from the knee, again.

I already have peripheral neuropathy and it got so much worse. I'm off all statins, by choice. And I took Boniva for osteo and the fib was so bad, I went off that. I'm almost 73 and I'll let nature take its course!

Those with high cholesterol should try a combination of Benecol or Take Control margarine and psyllium. It works for me.

My family history includes many heart and vascular problems on both maternal and fraternal sides of the family tree. I, as well as some of my siblings and some of my children struggle with high cholesterol reports. My 41-year old son had a mild heart attack and three years later, more stents.

Since my late 40's, physicians have prescribed statin after statin, all of which gave me difficult symptoms after a few weeks. One caused muscle weakness and fatigue, another muscle and joint pain, another made me extremely weak and my complexion turned yellow after two weeks. Needless to say, I discontinued that immediately and have refused every statin offered since. Over and over I have had to remind physicians that I cannot and will not take statins.

For many years I have lowered fat in my diet, exercised daily and moderately, and used only canola and olive oil.

When Zetia first showed up, I tried it for two years until my LDL cholesterol began to rise again. When the doctor doubled the dosage, the LDL went even higher. Changing to the lower dose of Zetia and adding 1200 mg. Red Yeast Rice capsules daily lowered the LDL significantly. Yet again the LDL began to rise in spite of the fact that I upped the exercise and lost 20 lbs.and more drastically cut out dairy products.

I understand that many factors affect cholesterol figures, including age, thyroid function, etc. But those genes are powerful ones I'm convinced. Finally, I have decided at age 70, that I will take no prescription drugs to lower cholesterol. I have great blood pressure and no evidence of vascular or heart problems. I have no more time or patience for cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Interesting. I am diabetic so my Doctor says EVERYTHING I get is diabetes related. Lately I have had numbness, tingling of the right arm and hand. Doc says its carpal tunnel. Me, I'm not so sure. I take Lipitor and my cholesterol is very good. Am wondering if the long term effect of taking Lipitor has finally caught up with me. I too am tired with mysterious aches and pains the come and go.

I can symphathize with Anne. I took Lipitor for two years with no apparent problem. Then gradually I started to experience the same symptoms she described. I was taken off Lipitor for about 6 weeks and then prescribed Zocor. I only took that about 2 weeks before problems developed. I took Pravastatin after that with the same side effects. Now I'm on Niaspan and started having the same problems again. My doctor just did a blood test to determine if the Niaspan is the problem or if it is something else. I'm awaiting the results. I'm only 58 and have problems walking because of pain and weakness. I cannot walk without a cane. I have muscle pain in my arms and it is a struggle to even do the most simple things. I'm too young to feel this old.

Good grief! What is a person to do? My husband has PAD and also genetic high triglyciderides. Dr put him on one statin that just about crippled him after a week. He is now on Crestor and the triglyciderides have gone down as has his energy level. He feels tired all the time. However, listening to other comments, I realize that may get much worse at any time.

He is only 60 so I fear for the duration of his life. Without a statin, his triglyciderides were over 500. In 6 wks, they went down into the 200's. Is the cure worse than the disease? Sure wish I knew.

Thanks for the website postings to help us try to figure this out for ourselves.

PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: HIGH TRIGLYCERIDES CAN BE LOWERED WITH OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS (FISH OIL). THE DOCTOR CAN PRESCRIBE THIS TREATMENT UNDER THE NAME LOVAZA. IT MIGHT BE WORTHWHILE ASKING THE DOCTOR ABOUT IT. STATINS ARE BETTER AT LOWERING LDL CHOLESTEROL THAN LOWERING TRIGLYCERIDES.

I have been fighting high cholesterol for years. The first thing my doctor prescribed was Lipitor. I stopped taking it three weeks later when I was in so much pain I had to get a wrist brace. I have not been able to take any other statin drugs, either, though the side effects differed. Instead, I try to control the cholesterol with diet: steel cut oats, oat bran, flax seed, flax seed oil, garlic pills, fish oil, and red yeast rice, which contains some statins, but has not given me the adverse side-effects of prescription drugs.

I chose the brand based on tests conducted by ConsumerLab.com, an independent laboratory. I also limit my fats (have switched to Coconut Oil with good results) and try to stick to a healthy diet. In addition, I walk three miles 6-7 days a week. My overall cholesterol is still a bit high: 215, but the other numbers pleased me: LDL: 117; triglycerides: 58; and HDL: 86.

I have what I think is a bad case of painful peripheral neuropathology. I now take 1800 mg of gabapentin each day and get very little relief. Alpha lipoic acid does not seem to work for me. I have always thought that the neuropathy was from taking Lipitor. I had the neuropathic pain for almost a year before anyone suspected the Lipitor. I have not had any statin drug for over three years but the neuropathology has only gotten worse. At the time of my diagnosis I had no other causative problems that I know of but am now considered to be a "borderline diabetic" with an A1C of about 6. Could I be wrong about the cause of my neuropathology?

As a chemist who works in the areas of pharmaceuticals and medical diagnostics, I understand and am well aware of drug side effects on patients. The problem is that every patient's body chemistry is different. It is made worse by the fact that doctors are not taught to consider different body chemistries; rather, they are taught to shove pills at patients until they get better (or die).

There are conditions for which a pill is necessary, appropriate, and/or useful. Even then, however, different people will react differently to a particular medication. Our responsibility as patients is to know our bodies as well as (preferably better than) our doctors do and to inform our doctors when changes are occurring that need attention. We should also balance the need to take a particular medication with the need to alter our diet, our exercise, our lifestyles, and so forth to maintain our health.

You should also be aware that the pharmaceutical industry is more interested in developing pills you must take for the rest of your life than in developing medicines that cure the health problems you have. Why? One word. Money. Or better, three words: guaranteed income stream. We as patients are better off when we change all the things over which we have control (diet, exercise, lifestyle) BEFORE committing to taking a medication that we might need to take the rest of our lives.

You should also know that many in the pharmaceutical and medical diagnostic industries are trying to move those fields as a whole towards "individualized medicine." Individualized medicine studies a patient's body chemistry before administering any medication so that the medication given is most appropriate for the patient. We as an industry have a long way to go before medicine is truly individualized, but we are making significant strides. The key to making individualized medicine work, though, is each patient's involvement in his or her own medical care.

I am 68 years young and my cholesterol has always been high. I was given Zocor by my physician in Florida. When I remarried and moved to North Carolina in 2003, my new physician gave me Lipitor because I had gone off the Zocor on my own, I had some muscular side effects I didn't like. I took the Lipitor for a few weeks and started noticing that my right leg was bothering me, starting at the knee at first and then working it's way up my thigh. I could hardly walk and I asked myself what have I done or taken recently that could give me this problem.

I don't take drugs I don't think I need unless it's a necessity and the Lipitor was the only drug I had taken for a while. I stopped taking it and in about 3 days I was fine..no problems at all. Needless to say, I don't take any cholesterol lowering drug and don't intend to. I don't eat fast food, cook healthy for myself and try to avoid high cholesterol foods.

In fact, I don't believe that most of the elderly that have bottles and bottles of medication really need all that they are taking even tho they believe they do. I, myself, do take a small dosage of Enalipril for my blood pressure and that's all I'm going to take regardless of what the television commercials tell you to do.."Ask Your doctor about this drug". I think your doctor should KNOW what drug or drugs you should be taking and what drugs are out there. Why should YOU ask your doctor? Makes no sense to me.

All I can say is that I have been on pravastatin for several years---40 mg. daily, and have not had any serious side effects.

I have been very afraid of statins and Fosamax. I have refused to take either. I have, however, taken Red Yeast Rice to get my coloresterol down where my Dr. finds it acceptable. Will this give me the same symptoms??? Does anybody know the dangers associated with Red Yeast Rice?

Wow! What responses. I will have to add my experiences with statins. I am male and age 63.

I too have had the body aches, depression, metallic taste and allergy like texture in my mouth taking statins. I have been on them since 2001/2002 and have tried some twice and all of them except Crestor. Pravastatin made me ache and did nothing for my cholesterol so I quit and tried Joe and Terry's info on non medical controls. Fish oil made my triglicerides plummet, but my LDL hit a all time high of 167 while I was in UNC hospital for Atrial Flutter. Those doctors persuaded me to try again.

I took Zocor and Zetia for about two weeks, just about the time that the last research report confirmed Niacin was better than Zetia. On followup with my cardiologist, I brought all the cholesterol tests I could find since 2002 and Lipitor had the most dramatic results. I told the doctor I would try once more and started on lipitor at 10 mg taking it at bedtime and with 200 mg of CoQ10. About 3 weeks later I had my annual physical and I complained that the back aches between the shoulder blades when when I worked at kitchen counter height.

She suggested a vitamin D test be added because she said low Vitamin D could cause aches. I was floored when my Vit D level was 23.6 with normal being 32-100. I am now on once per week 50,000 IU mega dose for 3 months. Maybe it is the placebo effect, but after 3 weeks I am feeling better. I still get the horrible metallic taste in my mouth and my inner cheeks feel like a mild rash at times.

What I do is when I cannot take the taste, I stop lipitor for a day or two, but try to go 6-7 days on lipitor. My ldl had dropped from 167 to 112 in about 5 weeks, with the first two weeks being zocor. No depression. Some body aches but a heating pad and sometimes tylenol or advil seems to make it short lived and mild. At the same time I went from 750 to 1500 mg of Niaspan and my last hdl reading was 59. On no Niaspan it is about 30, and on 750 it

I go for a followup Vit D check mid Feb. Barring no additional side effects I plan to stay on lipitor, niaspan, coq10 for at least 6 months.

I have taken Crestor and Lipitor for quite a while and luckily, I've had no side effects. I am 63. Cholesterol runs in my family and I do try to eat better and certainly exercising has helped keep my numbers in check. I think it does make it more of a challenge since it is in my family, both my sisters have HC too, and they take medicines with no side effects.

It is amazing how some people are effected by certain medicines and others slighty or none at all. As a post script to this, I started taking Cinammon tablets for hot flashes, which has helped. They say too that it can help with cholesterol. I am due for a blood test soon and will see if taking cinammon tablets made any difference.

It is easier for doctors to just prescribe certain medicines...if one doesn't work then they prescribe another, etc., etc., etc. So, it is up to us to do the research and question doctors, whether they like it or not. As with medicines, if one doesn't work then try another, etc., etc., etc., until you find a doctor you are comfortable with and understands your concerns and addresses your questions to your satisfaction. Not easy, but we must take control of our own body.

Sandy.... I, too, have been afraid of statins. I am 58 and have two brothers, one five years older and one five years younger. Both had muscle pain when put on statins. One was on Lipitor and I forget what the other was on. Both switched statins and continue to be on them.

My older brother has been diabetic since he was 16 and the drs. want his cholesterol to be very low. His memory is horrible. He also has had a two year, so far, bout with peripheral neuropathy, non-painful and not related to his diabetes. At one point it was so bad he couldn't drive and had to use a walker.

My cholesterol has been about 240 for over 5 years and when my LDL went up to 159 recently I tried Red Yeast Rice. Within 8 weeks I noticed muscle pain when moving my left arm and lifting anything heavy. Slowly my right arm started to hurt also. I let it go for a while and then slowly went off the the low dose I was on. I was taking only one 600 mg capsule a day with an additional Co Q10 capsule.

It took 3 or 4 months for my arms to be totally pain-free. I was advised to get a Fast CT Scan by the naturopath I was seeing and my calcium score for my heart was 0%. My current (western medicine) dr. said I shouldn't go on statins with my family history and personal experience. Recently my triglycerides jumped from 125 to just over 200 and she still gave me that advice. My blood pressure is normal. I eat a very healthy diet and walk, exercise or use kettle bells. I am not over weight. And there you have it. I hope this helps you.

My husband has coronary artery disease, triple by-pass 15 years ago with stents already in two of the arteries. He had been unable to take any statins but tried very hard to watch what he ate and did exercise. His cholestrol was not where his cardiologist wanted it and he asked my husband if he would be willing to try Crestor. He put him on 2.5mg Crestor every other night along with Vit D3 and CoQ10. We gradually changed the dosage to 5 mg every other night and finally after nearly two years are up to 5 mg 7 nights a week along with the D3 and CoQ10. So far so good....no side affects.

I too had problems with Crestor - didn't show up immediately - took close to a year and then the muscle pains started. Within a couple of months, I couldn't touch my toes, pick up my 7 lb cat, or raise my arms to take off a shirt. I belong to Curves and worked out 3 times a week and still had the problems. I finally read about the side effects in the newspaper medical column and told my MD that I was getting off it. Stopped the Crestor and within about 3 months I was back to normal. I've been on Lovastatin for 2 years with no problems.

Hi Sandy,

Red Yeast Rice IS a statin, albeit "naturally occurring". RYR contains monocolins which is lovastatin, the main ingredient in the 1st statin drug, Mevacor. So to answer your question, yes, RYR can cause all the same side effects as prescription statins. Statin's primary benefit is it's a potent anti-inflammatory.

When looking at cholesterol levels, the key is to control each aspect of total cholesterol. Manipulating the numbers doesn't address "underlying conditions", one of which can be a thyroid condition (either not properly diagnosed or under treated).

High triglycerides are primarily caused by a diet high in carbohydrates, especially the white foods: potato, rice, flour, bread, etc. Low HDL can be increase with exercise AND good saturated fats (yes, I said fats). Good saturated fats are virgin coconut oil and organic butter. LDL is comprised of either small dense particles or large buoyant particles. Large buoyant are best as they are less likely to become oxidized and penetrate the arterial wall.

Controlling inflammation should be the primary objective... things that cause inflammation? Smoking, Elevated Blood Sugar Levels, Stress, Oxidized LDL, High Triglycerides.

Fran

Whenever I see Doctors on TV saying how amazing these drugs are, how they should be in the water supply, put on breakfast cereal, I could scream. They act as if there never has been any problems with these drugs. The TV commercials for them say muscle pain is a rare side effect. RARE? Not from what I've seen. I've known so many people to have problems with statins, including both of my parents and best friend. Then the problem is compounded by the Docs refusing to consider that the problem may be from the drugs.

Aside from the considerable personal pain, what about all the costs of all these tests, when it would be so simple to stop the drug and see. But the Docs scare people that if they stop the drugs, they'll keel over. Meanwhile people are suffering from the drugs.

Very fearful of drugs I delayed taking anything until I was 60 years old and my numbers were getting progressively worse despite being thinnish, healthy and active. Finally started crestor and niaspan and all numbers are great with no apparent side affects- but then tried to take a generic for financial reasons and experienced leg cramps.

I do believe that each person must see which statin works for them or whether statins are the answer. I always opt for alternative medicine but my numbers became frighteningly high so I chose this path, it also gave me some peace of mind as there is lots of heart disease in my family! I take fish oils and CoQ10 also.

My wife had similar problems with statins. She could hardly
walk. Now, after discontinuing statins she walks almost
30 miles per month. yet there is some muscle weakness in one leg.

The doctor did not tell us about the side effect!!

Our new family doctor does not feel my wife needs
any statins!!

Rev. Dr. Anil Solanki

To the person with numbness, tingling of their right hand: this does indeed sound like carpal tunnel syndrome. If you had the symptoms in other places, might be attributable to a systemic disease like diabetes, or drug effect but what you describe is classic for carpal tunnel--we just went through diagnosis and surgery for this (husband), so it is all--all too fresh in my mind.

I certainly agree with RHW! I wanted to express my opinion about drug companies and money in my other comment but thought better about it. Also, about the doctors...I know they don't see everyone's chemistry differently. I found that out years ago when I was on a weight loss diet for a month. When I went back to my doctor and got on the scale I hadn't lost an ounce.

I followed the diet strictly but he had the nerve to tell me that I must have cheated and didn't believe that I followed his program. Needless to say, he wasn't my doctor after that! Everyone cannot lose weight on every diet, you have to find the right one for you. The same with drugs and human chemistry!

I still don't believe that all these drugs that some of the elderly are taken and can't afford are not necessary. It's the "scare" tactics that are used to make them keep taking them. Half the time they'd probably feel better WITHOUT all those drugs unless their situation is really serious, of course. I have seen some elderly with a table full of pill bottles. I can't imagine the cost and how many of those drugs could be eliminated.

I am 54, have a family history of heart related illnesses. I have battled high cholesterol for some years. I was on Crestor with no apparent side effects, later the doctor switched to simvistatin, with no apparent side effects.

When the presctiption was renewed he again changed it to Crestor. With in weeks I started to have a cooling/tingling/numbing/burning sensation on my feet, then up my legs, to my arms and hands. Dr. did not feel it was related to Meds.

Symptoms continued and I had EMG and much bloodwork to show that there was no obvious reason. When i quit the Chrestor the symptoms subsided, not gone. A month later, I took a Crestor one eve and in the early morning I woke with the sensations all back, stronger and this time traveled to my face.

I still have some of the sensation, off and on, mostly in my lower legs. At this time I am on no statin, taking Fish oil, CoQ10, cinnimon, Benefil, observed diet.

In hind site I have complained to the doctor of my feet buring for at least 2 years,(diabetes ruled out), skin sore to the touch on the outsides of my calves and was told it was just dry skin. My skin is still tender to the touch on most of my legs. I also felt more tired and forgetful/spacey. I would like to go to a clinic where Drug Reps are not practically part of the "staff". That would help.

In 1998 my Dr. prescribed Lescol (fluvastatin); within 2-1/1 wks I was very weak and had aching all over, especially in bones of hands, feet, ankles, wrists, other joints, and couldn't sleep for the pain. Dr. stopped meds and I was normal in 1 week. He then put me on Lipitor and the symptoms repeated exactly as before.

In 2003 I was put on Tricor and tolerated that for 1 year before same symptoms returned, and by this time my good HDL count had gone from 82 down to 55. After I heard about red yeast rice in your column, my cardiologist agreed I should try it in 2007. In just 3 weeks at 2,400 mg/day, my cholesterol was 192 (from 249) and LDL was 122 (from 170). I've had no aches or pains from it, and last year the dose was increased to 3,000 mg daily.

My husband took Zocor after receiving a stent, but severe nighttime leg cramps were agonizing. He was switched to 80 mg pravastatin and has had no problems with it. This drug is on Walmart's cheap generic list.

I took statins for a little over year and then developed many of the symptoms described above. I stopped the drugs BUT my symptoms didn't go away. I was diagnosed with polymyosistis, a muscle weakening autoimmune disease. I was put on several terrible medications including high doses of prednisone. It took me over a year to walk again. I still take maintenance doses of prednisone.

Interestingly, I have now developed esophageal cancer and polymyosistis is associated with (although not causing) the cancer.

I relate it all to statins although some don't agree with me. I think the statin story is a national disgrace. The research for the problems caused by high cholesterol is faulty as is the prescriptions. Read some of the dollar numbers and you'll understand the motivation of both the pharmaceutical companies and the doctors.

I am printing this story to give to my mom's doctor. Mom is 89 and had been taking Lipitor for many years. She was feeling dizzy, had leg pains so bad that she couldn't sleep, kept falling and couldn't even walk through the grocery store. When her doctor's retirement made her change doctors, I thought it was a good time to get another opinion on this drug.

Without batting an eyelash, the new doctor just changed her prescription to Crestor. The results were the same and after many hours of talking together, Mom and I both agreed that her quality of life is more important than this medical problem. She informed the doctor that she would no longer be taking the drug. While there was no comment from the doctor, all of her symptoms disappeared within 2 weeks and her energy level skyrocketed.

Now I was trying to keep up with her! This past October, her blood test showed high cholesterol. Her doctor gave her a new schedule- take CoQ 10 every day for 2 weeks, then add 1/2 Crestor pill every other day along with the Q10...there was more to the schedule but within 1 week of resuming Crestor, her symptoms reappeared with a vengeance and we decided that, once again, she would not take the drug.

Mom has another appointment next month and I am interested in what the doctor will do. I am not happy with the situation and would like her to change doctors again. I am also not happy with the need for medication that causes harm. Mom's cholesterol problem is hereditary, her diet is perfect, she is not overweight and I am looking for a natural medicine to help her.

My grandfather had similar trouble with Lipitor.

I'm so glad my husband's doctor suggested using Benecol before going to statins. Benecol brought his cholesterol down without any side effects.

My mother went into a "chemical freeze" when she took Lipitor and was in bed for two days before she could move again. It messed up her other medications for lowering blood pressure. My physician is very understanding and we are working on a diet approach that will hopefully reduce my high cholesterol. (I exercise, etc., but have had high cholesterol since I started measuring it in my 20's; I am now in my late 50’s.)

Today is my 65th birthday. I have been on Lipitor for over 10 years and it was not until I read comments in here that I associated that drug with the numbness and tingling of my hands and some other symptoms of memory loss such as word loss and blank spots. To celebrate my birthday, I am stopping the Lipitor today and will have a blood test in three months to see what effect it has had, if any.

I will also keep a diary of my other misc odd symptoms to see if they do recede. I have been on omega3 fish oil for over a year and in the winter I also take extra D3 and my diet is healthier than it has ever been. We'll see about this Lipitor drug. I am disgusted with the drug business as I truly believe they would rather keep us drug dependent than find real cures. Will make a note to return here and advise of my experience with stopping this drug.

After taking Crestor for around a year I have pain in knees and right wrist, my feet at night tingle and have cramping in right ankle area. My Dr. changed me to 5mg of Crestor every oyher day. Didn't help. Can't seem to play a round of golf without suffering a lot of pain in hips and knees. If I sit for a hour playing cards or driving the car I am in serious pain when attempting to walk or stand. I also can't walk with the wife, After about a block I have to set for even a couple minutes before resuming.
I had a mild heart attack in 2008 and have a stint. My quality of life is starting to mean more to me than following the Dr's advice on Crestor.

Have you considered the possibility of sciatica with the pain in your buttock and leg? Mine has increased with the deterioration in my spine. Am taking Simvistatin and not having any problems.

I would like to submit a question:::: In reading comments from others I noted one regarding cooling sensation in the feet on January 6, 2010. For the past 2 years in most nights, I'm awakened about 4 a.m. with a cool sensation in my toes, especially right foot. Foot is not cold to the touch and bed covers are adequate. This keeps me awake and there is loss of sleep that keeps me from getting through the day. My doctor and podiatrist have checked my blood circulation and there is no problem there. Could it be due to Lipitor which I have taken since 1998? Through the years I have also had many episodes of leg weakness and burning in my feet which I've attributed to heat sensitivity or sweets. Please comment

Betty, your best bet may be going for the most simple of solutions, and wear warm, soft socks to bed. Perhaps this would be enough to make your feet feel warm. Certainly can't hurt to try.

I have been on Lipitor for two years and am now in a mess with severe nerve damage, and what upsets me most is that the medical people I complained to did not take any notice. It started when doctor put me on a 80mg dose of Lipitor as he wanted my bad cholesterol below 2 while it was 2.2 and that was too high for me according to him.

I have pins and needles right through my body and a train seems to be running all the time keeping me awake. I am now on antidepressants but nothing else, and I would like to scream it from the rooftop that the statins are the biggest rubbish there is in our modern world.

I was doing fine on a low dose, but 80mg daily was too much, and I am really resentful of the little attention paid by the medical world that this drug does not suit everybody.

No, this case is not a one off. There are many many people with nerve damage out there and I am sorry that I did find out too late what statins can do. I believed blindly in what the doctor prescribes must be good for you. If only I had known what statins can do I would not be in such a mess, and I am bitter that medical interference can do such a harm.

This may seem far fetched to some, but I have good reason to believe that 8 years of taking Lipitor caused the terminal cancer I have today. I have talked to several doctors who agree that this is likely true.

I took Lipitor for 8 years and had muscle pain the entire time. This was 15 years ago, before doctors were careful about this sort of thing. I saw many doctors trying to find the source of my pain but Lipitor was never suspected, until I had a nerve and muscle breakdown. I first noticed fasciculations all over my body that kept getting worse. Then I began having muscle spasms alternating with myopathy. This lasted for several months. I quit taking the Lipitor after some research on line and things slowly began to get better, but it took 3 years for me to recover.

It wasn't much later that I was diagnosed with Cardiac Angio Sarcoma. I've had two surgeries to remove it from my heart, but now it has metastasized and there is no treatment or cure. I've done some research and found that Lipitor does have an effect on angiogensis, which is the action of the cancer as well. It doesn't seem too far fetched to consider that a drug that causes angiogenesis may be the culprit in a cancer which is comprised of the out of control generation of blood vessels.

My dad is 85. He took Lipitor and started having leg pains. He then was unable to walk without a walker, progressing quickly to a wheelchair. He now has no sensation from the waist down and yesterday was diagnosed with ALS. It is too late for him, but my advice is to AVOID taking a statin if at all possible. A good place to expand your knowledge of natural treatments is to read "The cholesterol hoax" by Dr. Sherry Rogers. Good luck to you all.

I am 90 years of age. Was on Lipitor for several years for moderately high cholesterol until my Doctor changed it to Prevastatin. Do not know the numbers but cholesterol is in good range. I fractured a vertebrae in 1977 which will have effect on me as long as I live. For about the past year I have had pain in my left buttock, sometimes excruciating for short periods, just a noticeable ache most of the time. At times pain extends to my knee.

It was thought that nerves from the back injury caused the buttock pain. A recent CT scan showed a "little" arthritis. Also have pain in both shoulders, said to be rotator cuff problems that can not be repaired with surgery. Pain medication will stop the back and shoulder pain, but will not touch the buttock pain. I have LOW blood pressure and at times have tingly arms, hands and feet. My question is: could the statins be the cause all or part of this buttock pain and tingly feelings????

PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: YOUR PAIN AND "PARESTHESIA" (TINGLY FEELINGS) ARE CONSISTENT WITH STATIN REACTIONS. DO ASK YOUR DOCTOR WHETHER YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY GOTTEN ALL THE BENEFIT YOU WOULD EXPECT FROM STATIN TREATMENT. IT IS MOST HELPFUL PREVENTING HEART ATTACKS IN MIDDLE-AGED MEN OR THOSE AT HIGH RISK OF HEART DISEASE. AT YOUR AGE, IT IS NOT REALLY RELEVANT ANY LONGER UNLESS YOU HAVE HEART DISEASE.

Lipitor, changed my life forever. I was healthy, flexible for sports, active for a great life with my wife and children, until my doctor prescribed Lipitor. After a few months on Lipitor, my knees began to click and give out on me. When my right knee clicked it was very painful. Next it moved into my back muscle along my waistline. Everyday pain and stiffness, make life miserable.

When I told my doctor, he immediately took me off lipitor. After about a year, my knees click, but the pain is lesser. My back is still stiff and I wear heat-pads to help with the pain along with everyday advil.

Why is there not more testing of these drugs before they are prescribed? In the modern world of medicine and dna, they should be able to tell how a drug will effect the patient. Instead, they use us as testers and if they get a few people that have a negative reaction, they figure that is the price we all pay.

I am a medical provider who also has taken various statins, CoQ10, fish oil and Niaspan for years. I am 58 years old with a TERRIBLE family history of cardiovascular/heart disease/stroke. I have one cousin who died young already, one who has had heart bypass in her late 40's as well as other members having had MI and strokes, etc.

I was part of the Berkeley Heart Lab studies which revealed numerous risks and I also underwent carotid IMT (intimal medial thickness) testing which revealed my arteries showed thickening in an abnormal distributed (ie were 10 years older than they should be when I was 42). At that point, I made dramatic changes to my diet, exercise and started Niaspan and a statin. Over the subsequent 18 months my cholesterol profile (I had a VAP test for a more complete evaluation of the lipid markers) changed from absolutely scary to excellent with "beach ball" pattern A LDL and increased HDL and low LDL.

I was initially started on Lipitor and after 2 years (and following multiple stories from patients complaining of how much they had been aching with Lipitor) I realized I really had been aching more than usual. I have chronic pain from a motor vehicle accident so tend to just "suck it up" but decided maybe life could be different. I then went to Advicor and did fine on the lovastatin for 7 years with reduced pain.

Recently in the name of cost savings as well as the reputation that pravastatin was even less likely to cause muscle pains (so much for leaving a good thing alone) I changed from Advicor to Niaspan and pravastatin. Last fall I suddenly developed numbness and tingling of my feet and sometimes my hands and a slight sense of imbalance at times when walking. My PCP ordered labs, but he didn't think about the new statin as being an option either.

I went to my endocrinologist who thought it might be my pre-diabetes which although I accepted, also thought on one level that was strange to me since my blood sugar has been under control until only just recently it popped up to a little above normal when I was having a hard time walking with the symptoms.

Now, 6 months after the symptoms started, I have just run across the studies showing peripheral neuropathy side effects to statins. I have known about the weakness from statins but never realized the significant presence of paresthesias with statins. I immediately went to my bottle of pravastatin to see the date of the Rx, indeed, the sudden appearance of those symptoms in my extremities correlates to about 2 weeks after the change to new statin.

I took my last dose of pravastatin last night. I will wait to see if the symptoms resolve and if so will return to lovastatin which I did just fine with. There was no change in the aching and it is tolerable for me to get the improvements in my lipid profile. I think statins are an important tool for people who are high risk along with other measures. I however am a strong believer in quality of life and agree that everyone needs to take that into account when balancing "lowering risk" with living now.

I have never had seriously elevated cholesterol - 213 was the highest, but the ratios have been a bit off, and my father died of coronary heart disease before he was sixty, so I took my doctors' advice and started Prevastatin (the lowest dose), despite having had terrible muscle pain from red yeast rice, which I'd tried previously. I already had a dodgy hip/sciatic pain, and though I've noticed I now have pain down to my knee, along the outside - I'm not sure whether or not it's the result of the drug.

Am extremely anxious after reading all the preceding posts, and am seriously thinking of just stopping altogether. Though my LDL levels went down after taking Prevestatin, my HDL levels were not significantly reduced and my triglycerides, which had ALWAYS been normal, went through the roof! Has anybody had that experience before?

The letter from Ann could have been written by me. Five years ago, after learning my cholesterol was somewhat elevated, my family Dr. put me on Lipitor. One month later, I began experiencing severe itching in both feet, even though there was no visible evidence of the cause... no rash, skin irritation, etc. Shortly the itching progressed to severe pain, tingling, numbness, etc. in both feet and both hands.

I called the Dr. and explained symptoms, which were so unusual to me, and asked if the Lipitor could be causing the problem. She emphatically said absolutely "no" and that I obviously had developed neuropathy for some "unknown" reason. She called a prescription in for Neurontin 300 mg., which I began taking three times a day as prescribed and continued the Lipitor as I was told.

I am now 60 yrs. old with chronic, unrelenting painful peripheral neuropathy (PPN) as documented by nerve conduction studies. The Neurontin's side effect of weight gain has caused a 50 lb. weight gain, endangering my health, not to mention the severe pain which is worsened by walking to the extent that I cannot do any physical activity or exercise where I have to stand on my feet, thereby making weight loss nearly impossible. My life will never be the same.... because my doctor prescribed Lipitor without learning of the possible consequences....

I am not diabetic or have any other conditions health-wise that could have caused this... it ABSOLUTELY was the Lipitor which did permanent damage to the nerves supplying my hands and feet with feeling.