Does anyone take prescribed cholesterol medication and does it cause your body to ache? Have you tried others and got relief?

My doctor put me on Lipitor in August and I took it for 3 months with constant aches and pains. In December she changed me to a Pravastatin and it's no better. I was losing weight and gaining energy but now I feel thirty years older than I am. I ache so bad even walking is a chore. Forget about exercising!

Anyone have any suggestions?

 

Hi Theresa,
My name is Debbie. I am Jeff's wife. I am a cardiac nurse and work in the cath lab. Yes, muscle aches and pains can be a side effect of taking any statin medications. Both Lipitor and Pravachol (Pravastatin) are in the class of drugs called statins. They are wonderful for some people because they can really help to reduce or reverse heart disease and lower cholesterol. However, some people cannot tolerate them. Sometimes it is trial and error ... you just have to find the one you tolerate. I have know a few people that do not tolerate any of them. They seem to affect the larger muscle groups like your thighs and back. They make some people feel extremely tired, weak or just plain lousy. You need to tell you family doctor or cardiologist about this side effect. Not sure who prescribed or why. He/she can check blood work to look for this side effect. Some such blood tests are a Sed rate, ANA, CK, CKMB. You also need to have your liver function (blood work) checked after starting any new Statin drug because some people can actually develop a type of drug induced Hepatitis related to taking Statin medications and these people need to taken off the medication ASAP before permanent damage is done to their Liver. Dont let this scare you. I am sure you doctor checked this out already on you. It is standard practice. Statin drugs can actually cause muscle waisting if you are reacting to them so don't play around. Our cardiologists usually check blood work and then have you stop the medication for a few weeks and then call them back and let them know if your symptoms have improved. Feel free to PM us if you have any other questions. I will be happy to help in any way.

Debbie

 

Theresa I could not have said what Debbie has already said Talk to your DR, on Monday Morning!
And you know me, keep us posted!

 

I have been on high doses of various cholesterol medications for years and experienced the aching muscles, which, yes is a side effect. Am now on Vytorin and am having excellent results. Mention that to your Dr. It works differently than the standard medications.

 

I've been on Lipitor for a year now ... since my heart attack and bypass surgery on March 5, 2007. I am also on a beta blocker and an MAOI. I had problems with my meds over time, and made some changes. Turns out it was the Metoprolol I was reacting to. Changed to Coreg CR, and felt much better afterwards. I'm not having any problem with the Lipitor -- and it's working very well for me (cholesterol down from 264 to 109 -- diet, exercise and Lipitor). But I'm a firm believer in talking about everything with my doctor so they know exactly what I'm feeling. Communication is key. There are a lot of options, you just need to find the right one for you.

 

I was on Lipitor and had MAJOR body pain. I'm now on Vytorin for the past 2yrs. after by bypass and doing GREAT. Like the other said, tell your Doc and have him get you on something else. You don't have to live with the pain.

 

I am currently on Lipitor for high cholesterol (which is down now), which is unusual for someone as young as myself but was done because I'm also diabetic. I don't have much in the ways of body pains that I didn't have before I started the drugs. Do you take any other meds? My "****tail" includes glucovance and two variants on Diovan for blood pressure.

(BTW, Debbie - my doctor recently upped my Lipitor dosage to boost HDL cholesterol? Is this correct?)

 

My doctor switched me to SIMVASTATIN and I have no pain. Suggest you speak with you doctor about SIMVASTATIN (generic for Zocor). I have absolutely no side effects whatsoever.

 

I am on Lipitor 40mg at bedtime. Had Triple By-Pass last May. Genetic shrunken arteries, not plaque from cholesterol. First few months of Lipitor I had itching & rash on legs & arms, slight muscle weakness & aches, but not too bad. But everybody reacts differently to different meds. Cholesterol meds are best taken at bedtime, when they work best on your body. I am doing well for my age, but have a terrible time doing the right exercise & giving up the junk fast foods I love.




My 1940 HHR Project Chevy

 

Lipitor has been known to increase HDL levels. It sounds like that is what your doctor is trying to achieve by raising your dosage. I would say that as long as you are tolerating the medication, why not

Here is a link on how to increase your HDL levels :

http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/cho...a/raiseHDL.htm

Debbie