simvastatin dreams

Posted , 8 users are following.

I was given simvastatin and took the medication for 3 weeks, I suffered the most awful bad dreams and reported this to my doctor. He told me to keep taking the medication, which I did for another week. There was no improvement, and since I have high blood pressure I thought it unwise to be waking up everynight in complete fear, with heart pumping madly (I thought I was more likely to have a heart attack taking the pills). I stopped taking them and now sleep soundly and feel far less stressed. The doctor still refuses to believe the bad dreams were caused by simvastatin, he said he'd never heard of this as a symptom before.

0 likes, 21 replies

21 Replies

  • Posted

    I took Simvastatin for 3 weeks and never had a full nights sleep. I woke waving my arms in the air fighting off imaginary flies. I dreamt I was buried alive, I saw imaginary old ladies in the bedroom it was horrendous. Your doctor needs to go back to university and learn about the effects of lowering cholesterol and cell production on the brain. Simvastatin is a disaster waiting to happen doctors are giving this out with very little aftercare and some of the side effects are horrendous. I've stopped taking it and feel 100% better. My cholesterol reading was 5.5 and I'm prepared to take the risks.
  • Posted

    My brother following a heart attack recently was put onto simvastatin and he regularly reports having bad dreams. I was recently prescribed simvastatin due to familial history of heart disease and diabetes and a slightly raised cholesterol level. I too have experienced the bad dreams and every muscle and joint in my body hurts. I am exhausted and feel depressed. Needless to say i have contacted my GP this morning and requested an alternative.
  • Posted

    My GP said he had vivid dreams caused by Simvastatin.

    I also had the the same problem along with aching shoulder muscles and unpredictable dizziness. All these have gone away now I have stopped taking Simvastatin and I feel so much better.

  • Posted

    My sympathy goes out to all of you. I have a drawer with 30 new bras in it because of breast lumps. I thought the discomfort was from my bras. I too bought new shoes for some comfort, but I was so achy I couldn't even walk. My legs were killing me.

    If you stop the Statin you will get better but it does take time.

  • Posted

    I have been devastated reading these posts. My poor Dad has been suffering with dreadful dreams and halucinations for a long time. He is confused and is currently undergoing assessment for dementia. He has been taking Simvastatin for some time, and his symptoms did appear at the same time although we did not associate them with the drug, and despite many visits to the GP, neither did he. Dad's symptoms mirror exactly some others posted on this site, i.e., seeing \"ghosts and figures in his bedroom, insects and black blobs coming out of the ceiling and floor etc. He has also stopped playing golf due to agonising joint pain.

    I feel so sad that the past year has been so blighted. Especially at the age of 83 when every year is so precious.

  • Posted

    My husband has been on 40mg Simvastatin for the past year, during which time he has not slept properly, had the most terrible night \"terrors\" and suffers constantly with aches and pains all over. On three occasions he has fallen out of bed at night and came to smashing his head against the bedside unit causing him to look as though he had just done ten rounds with Henry Cooper! I am really suspicious of the Simvastatin and, having read the above experiences of others, am going to seek an urgent appointment with the GP to find out about stopping or drastically reducing the strength of this drug
  • Posted

    Simvastatin definetley causes bad dreams. Almost halucinations. I have put it to a test, I quit taking it, no bad dreams, took it again last night, and woke up in 45 minutes, thought there was a black widow in my bed, and my ex-wife was in bed with me, and she wouldn't even turn on the light for me to find it and kill it. My ex was worse than the black widow! And I absolutely hate spiders! It sounds silly, but everytime I take it, it's always something extremely fearful. I am a 58 year old man, and not afraid of anything, but the medication is playing havoc with my mind. I will not be taking it ever again!
  • Posted

    If you feel that a symptom is due to a side effect of a medicine that you have taken then you may wish to report it to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) via their yellow card scheme - [url] http://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/[/url

    Patient UK Team

  • Posted

    I have been on simvastatin for around a week and i suppose i am one of those lucky ones who have had no nasty side effects, I take 40mg just before I go to bed, my doctor did tell me about the side effects and said if I did have bad dreams to take the tablets early in the evening. I hope this helps

    angel

  • Posted

    I have been taking statins for over a month and mentioned the vivid dreams I have had to my docotor and he knew nothing about the symptom. I will inform him of this finding. My dreams while vivid did not scare me, my subconscious may be protecting me. I have had no symptoms of headache or leg pains. I do think I feel more energy.
  • Posted

    I've been taking a 10mg dose of Zocor for about two weeks now and hadn't started getting any dream problems or symptoms until a few days ago. My dreams have been extremely vivid and real, and a lot of the time angry or frustrating. I always seem to wake up around 4am whereas before I started taking Zocor I used to sleep soundly through the night.
  • Posted

    When I started taking 40mg of Simvastatin four months ago, I began remembering my dreams after not having been able to for a very long time.  The first night I had five pleasant dreams and remembered them all after waking up.  I still find myself remembering dreams, and I don't think I've had any nightmares.
  • Posted

    Took 40mg Simvastatin last night... within half an hour my hands and arms began to tingle like pins and needles and became quite stiff and difficult to move. I have never experienced more disturbing nightmares... I didn't think my unconscious mind was capable of the horrors which I experienced; my wife had to wake me up and stop me from screaming. In the morning my legs cramped and I felt like I had a major hang over all day. Does anyone know if these things get better or should I stop?
  • Posted

    I don't have bad dreams or nightmares, but I have very vivid dreams and the next day I am so tired because I feel like I am living the dreams so when do I get any rest. I too have told my doctor and he told me it is not this medication. Which is weird because they started when I started taking it. I have to be on it. I am wondering if there is something else I can take. I need to talk to him about it. He is a very young doctor and whom I ended up with when my doctor left.

    • Posted

      I have physical symptoms which are starting to ease slightly after stopping taking statins a week ago. 

      Ive made an appointment with a naturopath tomorrow.

    • Posted

      Carol: I thought there was only ONE person who had problems on here until you replied to me and then I saw there were tons. Thank you for some reason once you replied I was able to see that a lot of people besides myself have vivid dreams.

      I did not know though that you can have physical pain, I hurt all the time, thought it was due to aging. But I am wondering if it is the statins? I will be 57 this month. I am starting to wonder about this being due to the statins. What kind of physical pain do you have if you don't mind my asking?

      Also for the last year, I had severe swelling and itching. Starts with my lips swelling, my eyes start itching, my nose, hair, ears and then my throat is sore. Have it sometimes and then it is gone. My doctor said he has no clue what it is since by the time I see him it is gone. I was on the statins a year before all this started, so am at loss, have even changed detergents to one that is free of everything. Anyone else with swelling and itching? My lips get so bad they are really chaffed but medicated chapsticks burn super bad.

    • Posted

      Yes, all your symptoms could be Simvastatin. It gave me severe cramp in my legs, rashes and joint pains. If you have high cholesterol try a different station and good luck!
    • Posted

      Meant statin not station.. spell checker aaargh
    • Posted

      Thank you for replying Magdalenrow, I knew what you meant!
    • Posted

      Hi, I didnt have dreams but had cramping in my thighs and kept feeling as tho I'd 'cricked' my neck. Even went to a remedial masseuse! As well as freezing feet lol Putting wool socks on midday became the norm. Fortunately this has now stopped. 

      My main problem was my gastrointestinal thing.

      I visited a naturopath today. Feel that if I follow her regime ( diet, supplements) things can only improve. Fingers crossed anyway. 

       

    • Posted

      But it took months before I associated the stuff that was happening was because of statins. It didn't come on all together. Just stuff happening intermittently.

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