Atorvastatin

Thank you.

I was taking them for years, noticed the muscle pain and mentioned it to the GP and he changed the brand I was taking and that helped. After a few more years I was noticing more problems then I saw something on TV about them so I started researching. I went to the Dr and told him I wasn't taking them anymore and all he said is 'what are you side effects' he didn't even lecture me as I expected. Since then I've been taking the cq10 vit b and d, my memory is still shot, I don't think my muscle strenght has returned. I'm 57 and I've been off it for nearly a year and I don't know if I'll get any better than I am now

Jane, I'm sorry to say that if you're still having muscle problems after being off the statins for a year they may have done permanent damage.  Have you tried building up your muscle strength very slowly?  

Jane my husband and I stopped statins about 4 years ago......husbands memory is no better....nor is his aches and pains.....my memory wasn't affected  but the pain in my joints is still bad ....we can't walk very far now without pain....I hope you do feel better soon....but I think some of the damage is permenant...

I'm starting to think it is too lisa.I should have done more research when I started taking them.

No I haven't jude, I should ask my physio about it next time I see her. It gets me down sometimes. I can't do what I used to do

hi lisa, i too stopped taking them a few years back and have never got rid of some of the muscle pain and rather vague memory - my doctor now thinks i might have fibromyalgia and has never really accepted that statins were the original cause of my problems.  i didnt have any of these issues before i too them however.  i do and did have OA but only in my ankle due to an injury.  Whilst on statins and ever since the pain is not joint related, its in the muscles and although i had fatigue due to the OA i certainly didnt have any memory issues which got so bad while taking statins that i drove home to the wrong street one time.   

Loxie...the doctors will blame everything BUT statins.....my husbands urine was very dark brown...but after blood tests....he was told there was nothing wrong....that's when he stopped them.Icouldn't walk upstairs....the pain and weakness in the thigh muscles was terrible....but again...after blood tests...nothing wrong....nothing to worry about....so I stopped them....the strength returned to my legs.....I told my gp that I'd never take another statin...

good for you lisa.  it's very frightening that doctors won't advise or accept that statins cause life threatening issues in some people and that we have to find out 'by accident' . i ended up in A&E one evening as i literally couldnt move - it was the registrar on duty that informed me it was down to statins, otherwise i'd never have known.  Thank heaven for forums like this - I find out far more about what i can do for my health by coming on here than i ever do by going to my gp.

Hi loxie, I started taking cq10 for my memory and it didn't seem to be helping and I increased it to 2 tablets and have noticed a big difference. My physio also suggested magnesium for muscle pain so I'll take that now. I feel all I do all day it take tablets. I also have a cyst on my bunion which is extremely painful it have some form of gout crystals in it. I've never had gout.Thanks to google I've found out this is a side effect of blood pressure meds. I don't think I'll be taking gout meds! God only knows what the side effect of that is

What dosage tablets do you  mean?

i'm taking 300 mg of Cq10 instead of 150gm and have noticed a difference in my memory in the last month. The article I read recommended 400gm I think

Jane -

Since there is no way to edit whatever gets written here by us, could you please redo the apparent reversal of "mg" and "gm" in your statement?  "gm" would indicate grams to me, and compared to your beginning mention of "300 mg", you surely are not taking 150 or 400 entire grams???

I was taking 150 milligrams now i'm taking 300 milligrams

I am surely not taking 400 grams!

Thank you.  I thought not... ;-)  

Since my memory was powerfully affected by the statins - while on them I forgot, and for the life of me could not remember, my own bank account number while making a deposit at my bank, one I had had for over 20 years.  It simply would not pop into my consciousness when bidden.  A big blank.

That simply scared me, as to what else might not be available anymore to my memory and of course I'd never know it!  Hard to be aware of what it is you're not aware of, while you are not being aware of it.  Memory loss is a very insidious thing, as you can't see it coming.  Or even know you're in it, most of the time.  I only knew about it because of things catching up to me later that I THOUGHT I had taken care of.  And hadn't, now they were coming up to bite me on the tuckus.

I think I will double my CoQ10 dosage and see what happens!  Thanks again -

I have noticed a big difference just in the last few weeks bob, as simple as being able to remember a word when going between computer screens.Whereas before I'd forget it before the new screen opened, a few seconds.

I have started taking an occasional bath with epsom salts which contains magnesium -  usually I just shower because getting down and up from the bath is difficult but it does seem to be helping.  I stopped taking Q10 some time ago but will probably start again - anything is worth a try to stave off these issues.

Thanks so much . Have been to a private physio since. Hes written to my GP telling her I that both of my shoulders are frozen due to Atorvastatin use. She has given me a steroid injection in each shoulder, 2 weeks apart, it has lessened the pain slightly and I have started gentle excercise. My physio said it could take 18months to 3 years to get proper movement back in my arms and shoulders. I have been taken off the Atorvastatin. I have purchased my own cholesterol testing device and will try to keep my levels ok (for me) Im at 6.11 at present (was 3.5 on Atorvastatin which i thought was too low). From what I have read my level is not too bad??

I usually do have a good diet, just watching my carbs, cant cut too much out as im only 8 st and 5'6". I will re test next month too see which way it goes.

BTW was told my blood test came back ok. Had an extensive test 10 things inc liver kidneys, thyroid etc. Glucose? slightly raised only.

Thanks so much Jane!  Can't wait to see what happens now that I have doubled up my dosage as well, for now from my normal 100mg/day to 200mg/day, and going higher every 2 weeks until I hit the target 400mg/day.