Iipitor Atorvastatin Knee pains

There was a very good reason for prescribing them for Dave though like him I opted for quality of life by stopping them. Exercise will do him more good than statins

Thank you for the information, I definitely won't be taking another statin. I will be stating the facts of my improvements to the Doctor on Wednesday

As I have not slept very much over the last few days I spent the time reading up on everything I could find including Patent information on Statins. This is the first time in my life that I have been on prescription medication apart from pain killers over the years and I am truly gob smacked by what I have read and the numbers of people suffering from the side effects.

As part if my rehabilitation I was offered councelling as many people who go through what I went through take the news badly and need some assistance but luckily for myself I took it as the kick up the rear that I needed and have after the first emotional hours following the stent procedure taken the positive route, as I mentioned to my surgeon I owe him my life and the only way I can think of repaying him is to get fit, stop smoking and eat a healthy diet, I also have a 2 yr old and a 6 yr old and the image I had in my mind at the time has given my this determination.

 I just wish that as part if the follow up conversations they would have explained the side effects as I like many others have had to hit the excruciating pain before the I found out.

today is the 4th day of not taking the Astorvastatin and although I am still in some pain it is about 50% less then it was last week 

I have had a blood test taken a couple of days ago for the Doctor to check my CK so I hope to discuss this with them at my appointment 

What I have found quite shocking is talking to a few people over the last couple of days most people are either on or know someone on statins and it sounds like virtually everyone has had an issue at one time or another with them so have changed dose or manufacturer. I feel that if a tablet can do what it's done to me in a matter of 5 weeks then what will it do long term? 

But fitness and healthy food is on my prescription now so much so that I have signed up to do a 10k run in September 2015 to raise a few quid for the hospital cardiology unit. That's my future goal another reason to get out morning and night to train along with swimming with the kids. But unfortunately I need to get this pain sorted so my partner has kindly said she will bring some of the Glocosamine you kindly mentioned home later to help

Thank you so much for your kind words and assistance it really has helped 

I am not trying to get donations please don't think that but I will be updating my just giving page ________ with info and images of the training and the event it's self and will be making reference to the statin issues I have experienced as a hope that it will help someone to get assistance early in in their treatment before they end up in this state

thanks once again

Dave

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With normal BP and blood sugar levels you have a lot in your favour. If only people could have a peek into their arteries to know they were clear. There is a CT scan you can have privately but it costs around £1,600.

I had aortic stenosis and had an angiogram prior to having the valve replaced two years ago. My arteries were clear so I cannot be persuaded that I need statins especially as I am 80. 

I got myself a blood pressure machine and take my reading regularly I also have a pulse monitor I wear when exercising so I know when I push too hard and I can see that my pulse comes back down nicely, I just need a few months of this healthy eating and a nice pain free few months to get into a good exerts ice pattern. That's the biggest frustration you accept what's happened and what you have to do to make the right changes then something dispensed by a trained professional wipes you off your feet over night it's been 9 days since I had a good walk, I did my first yesterday but have been payed up since with excruciating pains in and below the knee cap and calfs.

not long now till I can get some Glucosamine in my system

I would never recommend statins to anyone, my father had issues with them my father in law is having issues which we just pinpointed to his statins, he's been suffering for a few months believing it was age related issues 

I also subscribe (free) to PULSE the GP's online magazine. That has a lot of articles on statins and doctors comments on the articles.

Of course my doctor takes statins and they don't affect his joints and he is running marathons in his late 50's 

I am going to request a glucose re test in a couple of weeks once the statins are well clear from my system.

I know exactly what you mean about Cardiac Rehab I have attended a couple so far and yes I could do all of this myself at my local Gym and save myself the hours drive and the fuel. I have asked if they can write a letter to allow my Gym to let me into the Gym as I pay membership but can't go in until I get the green light (insurance reasons) and I was told that I have to finish the course so I know how much to push myself. They just coughed and looked at me funny when I told them I started jogging, apparently I have to do 2 minutes peddling a bike for 6 weeks first along side squats and a step??? 

I know that I have eaten rubbish from burger vans and smoked way too many in my life, like I told them it was the kick in the rear I needed that's why I stopped smoking and stopped eating rubbish. I have eaten so much fish that I can now breath through my ears underwater. But yet they still insist in telling me how bad smoking is for me and fats even though I have not had a ciggy in month and a half

It has more or less been me telling doctors things for years. The first was that I should not eat grapefruit when taking Verapamil. It was about a year before it was highlighted opn the label.

I was prescribed Amiodarone by a registrar cardiologist when already taking Warfarin. My INR went from 2.3 to 3.9 within ten days. The nurse at the warfarin clinic could not understand it and only fractionally reduced the warfarin dosage. Hardly any difference in my INR by the next week and again she only fractionally reduced the dosage.

I did some research and found that  Amiodarone affects INR levels and that when first prescribed it the warfarin dosage should be halved and then gradually increased.

I gave the printout to my GP who confessed he had not known that. The packet insert had no warning but the American one does. The doctor looked up the prescribing manual BNF. It did not spell it out and had a vague warning on how the liver deals with the drug.

I spoke to the pharmacist where I had got my prescription and suggested that she should have warned me. She said that my GP must have known but had forgotten. I also raised it with a different cardiologist at my next appointment, he just nodded.

When I stopped taking Warfarin last year a cardiologist said that I could be prescribed one of the new expensive anticoagulants. I said that they were contra indicated for patients with artificial valves. He looked up his BNF and said that two of them were but that the third one was OK. His junior chipped in that the third one was also contra indicated and he was forced to agree.

Last month I had yet another cardiologist who suggested that I should be taking one of the new anticoagulants. I said that they are contra indicated. Rubbish he said who told you that. I said that the one last year had agreed that they are. He looks at his BNF and disagreed and said that he would write to my GP to get him to prescribe it.

On my way home I went into the local pharmacy and asked the question.

She delved into books and said that they are contra indicated for those with prosthetic valves but she did not know what prosthetic meant!

I E-Mailed the three companies who make the drugs and they all confirmed that they are contra indicated. Game set and match to me. I look forward to presenting the E-Mails at my next GP and cardiology appointment.

The patient should not be the last line of defence.

A friend of mine was a keen hill walker and went out with a group every weekend and also up and down a local hill twice a week. When prescribed statins he was soon in difficulties but folowed doctors orders and soon his memory was also affected. Now he can hardly walk.

He did during that time stop amiodarone when his face and neck turned a blue/grey colour. He was wrongly told that he must take amiodarone for life after having a pacemaker fitted.

A BBC TV documentary series on the subject of surgery, examining surgical practice from the point of view of both surgeons and patients in the late 50's.

It would be very different now.

Where does one begin with the problems facing hospital patients?

Long waits for initial appointments. Seen by different locums, assistant registrars at every visit. Some with a poor command of English and terrible note taking and errors in their letters to your GP. Often the letters would not get there if I didn't phone the secretary as I have not had my copy.

One time I phoned as I had not had a follow up after an X-Ray. I was told that I had dropped off the Radar. The same happened to my wife after a CT scan.

When I was referred with life threatening aortic stenosis it took five weeks to be seen. The consultant then wanted a stress echocardiogram and gave me a follow up appointment for seventeen weeks later and said to rearrange it if I had not had the test by then as it had a long waiting time.

About six weeks before the appointment I phoned to see when the echocardiogram would be. They did not have a date but the helpful person said that there had been a cancellation and would check to see if the doctor who would do it was still free for that date. Why did they not just give it to the next person on the list? I did not hear and phoned to be told that the person I had spoken to was on holiday. This other person would check for me. Next time I phoned I was told that the doctor was on holiday. I eventually got the appointment for four days before my appointment with the consultant. When seeing the consultant he had not been given the results and was unable to find the doctor who had done it. I gave him the facts as I had been told them. He then said that he needed to arrange for an angiogram. That was a seven week wait and I sat there from morning to 5pm before it was done by a registrar. When I had one years before it took ten minutes. This time it took fifty with the registrar having difficulties and asking for other sizes of catheters. Had he done one before? He was having difficulty getting the catheter round one bend and asked the nurse if she would do it. No way, she said. He decided that although he could not fully see round that artery that it was clear as the others were.

What now, I asked and he said that he would now refer me for valve replacement at the hospital that would be doing it. This was the end of October. I asked when. He said that it would be done before Christmas.

Not having heard anything by the end of November I phoned the hospital that would be doing the operation. They had no record of me. When I phoned the first hospital I am told that X is a bit behind with his paperwork. He had in fact gone oh holiday and the referral took another week. I was then told that the waiting time would be 12/13 weeks.  In fact it was not done until the end of May, fifty four weeks after my initial appointment.

I was fortunate in that my operation was done the day after admission. One patient was sent home that day as they could not fit him in. This happened on a daily basis one Guy lay on a trolley waiting to go to theatre while they phoned agencies in vain trying to get a theatre sister. Same happened to him the next day and he was sent home with an assurance that it would be done the following week.  

One man had his details taken by a Junior and had just got into bed when his surgeon came to tell him that he was cancelling it as he wanted to re-plan the procedure. He did not tell him that he had lost the last patient it had been performed on.

I must say though that the nursing staff were brilliant.

The consultant wanted a copy of the next 24 hour BP monitor results so that will not now happen so I will need to ask my GP to arrange to do it. He did of course tell my GP to prescribe one of the contra indicated anticoagulants.  

I mentioned this to the pharmacist who commented that I had more than paid for it during my working life.

I suggested thsat he thinks that I have had too much back in the last two years with a heart valve replacement, a prostate operation and cataract surgery.

I went for phsiotherapy (NHS) when having joint pain caused by warfarin. I asked the physio if hydrotherapy would help. He said that it

 would and he went to check with his supervisor as to when I could have it. He returned saying that I would need it three times a week but cost restrictions said that I was only entitled to one session a week.   

I really fail to understand the vast range of side effects that most drugs can produce. Strange that one drug can make one person constipated and another have the runs.

When I went to see an orthopaedic consultant about joint pains last year he said that is the most common side effect from drugs. Unlike other consultants he agreed on the dangers of statins.

But an update on myself it's been a week since I stopped taking Atorvastatin my knee pains have virtually stopped I have managed to get for a brisk walk again. I have been targeting 3 miles per walk. First night was quite painful around a mile and half in last night I only felt a slight amount of pain and stiffening of the knees around 200 yards from home. A hot bath as soon as I was in sorted the pains out within half hour just then left with a slight trapped muscle type feeling in my leg which also eases after a bit if rest. I have started the walks in an evening so I can rest up overnight and in the mornings I feel great and very slight aching

I still can't sleep great at night stints of around hour to 2. Hours at a time but managed from half 10 to 4am last night so I do feel a massive improvement in a short amount of time just by stopping the statins

my father in law who is on statins has been suffering wrist pains and has been quite forgetful, took a weeks holiday from his statin to see if it would make a difference and I saw him today. His pains are easing up and his memory seems to be improving and he says he feels a whole lot better?

also my Dr informed me as I mentioned that I now have type 2 diabeties due to increase blood sugar, I told him that statins did this but I also purchased test strips and have tested myself a couple of times and the readings from these strips say my glucose is in the normal range so I have many interesting points to raise with the Dr and diabetic doctor on Wednesday when I have my appointment.

I am very surprised how good I feel after stopping them, I have been taking vitamins, COQ10 and now started on Glucosamine. I know it's early days on the vitamins but I can definitely say that drinking plenty of water eating healthy and exercising has made me feel so good

My GP me a free monitor to check my blood sugar and I checked my levels a few times a week.They were nearly always in the normal range.

He then said that it is a waste of time checking unless one is on insulin and need to work out dosage. He said if not on insulin the only reading that matters is the three monthly HbAIc one. Presumably he is right.