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Simvastatin problems.

Posted , 22 users are following.

Norfolk_gal
Norfolk_gal

Like others on here I was prescribed Simvastatin for high cholesterol.

I took it for a few months and as I already had some joint problems due to osteo arthritis and pain with same ,I noticed it was slowly getting worse.I saw my GP who told me that I was on such a low dosage 20mg that it could not possibly be Simvastatin to be the cause and it was my arthritic joints getting worse.I had sleep disturbance as well ,muscle pain in legs ,then my feet got so painful that on awaking in the morning I dreaded getting out of bed.

I saw my GP again who again told me to carry on taking as he was sure it was not the cause of the problem.

It got so bad that I just stopped taking it as I felt sure it was the cause of increased problems,that was June 2011,my routine blood test was 4 weeks later but my cholesterol level had gone to 7.2 so I had to confess I had stopped taking Simvastatin,I saw another GP in the practice who put me on Atorvastatin(Lipitor)20 mg.So far no side effects.Dec.2011.

3 likes, 65 replies

65 Replies

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  • django47
    django47

    Posted

    Hello,

    I am also taking simvastatin for cholesterol and I am also in a great deal of pain through arthritis. In fact it has become so painfull that even with crutches it is painfull just going from one room to another.

    The reason I'm replying to your post is to ask you, 'Did it make any difference to the pain when you stopped taking simvaststin'. The reason I ask, is because my pain got worse around the time I started on these tablets. I know it's a longshot and probably just a coincidence, but I can't afford to ignore anything. In the last month or two I have almost become a cripple.

    I hope you will be kind enough to answer my question.Thank you.

    • diane98246
      diane98246 django47

      Posted

      I have the very same reaction to simvistatin - my arthritic joints get way worse and I feel like Im 85 years old.  I am seriously contemplating stopping statins altogether.  The doctor tried Atorvistatin on me but I woke up after the very first dose with my right hand and lower arm crippled with pain.  This is ridiculous to do this to ourselves.  There is a lady in my senior housing facility that is in a wheelchair and people say it's from taking a statin drug.  
  • Norfolk_gal
    Norfolk_gal

    Posted

    Hello.Sorry to hear you are having a bad time of things.I am feeling a lot better since I stopped taking the Simvastatin.But my cholesterol levels went back to 7.6 in the 4 weeks after I stopped ,this following a routine blood test at the doctors.When I had to confess I had stopped taking it and why.It took the 4 weeks before I felt better for not taking them.

    Fortunately I then saw the locum GP who said I knew my own body best, by then I felt better than I had for months and he prescribe me Atorvastin.The brand name of mine is" Lipitor",I just have 20mg the same dose as I had for Simvastatin.

    I have osteoarthritis in my hips ,shoulders, wrists,neck.Very stiff on waking but more mobile once I get moving.I pavement walk my dog for half an hour each day,I used to walk him in the woods but manage flat surface better and I swim for half an hour 3 times a week,not fast but constantly, I find this helps keeps my joints mobile although still very sore.

    I find I can manage not to take anti inflammatories every day as I know they are not good for me in the long run,so only take them when it is too painful to move around

    ,I take Arthrotec which has a stomach protector .Which I find are excellent.

    I hope you find this of some help to you.

    • Jean1949
      Jean1949 Norfolk_gal

      Posted

      Good afternoon. I would like to know if the Atorvastin 20 mg had less 

      side effects,like jpoint and muscle pain. I also suffer from severe pain 

      when using Symvastatin. 

      Regards ....Eugene McGregor

    • Norfolk_gal
      Norfolk_gal Jean1949

      Posted

      I seem to have no side effects to Atorvastatin thank goodness.

      I would obviously sooner not take anything at all but could not lower my cholesterol by diet alone.

      It seemed to take about 4 weeks before the side effects of Simavastatin cleared  for me.So if you do decide to stop taking them bear that in mind.

      Good luck Eugene.

      Regards Rita.

    • Jean1949
      Jean1949 Norfolk_gal

      Posted

      Rita I stopped taking Simvastatin for 2 months and most of the joint pain disapeared. I also using omega 3/6 and calmag chewable tablets. Im 

      waiting for ck rerults.The pamplet of the Simvastatin says that muscle

      and joint pain were reported frequently. Thanks for the information,it 

      really helped!

      Regards Eugene.

    • ade1234567890
      ade1234567890 Jean1949

      Posted

      hi jean1949, good day to you, please i will like to know your resault  after using omega 3/6 and chewable tablets , thank
  • barnabysMum
    barnabysMum

    Posted

    Hello Norfolk Gal,

    I too have been prescribed Simvastatin ( now several years ago). Little by little my hip, thighs and knee muscles started seizing up and I have been in constant pain.Walking the dog pecame an ordeal rather than a pleasure and just after Christmas the pain was so severe , even pain killers didn't help. More detailed information about side effects was very scarce then and it's only recently been possible to delve a bit further... (Does Patient UK now have TWO discussion grous / Forums??).

    On the older forum I found 3 people with very well reasoned and well-reseached comments about the effects of Simvastitin. I did more research.... to cut a long story short, I decided to stop taking Simvastatin altoghether for 2 weeks ( I have an appointment with my GP then to ''review medications'').

    Gues what?! The pains in my hips, thighs and knees are easing daily, I need less pain killers and dog-walking is almost back to being a pleasure again. I also sleep better at night.

    But I did one extra thing: I changed my diet slightly to consume more food products that scientifically and historically reduces cholesterol (e.g. oily fish, avocado pears, green tea, fresh nuts, green vegs ) and have cut out bacon, processed meats, eggs, cheese, white bread and less milk. I also take extra Omega3 fish oils capsules. Re-balancing your diet DOES matter, I realized.

    I feel much better for it. The new diet change SHOULD have kept my cholesteral balance on a good level. We shall see at my next blood test. But at least I can tell my GP that Simvastatin is NOT for me ( my dose is 40 mg).

    If you would like me to report back after GP visit and subsequent blood result, let me know.

    Hopefully, that should

    • ade1234567890
      ade1234567890 barnabysMum

      Posted

      good mrning to you barnabys, i which and i hope your diet change work for you to lower your chlesterol and get rid of medicine, please i will like to know your resault , i started using simvastain 2 week ago, no side effect but if your diet work i will like to go on diet as well, thank
    • james84385
      james84385 barnabysMum

      Posted

      Hello.I am a 42 year old man and was on statins for 5 years. I previously never had feet or leg problems, and have always worked on my legs and worked out. Right after I started taking statins, I started having heel problems and calf pain. My doctor ignored it and said it was caused from something else. It progressively worsened. He switched my statins. Finally after extensive personal research and excruciating pain, I quit taking statins for 3.5 months. My pain has yet to get much better at all. I can't stand to grasp my heels, calves, or Achilles tendons on either feet or legs. The pain is almost unbearable. It feels like a python is coiled around my calves, and barely stand to work but have to. When will I get better or will I or my thoughts. I am really feeling hopeless. I don't want to live like this. After research, I have adjusted my diet and been taking COQ10, L-Cartinine, and Magnesium, which is supposed to reverse statin damage if irreversible. I am trying to stay positive but is really tough. Any advice or help would be great. Good luck to you and God bless.
    • lee12629
      lee12629 james84385

      Posted

      Dont give up. Try and keep active. If its caused by the statins,i think it will take awhile. My problems with neuropathy and muscle issues which i strongly believe was caused by statins started to show some improvement in about 4 months,however took about 3 years to feel like i did before i took them. I hope you feel much better. Physical therapy might be of great help to you. I took supplements too and they seemed to help. I hope you feel much better soon.
    • james84385
      james84385 lee12629

      Posted

      Thank you so much for your reply and much needed positivity. I am glad to hear you are recovering. Looking forward to healing soon. Thank you again.
    • james84385
      james84385

      Posted

      OK. It is near a year later. No better. In fact, it has progressed even more with more pain. My achilles tendon feels like it is about to tear every day. My legs hurt to touch or rub. I dread getting up and having to go to work every day. I am very depressed. Been to 3 neurologists, a rheumatologist, and an orthopedic surgeon. No positive results, and not one doctor will admit the statins caused this. Diagnosed with fibromyalgia, neuropathy, pinched nerve, and s1 radiculopathy, and benign fasciculations syndrome.. I take tramadol and lyrica to much relief. Now waiting on my latest neurology results. Please help. I hate this. Now I know this statin damage is irreversible.
    • lee12629
      lee12629 james84385

      Posted

      Its not irreversible, took me 3 years,i had nueropathy and muscle weakness,I thought id never feel normal again and this was after a year with no symptoms and only 10 mg a day,what dose have you taken? Xx
  • django47
    django47

    Posted

    Thank you for your reply. I am going to go without the Simvastatin for a week or so and see if it makes any difference to the pain.

    I was hit by a car and came down, smashing the windscreen. I then went back onto the road and another vehicle ran over me. I suffered lots of broken bones including my back and both pelvises, but the right side was the worse because it was broken in several places. I was 5 months in hospital, 4 of which I couldn't move from the neck down.

    I eventually got sent home but was still unable to put any weight on the right leg for another 6 weeks.

    Because a broken pelvis is not put in plaster like a broken arm or leg, it didn't heal back to exactly how it was before the accident. That is part of the reason it's hurting so much, the other reason is because at some time or another, my hip joint stopped being lubricated and in time the two bone sections of the joint wore away and when my doctor got the xray results, which I asked for, showed that it has got quite a bit worse and advanced Arthritis. I was suppose to have a hip operation to replace the damaged joint but because I suffer from venous leg ulcers, it's too risky to operate in case of infection, which is suppose to be very bad if it gets in the bone. Unfortunately, in spite of daily trips to the surgery for the nurse to tend the wounds, they refuse to heal. One ulcer is 5 years old and just gets larger. I have to spend nearly all the time on my back with my legs propped up to assist the circulation, not that it does any good, but I must keep trying.

    I wont be coming to this forum again because every time I try to log in I have to reset my password god knows how many times before I eventually get here to join the forum. I never have this problem on other forums..

    Anyway, take care of yourself and I hope you don't suffer too much, but unfortunately it's one of the downsides of age and we must all cope in our own way the best we can. By the way I forgot to add that my accident happened in November '09.

    Cheerio and best of luck to you,

    Micky Sullivan

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