ATORVASTATIN and severe muscle pain

I was on Atorvastatin for 6 months and had every side effect imaginable from headaches, muscle aches especially in the neck/shoulder, balance issues, short temper, vision and a few others. The Dr's kept telling me it wasnt the statin so I quit on my own. It took a long time for my body to recover, it's been 1.5 years and I'm close to feeling normal again. Statins do help lower cholesterol but at what cost to your ability to live a normal pain free life. Not all get the side effects that I had but be rest assured that if you do feel any of the side effects that I felt it is 100% the statin drug.

I agree wholeheartedly Scott - if someone is on statins and start to suffer from the archetypal side effects you mention, it most certainly IS as a result of the statins, despite any protestations from doctors that it's other causes.  I was fit, healthy, ate a balanced and healthy diet, had normal BP and normal blood sugar but hereditary high cholesterol when I was first prescribed statins.  Having had no history of any heart or other issues I didnt really even know what they were, I just automatically assumed my doctor knew best (I now accept that was stupid of me!), and took them.  My health was devastated by them - there was absolutely no other reason I should have developed any of those symptoms as I had no other health issues whatsoever other than raised cholesterol.  As I commented in a previous post, I swam gently on a frequent basis (nothing too exertive) and had excellent muscle tone, now I have ruptured bicep tendons in both arms, continuing pain and muscle wastage in my thighs and my concentration and focus are still not right.  I fully appreciate that for some people, statins are both a life saver and do not cause such problems but doctors really do need to accept that there is a large proportion of us out there for whom these side effects are very real and very serious and no amounting of avoiding the issue is going to make the problem just go away.

Hi Tani, see my note to Steven. I'm much better now after a year -- pretty near 100% -- !

:-) no worries tani - call me anything as long as it's not late for dinner........

I stopped the statins about three years ago, took a very long time for a lot of the effects to dissipate - my arms are still very painful but that's now due to the ruptured tendons.  I was very ill on them and recovered a great deal within the first six months of stopping them.  Cognitive function got back to almost normal very quickly but my memory is definitely not what it was, although at my age - 62, short term memory is never going to be perfect anyhow *grin*.  I think I accept that some of the toxic effects of statins are probably permanent but a million times better than when I was taking them.  I was very ill indeed during that time.

Pixie, I read your message and I agree I'm 65 and my achilles heels get swollen I can't Flex my ankles I get gout all the time on my feet or on my toe it comes and goes on every leg this like that leg my arm my back I'd like to quit cold turkey with amlodipine Carvedilol I am so miserable I'm waiting for my insurance to change so I can find a better doctor they say if you quit quit cold turkey on amlodipine you could have a heart attack or go into AFib

I too have ruptured biceps & torn rotator cuff. Did you have surgery? What did you do about the biceps? Did they heal on their own?  Thanks for sharing. 

The ortho surgeon I saw after diagnosis said to hold off on surgery, which I was happy to go along with.  I did ask if they healed eventually on their own and he said no they wouldnt.  They still hurt but I've tended to just try to live with it.  Coincidentally I was chatting to an elderly neighbour the other day (early 80's) and he said he had his fixed by keyhole surgery, not even an overnight stay in hospital and he said recovery was really quick.  I was thinking I may go back to my doctors and ask about the options again.  When I originally saw the surgeon he indicated it was major surgery with a long down time and a lot of scarring.  Maybe techniques have improved in the last couple of years.

PJ-- hang in there.  Now that you are off the poison, it will get better....but it will take time.    The supplements I mentioned helped me to recover (Coq10, vitamin D, vitamin B complex, acytel l-carnitine).  The theory is that the statins rob you of "too much" cholesterol and mutate the mitochondria to the point that your body cannot produce what is needed to support your nervous system properly, putting a strain on your muscle tissue-- causing a decrease in movement and great pain.  The supplements help to repair the nerves and restore your mitochondria -- it takes a long time to recover, but have faith....it worked for me.

Take heart pj - it is most certainly is very scary to feel so bad and be in so much pain, we all did I guess, but the good news is that for the majority of people once you stop taking statins the body repairs itself quite quickly.  Hopefully once the toxic effect of statins work their way out of your body it will start to get back to normal rapidly and you'll feel a lot better.  One massive bit of good news is that your doctor actually accepted that it was the statins causing the problem - so many dont and wont - your doctor is to be applauded for being one of the few who have woken up.

Hey PJ, I'm in the same boat. I'm off statins for about a month and I too wake up in pain, can't turn over in bed, use my arms to push myself up, wash my hair with one arm that I'm able to lift and have pain radiating from butt to knees in the back.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I stumbled on this forum, glad I did. People at work think I'm a big baby but if they felt this amount if pain, daily, hourly they'd change their tune. Even my husband doesn't understand the extent of pain I'm in. Hopefully we will both heal soon. I can't take this much longer.

Thank you for the response.  I am ordering the list of vitamins you have posted and trying that.   When I first went to see him he felt it was caused by the statins and took me off of them immediately..  But now he feels that I have been off of them for six weeks I should be symptom free so now my Dr. referred me to a rheumatologist, who can't get me in until September. I still believe it is the statins from what I have read on here of other people's experiences.  It helps knowing there is light at the end of the tunnel

Lisa,  exactly! I cant sleep on my sides or roll over in bed, Trying to get out of bed is excruciating, it takes me a couple hours to get moving in the morning, I cant move arms up or out to side without terrible pain to the point I feel like I am going to be sick or pass out. to get out of bed, to try to get my joints/muscles moving enough to be able to undress. wash my hair, dry off, dress myself and brush my hair.  I am still working so it has been a challenge to get to work everyday.  I am hopeful trying Mark's cocktail I will find some relief, even if it just takes the edge off, I will be satisfied with that.  Thank you all for your support.