How common is this?

Back in 2014 I was prescribable a combination of drugs for hypertension Amlodipine a calcium channel blocker and Atorvastatin to help reduce my blood pressure.

I soon started to develop swollen lower legs, the left more than the right, a few weeks later a very nasty rash started to appear on my left lower leg and the left leg started to swell even more, My GP gave me a diuretic to try and reduce the swelling but it didn't work very well.

Then I was taken off the Amlodipine which was substituted by Losartan, but by now I was already suffering from muscle pain, tenderness and weakness in my lower legs.

I was taken off the Diuretic but carried on with Lostartan and Atorvastatin, and the weakness of my lower legs got worse.

I had a blood test to check my cholesterol, but for some reason I wasn't given the results, I finally got a copy and found that the HDL (high density lipoprotein) Good cholesterol was so low it wasn't even reaching the start of the scale and there was a warning from the lab that this reading needed attention.

As I was a relative mobile 70 year old who used to volunteer in a large park and thought nothing of walking anywhere, I have been reduced to a person who has trouble walking a hundred yards.

So I took myself off the Atorvastatin and I started to feel better in myself, so a couple of years down the line my legs are the right size but the muscle tenderness and weakness is still there and I think will be permanent.

The only drug I take now is Losartan, but the GP keeps trying to give me Statins as I am supposed to be 30% risk of having a stroke or heart attack.

But what they wont tell you, they will stop you from carry out a healthy walk or exercise because they have given you a drug that weakens you legs so you have a lot of trouble trying to.

I've had TWO attempts at trying statins. At the age of 52 and following a mild heart attack I was treated with a single stent. I considered myself healthy active and a keen sports person. I was advised to try Statins to reduce my cholesterol. I tried THREE different brands of Statins and within a week I was experiencing serious pains in my legs and halted treatment. These symptoms surfaced very quickly on all three attempts at a different variant of Statins. So I stopped trying. After 4 years and a review of my cholesterol etc I was advised to try statins and was put on 20mg Atorvastatin daily. To my amazement after 2 weeks, there was no muscle pain. However, the feeling of relief and the potential to significantly lower my cholesterol has taken a major and far more sinister turn. These events became apparent to me after 2 full weeks of using statins. My mood had changed significantly and I was extremely negative of other people. My general mood was darker. One evening I went to bed and as I tried to fall asleep, I had this horrible feeling that I could no longer think. I was conscious and rationale of everyone and everything around me. However, I felt like I had lost my mind. I shrugged the feeling off and went to sleep. I awoke very early the following morning at around 5 am and the feeling in my mind was still there and much stronger. I was gripped by anxiety and panic. I quietly made my way to get some water and hope that would clear my head. It did not work. I tried some fresh air and walked in dawn fresh outdoors in my secluded garden. Bare foot and in boxer shorts. Just pacing. I felt like i was losing my mind. This feeling and episode persisted for nearly 30 mins and luckily my wife had come down and I found myself crying and hugging her. I was utterly confused and lost. I must inform you that I am extremely well educated, healthy (eg run half marathons) and family man with teenagers. I was feeling devastated at what I had become. I managed to pull myself together and was able to get back to bed nod off to sleep through nervous exhaustion. I was immediately suspicious that the new statins that I was taking may be the cause. My wife dismissed this as being unlikely and against my better judgement I decided to take another dose later that day after I reawoke. I had previously promised myself to always be on high alert whenever I was prescribed new meds to associate any unusual patterns of symptoms as a possible side effect of the new meds. The rest of the day passed and I was shaken but managed to get through the day and have a good nights rest. The following day was reasonably good until about 6pm and just before dinner I felt a dark mood taking hold of me once again. I felt scared but was better prepared for what would be following. I took to the garden and walked quietly trying to distract myself with deep breathing to help calm myself. I actually found myself talking to myself, asking myself what was going on. I was losing my mind. How is that possible. How could this happen to me? I spoke to my wife who had noticed my odd behaviour. She quickly googled the link between statins and mood changes finding several articles that highlighted that these unpublished mood changes did occur and could result in suicide in some cases. I will be halting statins immediately and will never try these meds ever again. I am convinced that these meds are the cause of the changes I have been experiencing. This is my experience and whilst I would not advise anyone to avoid taking doctor prescribed medication, I would urge you to monitor health very very carefully for any unusual side effects and take immediate action to keep yourself safe. I can live with high cholesterol, but I cannot live with the feelings I have experienced. I will be praying that the effects of the statins will flush out of my system relatively quickly and the side effects will vanish too. My first day to come off the statins will be tomorrow!! Stay safe.

A quick response because I have to catch a flight.  Skeletal / Muscular pain is one of the most common of the 5 major side effects of statin therapy. CoQ10 will not change the pain effect of any statin.  I will say that if you are over 60 yrs of age taking CoQ10 can be a good thing because the gastrointestinal system starts losing its ability to absorb it along with a grocery list of other vitamins and minerals.  CoQ10 is an antioxidant produced by the human body which protects us from infections and Cancer (another one of the 5 side effects of statins). The bottom line is that statins block the body from producing CoQ10. That is why doctors prescribe it with patients taking the statin that they gave you. I could bury you with all of the chemistry involved and more side effects but I've got to go!  Hope you feel better.   P.S. Google:  "Baycol lawsuit" if you want to see how many people died worldwide from taking a statin.    

It is common to experience muscle and joint pain on statins and as this has happened after an increase in your statin dose, I would speak to your prescribing doctor as soon as possible to talk about it.  i don't know about the CoQ10 but perhaps others might know more about it.  In the first place speak to your doctor.