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Severe vertigo and nausea from stopping statins, HELP !!!

Posted , 19 users are following.

william67301
william67301

Hello all, please help if anyone has experieced similar problems. Decided to go off statins (Rosuvastatin) after all the side effects after taking them for 5 months. Within two days of going off the drugs i experienced severe vertigo/nausea. I couldn't function or even stand upright ! After visiting doc and ENT specialist they put it down to a virus in my inner ear. I informed my doc whilst there for the vertigo that i had gone off the Cholesterol meds and he told me to take a lower dose. I started this and strangely within a few days my vertigo and nausea was gone !?? I took them for 2 weeks and then decided to try a herbal cholesterol remedy rather and stopped them again and within two days the severe vertigo was back with the nausea and i was once again bedridden for another 4 days !! My wife mentioned she thought the Cholesterol meds were causing cold turkey in the form of nausea and vertigo !! Being a sucker for punishment i tried stopping the cholesterol meds again and sure as dammit .... you guessed it, Vertigo and nausea from hell !! How do i get off this stuff, and has anyone experience this before ??

2 likes, 27 replies

27 Replies

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  • loxie
    loxie william67301

    Edited

    Hi William.  I personally didnt have too many side effects from stopping, it was the really damaging side effects whilst taking them that was the issue, which is why I too stopped them.  Sorry to hear you're having so many nasty effects.  Your wife could well be right about the 'cold turkey' affect but it's not nice for you firstly experiencing this and secondly not knowing how long it will last for.  The inner ear virus will take some considerable time to clear completely; viruses unfortunately linger awhile and their effects last even longer even though the virus has gone.  My personal view is that statins are toxins, to be avoided at all costs in favour of other means of maintaining healthy cholesterol levels but my antipathy towards them shouldnt influence anyone on what's right in their own circumstances.  Please do revert to your doctor and ask specifically for a diagnosis and help with the vertigo and nausea and please don't just accept their blanket approach to prescribing statins like giving sweets to children.
    • jaycee58
      jaycee58 loxie

      Posted

      hi loxie  My husband has just been given  atorvastatin to take, He had his cholesterol tested once as it was high  he was told to take these tablets.I would of thought diet should of been tried first,,But after coming onto this site I have convinced him its not a good idea to take these..Am I doing the right thing? What do you all do when you come off statins ,,Do you all change your diet or do you find a healthy alternative  to reduce your cholesterol     Would be so gratefull for any advice given,many thanks

       

    • Lelie
      Lelie loxie

      Edited

      I took statins for about two months. Had just about all side effects. When I began to ache all over I stopped and side effects went away. Told my doctor and was advised to take it every other day. Side effects came back slowly. After another two months I just couldn't take it anymore. Been off this poison for two weeks and feel a better. I am walking a couple of miles every day and take CoQ10. I think it may take a couple of more weeks to feel like myself again. This stuff also made my thinking fuzzy. Couldn't even make minor decisions.

    • andrew45466
      andrew45466 Lelie

      Posted

      smart I messed up tried statin and never tried walk or diet. damn doctor donnt help

    • andrew45466
      andrew45466 jaycee58

      Posted

      run from it coachg eash other clean the fridge dont take pill.

  • sonya10
    sonya10 william67301

    Posted

    Hi William, I totally sympathise with your ' cold turkey' as I experienced similar regarding vertigo and nausea. Can I suggest you take the supplement CO Q10 along with L Carnate, these really do help statin withdrawal. My issues eased after 5 days and I only really suffered bad headaches for about a week after.

    What dosage of statin are you on? Is it high 80mg or 40mg? If it's a high dosage this maybe why you suffer such bad withdrawals, whatever dosage it is I'd cut pill in half and take that half for 5 days then take half a tablet every other day and so on until you no longer take any, you should be statin and withdrawal symptoms free within 2 weeks. 

    Please make sure you start supplements as soon you get them as they'll definitely help. 

    Goodluck and keep us posted on how you are doing

    • loxie
      loxie sonya10

      Posted

      I agree with Sonya about the Co-enzyme Q10, they're of excellent benefit.
    • william67301
      william67301 sonya10

      Posted

      Hello Sonya and thanks for your comments. Really felt quite alone there for a while as the docs couldn't help me and not many suffer these side affects from coming off the statins !! Glad to hear that i'm not alone on this one and very pleased that i now know what has been wrong with me this last month or so.

      Thanks for your advice and i will slowly reduce meds from current 40mg. Already have the CO Q-10.

      Thank you so much for your reply and advice.

      William.

    • andrew45466
      andrew45466 sonya10

      Posted

      great feedback, excellent advice believe it or not. I was only on 10 mg after seven days and stopped and it gave me hell.

  • nancy98899
    nancy98899 william67301

    Posted

    Hi Wiliam,

    I am DESPIRATE to hear what happened with your withdrawl and how you were able to get off the statin drug. 

    I too am completely incomapsitated with severe  dizziness, headaches,verdigo...  I am trapped by it!

    I was on Atorvistatin for a year and quit cold turkey last week and now I am suffering.  At the same time I made some other changes that I was more focused on and it didn't even dawn on me that I was having statin withdrawals!  

    Please let me know how you helped yourself through this.  

    Thank you so much.

    Nancy

    • william67301
      william67301 nancy98899

      Posted

      Hello Nancy, sorry bad news i'm afraid. I immediately stopped statins and had vertigo from hell for two weeks. No work and as sick as a dog. Cold turkey from stopping statins is all over the internet. It affects some of us worse than others !!

      Saw an ENT specialist and a Urologist and no-one can tell me what is wrong with me. We suspect damage to nerve endings in my inner ears. The damage it seems is permanent as over a year later i am still having bouts of vertigo and severe dizzy spells. It is getting better as the brain re-programmes and compensates for the damage. 

      The docs obviously say the Statins are not responsible for the damage !? I go from being the healthiest person and never sick to this bacause a doctor insisted i go on statins otherwise i will have a heart attack within the next six months !

      I have been to a cardiologist and after nemerous scans and tests even tho my cholesterol is 7.5 he says my heart is perfect.

      Hope you get better soon. My road has been a long one unfortunately!

      Statins are poison to some of us. Stay off them !! 

  • Cinny
    Cinny william67301

    Posted

    All,

    I recently went off Pravastatin (about 2 weeks ago) and had really bad withdrawals too.  Weakness, nausea, prickly sensations all over my body and face.  I went to my doctor and she basically thought I was crazy and she told me there are no withdrawals from statins. She is no longer my doctor.  I did my own research and found that coming off of statins causes the Nitric Oxide in your blood to lower along with other issues such as an increase of CRP levels.  L-Arginine helps increase the Nitric Oxide. So I took three 500mg of L-Arginine and felt better within an hour.  I also take other heart health vitamins, such as CoQ10, L-Carnatine, niacin, fish oil.  I still have the prickly sensations from time to time and take 1-2 L-Arginine and it helps.  I don't know what else to do.  I'm in search of another doctor that will believe me and not look at me like I'm nuts. I believe more research needs to be done on statins and especially the withdrawal symptoms.  I know there are more people experiencing the same issues and doctors, unfortunately, are not listening.    I hope you are doing better.

    • kent31923
      kent31923 Cinny

      Posted

      Cinny, I have had similar experience as you at first. Now three months out from stopping statin and some of the dizziness has returned. Have experienced this or learned any more?

      Thanks

    • Cinny
      Cinny kent31923

      Posted

      kent31923, I have not had any dizziness associated with my withdrawals from statins and my symptoms listed above have all but disappeared.  I still take the L-Arginine from time to time, along with the CoQ10, L-Carnitine.  I'm now experiencing the joint pain that many others have had coming off the statins. So, now I'm taking Glucosamine to help with that and ibuprophen for the pain. I have not found another doctor to assist; but mostly just research on the internet.  I have had extremely bad dizziness, vertigo and loss of balance; but it wasn't related to withdrawals from statins; but a severe side effect from using Flonase for my sinuses.  Before realizing it was the Flonase causing it, I had went to an ENT specialist, took a battery of tests, MRI, etc...costing me a LOT of money, only to be told they weren't sure what was causing it and thought it might be migrains and my diet. Seriously??? Anyways, I figured out what had changed in my routine; and I narrowed it down to the Flonase as it was the only thing I had added.  I stopped using it, and 3 days later, all my dizziness, etc went away.  I filed a report with the FDA regarding it so they would have it on record and hopefully will let other people know.  I hope this helps; if not, I wish you the best.

       

    • scott86884
      scott86884 kent31923

      Posted

      Hi kent31923,

      I was on atorvastatin for 6 months and had brain fog and balance issue's almost daily. Dr said it is very rare for a statin to cause those effects. I went cold turkey a month ago because I couldn't take it anymore. In first week I had major vertigo and anxiety. It's been a month and still feel effects ad well as headaches. Just had an MRI of head to make sure it's not something more. My nutritionis said it could take 3 to 6 months for body to adjust. Hope it gets better soon. Statins help a lot of people bUT I'm finding out its a really bad drug.

    • Lelie
      Lelie Cinny

      Posted

      You are not nuts. I thought I was too. I could hardly concentrate and hurt all over. Read the pamphlet, I had just about all the side effects. I went cold turkey two weeks ago. It was bad, but I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
    • jani33852
      jani33852 Cinny

      Posted

      I wonder how you are doing. My husband has just come off Pravastatin after several years on the drug. Okay at first, but four years ago had severely low Vit D. Improved but then had leg pains, no energy, very wobbly. They thought he had Parkinson's (hand tremor non specific) but the specialist after 2 years says he hasn't, exercises but still weak. Seemed to me growing side effects. Rang docs and found his cholestorol is 3.2, no need for him to be on them. Never advised about diet ever. Now on 5th day of withdrawal and feels sick, but he is not staggering as he did. Although 87 he is not frail and has been working in the studio until muscle weakness led to falls. No one seems to know anything and the doctor seems to just prescribe.

    • Sarah721
      Sarah721 Cinny

      Posted

      L-argnine lowers blood pressure and should not be used if you are taking blood pressure medication
    • jani33852
      jani33852 Sarah721

      Posted

      The Sinemet he was initially given for PD made his walking worse as he would sink to the ground. His specialist called it postural drop due to hypotension. Does take BP meds so only things now taking besides that Ubiquinol and Vitamin. A slow but noticeable improvement. More bright mentally, not feeling sick anymore. Not much unsteadiness at all but still pretty tired. Managed to get outside yesterday, down outside steps and slope. Not as fearful and seems to work out solutions to any mobility problem. I think the symptons started to take hold gradually after some episodes of illness. Vicious circle. Hope some more progress can be made. 
    • swata09597
      swata09597 scott86884

      Posted

      Scott

      How are you feeling now.are all symptoms  disappeared in 6month?

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