SIMVASTATIN HELL ?

Posted , 50 users are following.

I have been taking Simvastatin for over two years. During this time I have got progressively worse. Started with tingling and pins and needles in hands and fingers, sore sole of the feet and a little bit of joint stiffness, lumpy legs, severe lethargy, tireness and irritability.

NOW I have muscle wastage of the shoulder muscle, severe joint pain in spine, chest, hips, wrists and fingers. I have lost the grip and strength in my left hand, finding it difficult and clumsy to use. My sight is progressively getting worse, I feel as if I,m looking through a slight fog. My memory loss was becoming a real problem. Diarrohea, chronic muscle spasms - I was beginning to think I was going to die.

I have only just been made aware that the cause could be Simvastin - stopped taking them 5 days ago and I am feeling a little better having good days and bad days.

My concern is that if these problems have been caused by Simvastatin - it looks like they could be irreversable!

7 likes, 185 replies

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  • Posted

    What I've read here is enough to put anyone off trying this drug for. My cholesterol is over 7 but I'm not going to risk the drug - I'll risk the stroke or heart attack (20% chance in the next 10 years, apparently). Yet what of the growing opinions among doctors that they don't do any good anyway? some say it is medical myth and a great con that cholesterol is bad for you. This hasn't been discussed much here. I'd like to know why Dr Malcolm Kendrick is wrong. I showed his book to my doctor and she refused to look at it or give his views a moment of her time. Why is that? There must be a simple reason why he is wrong that the layman can understand. Maybe he's right and doctors (and the industry the produces the drugs) don't want you to know the truth...
  • Posted

    I have been on Simvastatin for 6 wks now and I have had distrubed nights sleep and mood changes also aches. It has got worst over the last 2wks hence why I'm writing this at 5am after having another disturbed night and resorted to the web for some answers. i will stop the medication tomorrow and book in with my doc asap. My cholesterol was 8.1 before taking the drug and hasn't been re tested yet but I don't smoke am not over weight ( size 10/12) only drink socially so unless there is a good alternative i won't be taking statins again!
  • Posted

    I was fitted with a stent for my angina last November(2009)and was put on to Asprin,Clopidogrel and Simvastatin,since taking these my arm muscles ache like hell ,it feels like they on fire I have been to my G.P.and told him that I cannot sleep at nite but all he does is give me painkillers,that dont work!

    Today I phoned the Hospital and spoke to the cardiac dept. they told me to have a blood test to see if my body is rejecting any of the drugs ,they also said that statins are the cause of muscle pain,PLEASE GOD they will take me off them ,how can one little tablet cause so much pain it is WORSE THAN THE ANGINA!!

    • Posted

      hi guest.... i have had a lot of side effects from simvastatin including muscle problems and the only think i can say is the doctor changed me over to atorvastatin and all those problems went in about 2 weeks. if you are on 40 mg of slmvas you only need 20mg of atorvastatin... all the best...nlen 7.
    • Posted

      Hi, I had a stroke on dec 10, 2015, was started on 40mg of atorvastatin, numbness and tingling and muscle spasms were so bad I switched to Simvastatin!  Spasms not as bad but numbness takes almost wears off before next dose is due. Then 20 - 30 mins after takng the numbness get worse again. I am in pocess of trying to afford a naturopathic doctor which my insurance dosn't cover so I can do without drugs but not have another stroke. Thanks for sharing, hope you are doing well 
  • Posted

    hi, my Dad has been on simvastatin since his first heart attack in 1995 sad he has had leg cramps for years , but the last couple of weeks he has had a very painful shoulder /arm an hand, having pins an needles an numbness, in this arm. he is in so much pain and is not able to sleep. he said this pain is now in his leg.

    i took him to see his doctor today, (she looked ike she'd just left school). he told her that he was having probs an after talking to many people h thinks it is this drug that is causing these problems, i asked what else could it be be. she said i doubt very much if its this drug, and she said she would have to do varius tests first to see if it is simvastatin. we told her we do not want him to take these anymore an she said she cannot take him off untill the test come back, as that is the only drug for cholesterol, so i said , because it is the cheepest an she said yes,,

    I told her he has been on these so long and no one ever asks if he has any probs. so now i dont know what to do,even if his tests come back clear we are not happy for him to take this drug. and Dad has decided to stop taking them as from now.

  • Posted

    Hello, all. I'm new to this forum but would like to tell you my experience of Simvastatin. I've been taking Simvastatin since I had a heart attack in 2008 and, I hate it! My hips ache, my back aches and my arms ache. I'm tired all of the time and can hardly function. I'm only 45! Yesterday evening, a friend told me of his 'Simvastatin nightmare' and that prompted me to do some research. I'm now considering binning this nasty drug. My friend ditched the drug some time ago and feels much better for it.
  • Posted

    [quote=\"27 experineces that most of you are incredibly depressive about this. I donlt see one person saying - yeah i may ache but at least my cholesterol is down and my risk of heart disease is reduced. I'm 27 and i recently found out that there's AT LEAST 3 generations of heart disease in my family. Went to to the doctors, got myself checked out, was a smoker (packed that in now, albeit it's only be a week so far!!) and had a cholestrol of 6.4. Not high but with the history in the family, high enough.

    Doctor was incredibly helpful, honest, upfront about the tablet and risks. It was my choice to go on them. According to him, even if i avoided every bad bit of food, exercised all the time and generally kept myself in tiptop condition, i'd only lower the level to 6!!! Don't know about you lot but i'd far rather ache a bit/lot than die of heart disease by the age of 40.

    Lets all cheer up hey... you all say you feel better once you've come off them!

    Steve[/quote]Quality of life is very impotant i just want mine back.

  • Posted

    [quote=\"27 experineces that most of you are incredibly depressive about this. I donlt see one person saying - yeah i may ache but at least my cholesterol is down and my risk of heart disease is reduced. I'm 27 and i recently found out that there's AT LEAST 3 generations of heart disease in my family. Went to to the doctors, got myself checked out, was a smoker (packed that in now, albeit it's only be a week so far!!) and had a cholestrol of 6.4. Not high but with the history in the family, high enough.

    Doctor was incredibly helpful, honest, upfront about the tablet and risks. It was my choice to go on them. According to him, even if i avoided every bad bit of food, exercised all the time and generally kept myself in tiptop condition, i'd only lower the level to 6!!! Don't know about you lot but i'd far rather ache a bit/lot than die of heart disease by the age of 40.

    Lets all cheer up hey... you all say you feel better once you've come off them!

    Steve[/quote]Quality of life is very important i just want mine back.Glad you can exercise without pain must be nice.

  • Posted

    Hi, I have just been reading you experiences with simvastitin I have been taking simvastitin for 2years and been side effects to this tablet numbness,burning, tingling in hands and feet muscle pains in arms and legs and loss of grip in both hands I have stopped taking simvastitin 5days ago and feel a slight differences in my feet but everything else seems the same I just wondered if you got any better after stopping raking simvastitin because I can't see a light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks. sad
    • Posted

      It took at least a month for my patchy memory to start reliably delivering memories again after I discontinued the statins. I have never had the muscle issues so I can't say about that. But I would allow at least several weeks before drawing any conclusions.
  • Posted

    Hi everyone.

    I have been reading this discussion and am very concerned about the long term effects of simvastitin. I am a 33 years old male and have been recently diagnosed with high cholesterol at 8.1 last week by my doctor. I’m not really over weight I’m 6ft1 and weigh about 15stone 7pounds. I do a little running and kick boxing. The doctor has told me to start taking simvastitin which I have started last week 21/4/11, but I’m really worried about these side effects.

    I think if I speak to the doctor about this she will just say well what’s better a stroke or a heart attack or theses side effects. its a really hard decision.

    Can anyone give me any sound advise.

    Thanks is advance

    Steve

    • Posted

      one word for you blueboy  - STOP. stop now, immediately, today.  Statins should never have been prescribed for someone in your situation.  It has been clinically proven time and time again that high cholesterol alone does NOT cause heart attacks.  In a report in the Express online today - in an Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology, a very eminent professor has stated quite unequivocably that statins can actually cause heart failure.  They accelerate hardening of the arteries, which leads to heart failure.  They cause an increase in calcium deposits in the arteries.  They block a molecule needed to produce Vitamin K which prevents calcification.  He states that earlier studies were mostly industry funded and are flawed or unreliable.  Someone we all knew or were suspicious of.  It's a very well written article about a piece of long term clinical research which is a real eye opener.  I suggest everyone reads at least a precis of it and 'spreads the word', we are being duped by big pharma profits into taking these drugs which in the majority of cases are at best not needed and at worst will actually cause us heart problems rather than prevent them.
  • Posted

    [quote:aa08e96cf7=\"blueboy\"]Can anyone give me any sound advise.

    [/quote:aa08e96cf7]

    Where you asked to go without food for (atleast) 12 hours before the blood was taken? smile

  • Posted

    Thanks for the promt response.

    I wasnt asked to go without food before i went for the blood test. In fact i didnt even go for a blood test for high cholesterol it was for Gout which i has just started (wonder if this has anything to do with my cholesterol?) and they said they would do my cholesterol at the same time.

    The test was done on a Monday afternoon and i had been on holiday for the weekend just before where i was over indulging in food and alcohol.

    Would that have anything to do with it

    Cheers

    Steve

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