Statins and severe muscle pain

Posted , 4 users are following.

Has anyone else had severe muscle pain when taking atorvistatin? I was on Simastatin for 3 or 4 years, and then had an episode of mild chest pains.  After all the usual tests in the ER , my GP told me I had a blockage and must have a stent implanted IMMEDIATELY or I would have a heart attack and die.(I'm female age 70) I went to the hospital planning scared to death about the stent and after lots of tests and whatever they did to me was told you don't have a blockage you don't need a stent.  I kept telling everyone that worked on me in the hospital that my GP told me I HAD TO HAVE a stent or I would have a heart attack and die. The Cardiologist told me, nono, you don't have a blockage, you don't need a stent, but I'm going to put you on Atorvastatin. 

Thanks to the Atorvastatin, I am sure,  The pain in my muscles is unbearable, it is extremely painful to get up from a chair, or walk a few steps. Since then I had a heart attack, and I have been sent to a physical therapist, an orthopedic surgeon, another Cardiologist and a couple of other doctors.  I have also been prescribed 10 different kinds of pills.  I'm not taking any of them except a baby aspirin and vitamin D 100mgs or whatever they are called a day.

Has anyone had this problem with the Atorvastatin & the extremely painful muscle problem. My GP said the problem was that statins flush a protein I think she said it was out of the muscles and causes this problem in a few people. 

I was very very healthy before I went to the ER with the very mild chest pains, Has anyone had this problem with muscle pain?  Thanks very much for any advice. 

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3 Replies

  • Posted

    Yes husband sounds just like you, no blockages, but he does have dialated cardiomyopathy, caused by a virus we believe, Dr's have it down as cause unknown.

    ?Astrovastin caused him no end of joint pain, then one day I was listening to a very senior cardiolosgist talking on the radio, and he said he had NONE of his patients on this tablet, and he gave the name of the tablets my husband is on now,  I wrote it down as best I could, for the next visit to our cardio specialist, and she said, Oh that might work, and changed his prescription, I also mentioned the name of the senior cardiologist, she seemed to recognise the name. Tablets are pravastatin, & irbesartan, as I understand it the pravastatin replaced the astrovastin and irbesartan replaced prendopril. 

    Husband no longer has joint pain so it works for him.

    ?Also from what the radio Dr said, the new tablets work through water in your body, and astrovastin works through oil's or fat in your body, kind of makes sense to me that our body being 90% water it would work better.

    • Posted

      Hi, Thank you very much for the advice, it fits well with my situation.  A few days ago my doctor has put me back on pravastatin and prendopril and I  have so far not taken them because I'm afraid of the pain statins have caused. I was fine with simastatin but really in severe pain since.  Thank you for the advice, I'll talk to my doctor. smile

  • Posted

    I was put on Statins,,,which lasted for two days,,,, muscle ,joint pains ,totally unacceptable, I can't believe you  have been on them for so long. There have been some very bad reviews on them .Seems as though they didn't do you much good ..

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