Lipitor and muscle pain and weakness?
Category: Lipitor
Questions and Answers
If a med can cause general muscle pain/weakness could it cause that pain in the heart too? Say a med like Lipitor?
The myositis that meds like Lipitor sometimes cause does not affect heart muscle, but there are some rare diseases like infection with Toxoplasma that will attack both skeletal and cardiac muscle.
Skeletal and cardiac muscle are both striated, so they are more like each other than they are like smooth muscle, but there are differences between them. Only a few diseases attack them both.
Was on Lipitor 20 mg tabs for 90 days= muscle problems, loss of period (amenorrhea) . . .any info on this? Having many, many adverse reactions to taking this medication. I have tried repeatedly to contact the Dr and keep getting voice mail so no appt made yet or contact with them yet - just playing phone tag. So I quit taking it two days ago due to concern caused by my loss of periods for several months (I have been abstinant for at least a year-so not pregnant), severe dry skin, eczema, Seborrheic dermatitis(bad dandruff), graying hair, severe dry mouth, insomnia, loss of appetite, muscle pain, weakness, cramps all over, fatigue, stiffness, cramping - especially in lower legs, stiff neck, mood reactions and dry mouth also. I am a 38 yr old female born 02-11-1968, I was healthy other than a very high herditary LDL level and 50 pounds over my ideal weight and hypothyroidism (on synthroid and at good TSH levels though) when put on this drug several months ago and doubt the benefits can be worth how awful life has become while on this medication. Anyone have any info or input on this at all?
Stop taking that drug immediately until you are able to consult with a doctor. Statin drugs have a rare, but life threatening side effect that has those as initial symptoms (muscle cramping etc.)
Pravochol & muscle weakness? I'm taking Pravachol. I took it a long time ago and had a lot of muscle pains. I couldn't get my cholesterol down low enough with only niacin & diet so my Drs but me back on it. They also gave me CoQ10 to take to keep the muscle pain down. I was OK for a while, but now the pain is back even with a higher dose of CoQ10. I'm also having trouble walking. I used to be able to walk over 3 miles per day without much trouble, but now I hit the wall before I finish a mile. My legs feel like lead and I'm in a lot of pain. So I'm not exercising like I used to. Is this muscle weakness serious? Is there anything else I can do? (Lipitor is worse for me!)
You should really discuss this with your provider. Muscle pain and weakness is a reason to go off the medicine. You cholesterol must be really really high for them to want you to stay on it this badly and you didn't say you had other factors like high blood pressure or diabetes. There are a couple of newer medicines on the market now-Omacor which is a very concentrated omega 3 fatty acid-I have had great luck with it in my patients with high triglycerides and cholesterol. Also zetia which will block the absorbtion of cholesterol in your gut.
Why don't doctors warn you about serious side effects from Lipitor and Zocor? I have taken Lipitor off and on for a few years. I began hearing about side effects such muscle weakness, joint pain and liver damage and I had been experiencing side effects myself, so I did some research and found some frightening reports. I stopped taking it 10 days ago and still have symptoms. Is there permanent damage?www.medications.com/go/se/Lipitor
Patients always should take an active role in the course of their own treatments. Towards this purpose, nowadays when you receive a prescription from the pharmacy, it comes with a printed paper that outlines all of the known potential side effects, and telling you to watch for them and report immediately to your doctor if you are experiencing any of them to a significant extent.
Every time I get a particular prescription from my doctor, I take the time to say "OK, let's talk about any possible side effects, and how you feel they rate in terms of risk over benefits?" Matter of fact I recently had a discussion with my specialist about a minor heart abnormality, (a mild arrhythmia) for which he suggested giving me a particular drug. Upon further questioning he told me that, indeed this particular drug did have some disturbing side effects which, while not often experienced by the patient, had been known to occur and cause some trouble. We delved into it more, and in the end I told him that, with respect, I felt I needed to make the informed decision not to take this drug. He said "OK" and offered me an alternative, which I am taking and tolerating well.
Always consider YOURSELF - the patient - an essential part of the medical team that is treating you, and as a member of the team, you need to do your own homework and have your say in every step of the process.
Actually, information about Statins and some certain troubling side effects has been all over the news for two or three years now, and I am surprised that you have not come across it before. Lower doses tend not to be the problem for the majority of people, but on the other side of the coin, there is absolutely NO drug ever devised and put on the market that hasn't had an adverse effect on at least a few people. Look at the incredible and wide-ranging benefits of the humble aspirin. The overwhelming majority of people can take aspirin with absolutely no ill effects, and great benefit. But there are a selective few who develop quite serious problems with internal bleeding, stomach ulcers etc. It is why we all have to be aware, and diligent, whenever we are on any kind of medication, and listen to our body signals that will warn us when something is amiss.
Hopefully, as usually happens, the discontinuation of the statin will eventually restore you to normal with no lasting ill effects. It depends how long you were taking it, as it may take your body a while to totally rid itself of the problems that it caused. Meanwhile, remain watchful, and stay in touch with your medical caregiver.
