Do side effects end quickly or gradually?

[mgguy]

Very little has been written on the speed at which statin side effects diminish. I have burning/stinging in both feet, I think from statins. I don't know what to expect in terms of the speed of recovery (hoping that this is possible). Will this likely happen all at once or in fits and starts? I know it can take a while to go away, but should I be expecting some improvement each week I am off statin? I have stopped Lovastatin after over 3 years of use, and so far have not noticed much, if any, improvement. Am taking Q10, Acytel L-Carnitine and L-carnitine, and several other things but nothing seems to help. Any information on the "standard" statin recovery process and speed would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[cjbrooksjc]

Mgguy: I am just this month begining to feel I may recover my old life. I have some days I feel almost normal; without pain or exhaustion, and that has given me hope for a more extensive recovery. I'll paste one my first forum entries below; it will show you how normal your concerns are. I feel SO MUCH better than I did when I wrote this entry:

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December 21, 2006
At 61 I was a very active (kayaking, running, weights, and cardio equipment). After 3+ yrs on statins including 1 final yr of Zocor at 40 mg./day, I am a recovering physical wreck. I went (HMO) out-of-network to get some answers to my deteriorating phys condition, and the first thing this D.O. asked was "Are you taking cholesterol medication?". My recovery began that afternoon.
Since my symptoms are much like others I have read on this forum, I won't get too specific, but, debilitating joint pain, weight gain, night sweats, poor concentration and memory, and absolute EXHAUSTION are the key words. My concern now is how long until I can rejoin my active life? I quit all Statins 8/8/06, and though some side effects have declined, I still have severe joint pain and can not push myself too hard without crashing. I'm talking the B complex stuff, selenium, CoQ10, magnesium, etc. suppliments and wonder if there is something else I can do.
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One thing I did do which is not common among the forum membership: I had a Magnesium absorbtion test (They give you a big Mag boost shot in the rear; you pee in a bottle for 24 hours, and they test to see how much Magnesium your body expells as uneeded) I retained every bit of the boost, and so they put me on mag shots twice a week for one month and once a week for a month (My Ins. did not OF COURSE cover the cost). It did help!

Think Positively,

Brooks

[SusieO]

Mgguy I really don't think there is any time frame that is the same for any two people as to when a person starts to feel better and when/IF symptoms will completely go away.

I quit Lipitor in October 2004 and to this day still have a lot of pain/weakness in my legs and arms as well as other problems I don't have the strength to type in this reply.

There are times when I think I am cured and then it hits me again, only worse than the time before. After stopping Lipitor I tried taking Lopid (Gemfibrizol) for only 5 days having to stop due to more pain/weakness, tried cinnamon capsules and had the same results. I had no idea a multi-vitamin would harm me and I started taking them 1/2007 and after 5 days my pain was almost unbearable. As of today I have gotten somewhat better, but each time the damage has been more and it seems to take me longer to recover. I pray that I continue to recover this time like I have the other times at least to some extent. I know I will never be like I was before statins.

My cholesterol is a tad high, my triglycerides are over 400. They tell me to exercise to lower them, but when you can't even walk for more than maybe 10 mins. w/o pain and weakness using a cane how on earth can I exercise?

[bucho]

MGguy,

Like Brooks I've been off a fairly long time now (10 months off, after 3+years on Zocor) and am just now beginning to think I may recover much of my past life. But I do have setbacks, in particular post-exertional fatigue that is really debilitating at times. I feel great when I work out, and all the rest of the day. But the next morning the fatigue is terrible.

I'm concerned that it may be kidney damage, making the kidneys unable to cope with muscle byproducts when I work out. I have an appt with a new Dr tomorrow and will make sure they test my kidneys.

bucho

[mgguy]

Thank you cjbrooksjc, suzie, and bucho, for your replies. I am glad that all of you are healing, but unfortunately not completely yet. I guess it can take a while and will probably be gradual rather than sudden. I would just like to see some small change to give me hope, though I am thankful that I don't seem to be getting any worse. One thing about it taking so long to notice any improvement, especially if it takes several months, is that it can cause one to doubt that maybe something other than statins has caused the symptoms. Blood test results have ruled out diabetes, syphilis, HIV, B12 deficiency, and several other possible causes, so I (and my doctor) are pretty sure statin is the culprit, but I guess there is no way to be completely sure. I've had this almost a year and it seems that if something else were causing it, I would have other health problems by now. The experiences that others have shared in these forums have lifted my spirits and I will continue to read and contribute as my healing hopefully continues.