Zocor and blurred vision

[Evelyn]

I suddenly developed blurred vision in less than a month after taking 5 mg of Zocor. I became alarmed when I read that one of the side effects of Zocor is blurred vision. I immediately stopped taking the drug and notified my physician who stated that he was not aware of anyone else having a side effect of blurred vision. I then contacted two retina specialists, who confirmed that I had a macular hole in each eye. My vision in my right eye deteriated in about one month while on Zocor from 20/80 to 20/160. I also now am experiencing flashes in both eyes. I'm sceduled for an operation in my right eye to hopely repair the macular hole. I find it extremely frustrating to get information to determine if Zocor had any affect on my blurred visioin and subsequent macular condition. Any information and similar experiences concerning this condition is greatly appreciated.
Evelyn

[sos_group_owner]

Hi Evelyn & Welcome to the Forum,

The adverse effects below are taken from Lipitor's (DPI) Drug Package Insert. All the statins have very similar side effects. These are just the one's affecting the 'senses':

SPECIAL SENSES:
a.. Amblyopia: Dimness of vision
b.. Tinnitus: Ringing or buzzing in the ears
c.. Dry eyes
d.. Refraction disorder
e.. Eye hemorrhage: Bleeding within the eye
f.. Deafness
g.. Glaucoma: Elevated pressure within the eye
h.. Parosmia: Changes in the sense of smell
i.. Loss of taste
j.. Taste perversion: Changes in the sense of taste

Although 'macular hole' is not specifically mentioned, there are several (very serious) eye disorders noted and I've read personal reports of those experiencing macular hole following statins.

For a complete list of all the possible statin side effect:
[http://www.freewebs.com/stopped_our_statins/statinsideeffects.htm].

Fran

[BSGfan]

After being on Lopid and Zocor for a number of years I began to experience severe back cramps, as well as headaches and visual distortions that were diagnosed as ocular migraines. All of these symptoms improved dramatically once I went off the medications. I will never take statins like Zocor again.

[catspajamas]

I was on zocor 3 years...right after going off of it I was diagnosed with glaucoma...and my poor hearing got worse in the right ear...(5 years have passed and my rt ear hearing has improved a little) but had other problems with my ears before going on zocor....
But....I never associated the glaucoma with statin use .....of course glaucoma affects the nerve in your eyes...if the nerves in my feet are damaged...why not the nerves in my eyes too ...I got shingles..thats nerve related..I know now that zocor damaged my entire nervous system...so glad for this forum and to learn of supplements that may help...(which I take faithfully now)...even though doctors make a funny face when I tell them what I take and what for......

[Ray Holder]

I would not be at all surprised if statins brought on early macular degeneration, that is usually an age related problem, and age related problems are almost certainly due to loss of Coenzyme Q10 as the years progress, falling from its maximum at age 20 to 50% of that by the time one reaches 80.

But statins also cause permanent loss of Q10. A drop of 50% naturally over 60 years averages out at about a loss of 8% every decade, so if your cholesterol was reduced by 25%, it is fair to assume that Q10 levels fell in the same way, corresponding to 30 years addition to your natural loss. As Q10 provides the energy availability to every part of the body, the ageing effect is bound to appear.

A few months ago, an Australian doctor wrote on the BMJ website that she had noticed a number of her patients with macular degeneration were on statins, is there more than coincidence there? I would suggest that anyone beginning to have macular problems should take some Q10, as long as their other medication for diabetes or blood pressure would not be affected. The very expensive macular drug is not available for many sufferers, and the Q10 may help defer the onset of further sight loss.

Ray