My bout with Lipitor

[JoeR]

I am a 34 year old male and was on Lipitor for 3 weeks. I had muscle cramps in my shins and the bottom of my feet. I was light headed, dizzy and suffered from nausea. I didn't have any energy. I didn't attribute it to the Lipitor right away. I thought I had MS, ALS, muscular dystrophy, etc. I told my doctor about the symptoms and he told me to stop taking the Lipitor. I've been off of the Lipitor for almost two weeks now and the nausea and dizziness are gone. My energy is getting better each day, but I'm still not 100%. The muscles in the bottom of my feet and shins are also getting better but still not 100%. I take a bath every night just to get relief from the symptoms. My doctor has since told me to take CoQ10 to help battle the side effects of Lipitor. He doesn't know how long these side effects will last. Does anyone know how long I can expect these side effects to last? Are they permanent?

[uncle2blade]

JoeR,

I don"t know how long your side effects will last. No one does, but the fact you were on statins for such a short period is good. Chances are you will recover soon. Try a supplement L Carnitine to releve some of the pain you have. Read some of the posts from the other people on this sight you will get alot of information.

Craig

[uncle2blade]

JoeR,

Sorry I forgot to welcome you to our forum. By the way as your reading posts if you see something you can relate to click on the profile under the persons name and bring up all there posts.

[JoeR]

Thanks. I hope it does leave soon, it scares me every day. Is it reasonable to assume that such a small amount of Lipitor (10mg/day for 3 weeks) can do this kind of damage? I am also experiencing slight muscle twitches every now and then

[uncle2blade]

JoeR,

I was scared to death untill I found this forum. The people that post regularly on this sight saved me. I took statins fir 10 years, I've been off for 10 months now and I would say I'm about 75% back to normal what ever that is. After 10 years I don't know if I remember what normal is.

Good Luck, Craig

[cjbrooksjc]

JoeR: Muscle twitches are common, often occurring in bed at night. Heavy legs, exhaustion, etc. are all common side effects. Foot pain is peripheral nerve involvement. Acetyl L-Carnitine (ACL) is best for nerve damage which takes the longest to resolve. CoQ10 is a must; local stuff is OK, but the best is a Q-Gel version ( a special refining process) called ACTIVE Q ubiquinol (200Mg); this is mfg from a Japanese CoQ10 (Kaneka) that is 100% pure. Some of the available Q10 is Chinese and its purity is suspect. Take one 200Mg cap w/ each meal and 1000 MG (1 gram) of the ACL/day, each and every day until you feel well. I would continue with the C10 at a lower dosage even after you heal. The Q10 is available on the Net at:

*http//www.epic4health.com/20ac30sousub.html

Hope I copied that addr right; if not, just go to epic4health and look for the product. Oh yes, remove the * before you try to use the link addr. You should be back to normal within a couple months; yes, MONTHS.

Best,

Brooks

[cjbrooksjc]

Joe: OK, I got the link addr wrong; it is: *http://www.epic4health.com/20ac30sousub.html

Don't forget to remove the *.

Brooks

[vipergg22]

[quote="JoeR"]Thanks. I hope it does leave soon, it scares me every day. Is it reasonable to assume that such a small amount of Lipitor (10mg/day for 3 weeks) can do this kind of damage? I am also experiencing slight muscle twitches every now and then[/quote]

Yes it is reasonable to assume that , within a month of my taking it back in 98 I was already seeing symptoms of peripheral neuropathy . Of course the DR said it couldn't be the medicine , so i kept taking it for like 3 years and the PN kept getting worse and worse . I went to a neurologist , had mri 's done and nothing could be determined . I finally thru study on the web found many other people having the same thing taking statins , so I stopped taking them but the damage had been done and it appears to be permanent . it has never resolved itself even after 5 years off statins . This have severely impacted my life , I am 50 years old and have 10 year twins that i can't do certain things with . My running days are history , just gettting from point a to point b can be a painful experience at times . Don't wish this on anyone . Wish I had Bill Gates money I would take these pharm companies down for selling this poison . Hopefully you will have a full recovery . Don't let your dr try and talk you into taking that garbage again or even another statin , they are all the same.

[JoeR]

Thanks. I hope my damage isn't permanent. I haven't had any pain in the bottom of my feet (or shins) in the last couple of days, but that's because I've stayed off my feet as much as possible. The twitching only comes when I'm laying down at night or sitting for a long period of time. This is obviously no way to live. I just started the CoQ10 and will start the L-Cartinine today. Hopefully this all helps and then one day I won't need the supplements anymore and these side effects never return. I am warning everyone I come across about the effects of Lipitor. Sad part is that many of the people I start to tell it to are already on it, without any effects yet. My hope for them is that they don't go through what I've gone through.

[bunnylady]

In this month's issue of Country Living magazine there is a two page ad for a vitamin that counteracts the effects of Lipitor and the other statins- I zoomed in on the label to see the ingredients- of course 100 mg of CoQ10 and the B vitamins-

Its called RX Essentials by Nature Made-

It says: If you take statin medication your body may be lacking important nutrients- Over time, low nutrient levels may lead to problems like body acdhes and low energy- as some scientific studies suggest. Rx essentials replenishes and supplies key nutrients............

[cjbrooksjc]

Joe: Glad you are feeling better. Be aware that relapses to one degree or another are common among the group. They usually depress you and cause you concern, but they are usually gone in a few days and they occur with diminishing frequency. Stay positive.

Brooks

[JoeR]

I'm getting there. I've been on CoQ10 now (600mg) for almost 2 weeks and I just started acetyl-L carnitine (1000mg) 4 days ago. I feel that my muscles don't ache anymore unless I use them a lot. I have significant muscle twitching at night and when I'm sitting. My doctor thinks I should take a Calcium supplement to go along with a banana for Potassium in order to help this symptom. The bottom of my feet are at about 60%. If I stay off my feet they are good and I can walk a little bit without pain. If I do a lot though, the pain definitely comes back in the feet.

My doctor has sent me to a neurologist (after all my blood work came back negative) who has ordered an EMG and 2 MRI's. I told the neurologist that I think it could be the Lipitor and he says "it could be". I will still go along with the doctor's tests but I'm sure it was the couple weeks of Lipitor that did me in. I will stay on the CoQ10 and Carnitine until I heal, which hopefully will be soon.