LIPITOR AND VYTORIN

[LINDA]

I AM A 57 YEAR OLD FEMALE IN RELATIVELY GOOD HEALTH EXCEPT FOR HIGH CHOLESTEROL. MY HIGHEST LEVEL WAS 320. I WAS PUT ON LIPITOR WITH NO SIDE EFFECTS FOR ABOUT ONE YEAR. THEN I BEGAN TO NOTICE AN ITCHY FEELING IN MY RIGHT ARM. AFTER A TIME, THE ITCHYNESS TURNED TO PAIN, WHICH THEN WENT UP TO MY NECK AREA. THE PAIN WAS PRETTY INTENSE. I WAS SENT FOR AN MRI AND THEN A NERVE TEST WHICH SHOWED NOTHING POSITIVE. AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF I TOOK MYSELF OFF LIPITOR. A MONTH LATER, THE PAIN WENT AWAY. ON MY NEXT VISIT TO THE DOCTOR SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, HE THEN PUT ME ON VYTORIN. MY CHOLESTEROL LEVEL WAS ABOUT 215 AT THE TIME. I TOOK VYTORIN FOR THREE MONTHS AND THE PAIN REAPPEARED, BUT THIS TIME MORE INTENSE AND I CAN FEEL PAIN IN ALL MY NERVE ENDINGS. I HAVE THE PAIN IN BOTH ARMS AND NECK AREA, FACE AND EYES AND SOMETIMES VERY SHARP PAINS IN MY LEGS AND FEET. I CAN'T STOP FROM SCRATCHING MY ARMS, WHICH ARE RAW NOW FROM ALL THE RUBBING TO TRY TO STOP THE PAIN.
I HAVE BEEN OFF VYTORIN FOR TWO MONTHS NOW AND I HAVE NO PAIN RELIEFE. AFTER GOING BACK TO THE DOCTOR, HE GAVE ME A PERSCRIPTION TO TRY ZETIA WHICH I HAVE NOT STARTED.
I AM SO MISERABLE, I AM ALWAYS IN PAIN AND IT IS EFFECTING MY EVERYDAY LIFE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT.

LINDA

[JIMNSC]

Hi Linda. I sympathize with you for the pain you're enduring. I was wondering what you are doing outside of taking medication to lower your cholesterol. I just took myself off Lipitor and Zetia 5 days ago. I had muscular and endurance problems I hope will soon abate. In the meantime I'm eating a good cholesterol aware diet and walking 2 - 3 miles every morning.

I am taking a cholesterol complex supplement along with policosanol, vitamin C, and have some rice bran oil on order to mix with safflower oil. I'm going to do some experimenting but I will not take another statin drug because of the risks and side effects. I had to find out on my own that statin drugs depleted COQ10 from your system rather than have a doctor tell me - by the way - I"m taking that also.

As information I was on Lipitor only but my doctor added Zetia and all it did was add to my misery. What are your plans outside meds?

Jim

[LINDA]

DEAR JIM,

THANKS FOR YOUR RESPONSE. THIS WEEK I WENT TO A VERY FAMOUS HOSPITAL NORTH OF BOSTON. PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD GO THERE TO GET MEDICAL ANSWERS. WELL, I SAW A NEUROLOGIST AND HE BASICALLY TOLD ME TO GO HOME AND WAIT AND SEE IF MY PAIN SYMPTOMS TO AWAY. AFTER QUESTIONING HIM ABOUT THAT HE SAID THAT HE HAD NO ANSWERS FOR ME THAT IT WAS NOT NEUROLOGICAL AND MAYBE THE PAIN WOULD GO AWAY OR MAYBE IT WOULD MANEFEST INTO SOMETHING ELSE. HE TOLD ME THAT MY PAIN WAS NOT A RESULT OF SIDE EFFECTS OF LIPITOR OR VYTORIN. I FELT THAT AFTER I QUESTIONED HIM ABOUT SIDE EFFECTS OF THESE DRUGS, THAT HE JUST DID NOT WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH MY CASE. SO HERE I AM WAITING FOR MY PAIN TO MAGICALLY DISAPPEAR AND THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED.

I PRESENTLY AM NOT ON ANY CHOLESTEROL MEDICATION. I AM TAKING VITAMINS AND THIS WEEK I WILL ATTEMPT TO SEEK HOLISTIC OR ALTERNATIVE MEDICAL SOLUTIONS.

[JIMNSC]

Good for you, Linda. Hopefully, you have some alternative medicine practitioners near you. Doctors just don't want to hear about anything not having to do with medicine.

I wish you the best.

Jim

[SusieO]

Linda it is so sad doctors will not admit why we have this pain - from a statin! I am fed up with going to doctors and hearing the same line of B.S. when we all know very well why we have these problems.

[LINDA]

DEAR SUSIEO AND JIM,

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR RESPONSE. IT'S NICE TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME EXPERIENCES. I WISH DOCTORS WOULD TAKE MORE CONCERN WITH THEIR PATIENTS, THAN WITH THE COMPANIES THAT MAKE STATINS.

LINDA

[sos_group_owner]

Hi Linda,

The symptoms you describe are "peripheral neuropathy".

It has not been proven that lowering cholesterol is as beneficial for women (and seniors) as it is (or might be) for men. All clinical trials have included very few women. Pfizer is being sued for false Lipitor claims.
Link for AP News article:
biz.yahoo.com/ap/050928/pfizer_lipitor_lawsuit.html?.v=1

Are you taking any CoQ10? Statins deplete this essential enzyme and supplementing with CoQ10 can help with the recouperation process. Start taking 100mg daily and increase until you feel relief. My husband took 400mg (split dose AM/PM) for several months after stopping Lipitor. He now takes 200mg daily maintenance. His worst side effect was cognitive decline, including several bouts of TGA (transient global amnesia). Most doctors deny that statins cause memory problems too.

Fran

[LINDA]

HI FRAN:

I AM NOT TAKING COQ10 AT THE MOMENT, BUT WILL DO SO THIS WEEK.
THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION. I AM CURRENTLY TRYING TO FIND A ALTERNATIVE HEALTH DOCTOR IN MY AREA AND HOPE TO FIND SOME RELIEF FROM MY PROBLEM SOON.

LINDA

[Bobbi Whaley]

I HAVE NOT BEEN TAKING THE VYTORIN FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW.
THE SIDE EFFECTS HAVE ALMOST STOPPED, I STILL HAVE THE MIGRAINS BUT NOT AS BAD.
I AMGOING TO TRY THR VITAMINS
BETA-SITOSTEROL 600 MG
CHROMIUM 200 MG
FLAX SEED
SOY-ISOFLAVONES OR SOY PROTIEN
HOPE THIS WORKS, WHAT I HAVE READ IT SHOULD LOWER MY CHOLESTEROL.
MY DR OF COURSE WANTS ME BACK ON VYTORIN BUT KNOW WAY AM I GOING TO DO THIS. MY BLOOD WORK IS NOW BACK TO NORMAL AND THANK GOD NO DAMAGE TO MY LIVER.
THANKS FOR ALL THE IMFO ON HERE GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL
BOBBI

[Claud Reindl]

I'd for sure stay off the statins, based on what I've read in just an hour's time. I'm going to get my wife to start exercising (both of us) at the Y. I have been reading up on oxygen theapy, DMSO, and other alternatives. Also I think it may be good to use a steam room to sweat out one's toxins, in addition to the exercise. My wife's pain is not going away very fast since she stopped the Vytorin (perhaps 3-4 weeks ago) so I am trying to find something not too "experimental" to try. Read Trudeau's book on what the drug companies don't want you to know.
He seems to be a bit of a rogue, but perhaps 70% of what he says makes sense, especially about drug companies. Best wishes....Claud