side effects, how long?

[tiredofthis]

Had a heart attack 12.28.04, started on lipitor, lisinopril, metoprolol, plavix on 12.31.04.

Taken off plavix at 6 months use per plan, changed from lipitor to vytorin somewhere along the way, refused to take anymore lisinopril last year due to dizziness.

Dizziness has been a huge problem from 11 days after I started the original 4 drug plan. 01/011/05

I originally didn't believe the dizziness was due to the statin because I had switched from Lipitor to Vytorin and dizziness hadn't changed. Lisinopril and the Plavix were gone so the last culprit was Metoprolol.

Quit Metoprolol on or about 07/15/2006, The only drug left is vytorin. still dizzy a month and a half later.

Went to a GP doc about 1.5 weeks ago, All his visual subjective tests were good, I could walk a "tightrope" line ok, no outward visible symtoms of dizziness, etc. He recommended a C-T scan and a appointment with a neurologist.

At that point the red flags went up and I could see the continuation of posts on this forum of "no causes/ symptoms found, diagnosis of possible/ early ALS"

So I immediately started to ween myself off vytorin. Lots of improvement but still reduced dizzy feelings, However I don't anymore nearly fall down if a child jumps in front of me.

At this point I expect/ hope the discontinuation of vytorin to completely solve my problem.

BTW, I have recently started taking vitamin c, b complex and coq10 to deal with possible damage.

My question is how long can I expect dizziness to continue?

[sos_group_owner]

Hi "tiredofthis",

"BTW, I have recently started taking vitamin c, b complex and coq10 to deal with possible damage."
Also consider adding omega 3 fish oil or cod liver oil & 81 mg buffered aspirin.
That will complete Dr Graveline's "Statin Alternatives" recommendations:
http://www.spacedoc.net/statin_alternatives.htm

"My question is how long can I expect dizziness to continue?"
Some say that it takes a couple of weeks for statins to get out of our system, but their adverse effects can take much longer to resolve. I wish I could give you a definite answer, but there is no exact timeline when it comes to statins.

Fran

[tiredofthis]

sos, thanks for the response. At this point even a "It's hard to tell" type of answer helps set realistic expectations. That's what I'm after here.

It's now day 9 of weening myself off vytorin, and day 2 of tiring of that and quiting entirely. 9 days of, so far, feeling better everyday.

We will see how it goes, thanks a lot.

[ljhomes]

I am a 58 yo cauc male, active, athletic, not overweight. My annual stress tests showed that my heart was in the 35-40 yo range and my arteries were 70-80% clear. I don't smoke, drink only a bit of wine once a week and have never taken drugs. In 7/05, I experienced an "interrupted heart attack" and had 2 stents inserted in one artery. Per my cardio, I have been taking Vytorin for a little over 6 months because my cholesterol was slightly above the desired level (still in the normal range). Over the past few weeks, I began to experience heartburn, weakened calf-lower leg muscles, some tingling in my feet, anxiety, easy agitation, lack of concentration and light headedness and a "spacey" feeling. Since I had been on the drug for a long time, I ascribed the symptoms to work stress and possible flu. After reading several online studies, I stopped taking V 2 days ago (with the agreement of my cardio), had all of my vitals checked yesterday, incl EKG comparisons. Everything checked out OK so I am convinced that what I have experienced are the side effects of Vytorin. I will NOT take this drug again. I may try RED RICE YEAST; I have heard that it has been succesful with lowering cholesterol.

Note: One of my good friends, a very well-known and respected oncologist, told me his "old guys" take V and can hardly walk. He suggested I get off of this drug ASAP.

[ljhomes]

More FYI-

It seems the 4-drug deal is standard for heart attacks. Metropolol spaced me out after 3 months and the most severe side effect was lack of concentration and diminished sexual desire. I was also taking Altace, and ACE inhibitor that the cardio took me off both of these. I am still on Plavix 3 days a week, plus the 81mg aspirin. I am inclined to replace everything except aspirin with naturopathic-recommended supplements and acupuncture w/Chinese herbs. Keep me posted on your progress!

[sos_group_owner]

Hi "ljhomes" & Welcome to the Forum,

Cholesterol is not the problem, it's oxidized LDL and things that cause oxidized LDL.
Please read this post I wrote a few days ago... page down to the second post from "sos_group_owner"
http://www.spacedoc.net/board/viewtopic.php?p=2065#2065

Fran

[Darrell]

Red Yeast Rice is a natural statin, so that's no good for avoiding statin side effects.
http://www.spacedoc.net/red_yeast_rice.htm

[cohenmark]

I took Vytorin 10/10 for aproximately 1 month. I started experiencing muscle spasms in my calves while sleeping, general fatigue particularly in my legs and occasional twitches. After one month on this relatively low dosage I called my doctor who suggested I immediately stop taking the medication. My concern is that nearly a month has since passed and while i no longer get the late at night spasms, i still feel fatigued in my legs and have dull but consistent discomfort in my calves, legs, ankles and feet. i cant help but think this is a residual effect of the medication since I never had this problem before.
Is this unusual (considering the short length of time I took the medication and the low dosage)?
I will start taking CoQ10 and Carnitine tomorrow but for how long?
any recommendations would be welcomed.
Thank you.

[Darrell]

As the fine print often says, "individual results may vary". If you start taking both right away and get relief, try backing off the carnitine when your first bottle starts getting low and see what happens. As for the Q10, the case can be made for taking it for life, so you may want to take that one longer or forever.

[rtd46]

Dear Tiredofthis, I had very similar experience - heart attack Aug 05 most of the same drugs. when I stopped Vytorin in mid Septemeber all the symptoms went away with 48 hrs except the dizzyness. Reduced about half or better. Getting better slowly now after nearly three months. Hope yours goes faster. Good Luck - RTD