I was on 80 mg of Lipitor for 5 weeks. 2 weeks after I started I experienced pain in my left calf. Over the next 3 weeks it got worse, in my left calf and left knee. Tylenol 3 didn't give any relief to the pain. I couldn't concentrate, sleep properly or think of much else.
After reading some of the side effects in the Lipitor literature that comes with the drug, I went online and found this site which really helped me understand what was happening to me.
I have now been off Lipitor for 5 weeks but the pain hasn't gone. My doctor got very irritated with me and said she didn't know what caused my pain or what could be done about it. This is a doctor who gives out Lipitor. You would think it would be mandatory for a doctor to know the side effects before giving out a drug (just read the pamphlet in the box!!).
All the doctor could offer for me was morphine!
So I went to an acupuncturist and I think I got some relief but it could have been the CoQ10 that I started at the same time. The pain was definitely less, but not completely gone.
I just missed two days of taking CoQ10 and the pain became severe again so I'm thinking maybe it wasn't the acupuncture but the CoQ10 that was giving me some relief. I'm now back on CoQ10 (60 mg twice a day). I haven't used L-Carnitine yet but it sounds like it might be difficult to get in Canada. I'll have to try and find it.
It is amazing that I was only on Lipitor for 5 weeks and even though I have now been off it for 5 weeks I still have pain. It scares me that because of this, there might be permanent damage.
Thanks everyone for writing your stories. It helps.