sick and tired of being sick and tired

[nanato3]

Sorry if this is a repeat, posted but never showed up in forum. I am 56 yrs old ,have been healthy all my life, no family history of heart disease, no high blood pressure, only meds I took , nexium. For over 2 yrs have taken statins. Stopped vytorin when my left knee started hurting and then the right knee. I could hardly get out of a chair without help. Have never had knee problems in my life. Doctor put me on Lipitor and have been on it for over a yr and half. The past 12 months , I have seen a chiropractor on a regualr basis for neck, shoulder, back and hip pain. Only last evening did I discover this site and read your stories and realized Lipitor is causing all of my ailments. I also have foggy thinking, dizziness, short term memory loss, no energy and to add more insult , have gained over 20 lbs in the last 12 months ! I am so disgusted with the drug companies who are growing richer day by day while our quality of life goes down the toilet. I have cut my Lipitor in half and am going to taper off, I am afraid to stop cold turkey. My doctor will not be happy In may when I go back for blood work, so be it. I cannot see living life in so much pain and maybe, living a little longer. I prefer quality of life over this nightmare . When is someone going to hear us? What is it going to take to get their attention? I wish you all the best and thank you for sharing your stories, had I not found this forum, I really don't know what might have happened.

[Allen1]

Hi there nanato3,

welcome to the site but I am sorry to see you are another statin victim like the rest of us. I had most if not all the problems you have at the moment and have been off statins for almost a year now. A lot of the symptoms have dwindled as time passed but brain fog and getting exhausted and a few other bits still remain although most of my thinking is ok unless I overdo things and get tired.

I mentioned myself so that you can see there is a good chance of getting back to a more Life like existence although it may take a while and you will possibly get worse for about 3 months after stopping the statins before you start to get better, that was my experience and a few others too.

Ray Holder, Adec and others were a great help at pointing me in the right direction for treating the problems via supplements Co Q10 etc and where they were available and what was the best price. I will leave that for now as they may have an alternative source or product (they really know there stuff).

It is after midnight here so I will leave it at that, except to say I wish you a quick recovery and don't let this get you down, you have found out the cause and are doing the right thing by getting off the statins before it gets any worse than at present.

All the best,

Allen.

[nanato3]

Thank you for your response and support. From what I have read here alot of people have been told by their doctors that the problems they are experiencing are age related. I know that as we get older we slow down and our bodies do change. But when you have been healthy all of your life and within a few months you feel like you are falling apart, something is seriously wrong. I really like my Dr, it took me along time to find him, but if he won't support me in this, I will find someone who will. I am so happy to hear you have come through this and are feeling well. I hope to be there myself someday, I also hope this for all the others who are suffering. again, thanks so much !

[cjbrooksjc]

nanato3: This site has been a life saver LITERALLY for many of us. Now, stop the statins and start the supplements asap; especially CoQ10 and L-carnitine. I too gained weight - about 40 lbs and can't seem to shed it; I don't know why I can't lose it, but I'm sure it has to do with the Zocor I took for 4+ years.

This can be a complicated situation to manage, especially if you have, in addition to the joint and muscle damage, developed neurological, epidermal, gastric, or other side effects, and the recovery process is often unpredictable both in terms of degree and time. There are many posters who have gone or are going through this agony who are willing to help you regain your health. I quit my 40Mg ZOCOR Rx the same day I found it was the cause of my failing health, and I don't regret it a bit.

A Dr. friend of the family (not my PCP) warned me off the statins. She also tested for and found I had a very low Magnesium level, and I took Mag shots for about two months. That's something else you might consider.

Also be sure you haven't become hypOthyroid during your time on Lipitor, that can have a bearing on what you take and how your body reacts... still the CoQ10 and L-Carnitine are a must to begin. I can surely empathize, Nana, and I wish you a quick and full recovery. Keep us apprised of your progress.

Best regards,

Brooks

[colcath]

I was on lipitor 20mg for 8yrs it has ruined me.Have been stopped for 6months still no change ,my brain fog was that bad one time I did not know how to get out of the car my wife had to show me,that was scary.I have a lot of trouble with tiredness and muscle twitching all over my body.I went cold turkey,told the doctor he asked me why and then said it was my desicion.Never again will I take any statins.

[Allen1]

Hi there colcath,

I am also in England and I am 51 years old I should put that in my profile some day.

Zocor (Simvastatin) was my poison for nearly 12 years, it has taken at least 10 months for my brain fog to ease off to the point that I can remember peoples names again and be able to concentrate for a short while. Now after almost a year I can actually think again and I am starting to feel like a human being once more.

The brain fog and tiredness will probably get better but may not go away completely, some days I am fine unless I do a bit too much and other days are not so good. Time and taking supplements seem to make things better so just hang in there as you should start seeing a difference in a couple of months (everyone is different). ASDA is also selling Coenzyme Q10 now, the ones that I have found are only 30 mg and they are £2.98 for 30 capsules. I don't know how good they are but I do feel a bit better since starting them and if they work for you, you can go on to purchasing larger size and amounts on line along with L-carnitine (see some of Ray Holders and others posts as they explain in more detail).

As I mentioned in another post, the people on this site are fantastic, they will pass on any information that they know has helped them get through the very same problems you are having. Ray Holder, Adec and cjbrooksjc personally pointed me in the right direction and gave me support and advice, a lot more help has also come from all the other victims posts.

I still can't understand how our Doctors are so unaware of the side effects of this poison especially as they have had around 20 years to find out.

As I mentioned in another post, you will probably feel worse once you stop the statins for a while, that is where you are at the moment. From now on you should slowly start to get a little better slowly and probably go 3 steps forward and 1 step back for a while but hopefully you will get much better soon.

All the best,

Allen.

[cjbrooksjc]

Colcath: Your tale, as mine, is deeply troublesome given the fact that it's authors are those in whom we place our trust and our lives. I refer to them as "Misguided children of unwed mothers.".

Also, Allen is correct: how you recover and how long it takes is a personal saga, and we all have one to relate. I am closing on 1 and 1/2 yrs off statins and on supplements, and I still have a way to go. But, with the help of this site and supplements, I HOPE to recover to near 100%. I used to limp, fall, forget, grouse, be unable to crossword or write, etc., and I am much improved today.

Get your wife involved, she can be a great help. Let her read some of the posts on this forum and help you with your daily regimen. Until you begin to recover it may be hard to remember what to take and IF you've taken it. There IS a better day ahead. Welcome to the forum!


Best,

Brooks

[cjbrooksjc]

Nana, Colcath: I would recommend anyone new to this phenomenon load and watch the following Yutube clip (about 7 minutes), courtesy of our statin affected friends in GB.

Brooks

[cjbrooksjc]

Nana, Colcath: SORRY, forgot to paste the url: AGAIN : I would recommend anyone new to this phenomenon load and watch the following Yutube clip (about 7 minutes), courtesy of our statin affected friends in GB.

*http://uk.youtube.com:80/watch?v=7KD7omFDAKo Don't include the asterisk (*) when you link.


Brooks

[nanato3]

Brooks, I watched UTUBE , it made me so sad. It is shocking to see the number of stories on UTUBE about statins. You are fortunate to have a Dr. friend who was honest in telling you to stay away from statins. I will start L- Carnitine and CO-Q10. On UTUBE there is a meeting where cholesterol is being discussed , it is a five part series and I have only watched part 1, was enough to get my attention. Thanks for all of your help



Deb

[nanato3]

I was reading on one of the other forums here and a woman described how she lost 2 hrs , thought she had passed out, woke up and her house was a mess. She concluded she had ransacked her own home and had no memory of it. Hope you will be well soon and the brain fog we have in common will go away.

Deb

[cjbrooksjc]

nana: TGA, or Transient Global Amnesia is one of the classic neurological symptoms of Statin poisoning; in fact, it is the primary impetus for the creation of this Forum, as it's developer, Dr. Duane Graveline, first began his search for his health problems following a TGA episode. (see the book: 'Lipitor, Thief of Memory' at the top of this page).

Regards,

Brooks

[colcath]

Thanks for the u tube link it was good to see we are not alone

[Cat Mom2]

They want us to believe that it is our natural aging process that has caused all our problems. Thanks to them, I have been cheated out of the natural aging process or the ability to experience it as I should. I had the memory problems so bad that I knew I would not be able to continue working for another year. Got off and WOW! I felt like I had moved into another body, a younger more healthy body that was full of energy. That was the honeymoon period and then the fun started. I am going on a year now with the sudden onset of arthritis, tendonitis, burscitis and a bone spur all in one shoulder, suddenly when I woke up one morning it was there. No previous problem or even a hint of one there before. (that was only one of the many sudden ailments I have developed) I have noticed I am getting forgetful again, just not as bad as it was on the Lipitor.

The funny part of the memory thing is I remember the day I woke up and my memory was gone (when I was on the stuff). I went to bed the night before with a normal memory and got up with a drastic change that went downhill until I got off of it. Within 2 days it was normal again. Natural aging my butt! ..... and now it is coming back?

[nanato3]

catmom2, I cut my Lipitor in half, pain decreased significantly within 3 days. I am now having pain again, am hoping it doesn't get as bad as it has been in the past. Honestly, I am afraid to stop Lipitor completely, because my triglicerides are not normal. My cholesterol when started on statins was 235, no family history, non smoker,no high blood pressure. I am trying to change my diet to keep these numbers from rising . I guess time will tell. My memory seems okay, for now. I am so glad I found this site with so much information and caring people who just want to help. It has been a life saver for me. Thanks for sharing catmom2, hope you will feel better soon. I hope we will all get our lives back.

[Brian C.]

nanato3, triglyceride level is directly correlated with carbohydrate consumption (particularly sugars). Excess sugar is converted to fat for storage. I follow a low-carb diet, with good saturated fats to raise HDL.
It works.

Brian.

[SusieO]

nanato3 I took Lipitor for high triglycerides, too. I stopped it after 3 yrs and only taking 5 mgs. It had me down and out for over 3 yrs (after stopping it) and I will never go that way again. You can read my healing story on the Lipitor thread "Lipitor will not take my life".

Once I got my strength back I started a walking program - first 5 days a week for 2.5 miles a day - now I am up to 7 days a week 5.5 miles a day. I started 10/07. I also began seeing a wellness doctor who has me on natural supplements (this enabled me to stop ALL my Rx drugs) and I try to eat more sensibly.

My triglycerides dropped almost 300 points in less than a year with no Rx drugs!!! My doctor was amazed and said without a "pill" that should never happen is such a short amount of time. You can do it just like I did! :D

[nanato3]

BrianC & SusieO, thank you for your encouraging words.

Brian I have been a sugar addict all of my life, no doubt that is part of the reason my triglicerides are high. I have cut back my consumption by about 80%, it is difficult but it will be worth it to not take meds.

Susie congratulations! You have given hope to those of us who are still suffering. I believe I can do this, thank you for the encouragement and I will go and read your story, susie.

I went to fda.gov/medwatch and filed a complaint against Lipitor today. Don't know if any one will listen. I think our best hope is the information we are getting from each other, so many thanks to all who are sharing on this site.

Deb