Generic Name: Atorvastatin for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease (atorvastatin)
Lipitor (atorvastatin) "I was put on Lipitor after a mild heart attack and stent placement. A short time after starting the script, my hands started hurting daily. They woke me up at night. Then the pain spread throughout my body. It got so bad I could not push up off a chair or bed. Nothing helped. It was nerve and muscle pain. Took it for a year before the doctor finally heard me and took me off Lipitor to see if that was the cause. Within days, the pain started letting up. Now 4 months later I'm back to normal. The pain was so bad I thought I was terminal and felt that way to the point of writing out a will. Not everyone has this reaction. But pay attention if you start taking it and then have body pain. It can be dangerous. I don't know what long-term effects may show up later from it. Now my hands still hurt daily from it. But less than when I was on the pill."
Lipitor (atorvastatin) "Don’t use this drug if your doctor prescribes it. Took this for 3 years after an acute myocardial infarction (MI), and now I have a condition called statin-induced myopathy, which is a wasting muscle disorder that is non-reversible and will eventually completely disable me."
Lipitor (atorvastatin) "This drug is the absolute worst in the world for me. I have been on it for five years or more and being in bad pain for three of those years. I have been on Tylenol three, Codeine Contin, and hydromorphone, and the doctor argued every time when I went in to get more pain meds. My legs have been in unbelievable pain for so long I can't honestly think of the time when I was not in pain. I just started reading about this and stopped taking Lipitor and told the doctor that I would never go back on it again. In about a month, I have started to feel better, but I am left with weak legs and a huge bill from the chiropractor, massage therapist, acupuncturist, exercise therapist, and naturopathic doctor. I have had three trips to the hospital emergency department with no help in the long run. I am very, very angry. I hope my lingering pain goes away soon."
Lipitor (atorvastatin) "Worst side effects I could imagine. The pelvic and leg pain was so bad I couldn't sleep for six days until my doctor told me to stop! The pain was worse than anything I have experienced, including childbirth! Doctors should not be so quick to jump to this drug! It also messed with my kidneys, I have been on antibiotics for 2 weeks trying to get them back to a normal level. In my opinion, don't take it!"
Lipitor (atorvastatin) "My experience with this drug was not very good. I was prescribed 10 mg, 1 tablet to be taken per day. I was healthy with normal blood pressure and walked and exercised probably 4 miles per day and was generally fit and healthy. I was unable to take the tablet every day and ended up having to skip days because of the side effects. On day 3, it gave me a dizzy feeling and a sense of anger, like wanting to snap at someone for no reason. Day 4 was a spacey feeling, like floating, and generally feeling like I had no desire to want to do anything. I went out for a walk and got the most terrible muscle cramps in the calves, which came and went. Also, a panic anxiety feeling that lasted about a minute, which felt like I was going to die, and a general feeling of not being well. Then the doctor said to take it every other day, and this was causing me insomnia where I would sleep for an hour then be awake for 4 hours trying to sleep. Also, very low sex drive and a feeling like I was being poisoned. Eventually, I came off it."
Lipitor (atorvastatin) "I have been taking Lipitor for several years and developed severe leg and back pain. It was hard just to walk. I stopped taking it for one month, and my leg and back pain went away. Does anyone have an alternative to this destructive drug? I have changed to a low-cholesterol diet, but I know I need to have a less harmful drug to keep my cholesterol down. All comments are appreciated."
Lipitor (atorvastatin) "My experience with this drug for primary prevention was terrible fatigue, followed by the worst panic attack and anxiety ever, sometimes lasting for less than a minute and sometimes longer, usually worse in the morning, until the doctor said do not take it anymore."
Lipitor (atorvastatin) "My cholesterol has always been in the normal range, about 145, although my LDL/HDL ratio, 90/55, is not optimal. I eat healthy, 10% body fat, work out over 300 days a year. But a heart scan at 60 gave me a shock, showed a lot of plaque in my LAD, not good. Started Lipitor 10 mg daily, cholesterol dropped into the 90s, with LDL of 50. Went to 10 mg/5 mg alternating days, last lipid panel showed cholesterol at 114, LDL 72. I have never had any negative side effects. Two very athletic friends with high cholesterol used statins but quit because of muscle pain. My third athletic friend, with cholesterol of 300, uses a statin, cholesterol into normal range with no side effects. So if you have high cholesterol, don't be afraid to give a statin a try, start low and titrate up, if the side effects are too bad, quit, but you may be one of the lucky ones like me and my third friend, for whom a statin is very effective and does not have side effects."
Lipitor (atorvastatin) "I used Zocor for the first statin following angioplasty in December 2009. I must state that I have a high degree of sensitivity to medications and a high degree of allergies. With Zocor, I experienced abdominal cramps increasing daily, muscle pain, and off and on nausea. The cramps were a concern because I have experienced anemia in the past. My doctor, whom I trust with my life, suggested that I not take Zocor. After several months, I had blood work, my LDH still higher than the doctor wanted, so he prescribed Lipitor. I had the same bad effects but on a higher level. Fortunately, my doctor trusts my reports. There is one 'weird' change that I have not shared with my doctor, but I am sharing with all of you. In several days, and increasingly, I am losing hair. Help me!"
"I was on statins for about 3 years. My cholesterol was never that high, but my doctor was concerned about the buildup of bad cholesterol affecting my heart. Started Zocor at 20 mg and after 3 years, 40 mg. I had an experience of blurred vision and thought maybe I should go to the ER. They did an MRI of my brain and found I had a very small old stroke. Before I was discharged, the doctor changed me to Lipitor 40 mg. I saw a neurologist, and he did more brain scans with dye this time and also did an MRA of the veins from my neck. All looked good, with no blockage, and the veins to the brain looked good too, with no narrowing. After about 3 weeks on Lipitor, I got bad side effects with a headache, brain fog, muscle ache in my legs, back pain, and dizziness. I played golf that day and was barely able to finish. Came home, and after doing a lot of research, decided to stop taking statins. The long-term side effects are scary. I will watch my diet and control my cholesterol that way. Will never do statins again."
"I started on 80 mg of atorvastatin after receiving a stent following a blocked coronary artery. After researching, I told my GP I wasn't happy, and she suggested a lower dose of 40 mg. After one and a half years, I ended up with diabetes 2, memory problems, heartburn, blurred vision, joint pain, stiffness, and cramping. My memory recovered as did my digestive problems a few weeks after stopping them. I wish I hadn't taken them at all. Horrible!"
Lipitor (atorvastatin) "71 years. Heart attack with 5 stents. Automatically prescribed this as part of the "cardiac cocktail" as they call it. Had numbers on the getting slightly high for both cholesterol and BP before HA. Within 3 months this drug injured my liver and my GP stopped it. Continue to be tested to see if liver will recover. Numbers are down so I have my fingers crossed. I have been unable to use the gym due muscle pain which is now subsiding and hopefully I will be able to utilize gym again . My mood was adversely affect with me becoming easily irritated and angry inappropriately. The pain over my shoulders and between my ribs was so painful and exhausting. And then it started to affect my memory which became so disconcerting. The daily dose was 80 and if the liver heals we will look at the minimum dose of a statin and see how that works"
"After carotid artery surgery my doctor Prescribed atorvastatin 80mg. After awhile I began having leg, buttocks and back pain. I started feeling light headed and very tired. Wondering if this product causes muscle pain.?"
"Six days on 20 mg and I could not walk from pain in my feet! The pain in my arms, legs, and back is horrendous. This drug may be good for others, but it is poison for this 81-year-old. I question why my doctor prescribed it for me. It was not for cholesterol, my numbers are good. I have a very small amount of heart disease that I am willing to live with. I hope that the damage done in six days will be history soon. Can you believe I went from being very active to unable to barely function in just six days? Now they say it will be 3 to 4 weeks before I will be back to normal. I pray."
"I was diagnosed with heart disease 10 weeks ago with main artery blocked 90%, other blocked 70% and some others 40% and 30%. Underwent a stent for main blockage and cardiologist put me straight on medication including 80mg of Lipitor. I suffer from reaction to medication and straight away had back pain mainly in middle and down right side. The plain was not good, but I decided I needed to beat this thing and the best way was to push through hoping my body would adjust. I underwent major lifestyle changes in what I ate and drank, exercised at least 150minutes a week and keep taking the Lipitor dispute the pain. I can say that after about 10 weeks I have started to feel better. Cholesterol is down to 2.8, numbness on soul of feet is 90% better, back pain is also 80% better. Feeling the best I have for years. "
"I have exercised over 300 days a year for 40+ years and have never had a cholesterol reading over 150 (albeit with a not-so-good LDL/HDL ratio). Nonetheless, due to an annoying quirk in my DNA, a heart scan revealed a disappointingly high amount of plaque in one of my coronary arteries (LAD, the one you most worry about). On the theory that every little bit of cholesterol reduction might slow further plaque buildup, my doctor prescribed a low dose (10mg) of Lipitor. My cholesterol now runs between 100-110, and my LDL/HDL ratio has dropped from 2:1 to 1:1. I have had zero side effects. I have had several friends give up on various statins due to adverse muscle symptoms. Maybe it's the low dosage I am on, but I have no negative muscle effects, and believe me, as much as I exercise and play sports, I would know it."
"I'm a Type-2 diabetic and GP wanted me on a statin even though my cholesterol has always been normal to high end of normal. When I quit using rosuvastatin he put me on atorvastatin. Within a year I began having severe leg cramps at night. I had to come off this med as well."
Lipitor (atorvastatin) "My chlosterol was high and after some blood work my doctor told me that my risk factor was high. I was put on atorvastatin 40 mg. My cholesterol went down and I am doing well. I have no side effects so far. I continue to do blood work and it's fine."
Lipitor (atorvastatin) "I was put on 20 mg of Lipitor for high LDL and atherosclerosis of the aorta. I also have a hole in my heart. I started getting headaches and migraines 24/7, memory loss and wicked moodiness ( and I'm normally a happy person). It took me a little over a week to realize it was the Lipitor. I stopped immediately, it was hard for me to work and I had no personality because I felt awful. I have to get the groin heart surgery done to close the hole in my heart anyway so I am willing to take that risk rather than take that med ever again!"
"Doctor put me on a 20mg dosage because I have diabetes 2. He said that my numbers are not that high but to prevent a heart attack. I been taking them for three days and I'm feeling depressed my legs feel heavy the back of my neck is killing me . I wake up with my left hand numb. I really don't know what should I do."
"I used to be on 40 mg per day for coronary artery disease. I had a medicated stent placement and am now on 80 mg per day. I thought I was developing muscle aches and spoke with my cardiologist about symptoms. He told me that it's not from the Atorvastatin, he is on it as well."
"I was on 40 mg/day for 3 months and lost 30 kgs. Way too much weight loss too quickly. During this time and towards the end, I started having all the side effects mentioned - bone pains, muscle pains, hip pains, sore shoulders, unable to lift arms or legs, and generally feeling lethargic, sometimes nauseous and dizzy. Personally, I found the weight loss too severe and far too swift to the point of being dangerous. I've paused atorvastatin for a month and now feel 100% better with no more pains. No, I don't recommend this, but that is my opinion."
Lipitor (atorvastatin) "Continuous muscle pain on the back of both thighs. Discontinued use after two weeks and a few days, and the pain is gone."
Lipitor (atorvastatin) "I have taken Lipitor for over two years. HDL is 76, and total cholesterol is 147. It appears to be working properly. I have full blood tests every six months."
"4 yrs of pure hell, bladder damage, leaky heart valve, damage to joints, eyes, liver, stopped taking it getting better every day."
Lipitor, Atorvaliq
Lipitor, Atorvaliq
