Statins

[Supernerogirl]

Hi everyone just wanted to ask I’m on 20mg Atorvastatin and my muscles ache so bad is this just a side effect and will pass ? Only had 2 doses so far ?

[CDreamer]

You may get an more informed answer if you post on the Cholesterol forum - those guys know their stuff. I wouldn’t know as I refused to take them but from heresay - if you suffer muscle aches as a side affect then no, they don’t go away.

[Supernerogirl in reply to CDreamer]

Ok thanks

[Hidden]

Probably be best to call the doc who prescribed it. Ive not had any issues in 2 yr, started off at 80 mg , now down to 40 mg. You are on a low dose but everyone reacts differently so impossible for us to say really. I do know people have switched to another statin and got along ok.

[Supernerogirl in reply to Hidden]

Thanks

[sleeksheep]

I started on 10mg Atorvastatin (Lipitor) fourteen years ago , no trouble at all untill I started on my beta blockers . Tried various different statins down to 2.5mg and C0Q10 but nothing really changed. In the end I stopped taking statins with my Drs agreement.

Some data I have read said only 8% have muscle pain but another independent review had it at 60% so IMO its very common.

[Supernerogirl in reply to sleeksheep]

My cholesterol is fine they put me on statins because of the TIA I had last week. I have my app at stroke clinic tomorrow so will ask them the if they are necessary. Thank you

[Auriculaire in reply to Supernerogirl]

This appears to be the protocol although I have had a mild TIA and neither my GP nor my cardiologist mentioned a statin and my total cholesterol is slightly above range. If you look at various statin trials there is very little evidence that taking statins helps prevent strokes . In my opinion it is just part of the latest statin nonsense which decrees that the lower the cholesterol is the better. Dogma. If you decide to stay on the statin it is essential to take Co Enzyme Q 10. The statin prevents the liver from manufacturing this along with the cholesterol and it is necessary to provide fuel to our muscles. It is probably lack of CoQ10 that is causing the muscle problems in statin users. The drug companies know this ( though sadly most docs do not). When Merck patented their first statin it was as a combo pill with CoQ10 included, but none of the other companies were doing it and it would have made it more expensive to produce- thus reducing profits- so it was dropped. After all who cares about the patients who were going to take it. Profits first chaps and lie lie lie about your product causing muscle problems.

[Supernerogirl in reply to Auriculaire]

I agree thank you 😊

[Hidden]

I've been on the same dose 20mg for 6 months. I don't take them every day about 4 times a week. To be honest I don't see any side affects, as far as I know, what's putting me off them is the constant bad press they get... Good luck.

[RICH22]

i use Red Yeast Rice, has a natural statin but enzymes that lessen the side effects. Replace the Simcor i was taking.

[Izzle]

I take 40mg with a good lowering of my cholesterol. Aching muscles is a know side effect. My advice is to make sure you take it during your main meal of the day, so I take it with my evening dinner. Note: I can get slight reflux if I take it late in the evening which of course implies little of no food.

Good luck getting it sorted out. I find this statin a good product, but we're all different/

[Roto]

Time to chat to your doctor...he may change the brand or perhaps start you off on a lower dosage say 5mg tablets and increase over time. Aches and pains are a common side effect with statins for some people..

[Shakespear1]

I’m on 80 mg honey and my arthritis has gone biserk but the initial muscle pain subsided after a week or two xx

[Valsha]

I started on atorvastatin and had aches like you. I changed to simvastatin and had the same problem. My husband takes pravastatin so I took a week of his (for some reason he had a good stock) and it was totally different, so I went to my GP and asked for those and I have no problem now. I’ve been on them for a year now. There are two groups of statins, water soluble (pravastatin)and fat soluble (atorvastatin) so changing to the other group might make a difference.

[Supernerogirl in reply to Valsha]

Thanks

[Maggimunro]

Hi there

I was advised by my GP to take statins as my cholesterol levels were ‘borderline ‘. So I took them for a week and got the most awful pains in my legs. Needless to say I stopped taking them .

Since then I have learned that that the science leading to massive profits for big pharma, was based entirely on some very dodgy statistical manipulation of clinical trials. There was a very good post on this forum last year about this.

I have since learned, from a different GP that my cholesterol ratio is actually as good as it it can be.

Don’t forget, GP’s have a Government funded financial benefit from getting folks onto statins.

[Polski]

Statins block our ability to make CoQ10 which our bodies need. Long-term this can lead to muscle aches and other symptoms of which we may be less aware. In the long run, taking CoQ10 as well as a statin may help the pain.

[Supernerogirl]

Thanks that’s helpful I’ll get some cq10 tabs thank you

[Hidden]

Hi supernerogirl

If you are still on statins, How are your aches now?

I have muscle aches for over 3 years now, despite stopping a 12 week course of rosuvastatin 5mgs in April 17

Good luck!

Alps

[Boysie12]

I had the same muscle ache ,now I am taking coq10 60mg with the statins

[Hidden in reply to Boysie12]

Hi boysie

How are the aches now?

I stopped a 12 week course of statins in April 17 because of aches

And tried 200 mgs ubiquinol for 3 months in summer 17, but it didn't help with the aches, which are progressing.

Alps