I understand that statins can cause muscle and joint pains. I have been on Atorvastatin for about nine months and not had much issue but recently seem to have developed some muscular pain around the upper chest and especially some aches around my collar bone. Have others had similar issues ? I find if I rub Ibuprofen into the areas of ache it subsided. There are no other symptoms when I get this, no dizziness or breathlessness. I feel generally OK, just these aches. They do not occur due to any excessive exercise.
Any advice much appreciated
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Peakbog
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Hi, I’ve been on the maximum dose of Atorvastatin for a year now and have had no particular side effects. As I am 71, I put any odd aches down to age/arthritis and, like you, they are relieved with Ibuprofen. There was a recent article in The Times that did say that a small group of people do suffer side effects due to intolerance. Also, a study was carried out where some were given a placebo and still complained of side effects. They were very real to these people but not caused by the tablet itself. It might help to talk to your GP to see if a different statin might make a difference.
Thanks for your words. I understand some people struggle with statins and others not. I started off with only Tinnitus as a side effect but still believe now that the muscle pain is related.
Hi, I took Lipitor for 10 years eventually having to stop because of leg cramping, especially in the calves. Muscle wastage was a great concern also as I was fit and still working. I stopped statins totally until last year when I had a NSTEMI and was given Atorvorstatin 80mg. Within a couple of weeks my hands ached so much I could not wring out a dishcloth even. Since then I have tried a few different statins and Rosouvastatin works best for me.
Everyone is different, we all have our own tolerances and not all drugs suit everyone. Chat to your GP and see if you can have a shop to other types. ( I have been told Atorvorstatin is the cheapest, hence most prescribed) I especially do not trust any articles in newspapers regarding stations, journalists are too easy bribe by big drug companies to get everyone on their drugs.
Please chat to your GP, you have to know what your aches are
Thanks for your response. I too get pains in the hands. Sometimes it lasts a couple of days and sometimes only a few minutes. Muscle wastage has also been and issue and my weight drop has been fast. I have been trying to get more weight on in the form of muscle but only seemed to increase the muscle pain where the muscle wastage has been the most I know increased exercise would always result in some sore muscles but not like this. I will discuss with my gp and like you, see if I can try an alternative
May I thank you for your interesting post. I also get terrible pains in my hands, wrists and thumbs. I have been on the same statin for 10 years but did not associate this hand and wrist pain with statins. Could it be the same for me I wonder ?
Hi, do you realise you are replying to a post 2 years old ?I am caught between the devil and the deep blue sea with statins. Because I have a heart condition, I dont have a lot of choice in taking the dam things.
Anyway 2 years on, still taking rosuvastatin, occasional problems with my hand pains and hand cramps, leg cramps.
I have done mini trials on myself, not taking the tablets for a week and see how the body reacts. As my cardiologist said, it wont kill you if you miss a couple of tablets a week. I have tried all the tablets in the doctors MIM's
Guide now so other than totally ignoring doctors and cardiologists advice I have to take the tablets. I did have readings of 8.9 which ride at about 5.4 these days, genetic high cholesterol.
For yourself, if depends how high are your readings and what other risk factors you have. Also what tablet you are on, there is very much a cost involved and they want you on the cheapest meds possible, it's only if you complain about them that you get change.
Oh dear thought was a few days old. Tks for advising me. My last Cholesterol reading a few months ago was 1.7 - hence brilliant. I have Prinzmetals which is not really steered by Statins. Even in Singapore where I live, there are many views pro and con. I am thinking of stopping for a month to see of my muscle pains stop,given my very good Chol level. I am 77 and don't need a lot of aches and pains at my stage of life..... tks for responding.
Statins made me feel so unwell. Muscular aches, muscle wastage, no energy, no enthusiasm for anything, anxiety, depression. I have been off them for nearly 4 months and day by day beginning to feel so much better. There are some good Facebook groups discussing statins.
My personal view is they do more harm than good. The more you research the more you realise this.
I've just been wondering the same thing> I had to have ATorvastating swapped to SImvastatin which seemed ok for about 4 months but lately I've started to have dreadful pain in my hips and round the bottom of my ribs, my hands ache and my legs feel weak so I'm struggling to get around> I'm due to see my GP on Monday but whether we will get round to discussing this I don't know as I've had dreadful stomach pain from clopidogrel and aspirin si that's obviously the first to discuss. I am disabled with bad spinal problems and trapped nerves plus mld arthritis so it is difficult to work out what's causing what. I have noticed it got much worse when the chemist sent a different brand one month. My cholesterol is fine and was before my Heart attack so it would probably be possible to stop it for a while to see. When my husband was put on atorvastatin (just because of age,- no heart problems but diabetic) he could barely walk
I was on statins for 10 years and pleased to be taking them in the expectation that it would help prevent my existing diagnosis of ‘mild’ heart disease progressing, however, I was shocked to find after 10 years of statins and following the ‘heart heathly’ recommendations of not eating junk food I needed a heart bypass. At this point I stated my own in depth research and read many website and books about what cauesecheart disease and what statins do, I then drastically changed my diet to initially to vegan but concluded that statins were a cause of many of the symptoms of cramp, fatigue and brain fog which had developed over the 10 years I had been taking statins. I stopped statins and my symptoms dissipated over the months and I have now been statin free for the last 4 years having given them up about 6 moths after I started my in depth research. My main concern with statins is they block CoQ10 which is essential for cell generation and growth.
Really interesting. I have also gone for a dramatic diet change. Mainly plant based but lots of fish and only chicken as a meat. Actually really liking it all. I do wonder if I need the statins as I suspect my diet change has caused most of the cholesterol lowering I have had. I have heard that CoQ10 supplements may be helpful but read inconclusive reports.
You could try to get off the statins. I have been on a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet since March 2018 and the evidence of my blood pressure, cholesterol and pulse (50-60) indicate that my arteries are clearing. So, it took only 8 months. My doctor has taken me off all the meds. The diuretics, beta blockers, Clopidogrel and statins have gone.
Thanks for your response. I did not know that the process could be reversed and the arteries improved. Would love to dump the Clopidogrels too as they screw up my Hiatus Hernia despite taking PPI’s
I recommend that you watch the film "Forks Over Knives". It will show you that you can clear out your arteries. It is on a website of the same name, Netflix, YouTube. It is about medical dietary research, including a massive study of 800,000 Chinese people. You might find it helpful, I did.
The ideal BP is 120/80. Mine has been as high as 240/140 but went down to 190/100 with treatment in 2016. I still had a mini-stroke in 2017 though. I started a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) lifestyle in March 2018. My BP is now 120/80.
The ideal cholesterol is below 5. Mine was 6.5 for years, nothing budged it until this diet. It is now 3.7.
My weight was 14.5st and is now 12.5st, the same as when I was in my twenties.
If my arteries were still blocked my blood pressure would still be up. This means that my arteries must be clearing out.
It is great you are feeling well, however in all my years in consultation with Senior Cardiologists, I have never heard of "arteries clearing themselves" I don't think possible, however the plaque or stenosis can stabilise and not get worse. So glad you feeling better.
I take Crestor. I tried going without, but my cholesterol went up. So I went back on the statin and I only take it 3X’s a week. On Mon, Wed, Fri. I have no problems and my cholesterol is excellent!
I had been taking Atoravastatin for over a decade and then I started experiencing all kinds of pains in my hands, feet, and around my ribs and hips. I couldn't figure out what it was and then my cardiologist had me stop my statin. After months of being off of it, I started feeling much better. He switched me to another statin and after 65 days, the problems started all over again including massive pain around my hip joints. I tried the CoQ10 and other things my doctor recommended to no avail. Soon I will be starting a new type of medicine out of the statin catagory. Zetia is what I think I will be prescribed. I wish you luck with your pain, mine become too severe to tolerate. You might want to look into some alternatives as well. Sorry for the very late reply. I am sure you have already been trying other things at this point in time.
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