we’ll after four weeks not taking 40mg of Atorvastatin after doctors consultation I had follow up call today. I have had NO leg pains joints or muscle cramps since stopping statin. I noticed after five days the improvement and ten days gone. I can now fall back to sleep at night after I awake and my overall fitness has improved ( golf three days a week 😎).
as my original post that’s the first step now doctor recommended pravastatin 10mg dose for two months. Will then check bloods and general health.
but after two years of discomfort I feel great.
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gilreid1
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Did not actually wait two years. Was sent for various checks and changes on dosage. GP was not convinced it was statins. And as I have always intimated if I need to take statins I will. But finding the correct one is taking time. I hope I don’t need to take them but I think most people after bypass surgery take some.
My understanding is that statins are prescribed for not only cholesterol profile changes but also to stabilise plaque. So whilst the former might be of secondary importance to someone with a 'good' cholesterol profile, the latter is likely still appropriate to someone with known heart disease. However if you can't tolerate statins at all you have to balance not taking them against the increased risk, unless other meds can be prescribed. That's a tricky one, and I guess a decision that only the person affected can take. Fortunately (for me) I can apparently tolerate high dose Atorvastatin, and so I am not faced with taking a very difficult decision. Anyway I hope the pravastatin works for you.
Hi Gilreid1, I couldn’t tolerate atorvastatin or most other statins, gave me terrible stomachache and diarrhea. I finally settled on 5mg of creator every other day without any side effects and it has reduced my ldl by approx 1/3 which is significant give the small dose and taken every other day, good luck
If you've got heart disease so bad that you needed a bypass I would definitely be taking statins as this is the only medication that will help stop the grafts from blocking.I'm not a doctor, just my opinion but I've had a stent and would never stop taking statins.
I really hope that the medication works for you as it must have been bad { the side effects } to think of changing such an important drug in our arsenal.
And what a result, excellent news that working with your Cardiology/ Drs team you have come to this point.
May I just add for others that suffer so, that it is very important to follow like you did and take advice before even thinking of changing or stoping medication, It can be very dangerous for some of us.
But I cannot be more pleased for you as i know you have been suffering so, and like all medications there is always a substitute that not only does the same job but may have less side effects.
I was lucky on 80 mg of Atorvastatin and had no sides at all and now I am on 40mg because I now take Entresto as well, but having seen and answered a few posts on here, medication will sadly always effect someone.
Since they put me on statins about 9 years ago i cannot get rid of foot or knee pain. After the valve replacement op they increased the dosage and now my pains are worse. GP says its not statins but i can see its statins. I am in catch 22 situation. Hope all goes well with you.
A well known Dr in Turkey (canan karatay) argues cholesterol is not a disease. She says she took part in 10k heart operation and could not see link between heart disease and cholesterol. they kicked her out of cardiology society. She is still alive and argues cholesterol not a disease. Don’t know where to stand.
When i cut statins my pains ho in two days. Requested my Gp to change my tablets. He has done it so this week I am
Going to try the other statins rather than atorvastatin
Any way good luck and keep us posted. I will update you about my new tins
That’s exactly how I felt the same as yourself. But with the help of others on hear I learned to keep at it and seek changes. Not to say I don’t want statins but find one that suits me. Good luck and thanks for the kind words
Yes I was the same every statin I took cause pain couldn’t sleep I had no energy. I told my doctor it was the statin but she kept saying it wasnt so I took it upon myself to stopped them and after a while I felt great, I was busy, slept well no pain increased my exercise. Then I went back and told my doc what I’d done so each time she tried me on a new statin till I’d been through them all with no luck but my good cholesterol started to rise on statins it was 3 and it’s now 7.9 that is why they’ve agreed fir me to have the injections and that my cholesterol is hereditary. Until my injections start my doctor has suggested I take 20 mg atorvastatin with pain killers this suggestion came from a new doctor he said he was surprised this hadn’t been suggested before so thats what I’m doing until jabs start. Hope I don’t get hooked on pain killers. After heart attack I was told only ever to take paracetamol that’s what I stuck to when needed but his now told me to take codine I take two before bed and that does stop the pain in legs and sends me to sleep. I wish you luck and hope you can tolerate the statin there putting u on
Hi your leg pain was it in both legs ? And was it only at night ? Ok I only ask as I've been on atorvastatin 10mg for 9 months and I have leg muscle pain at night mostlynin one leg but not during the day .
Hi candle 11 I do get it in both legs but always worse in my right leg it kept me awake at night as the pain was unbearable for me. During the day it was fine and as I said the only way I found out was stopping the statin for a week. I took this upon myself as doc wasn’t really listening but once I stopped them the pain went
I get pain on my right leg- knee mostly. But pain is mobile. Goes to my feet as well. One in one foot the other day another foot. They tested me for all other illnesses that cause foot pain. None discovered. I stop statins pain goes away. But my cholesterol goes to 8 or even more. All my family have it. Its hereditary. But still my GP insists i must take them.
Was recently switched from pravastin 10mg to rosuvastin 20 mg . Like you I was getting throbbing ache only in the left leg , have stopped my statin for a few days and it’s gone . I will speak to my gp if I ever manage to get appointment about changing the statin
Hi there. I was prescribed 10mg Atorvastatin. They didn't agree with me at all. I had muscle pain in my shoulders and the tops of my arms. My legs were so painful, walking and sleeping was a nightmare ( that's on top of menopause issues but that's another story😄). I'm now on 5mg of Rosuvastatin. Had a few pains for about a week and now nothing. I'm pain free on these tablets. Hope you get sorted soon. 😁
I feel so sad reading all your messages Whilst most of my family members and friends are prescribed statins I am so lucky I do not need them yet! (I am now 70) They all complain of aching joints etc to varying degrees GP's would have everyone on statins whether heart disease or not and I do not believe it is linked to high cholesterol either I have always been told by my GP turned naturopath that women's cholesterol level should be higher naturally and of course that differs from person to person When my partner had a heart attack and then was prescribed Atorvastatin 20mg I joined a Facebook group called Stopped Statins where you may also find some interesting information and other people's viewpoints I agree that many people do need to continue with a statin and just wish everyone all the very best and really hope their GP does the right thing to ensure their good health and wellbeing
After lots of aching caused by statins taking Rosuvastatin 5mg every other day causes me little issue and also successful in dropping my combined count from near 6 to 3.3. I also eat olive oil, sardines, anything that will help to reduce my count.
Nice one Gilreid1, please let us know how the new pravastatin goes. I really dislike the affect of statins, but it seems to make sense to keep taking them. I hope they go OK for you.
So reassured that it wasn’t just me ! Quality of life was dreadful after trying several statins and different dosage … locum GP said ( on a telephone appointment) it couldn’t be statins ? Really? I had to change my GP practice in the end. Have been on injection of Praluent now for seven months and the difference is striking. Some people just cannot tolerate statins of any kind so quite why GPS defend these one size fits all drugs I’ll never know. I know the pain you went through so hang in there … you will find what suits you…. And the golf will be all the sweeter 🏌🏻♂️🏌🏻♂️
Good to hear you feel better and good luck going forward.I had problems with muscle pain, eye changes and rashes for the first month.I have settled down now and feeling good.
Medication is different for us all .I didn’t want to take statins at all but the risks were too high.It’s a balance and finding the correct one,
Well I think I have been on Statins (Atorvastatin) 10mg for over 2 years, never had any follow up. Have now realised the joint pain coincided with this my knees, left one more so, climbing stairs need to hold on and careful when going down any steps etc.
Well thank you very much for your info on Statins . It was established in hospital that my horrendous stomach problems were caused by Statins and as a result I can’t take them . I saw my sister suffer like you have with episodes of painful joints until she was taken off them and had the same result as yourself. Before my bypass my cholesterol was normal. However I shall have another go when I can see my doctor . There is nothing else I can do
I have got a medication review in August and I plan on asking to come off my statins for the same reason! My leg pain has got worse and I am fed up with it! Feel like I'm 82 not 52!!
Hi!Have you tried Rosuvastatin? It's the only one I could tolerate. It works in a slightly different way than normal stations, and has less side effects. I e been on it for 22 years. It's more expensive, so Docs don't offer it as a first off.
Following HA put on simvastin. While in hospital. Stopped due to nausea after two weeks. Put on rosuvastatin. Prior to surgery stopped by cardiologist due to upsetting stomach. Put on atorvastatin. Leg pains and now trying pravastatin
Fantastic, the feeling of walking, moving and playing golf without pain will be wonderful for you. You the same as I now have a better quality of life, start your new statin low and monitor any stiffness, pain and puffiness. I stayed on 10mg daily and my cholesterol is the best level I have ever had. Fingers crossed and good luck!
Ive taken several of the cheaper ( i.e off-patent) statins over ten years and Pravastatin gave me nasty muscle cramps in my calf muscles so I came off them.Im now trying the latest variant called Nustendi its brand new and is a hybrid statin, after a week ive had virtually no cramps apart from some slight stiffness when walking this disappears after a while.I can live with this and recommend the new statin if you experience cramps.All subject to your GP approval of course.
I too have had drama trying 3 different statins...two (atorvastatin and simvastatin) muscle aches so bad I could even walk a block without stopping because my legs were in screaming pain and rosuvastatin I had the worst stomach pain so much more I'd rather would have given birth again! 😖 The GP has prescribed me ezetimbe 10mg but the chemist was a little confused as they normally are prescribed with a statin! And they also said they're is a risk of side effects too. So I'm very hesitant to start just yet! Has anyone else been prescribed ezetimbe by itself to reduce cholesterol?
No I had it added to a very high dose of Atorvastatin … as per my previous post I was in dreadful pain before they popped me on Ezitimbe. Made not a bit of difference to my high ldl levels or the pain … some people cannot tolerate statins unfortunately
yes i take estemibe by itself. Atorvastatin and rosuvastatin caused muscle wastage. Estimibe does not appear to be lowering my cholesterol by any great degree.
I was originally prescribed 40mg atorvastatin but it caused muscle pain in my legs which meant I couldn’t walk very far I was also extremely tired, my gp changed my statin to Rosuvastatin 10mg and everything seems fine now. I was concerned that my Rosuvastatin was a lower dose but I would rather that than not be able to walk very far
What you probably heard was that some people get side effects, which in fact may not affect you in any way. What you presumably didn't hear was that the unreported majority don't get side effects, and take their statins daily without any problems whatsoever (just like me), but if they do get side effects there are several statins to try which may not induce side effects. And if that doesn't work there are other cholesterol adjusting medications available. Although taking statins comes with some risk it is the overall view of the medical profession that the benefits far outweigh the risks, which is why they are widely prescribed. If on balance they weren't 'safe' their use wouldn't be approved by NICE and other regulatory bodies. So in my view anyone with known heart disease who decides not to take statins really needs to think hard about that decision and be guided by their health professional, because the consequences of not taking them could ultimately be prematurely life threatening.
Yes spot on reply. Unfortunately you only hear the bad side affects! No one is going to bother posting about "I've had no problems with statins" are they. Best is to try and see.
I have a bad penicillin allergy in my family and was paranoid about my daughter taking it after a infection, but u know what she was fine!
I will have to just keep trying and find statin that works for me. My family has too much heart history to ignore not trying to help the situation
Wow, thats quite a quick change. Ive now been put on Nilemdo 180g as opposed to Atorvastatin so far now where near all the joint pains&feeling awful. Just need blood test tocheck theyre actually lowering cholesterol now
I was put on 40mg Atorvastatin due to issues found on CT Angiogram, no pain problems. It was bumped up to 80mg a few months later and a number of other drugs due to the results of angiogram showing 70% distal lad blockage. This was instead of a stent - due to it being towards the end of the LAD and its position -- less heart mass in jeopardy. It was to stabilize the plague, I have low cholesterol my whole life, and it pushed down the LDL to 0.8. Then the pain set in after month or so, got really bad. I then had CT/Pet perfusion scan showing uniform good blood flow throughout my heart - all the AE events I had were most likely not heart related - ie. severe acid reflux, pinch nerves etc. I could not take the pain anymore - it wasn't going away. So with the perfusion results I reduced back to 40mg a day, the pain went away, LDL is back in the 1.X. Cardiologist said no reason to switch to another statin as long as I can stay on the 40mg dosage, along with good triglyceride test results.
Hi There, after taking 40mg of Atorvastatin for 2 years I found that my knees were swelling up and I was loosing a lot of strength in my legs and arms. I spoke to my doctor about stopping them to see if they were the problem, He did not think it would make any difference but just like you I found after two weeks the swelling had gone down and after 4 weeks I am walking a lot better, I am now waiting for a call from the heart nurse to see what will happen next.
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