I’ve been on 80mg avortostatin for 3yrs. I’ve also got arthritis in neck and back. I’ve had issues with hips and single side shoulder and arm pain before taking statin’s. I know I need to take statins and don’t want to change them ( as others can have side affects too), unless absolutely needed.
so my question is if the muscle and joint pain is from statins is it always bilateral? As my pains wax and wane in different groups of muscles and joints at different times but are getting worse overall. I’m trying to decide if it’s the statins or my other issues causing me pain. As my right arm is bad at the moment. I just don’t want to mess with medication if not necessary.
Thank you for any experiences shared.
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Ewloe
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I guess the only way you can determine if the discomfort you are experiencing is from the statins is to stop taking them for a few days. As I understand this drug does not give withdrawal symptoms. I was on 20mg Atorvastatin for only 3 months but the side effects were too much so stopped them. In a matter of days my muscle weakness and aching diminished along with the awful knee pain. Speak to your pharmacist or GP about a way forward, no point in continuing if your quality of life is being impacted.
If you believe you are getting muscle and joint pains which are a side effect from taking statins, go talk to your GP who should be able to trial another statin for you to try which may not induce side effects. Rosuvastatin seems to be a common switch from Atorvastatin for example. And if you need to take medication for lipid management and are found to be statin intolerant there is other medication to try.
Do check with your GP. When my GP stopped my statins to see if hey were causing my problems, he said they take around a month to get out of your system completely so you probably won't see any immediate difference.
The only way is to stop them for few days,if you feel better then you'll know,there are others you can take,I'm on my 3rd as my quality of life means more than keeping cholesterol down
Different fir everyone mine started with upper arm aches and pains. Then switched to fatigue. So reduced my doseage from 40mg to 20mgand so far all fixed.
Well I cant take Statins at all which was confirmed when I was in hospital after my heart bypass. because I had really bad stomach and bowel problems when on them therefore have to lead a pretty healthy life. I watch what I eat and use Benacol and ensure I take lots of exercise . So far after nearly five years my blood test results have come back normal . I wouldn’t advise anyone who can take Statins and be advised to should do the same as I have to . However I come accross worrying statements online from experts stating that if I don’t take Statins I will have another heart attack in five years after my bypass. Well I tested my heart in Scotland last week at a castle which highest point was 100 feet plus . I managed to climb to the very top via steps and had no chest pain. So hope at coming up to age 82 . I can continue . I really hope you manage to sort your problem out and have help .
hi I had a stent fitted in January 2018 and was prescribed 40mg atorvastatin and 75mg aspirin .I started to have a reaction to the atorvastatin and I stopped taking them.Since then I started to take plant sterols and use cholesterol lowering margarine etc and keep fit by going to the gym /long brisk walks.I test myself constantly by climbing steep hills and do so comfortably.
I believe that plant sterols and exercise are a great alternative and would recommend.
Could be medication,. Could be age, could be genetics
Humidity and warmth also have a very big effect on how our joints feel. Did the joints feel better during the warmer drier days of summer? What are the humidity levels in your bedroom and house generally? Anything over 55/6-0% is considered high.
Weight will also have an impact. So it might be looking at other factors as well as the statins.
I have been taking 80 mg Atorvastatin for 6 years now. I have developed neck pain on one side in recent months. Cant see how pain on one side can be due to statin.
Hi Ewloe ditto all previous comments, another consideration ask your GP to reduce the dose, I was flabbergasted to learn the so called 6% rule. As follows. if the dose of a statin is doubled then there is an approximate 6% increase in LDL lowering efficacy by doubling the dose - the so-called 6 percent
rule
• for example
• rosuvastatin statin 5mg
produces an approximate LDL reduction of 40% - if the dose
of rosuvastin is doubled to 10mg then there is an approximate 46%.
So as can be seen reducing the dose will have little effect on the benefits of a smaller dose.
Good question! Unfortunately I don’t know the answer, although suspect it’s an unknown as likely no studies will have/ could be done to determine this specifically.
Hi. What you are describing, one sided pain which waxes and wanes in different places, sounds much more like arthritis. I also get this sometimes neck arm, occasionally hands and thumb. Recently my hip pain got worse so I had to have surgery. Have taken atorvostatin for over ten years but reduced the dose from 80 to 20 which is controlling my cholesterol levels without upsetting my stomach. With the full approval of my GP.
You do have the choice to take statins or not to take them. The Nice guidelines states the GP use cases but there is a caveat that if the patient can advise the GP on taking them or not.
The whole high LDL and heart disease is getting debunked because if it was true then the wards would be full of patients with high LDL and CAD and that is not the case. In my case my LDL was 3.2 and my trigs have been as high as 2.5 during my early years and I had a CABGx2. I was on 20mg of Atoravastatin but I took private bloods and my Apollipoprotein E was low so we decided to stop the statins and repeat the bloods again at Xmas.
Statins do prevent soft plaque breaking off but if you have been prescribed statins for high LDL I would definitely challenge the GP/Cardiologist about the reasons.
I would say if your HDL is above 1 then you are doing OK and the same with your tryglycerides.
My work did the NHS health screen and my HDL was 1.2 and it was much higher than the rest of my colleagues.
Oh isn't it so difficult trying to work out what is an original problem getting worse or tablets making it worse. I live with chronic pain in my entire spine from 3 different conditions, generalised osteo -arthritis, fibromyalgia and Lyme disease. One of the most painful areas is a damaged disc right behind my heart. Is my chest pain from heart or referred pain from the disc or just costochondritis or even my tablets? Is the worsening of pain from statins or my pain medication becoming less effective or has it just got worse? I too didn't want to stop or change statins but I needed to know if they were the cause or something else. My GP stopped my statin for a month to see whether the pain level improved. It didn't so I'm back on it and it didn't need changing. My husband developed bad muscle pain after starting atorvastatin. He also stopped taking them but his pain went away completely so it was clear his statin needed changing.
My husband had muscle pain with every statin he had tried until he was told to take Coq10 every day and his muscle pain is gone. Maybe ask your Dr. about it, and here in the US it is recommened now when you take statins to add it as well.
I’m 64 and have been taking Atorvastatin (20mg) for a few years. I had a leak in one of my heart valves, and a CT angiogram revealed a slight narrowing in one of my coronary arteries, hence the statins, even though my cholesterol was low. Initially, I got pain in both hips and also in my lower back and buttocks. I wondered if the pain was a side effect of the statins and so my cardiologist advised me to stop taking them for two months or so. If the pain disappeared it was likely due to the statins. If the pain remained it likely had a different cause. The pain stayed and subsequently I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both hips. I now have new hips and no pain - so I still take the statins.
along with what’s been said. I’m in favour of Physiotherapy. You might find that a physio could prescribe exercices to help your aches and pains. To go through the NHS might be a six month waiting list, you approach the MSK unit direct - see NHS website for details.
Or go private, physio is around fifty pounds for first visit and less after.
I was on statins for quite a long period but they didn't do much for me and I hate that they are so hard on the liver. I found a medical study (real study not alternate med), sadly lost when my previous computer died suddenly, that stated tests had found that Bergamot Extract 1500 mg is therapeutic for lowering cholesterol in most people. The bottles always say 500 mg but that does nothing. I went on it for over 4 months and for the first time in 16 years my cholesterol and triglycerides were in the normal range. High normal but finally there. I went off them for a while and the levels started to go back up so I stay on it now and my levels have gone back down and there has not been any side effects at all from it.
I am following this thread with interest. My statins were changed from 80 mg Atorvastatin to 40mg Rosuvastatin as my cholesterol was not reducing. However I have definitely noticed that my legs and hips ache a lot, which prevents me from being able to go on walks - something I feel I need to do to help me stay fit and healthy and to try and reduce my weight. Next step is try and get get an appointment with my doctor - not easy to do!
Ask doctor if you can take lower dose . Worked for me I definitely have less pain now I have halved my Atorvastatin, and cholesterol seems fine at the moment . I have Psaand fibromyalgia
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