Atorvastatin: Been taking Atovastatin... - Cholesterol Support

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Atorvastatin

Woody26 profile image
17 Replies

Been taking Atovastatin for some time, came of them for a month because of muscle weakness , and l started with red rash on forehead, the rash seemed to disappear with prescribed facewash and cream Started taking them again and my forehead has flared up again, has anyone else had similar symptoms with these tablets, ???

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Woody26 profile image
Woody26
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17 Replies
lynsreid profile image
lynsreid

I’ve been taking atorvastatin 20mg for about 10 months - I do experience aches, mainly joints and a bit of brain fog but no rashes.

StephenlythNo profile image
StephenlythNo

I don’t think you do any us who are taking it any favours with that comment . I’m on 60 Mil a day with severe heart disease, do I think the NHS prescribe it to do me harm ? No I don’t

sos007 profile image
sos007Ambassador

I did not experience those side effects. However, if you have been prescribed a statin drug you may have a medical condition that requires you to alter your diet and lifestyle. If you do so, you won't need any of these drugs.

StephenlythNo profile image
StephenlythNo

To be honest it worried me , hence my reply

StephenlythNo profile image
StephenlythNo

You are making unqualified comments on a public forum that give rise to people worrying about adverse effects going on inside of them because they are taking statins. That’s worrying , yes

sos007 profile image
sos007Ambassador in reply toStephenlythNo

Stephen, I had a triple bypass exactly 3 years ago, as well as 2 angioplasty procedures that inserted 4 stents into my coronary arteries. I'm 55 years of age today. After surgery I was given a cocktail of prescriptions to take for the rest of my life. After 9 months, I developed sufficiently severe side-effects from the statin drug that I made it my primary objective to do everything possible to get off of this medication.

I radically modified both my diet and lifestyle in order to address the underlying disease. During this period I must have read literally hundreds of medical studies and journals.

What I learned was statins are dangerous drugs with potentially very harmful side-effects including muscle pain and deterioration (your heart is a muscle too), increased risk of diabetes and alzheimers. I also learned that a healthy diet and daily exercise can achieve everything statin drugs accomplish, without the negative side-effects.

It took me 10 months from January 2016 to October 2016 to lose 35 lbs on top of the 5 I had lost during my surgery for a total of 40 lbs. During this period, I gradually weaned myself off of my statin prescription as well as the rest of the drugs I was given. In October 2016 I took my last statin pill and beta blocker, I had weaned off the rest of my drugs during the intervening period. Since then I have not taken any prescription medications for my heart disease.

Today I have attained optimal weight, blood pressure and lipid profile as well as other critical blood biomarkers.

I did this against the will of my cardiologist. Although he is very happy with my achievements, he still thinks I should take a statin for preventative purposes.

In all of the medical journals I have read, there is no conclusive evidence that statins prevent heart attacks or atherosclerosis.

You can read about my journey in 'coming off statins' here:

healthunlocked.com/choleste...

The people who contribute to this forum provide unbiased perspective as an alternative to the medical profession, which is educated by pharmaceutical firms.

Although most doctors are extremely intelligent and well-intentioned good people, they don't have time for research, so they just convey what they learn at their conventions where pharmaceutical companies make presentations, as well as the guidelines provided by their regulatory body.

These governing bodies tend to be 20 years behind current research in modifying their guidelines, primarily due to the perceived complexity of doing so as well as the cost to the government.

Furthermore, the contributors to this forum volunteer their time to provide perspectives from their own experience and research in order to help others.

I hope you use my own experience as an inspiration to make the necessary dietary and lifestyle changes so that you too can get off of statins.

Londinium's views are based on a large body of evidence that is well-substantiated my many qualified physicians.

Nobody is here to scare anybody else, we all post to help others.

StephenlythNo profile image
StephenlythNo in reply tosos007

Thank you for that very detailed response, you have done wonders to free yourself from these drugs. I am seeing my lipid specialist shortly and will be asking her some very direct questions about statins. Do you have any comments about Q10 ?

sos007 profile image
sos007Ambassador in reply toStephenlythNo

Londinium has given you a detailed response on coQ10. I have been taking it since my surgery to this day. I take 250 mg in the morning and 120 mg in the evening.

Thank you for the kind words.

ohpilip profile image
ohpilip

Whilst it's interesting to hear from others, one has to remember that different people have different genetic compositions. So statins might affect them differently. It must be worrying to hear shock horror stories when you have been prescribed a comparatively large dosage. Seems to me that the best way forward is to go by your individual experience.

Personally I have given up statins and rely on dietary means and exercise. But then I'm in advanced old age and it is more important to me to have a good quality of life for the relatively short time left than to pay the price for extra time in the coinage of unpleasant (possibly dangerous) experiences. Others will have very different considerations and responsibilities.

georgewalter profile image
georgewalter

I am probably not a good example. I had terrible muscle pain and stopped the medication accordingly. I do have fibromyalgia, and never really distinguished the correlation but just could not adjust to the pain. Good luck and please continue to try to find the best path for you.

Edward_H profile image
Edward_H

I have not experienced rashes but have suffered from severe muscle and joint pain since being on statins. I cut the dosage in half (much to the annoyance of my GPs practice) and since then I still have pain but it is bearable and my cholesterol levels are still low.

DakCB-UK profile image
DakCB-UK

Yes. My side effects started with a rash and finished years later with muscle spasms leaving me unable to walk. Then they tried a few more statins before discontinuing use.

Are the prescribed facewash and cream steroid-y? That's not a long term solution because most have their own side effects that accumulate.

Woody26 profile image
Woody26 in reply toDakCB-UK

Came off the statin for a month to see what would happen and I must admit my rash virtually disappeared, since going back on them it as come back with rengance so , I’m not taking it any more, I’m sorry that you got those symptoms, but I’m pleased in another way, as I now realise that I’m not imagining it thank you 🤗

Edward_H profile image
Edward_H

Coded entrySerum lipid levels

Coded entrySerum HDL cholesterol level 1.1 mmol/L

Coded entrySerum triglyceride levels 1.4 mmol/L

Coded entrySerum cholesterol level 4.1 mmol/L

Coded entrySerum alanine aminotransferase level 17 iu/L [< 41]

Coded entryMonocyte count - observation 0.39 10^9/L [0.2 - 0.8]

Coded entryLymphocyte count 1.39 10^9/L [0.8 - 4]

Coded entryMean cell haemoglobin concentration 35.2 g/dL [30.9 - 34.8]

Coded entryNeutrophil count 2.96 10^9/L [2 - 7.5]

Coded entryHaemoglobin concentration 13.5 g/dL [13.5 - 16.9]

Edward_H profile image
Edward_H

Before statins it was 5.8

What is CRP?

Edward_H profile image
Edward_H

The GP did not put me on statins initially. It was done at the hospital following my heart attack.

Edward_H profile image
Edward_H

No

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