Statins and Aching Muscles By Simeon Margolis, M.D., Ph.D. - Posted Tue, Jul 19, 2005, 11:20 am PDT

1. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Jul 19, 2005, 7:18 pm PDT

I've tried numerous statins over the past eight years - Zocor, Pravachol, Lipitor, Crestor. All of them caused my normally hard, stong finger nails to become soft, break off and stop growing. I've mentioned this to my doctor who believes it's not related to the statins. Everytime I stop - my nails comeback. Every statin has caused this to happen. Is this a known side effect of statins?

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2. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Jul 29, 2005, 4:11 pm PDT

Every statin drug has the same effect on me...they paralize my muscles in some place on my body. First my face & throat while taking Zocor. Then while taking Lipitor my legs became paralized. When on Crestor My throat became paralized & I almost died. I was then told to never take statins again. So what's left? The non-statin drugs just don't do the trick.

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3. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Aug 15, 2005, 12:14 pm PDT

To bgquartet_toni: I have just borderline high cholesterol and I keep my cholesterol under control with several natural alternatives. You can use a combination of things without taking statins to lower cholesterol. First thing is a low fat diet, exercise and look for things like switching to the butter alternatives like benecol and smart balance. They contain plant stenol or plant sterols that are proven to lower bad cholesterol. Eat more oatmeal and whole grains, avoid trans fats found in many foods. You can also take some herbs and supplements that help with cholesterol. There is even a green tea extract called TeaFlavin that has a clinical study showing it lowered bad cholesterol. Of course, anything you decide to try, you should consult with your doctor first.

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4. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Aug 27, 2005, 6:13 am PDT

I stopped using Zocor in February 2004 because I developed muscle pain in my legs and arms and numbness in my hands that I think were being caused by this drug. This past February, 2005, I stated using sugar cane wax derived policosanol, 10mgs per day. According to the literature I read, the sugar cane wax sourced policosanol is best and other sources do not seem to be as effective. The drop in LDL I experienced is not as dramatic as Zocor, but as of two weeks ago, mine did drop from 190 to 149. Also, the HDL jumped from 35-36 to 46. I just started using 20 mg per day to see if there is any further improvement. From what I read, more than 20 mg per day does show more beneficial effects. I bought it from Young Again Nutrients. Their website has a lot of info/studies on Policosanol that is worth reading too. They recommend that you share this info with your doctor before switching from statins. As the prevous poster advises, consult your doctor first. Probably very good advice.

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5. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Aug 27, 2005, 2:57 pm PDT

"From what I read, more than 20 mg per day does show more beneficial effects." This is wrong. I meant to say more than 20mg does NOT show improvements.

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6. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Jun 27, 2006, 1:19 pm PDT

After trying several statins, I vowed to never use them again. My legs hurt me terribly, I had muscle spasms throughout my body and just generally felt horrible. After my experience I began talking to other people, MANY who had experienced the same thing using statin drugs. While not all people do, a good number suffer from what the drug companies want us to believe is a "rare" side effect. There are non-statin drugs you can take. Ask your doctor!!!

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7. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Jun 27, 2006, 1:22 pm PDT

To "bgquartet", there are natural products you can take to help lower your cholesterol. I take a combination of things and have lowered my LDL 150 points. Research natural herbs and find out what is known or what "may" reduce it and then experiment. There are online herbal companies where you can get them very reasonbly.

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8. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Jun 27, 2006, 1:23 pm PDT

After trying several statins, I vowed to never use them again. My legs hurt me terribly, I had muscle spasms throughout my body and just generally felt horrible. After my experience I began talking to other people, MANY who had experienced the same thing using statin drugs. While not all people do, a good number suffer from what the drug companies want us to believe is a "rare" side effect. There are non-statin drugs you can take. Ask your doctor!!!

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9. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sun, Oct 22, 2006, 8:27 am PDT

i have been taking lipitor 10mg daily for several years..a few months ago i developed upper arm tendonitis..first on the left arm and a month or so later on the right arm..is this rhabdomyolysis????

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10. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Mon, Jun 11, 2007, 11:43 am PDT

The points you make are very interesting for me. I have changed statins from Simvastatin to Atorvastatin and lately have leg pains again. I will try the test and two week break and go from there. Could you tell me which other drugs affect the statins. I take Ramapril and Atenolol. Many thanks

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11. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Sat, Nov 03, 2007, 4:16 pm PDT

this was short & to the point thank you .. I am taking Lipitor 10mg every day .. I have had two hip replacements (3yrs & 1 yr) .. so not sure if muscle weakness is due to the ops or the statin ... I exercise but the leg muscles seem to have no tone any more even though 20 yrs ago I had very strong legs due to my being a squash player .. I swim 100 laps of my 35ft pool every day so figure my muscles should strengthen! I will have the blood tests if possible - I live on the island of Curacao.

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12. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Thu, Mar 06, 2008, 12:13 pm PST

My legs ache with Policosanol just like they hurt with Lipitor. I thouht Policosanol had no side effects, but it has exactly the same side effect for me as Lipitor.......The only way I can make my legs stop aching is to take NOTHING !!

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13. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Apr 22, 2008, 6:18 am PDT

My doctor prescribed Gemfibrozil. I began having extreme muscle pains in my sholders and arms. My doctor told me it was becasue of my recent mowing of the yard. That I needed to exercise more. The pain continued until one day I did research on Gemfibrozil and it said one of the side effects was muscle pain. It has been 8 days since I took the medicine and I still have some soreness, but I trust that it will soon go away.

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14. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Fri, Nov 07, 2008, 6:11 am PST

I have been taking pravachol for a few years and a few months ago my arms started aching, especially when I would wake up in the morning. It seems to be getting more achy. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

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