Statin users(Lipitor, Vytorin, Crestor..etc) muscle or tendon problems--Doc's also
 

I have been on statins for nearly 20 years. Since that time I have torn 2 rotator cuffs(surgery), multiple tears of 1 plantar fascia (surgery), 1 mesicus complex tear (knee replacement at some time)and am going to the doctor next week for my other knee which is exhibiting swelling, tenderness, soreness and some bruising.

None of the injuries can I really point a finger at an injurious moment except possibly the plantar fascia. I was running backwards during a scrimmage of my basketball team reffing them. The next day I could not touch the ground with my foot.

I did some Googling and found that if you are taking statins, you should also be taking CoQ10. I have just started taking it and will be grilling my Doctor next week.

My question--Do any of you statin users have any similar problems? I may be just getting old but it just seems too strange.

Doc's???

Thanks,

For what it's worth, I've been taking 20 mg. Lipitor for 10+ years and have had no muscle or joint problems. Also have been on chondroitin/glucosamine for 20+ years and absolutely believe it does wonders for old/wornout knee joints.

I've been on them for about a year. I was on Simvistatin and doc switched me to Crestor about four mos. ago. I have had no issues at all. He also told me to take a baby aspirin each night. That's a bit of a pain with bleeding when I cut myself. I haven't had any bad ones, but it does make the little ones take longer to clot. I've been doing a lot more at the gym recently to hopefully forestall any rotator cuff issues. I was in bad pain for about a year after bench pressing my 993 tranny over my head under the car by myself.

I've been on simvastatin for the past 3-4 years; no problems until 3-4 months ago, when I developed shoulder/rotator cuff soreness/achiness.
Will be going to see my doc in the next several weeks to address the issue.
Subscribing to this to hear others experience.

Tricor here. I hate it. Feel weak and tired all the time and you lose muscle quick.

I just take it now and then, not consistently.

rjp

Tried a lot of the statins- all gave me muscle aches within 2-4 weeks of starting the regimen.
Been using welchol and it is a bile acid reducer. Does not take the cholesterol level down like a statin, but no aches or pains. Added benefit is it reduced my IBS too

I'm on 40 mg simvastatin right now & have been for the last year or two. My cholesterol level was originally 318 with and HDL of 52 (or 56 - don't remember). I was originally on Mevacor in the '80s but it didn't have any effect on my level. I gave up on it & didn't start on medication again until maybe 12 years ago. My level was in the 220 to 260 range on symvastatin, and my doc changed me to Vytorin about 3 years ago. Things went along OK, and my cholesterol level went from the 200's down to 160, then to 115 (which made me a little suspicious). I was happy but after being on it for about a year & a half, I started to experience pain in my upper body, shoulders, & arms. At first I thought it was old age & hard work, so I didn't pay too much attention to it. As time went on, the pain got worse & worse, and I lost a lot of strength in my muscles in genera & especially in my upper bodyl. Another thing that happened was memory loss. My memory went to absolute schyt. My wife was always asking me why I was confused, and I sort of secretly wondered if Alzheimers (sp.?) was setting in. Finally the pain & muscle weakness go so bad I figured it really wasn't something natural & there was a reason I was experiencing all of this, and the only thing I could tie my suspicion to was an adverse reaction to the Vytorin. I went online and became convinced it was a reaction to the Vytorin - including the memory problems. So I stopped taking it & emailed my doc a description of my problems & told him I was quitting the cholesterol medication. I began to feel better in less than a week and continued to feel better as time went on, and my memory went back to normal (for an old fart). So after 6 months, my doc put me back on symvastatin and I began taking CoQ10 - not that I can identify if it's doing any good or not. So it took me about a month or more to almost completely recover from the reaction to the drug, and sofar things are going well, & my level as of this week is 166. If you're experiencing problems I'd have a serious talk with your doctor about them.

Maybe the doctors or lawyers can chime in, but I have a 90 day bottle of 40mg Simvistatin here I can't use and will send to anyone who has a script for it (my gift to your health). I had already ordered and paid for it from Medco, when my doctor got my blood work back and said to switch to Crestor. Medco wouldn't take it back, even though I hadn't opened the package. Expire date is 02/23/12.

Muscle aches and pains are the commonest specific side effect of the statins, but the overall incidence is low. If it is an issue, it can usually be dealt with by adjusting the dose or type of statin used.
Musculoskeletal injuries (rotator cuff injuries, etc) are not related to the statins. Older people (sorry) tend to be on the statins, and the incidence of musculoskeletal degenerative conditions increase with age. If you don't blame your failing eyesight, greying hair or increasing girth on the statins, don't blame your rotator cuff issues or plantar fasciitis.
Statins can cause life threatening myositis (generalised skeletal muscle inflamation). In 17 years in general and cardiothoracic ICU I've seen one such case. Want to hear how many life threatening reactions to penicillin and acetaminophen (paracetamol) overdoses I've treated in that time?

Not sure if the incidence is low, 6 of my extended family were placed on statins and had the same reactions I had, namely severe muscle pain, severe joint pain and significant (20lb) weight gain. I have tried every statin there is as my cholesterol is almost off the chart (but no family history of heart issues, resting heart rate of 53 etc etc).

Personally, considering the arguments I have had with the medical profession about this, it makes me feel like it is a good solution for people who have multiple heart related issues (e.g. family history, overweight, smokers etc) but it is overprescribed for most people. I was asked by one doctor "why aren't you dead yet?" purely on the cholesterol measurements and by at least two other physicians who said that I was in effect committing suicide by refusing to take statins.

Thankfully I don't have the same issues as you with health insurance, but the times when I have been an employee and apply for extra coverages, I either get refused or surcharged so much that it is pointless.

And just in the way of defence, we tried varied doses, all the corollary drugs, the one with the weight gain (Lipidil Micro), I lost the weight within a few months of getting off of the wretched stuff.

D.

I have done Lipitor for well over 10 years and now Crestor for 1+ year. Lipitor made me feel nasty. Weak and tired. Nothing negative with Crestor that I can tell.

The CoQ10 made me all stressed out so I quit it.

Larry

I take a statin and when my doctor put me on it he also suggested I take co Q 10. I checked around with my other doctors and 3 said they take it. Do some research and look into obiquinol. It is coQ10 but in a form your body can readily use. I am not a doctor but I would suggest anyone on a statin or over 40 take at least 100 mg's of obiquinol a day. I am not a big beliver in vitamins, etc, and I don't take alot of pills. But, I am very sold on coQ10/obiquinol. Do yourself and your liver a favor and check it out. Spencer

1. Had a full arrest heart attack at age 39 resulting in an advanced arthrectomy (roto-rooter) clearing all 3 arteries to les than 15% blockage, down from +90%.

2. Highest cholesterol was 230 with no meds.

3. I've been on Zocor/Simvistatin for 16 years with no ill effects and a current total cholesterol of under 100. In a long term study at the Clevealand Clinic looking at the cleaning effects of statins in conjuction with ACE inhibitors (Ramporil) which has seemed to have a good result for me. Next followup in October.

4. My wife on the other hand has had nothing but muscle pains with any statin they have tried. She is on Crestor now and seems to have worked through the muscle ache stage and is now doing ok on the Crestor.

5. Alls well at age 55, exercise and diet with meds is a way of life!

I have hereditery high cholesterol and bad liver enzyme counts. I have tried Lipitor, Welchol, and all kind of other variations. None worked for me. I never had any of the side effects that you have described. Some, I won't mention here. ;)
I currently take 2000mg of Slo Cin (Niacin) every day. I also take 3600mg of Fish oil and 1400mg of Flax seed oil. Its over the counter and it is working for me! I am now in the "normal" range for cholesterol.
As a side note, I'm not sure if I could tell you accurately if I have more joint issues then normal since my job is very physical as it is.

Oy.
You guys need to talk to your docs. Too much misinfo here already and this stuff should be addressed to individual situations. Tricor & welchol arent statins and dont confer the same benefits. Niacin is a B complex vitamin and although it has beneficial effects on lipids, did not prove to improve death stroke or heart attack risk.

I was up to 1500mg of Niacin per day and my cholesterol remained pegged at 340. The side effect hot flashes prohibited me from sleeping. Took aspirin to help but that was a joke. I eat the same meals as my wife - but not nearly as indulgent. She eats toast with butter...I eat oatmeal. She eats sandwiches...I eat grape nuts. We eat the same dinner but I don't use garnishes. Her Cholesterol is mid 100's. This is totally genetic folks. I have been on a generic statin for a couple years now. Cholesterol is down to low 200's. If my diet was 100% water I doubt my cholesterol level would drop.

I am just a year away from 50. I workout alot and run almost everyday. I have major aches and pains. Are they attributed to my statin drug or just plain old age and seriously messed up genetics? I have no idea.

Thanks so far to all that have replied. I'm just trying to get a pulse of the groups personal observations on the subject.

I have done Lipitor, Vytorin and now for the last couple of years Crestor. My highest reading ever was 240. With medication at 1 10mg dose, it is usually 150 or a little lower. I have a great ldl number. My Doctor upped my dosage to 2 10mg a day when my lower back x-ray possibly indicated calcium deposits on the aortic artery.

A heart calcium count scan, an ultrasound scan for a possible abdominal aortic aneurysm and a heart stress test later, all came out good.

I also forgot that I also have had 2 cervical disk problems, 1 rupture and 1 herniated. Went to bed one night, next morning my neck was kind of sore, by that evening I was in pretty good pain.

I have taken supplements for year, enteric aspirin, Triple Flex, Celedrine, multi vitamin plus Vit A, D and E, Fish Oil and now CoQ10.

My timeline: 35, started with statins, 38, 2 rotators, 42, 2 cervical disks, 47, tears of the plantar fascia, 53, complex tear meniscus, 55, other knee.

I used to joke, "If it doesn't hurt, it doesn't work". I don't say that much anymore.

I was on lipitor and got the Aches & Pains - quit taking it

So many of these new Meds have worse side-effects than the problem they are supposed to deal with

+1

Took 10mg for about 4-5 years. Started having leg pain, doc advised stopping. I took CoQ10 for about 2 months before pain subsided.

I've been on statins for 12 years. I went from 300 to 155 with Lipator. After 5 years on Lipator I started getting cramps in my fingers and toes. Doc put me on Zocor and everything is fine, I'm about 175 now.

My wife however had a really bad time with Statins, terrible muscle aches and pains. She saw a rheumatologist and all her muscle enzymes were way high. The other doc put her on Zetia, she went down in points but not as good as with Lipator or Zocor.

I've been on Lipitor for about 4 years. Just recently in the hospital for very high blood pressure, 221/201. Never had had high bld psi. Right before I went in I had noticed than my groin/hip area on my left leg had started hurting. Now it's gotten to where I can't cross my left leg over my right, very painful. I can pull my knee up to my chest, left leg, and no pain, its just when I try to cross it. After reading this wonder if this is an issue due to Lipitor?? 47 yrs old, diabetic for 20.

While on Lipitor, I had the following problems:
- Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) in both shoulders *
- Plantar fascia in both feet.
- General muscle aches and pains

I requested my doctor switch me off to something else, and since then, I've been on Crestor. Now:
- No aches
- A did stress my gastronimius (calf muscle) a couple of times while playing tennsi, but I attribue that to not warming up sufficiently.

When comparing the two, I believe Crestor has less ill side-effects.
-Z-man.

* I am a diabetic, and for some unknown reason, diabetics develop frozen shoulder more often than the general population.

Almost forgot about this.....Update: After going to my Dr, he did an exam and did an x-ray. X-ray showed just a small compartment tilt so he was under the opinion that things were not too bad. He wanted to give me a shot of cortizone, but I said that I had never had any luck with it before in my shoulder and in my foot. So he prescribed Voltaren and it did help some with the pain and swelling.

I gave it about a month and the pain, ache and stiffness did not get any better. Called the Dr and asked if I should get an MRI. He kind of joked that I should have taken the shot but that he would schedule up the MRI.

Got the MRI yesterday and the Dr's nurse called with the results today. Small compartmental intrusion(that's good), complex tear of the medial meniscus, partial tear of the lateral meniscus and something else. I'm picking up the report and disk of the MRI to take to my Ortho Surgeon.

Freakin bummed......again.

This is entirely accurate. The benefits of statins, as measured by decreased MI, are not great. Therefore, going off for 4 months are fine to see if the myriad of elder complaints cease. As always, consult the prescribing physician.

I've been on simvastatin (Zocor) 40mg for several years now as well. No adverse side-effects that I can tell. I'm due to get my levels and liver enzymes checked again. I lost weight and changed my diet somewhat since I first started the Rx, so I bet my levels are much better 'naturally' although I do have a genetic predisposition to high LDL and doubt I will go off completely. Maybe I can drop the dose.

I took CoQ10 and chondroitin/glucosamine for a while but did not notice any benefit or change whatsoever, so I stopped. I still take Omega3 supplements.

I was on Crestor for about 10 years and always had aches and pains that I associated with getting older. Doctor changed me over to Lipitor with no changes. I read about CoQ10 and gave it a try. All aches and pains are gone and my energy level is up. CoQ10 will not work the same on everyone, it all depends on what you are trying to take care of.

MadMac: PM me the name of the hosp you'd have the surgery in. My knee doc is in your area....A great guy and I've given him a lot of business. Last week I had surgeries #8 and #9. Replace one knee, rebuild the other.....

Hospital was the worst I'd ever experienced. Almost called an ambulance in the middle of the night to get me out...

I've been taking statin's for years. I always kinda blamed my joint isses on Football, Skiing, motorcycle racing/riding, rolling snowmobiles down the Mtn, falling off a ladder and 23 years of serious jogging.

Really?

Example: Over the 5.4-year median follow-up period, simvastatin ..... The relative risks of main end points in simvastatin-treated patients compared with placebo-treated patients with the metabolic syndrome were as follows: total mortality 0.54 (95% CI 0.36–0.82), coronary mortality 0.39 (0.23–0.65), major CHD event 0.59 (0.45–0.77), and any atherosclerotic event 0.69 (0.56–0.84). The corresponding RRs in patients without the metabolic syndrome were 0.72 (0.56–0.91), 0.62 (0.45–0.84), 0.71 (0.61–0.82), and 0.76 (0.68–0.85). (This was the first abstract up for the 4S study, the last study for secondary prevention vs placebo)

So (approx numbers), all cause mortality cut in half, death due to heart attack down by 60%, any major event (includes stroke) down by 40%. Follow up period less than 5.5 years.

Maybe going off for a few months is not a big deal, but the belief that the cardiovascular benefits of statin use are inconsequential simply does not fit the data.

I suppose it depends on what data you prefer and how much of a drop RR you think is significant. I would argue stopping for a few months in the setting of no previous CVD endpoint and a change in one's musculoskeletal complaints won't have a significant impact.

From the Cochrane review (inherently limited to design) but 34,272 patients:

Statins for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease

Taylor F, Ward K, Moore THM, Burke M, Davey Smith G, Casas J-P, Ebrahim S

Main results
Fourteen randomised control trials (16 trial arms; 34,272 participants) were included. Eleven trials recruited patients with specific conditions (raised lipids, diabetes, hypertension, microalbuminuria). All-cause mortality was reduced by statins (RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.96) as was combined fatal and non-fatal CVD endpoints (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.79). Benefits were also seen in the reduction of revascularisation rates (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.83). Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were reduced in all trials but there was evidence of heterogeneity of effects. There was no clear evidence of any significant harm caused by statin prescription or of effects on patient quality of life.

Statins for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease

...several reviews of the effects of statins have been published highlighting their benefits particularly in people with a past history of CVD. However for people without a past history of CVD (primary prevention), the evidence is less clear. ...

can be found here:
Statins for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease

So, your assumption is that all the use described on this thread is solely for primary prevention? Somewhat of a reach given that many of the members of this forum have experienced CV events. Some of them are diabetics or metabolic syndrome (the study I quoted). At the very least, appropriate service to the community would be to advise the individuals to discuss this in detail with their physician, rather than make the pronouncement that these risk reductions are minor.

As to the meta analysis you quote, someplace between a 15% reduction in all cause mortality and 30% reduction in specifically CV mortality is not inconsequential when discussing large populations at risk.

We may agree that temporary alteration of therapy may be warranted, without undue risk for a short period (and 4 months is longer than is necessary), but to suggest these risk reductions are not significant (in more than a statistical manner) is frankly irresponsible.

While we're quoting studies, it is instructive to note that JUPITER suggests even those with "normal" LDL levels and elevated hsCRP levels see (at least statistically) lower CV event rates on drug, which reinforces the robustness of the data in elevated lipid patients. For multiple risk patients (without established disease) I would not say the data is not clear, merely that the reduction is less. (Thanks I am quite aware of the data, as it is within the purview of my speciatly).

I do not assume that all the use of statins on this forum is for primary prevention--I have no idea of the health of the forum's members nor does anyone.

You are certainly more in touch with the data than I am.

For a population, let's say anyone reading this forum, I think it's worthwhile to consider a drug holiday to see if they feel better, of course after consulting their physician. Those who are at higher risk will hopefully be able to have that guidance from their physician. Raising the issue for a dialogue I believe is worthwhile, not irresponsible. The increased relative risk of a several month holiday for the low risk population (in the setting of long term 15-30% RR reduction) would appear very low although I am unaware of any data for brief holidays from statins.

At no time did I suggest stopping a prescribed medication without consultation.

As always, most advice is worth what you payed for it.

Update: Saw my Ortho Surgeon and he said that an arthroscopic clean up should do the trick.

I asked what the difference was between my 2 knees since they were both complex meniscus tears and he said, "About 100 years."

Moral of the story, if you have chronic pain, you should probably get it checked out before it is too late.

Yes, I am a guy and that is part of my problem.