Statins and side effects

[granzanz]

I am wondering if any one has experienced the side effects from zocor. My husband started zocor about 3 weeks ago. Last week he started having dyspnea nd chest pain, and horrible muscle spasms in his abd, looked like contractions during labor... He was admited and heart cath clean. labs showed elevated ck and anemia, serum ferritin was 5, rock bottom. He eats healthy and no active bleeding. I mentioned these side effects being from the zocor and Dr said that syndrom from a statin are so rare and about 1 in a million. Well all my nursing sense tells me these are signs of a reaction to the zocor... and my husband is one in a million........ any one have any adverse effects from the statins.. and today on the news I heard that statins are being recomended for more patients... thanx..

[registerednutrn, BSN, RN]

before i was in nursing school my mother took zocor and she got to the point with muscle pain that she could not get up out a chair with out assistance. at first she just that she was getting old ( she was in her 50's) and that the pain was a normal part of aging until she heard a report about zocor causing muscle pain. I took her to the dr and he insisted that it was not the zocor causing her pain but took her off of it anyway and did some blood test. with in 2 weeks it was a night and day difference. She was able to move so much easier and started doing things again. Soo the dr put her on lipitor she tolerated it for a few months then her good arm ( she has cerebral palsy)started to hurt she kept taking it because she thought she should do what the dr said. she got to the point she could no longer feed her self. Soo we took her back to the dr again. he literally got into an arguement with me saying that it was only in her mind ( yes he actually said that she was just imaging it) I just wanted to scream :angryfire. She refused to take it any longer so now she takes 2000 mg of niacin daily to control her high cholesterol. More people suffer with the statins than is made known. I have known many people that have stopped taking them because of the pain. What good does it do to take a med to lower cholesterol if you are in too much misery to do anything else.

[hbgwan, LPN, LVN]

i was on pravistatin for high cholesterol. i was also exercising heavily, too. about 2 months after starting to take the drug, i had to stop exercising due to a knee problem. it was at that time i started noticing muscle twitching, especially in my leg. it progressively got a bit worse as i continued to not exercise and continued to take the drug. i called my MD and he said to stop taking the drug for 2-3 weeks to see if the twitching stopped. it was at that time i started exercising again. the twitching seems to have subsided some but nonetheless, i don't think i want to be on a statin!

[morte, LPN, LVN]

Bigggest risk with statins is liver problems, that's the reason for frequent LFTs. I am assuming his PCP did a LFT before prescribing Zocor. Big warning sign of liver involvement is leg cramps or pain. Have never had a patient who complained of abdominal pain, but warrants investigation. We are all going to need more tutoring in Statins now that the study has been released that indicates they reduce chance of heart attack and stroke in folks with C-Reacive Protein disparities. Everyone is going to want to be on a statin.

i have, i think, an awesome suggestion.....why dont they find out why the Crp is elevated, and fix that!.....gosh....maybe it is too simple......

[granzanz]

I am very open to suggestions for cholesterol reducing alternatives...My husband is scheduled for GI dr next week, and probably having a scope. I know it's the zocor, not a GI bleed. Although at 53 if he is willing have the colonoscopy, I am not objecting... I am so convienced it's the zocor I willl not shut up about it.... The more I read the more certain I am he has been having symptoms. Thanx for the reply

[morte, LPN, LVN]

I am very open to suggestions for cholesterol reducing alternatives...My husband is scheduled for GI dr next week, and probably having a scope. I know it's the zocor, not a GI bleed. Although at 53 if he is willing have the colonoscopy, I am not objecting... I am so convienced it's the zocor I willl not shut up about it.... The more I read the more certain I am he has been having symptoms. Thanx for the reply

google "curcumin+high+cholesterol"

[ronanimfa]

i would just like to share this - large amt of VIT E should not be given together with statin cause it interfere with how the medication work. Still we need it when we got old.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

i would just like to share this - large amt of VIT E should not be given together with statin cause it interfere with how the medication work. Still we need it when we got old.

http://www.newswithviews.com/Richards/byron44.htm

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/vitamin-e-000996.htm

it may be the other way around.....and maybe we should throw out the statins and keep the E