Crestor, Statins, side effects - spec. patient groups - High Cholesterol Message Board

medcase · 01-13-2005, 03:47 PM

I was on Crestor 10 mg. for 7 mos. My 3rd mos. I started experiencing abnormal muscle fatigue, weakness and a low grade fever. The fever went away but the muscle fatigue etc. continues to today.

2 wks. ago I discovered that there are special groups of people whose dose should be less than half of what would normally be prescribed due to greater sensitiviy to Crestor. I spoke with 3 pharmacists and 2 doctors. All were unawared of this special caution which is only found buried within the lengthy dosing information sheet that the company gives with the original med. package. I am a 50 year old Japanese American, one of these groups of patients. My pharmacist told me I should have been given half the dose I was given. So in reality for me I was taking 20mg. of Crestor. Chinese people as well are in this group

I have read numerous articles online that have state Crestor is the most powerful statin drug out presently (It only came out in the US in Sept. 03) Canada's equivalent of FDA issued a safety alert last June 04 stating side effects and spec. groups requiring careful dosing.

Since Sept. I have been tested, screened and scanned to find out why I was having symptoms that have kept me from working. All the tests have come back neg. I also saw 5 differ. specialists.

One of the side effects of Crestor is muscle weakness caused by muscle deterioration. One article said a patient can have muscle damage without it showing up in the blood work up. I think this is my case.

All in all I am going to be staying away from all statin drugs as there is too much uncertainty about their present and long term safety and am going to try non-statin drugs like Zetia. Baycol which was a strong statin was removed from the market because of so many bad side effects. An FDA official is trying to get Crestor off the market presently as well as the Public Citizens group. The FDA official puts Crestor in the same category as Vioxx which was removed from the market.

By the way, my doctor didn't know I should have been on at least half the dose she prescribed to me. She did prescribe physical therapy for me this past week when I showed her the info. I had gathered.

Medcase

Uff-Da! · 01-13-2005, 03:59 PM

Thank you for reporting on this to us. Can you tell us what groups should be on half the usual recommended dose due to greater sensitivity?

jtu91952 · 01-13-2005, 06:09 PM

Lipitor is also one of those statins. I had soo much trouble with lipitor that after 3 yrs i ended up in the er. B4 my gp referred me to physical therapy. it didn't work. Since that happened, im now afraid of all statins.

And to think my cardio just last week offered me crestor. I declined.

NineLives · 01-14-2005, 05:21 PM

My brother isn't Japanese or Chinese but he had basically the same reaction to Crestor. He is now on Vytorin and doing great!