Lipitor Questions - High Cholesterol Message Board

Maverick1 · 03-07-2006, 12:43 PM

My Father has been on Lipitor for quite a while and is a very active and strong as a bull 67 year old. He recently within the last month or so developed severe pain in his legs . He can barely move , walk, now the pain is in his shoulders and he can't even lift a comb to comb his hair. He says it hurts to have his jacket on his shoulders. Once so fit, now he moves and acts as if he is 90+. He has stopped taking lipitor after talking to many who have had the same sysmptons. His docs are doing many tests, liver test came back normal, they did blood work and are waiting results of a cpk test. They want him to talk to a rumatoid arthritis doc, so we are waiting for that.. He is soaking daily in a hot tub and a suana and says that makes him feel better, but then once out, things go back to the way they were. Does anyone know what he can do? He can't sleep at nigh because he wakes up in pain and has to move to a different position which is painful ANy help would be greatly appreciated. He has been off this drug now for about 5 weeks.

janeslk · 03-07-2006, 02:45 PM

My husband started taking high doses of CoQ 10 enzyme immediately after going off Lipitor. I think he was taking 500mg per day for the first few months and then tapered off. He was taking the regular soft gels, but has now switched to the Q gel type since it is absorbed better. His pain, however, started abating after the first week so I surprised your father is still in such pain. He also used a TENS unit to stimulate his muscles and that seemed to really help with the pain. My husband's CPK level was elevated for the first few months after stopping Lipitor.

Was your father's dose increased recently? Did his symptoms occur gradually or all of a sudden? I hope you find some answers from the tests. It may be something unrelated to Lipitor.

Jane

enie · 03-07-2006, 03:22 PM

I hope the cpk is clear and his pain resolves by itself quickly. They are really checking your Dad out completely. Sounds like he has a good Doctor.
Yes, statins can really cause a lot of pain and inflammation of the joints. It did my husband, even after he had stopped taking it for quite awhile. Just wondering, if everything else checks out OK (and I pray it does), did your Dad have a flu shot a little while befor the pain started? Or has he had an infection recently? My Mom had some experience with that problem and when I looked it up on the web I read that those things can bring about acute inflammation of the joints also. [Although you won't hear a Doctor talk about the negative side of flu shots.]
enie

Maverick1 · 03-07-2006, 04:18 PM

Thanks for responding!

What is CoQ10. I have read about that in other places. No, he didn't increase any of the lipitor, it just started rather suddenly, first with his legs and then his arms and now his shoulders. He just said today he was able to bend over and tie his shoes for the first time in awhile.

HubbleRules · 03-07-2006, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maverick1

Thanks for responding!

What is CoQ10. I have read about that in other places. No, he didn't increase any of the lipitor, it just started rather suddenly, first with his legs and then his arms and now his shoulders. He just said today he was able to bend over and tie his shoes for the first time in awhile.

Maverick1,

It is not unusual for side-effects to happen after a prolonged time on statins. Contrary to what many believe, side effects do not necessarily happen within weeks or months of drug therapy commencement.

I would suspect your dad's muscle pain is statin induced. It can take a while to recover from it also, so tell your dad to be patient. It took 8 months after I stopped Lipitor (had been on 10-20mg for 7.5 years) before I noticed any lessening of pain or strength returning. However, I am now fully recovered - your dad can recover too...

CoQ10 is an important enzyme that is instrumental in proper functioning of the mitochondria, which among other things help with ATP (energy) production for the muscles. COQ10 is depleted by statins. It is thought that this depletion adversely affects the mitochondria, in turn causing pain and weakness. Taking supplemental CoQ10 (100-200mg/day at least) will help build up CoQ10 tissue levels over time. Finres posted before that it takes 6 months for each generation of mitochondria to renew itself - so it could help explain why it takes so long for some people to recover from muscle problems.

HubbleRUles