Lawsuits filed over Lipitor side effects

Started taking simvastatin 6 months ago. After 2 months I developed soreness in leg thighs. Stopped taking it and soreness went away after a few weeks. like an idiot I started taking it again about 2 months later,now I have soreness in by arms and biceps. It is very painful to lift anything heavy. I quit taking it about 3-4 weeks ago and I still have the soreness. I,m done with it!!!

I was taking lipitor for over 9 years I stopped taking it about 6 months ago when i read an article about the damage that statins do to your bodies ability to regenerate cell tissue,since i stopped taking it I notice when I do my 6 mile walk my legs feel like they were beatin with a club I have too force myself to finish my walk I believe this is the damage from being on Lipitor for so long,I am now taking high doses of vitamin c and will not take a statin drug again.

I started taking Lipitor 10mg 4 years ago and developed muscle pain in the Legs. In the end it became so unbearable I stopped taking them.
After a break I started again, this time the pain was not as bad. Saw a cardio last year and he put me on 20 mg, well the pain came back worse.I now have ankle knees and hip pain as well as leg pain.But the worst is my lower back, it gets so I can hardly walk. Changed to Crestor 2 months ago and its no better. Three days ago I stopped completly and most pain has gone. My back is no longer aching. Thats it for me, I have a family history of High Cholesterol so will just have to manage with diet, fish oil and Vitamin c. I have also noticed while on Crestor I have put on weight in the stomach region.

How long after stopping Lipitor does it take to see any improvement in the muscle weakness, aches and pains? I've only been off it a few days and really don't see any difference as of now.

Mike P wrote:

How long after stopping Lipitor does it take to see any improvement in the muscle weakness, aches and pains? I've only been off it a few days and really don't see any difference as of now.

I wish I knew. My reaction was very intense... I wound up barely able to walk, with a severe left foot drop, unable to lift either foot more than two inches off the ground. After two months of being housebound and of intense PT, I'm now able to step up onto a six-inch exercise step, the foot drop is almost back to normal, and my walker has wheels! I expect to graduate to a cane within the next couple of weeks. My only complaint is that a standard stair riser is seven inches, so I still need special assistance to get in or out of the house. Perservere, friend!

I was taking lipitor for 9 years 20 mg.I began noticing pain in my legs about 3 years ago I like to walk 5 to 6 miles a day I spoke to my doctor on several occasions about the pain in my legs he said it was not related to lipitor I took myself off the medication about 7 months ago the muscle pain seems to be getting worse,I really don't know what to do it seems the doctors don't know what to do either.I started to take high doses of vitamin c 5000 to 6000mg per day I believe the damage is done and I fear how bad it might get.

Aside from the Vitamin C, go get CoQ10 and a Midochondrial (sp) Supplement. It would not hurt to stay on these for awhile. Most likely you have damaged the cells from taking the statin. These will help and hopefully begin allowing your body to heal itself from the destruction that Lipitor has done. I am not a doctor, but someone who has been there and is now starting to feel better...but it takes time, a lot of time. Best wishes to you!!

thomas in Canada wrote:

I was taking lipitor for 9 years 20 mg.I began noticing pain in my legs about 3 years ago I like to walk 5 to 6 miles a day I spoke to my doctor on several occasions about the pain in my legs he said it was not related to lipitor I took myself off the medication about 7 months ago the muscle pain seems to be getting worse,I really don't know what to do it seems the doctors don't know what to do either.I started to take high doses of vitamin c 5000 to 6000mg per day I believe the damage is done and I fear how bad it might get.

I won't be shocked if there is several cases filed against lipitor after reading several feed backs from patients under this medications and complaining about its side effects. Thanks for sharing http://www.hiprecalllaw.com/symptoms/

any drug has side affects,so if you took it,you should have known the risk.

I have experienced the localized pain in both my hamstrings. I was on lipitor for about a year before my doctor noticed on one of my lab tests that my CPK level had risen significantly. I did not have a lot of muscle pain, but I found myself unable to get up and down stairs without difficulty. This was very disconcerting to me. I have been off lipitor for about 18 months and the pain and cramps in my legs are still there. Some days the pain is worse than others. Is there something that will correct the problem or will it go away with more time? My CPK levels have not gotten back to where they were before taking lipitor.

Try CoQ10, try Vitamin C, try physical therapy. I began in November unable to lift my feet even two inches from the ground with such a severe left foot drop I was classified as "profoundly affected/handicapped". After months of work, sweat, and prayer, I can now climb a six inch step and sometimes a seven inch one. Unfortunately, our steps are all seven and a half inch risers. My left foot is now nearly stronger than the right. I credit the PT most, but I don't think the pills hurt at all.

Good luck, Dan.

Thank you sooo much Lulubelle. I have been on generic Lipitor for less than a month and had no idea why I was waking up with tingling in my lower legs. I am also feeling a heaviness in my chest and seem to be forgetting more words lately. I also have a general feeling of fatigue that is different than being tired. People are giving me all sorts of reasons for these happenings. It occurred to me the only change in my life was the generic Lipitor. I did some research and am stopping it right away. I only took it to appease the non-stop onslaught from my doctor about my cholesterol level. My chiropractor (a very smart man) told me my ratio was fine and I didn't need to worry about my level. I am stopping this medication. If the symptoms I have described alleviate, I will not go on it again. Thank you so much.

I too have suffered the affects of Lipitor. Took it for a year at the insistence of my doctor. Everything was fine at 5mg. but 2 weeks after he doubled the dose to 10 mg. my left foot swelled up. Couldn,t work for two weeks. Joints and feet swell and become tender. Felt like I was walking on golf balls. If I sweep or rake it feels like someone beat the outside of my upper arms with a baseball bat. A day of physical labor means it is all I can do to get out of bed the next day. Still suffering 5 years later. haven,t been back to the doctor in 5 years. Has not gotten any better. And I have met many other people that this drug has messed up. If I Knew this drug was this terrible I would have taken my chances with a heart attack. Hope that dr. enjoyed his cruise.

pedro wrote:

any drug has side affects,so if you took it,you should have known the risk.

You're right. Most drugs have side effects, and I was told about Lipitor's. However, I was NOT warned just how serious those effects could be. My pharmacist's comment was, " I take this strength myself, and I've never had any side effects whatsoever... This is a very small dosage. I wouldn't worry." He was lucky. I was not.

I wasn't told the effects would disguise themselves as a simple backache at the beginning, nor that the effects could, and would, essentially cripple me for months; I have been unable to work since early November of 2011, can't even get in or out of my house without assistance yet. I wasn't told just how slow the return to health would be, nor that there might be years of suffering ahead.

I'm now facing a $5,000 bill for building a ramp on my vintage home and thousands of dollars in co-pays and "sorry, your insurance won't cover that" bills.

Yes, I knew there was a risk, but the people who should have detailed that risk pooh-poohed my concerns and did the whole "We know better than you" shtick; and I was gullible enough to believe it. I'm especially ticked off that the whole mess was triggered by a cholesterol reading just SEVEN lousy points higher than the doctor liked; a reading I was easily able to correct with a modification of diet.

Too many doctors and too many pharmacists and too many pharmacological companies are fostering the "Let's throw a pill at the problem" treatment process. At least I have learned my lesson - any new medications will be few and far between, and thoroughly researched - by this patient - before consumption.

I have taken 20mg Lipitor for 3yrs my legs started to lose strength.When sitting in a beach chair it was "Very Difficult" to get up.Started to experience pain in my legs as well.I googled lipitor what I read made me stop taking Lipitor.Within one week the improvement was dramatic the pain went away,my leg strength started to return.Its been 3 weeks since and I am continuing to improve.I am now just watching my diet and taking 500mg of niacin.

My mother-in law started taking Lipitor and after about 1 month she started getting bald spots the size of silver dollars.She was freaking out and after another month she quit taking Lipitor and her hair all grew back .This was several years ago.

Mike P wrote:

How long after stopping Lipitor does it take to see any improvement in the muscle weakness, aches and pains? I've only been off it a few days and really don't see any difference as of now.

An update, after a few weeks off lipitor with no improvement the Dr did some additional testing at my insistence and they found that a blood clot had totally blocked the iliac arteries so there was almost no blood flow, circulation in my legs.
It required surgery to correct buy once the bloodflow was restored it was like someone flipped a switch and the pain was gone. A week after surgery I ran 3 miles with no pain.
Moral of the story, please be sure you know what's causing the problem. If it doesn't improve keep pushing your Drs for relief. It may be something else that's the problem.
I was graded for a wheel chair and am now functioning totally normally. Just saying it could be a similar situation for someone else as well.

I have been taking Lipitor for three years the Doctor had me go off it because my gait is very unsteady and I can't walk Ike I use to also my balance is off does anyone else have this problem.

I took the smallest amount of Lipator for three months.the one night I could barely stand. I was in perfect heath before taking this drug!It eas in the springs last year it has now been seven mnths. there is a bit of improvement but my thighs in the ack and what appears to be in the join is sometimes dibitation, other times just hurts Some anti inflamatories help but nothing just makes it go way, if sure is ruining my life!

Mary wrote:

My husband stopped taking Lipitor about 3 weeks ago. He is having muscle weakness in his legs and stomach. He has a hard time walking and is walking with a limp. He's been to the doctor they have done several blood tests, that have come back normal. He has started a series of acupuncture appointments and is scheduled to see a neurologist next week and has begun taking CO Q10. Has anybody with these symptoms found anything that has helped them feel better? If so how long before you noticed an improvement?

I I was on Lipitor for 3 years the Doctor just took me off of it my walking is not good and my balance is not good I can'stand for long periods of time without having to lean on something did the accupuncture help yourhusband also my Doctor has me taking CO Q10 how long did it take before your husband felt better.