Lipitor and Muscle Pain: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 30, 2019

For High Cholesterol "Delayed side effects. Took years to realize statins give memory loss BIG TIME and muscle pain and mood issues. And now discovering risk from high LDL is massively exaggerated. Having sufficient HDL is what matters. If you know someone losing memory, ask them to think back if it started getting worse within a year of starting statins. Someone once did that for me."

• Pro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 16, 2019

For Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease "I was put on Lipitor after a mild heart attack and stent placement. A short time after starting the script, my hands started hurting daily. They woke me up at night. Then the pain spread throughout my body. It got so bad I could not push up off a chair or bed. Nothing helped. It was nerve and muscle pain. Took it for a year before the doctor finally heard me and took me off Lipitor to see if that was the cause. Within days, the pain started letting up. Now 4 months later I'm back to normal. The pain was so bad I thought I was terminal and felt that way to the point of writing out a will. Not everyone has this reaction. But pay attention if you start taking it and then have body pain. It can be dangerous. I don't know what long-term effects may show up later from it. Now my hands still hurt daily from it. But less than when I was on the pill."

• PAS...
• October 5, 2009

For High Cholesterol "I was prescribed 40 mg of Lipitor for heart disease. I was on it for 9 months. It did lower my cholesterol, but had a lot of undesired bad side effects! Right away, I noticed memory problems, forgetfulness, confusion, and was just fog-headed. Then, of course, I experienced the usual muscle pain. I also noticed being moody for no apparent reason. I talked to my cardiologist, and he took me off of it."

• Eri...
• March 17, 2017

For High Cholesterol "When I was originally put on this statin, it was on a low dose of 10 mg a day to reduce cholesterol. I had, or recall, very few side effects. I combined the drug with exercise and diet. My cholesterol was lowered and remained low. Doctors have kept me on the drug, and now at the age of 71, I experience headaches, a bloated rumbling and very uncomfortable digestive system, hives, muscle aches, and other adverse effects that interfere with my diet and exercise. Doctors seem to be reluctant to lower doses, but these adverse effects are now materially affecting my quality of life."

• Der...
• November 14, 2015

For High Cholesterol "I have been using Lipitor for only one week but am feeling fatigue and muscle pains. My cholesterol dropped from 130 to 100, but there were too many side effects. I decided to stop and now I am feeling okay."

• Sen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 1, 2016

For High Cholesterol "Atorvastatin did lower my cholesterol quite a bit, but within the first couple of weeks I developed muscle pain in the back of one knee. After another week, I developed muscle pain in the calf of the other leg. My doctor doesn't think this was caused by Atorvastatin. He believes it is arthritis. He ordered an x-ray of the knee and blood test for liver function. Waiting for results. If the pain is from arthritis, I will continue taking the medicine. If Atorvastatin is affecting muscles or liver, I may discontinue or ask to switch to another statin."

• pj1...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 6, 2015

For High Cholesterol "In the past year, I have experienced four occasions of hyperlipidemia, rhabdomyolysis, and acute renal failure. All four times, I woke up in ICU and had a lengthy stay in the hospital. I am still taking atorvastatin, have muscle aches and pains, weakness, joint pain, stiffness, and restless legs, with no control of movement. I am miserable most of the time. Recently, my doctor stopped the Lipitor for the next six weeks to see what changes may happen."

• Joh...
• September 22, 2020

For Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease "My cholesterol has always been in the normal range, about 145, although my LDL/HDL ratio, 90/55, is not optimal. I eat healthy, 10% body fat, work out over 300 days a year. But a heart scan at 60 gave me a shock, showed a lot of plaque in my LAD, not good. Started Lipitor 10 mg daily, cholesterol dropped into the 90s, with LDL of 50. Went to 10 mg/5 mg alternating days, last lipid panel showed cholesterol at 114, LDL 72. I have never had any negative side effects. Two very athletic friends with high cholesterol used statins but quit because of muscle pain. My third athletic friend, with cholesterol of 300, uses a statin, cholesterol into normal range with no side effects. So if you have high cholesterol, don't be afraid to give a statin a try, start low and titrate up, if the side effects are too bad, quit, but you may be one of the lucky ones like me and my third friend, for whom a statin is very effective and does not have side effects."

• Anonymous
• September 11, 2009

For Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease "I used Zocor for the first statin following angioplasty in December 2009. I must state that I have a high degree of sensitivity to medications and a high degree of allergies. With Zocor, I experienced abdominal cramps increasing daily, muscle pain, and off and on nausea. The cramps were a concern because I have experienced anemia in the past. My doctor, whom I trust with my life, suggested that I not take Zocor. After several months, I had blood work, my LDH still higher than the doctor wanted, so he prescribed Lipitor. I had the same bad effects but on a higher level. Fortunately, my doctor trusts my reports. There is one 'weird' change that I have not shared with my doctor, but I am sharing with all of you. In several days, and increasingly, I am losing hair. Help me!"

• Jot...
• February 3, 2021

For Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease "71 years. Heart attack with 5 stents. Automatically prescribed this as part of the 'cardiac cocktail,' as they call it. Had numbers getting slightly high for both cholesterol and BP before HA. Within 3 months, this drug injured my liver, and my GP stopped it. Continue to be tested to see if the liver will recover. Numbers are down, so I have my fingers crossed. I have been unable to use the gym due to muscle pain, which is now subsiding, and hopefully, I will be able to utilize the gym again. My mood was adversely affected, with me becoming easily irritated and angry inappropriately. The pain over my shoulders and between my ribs was so painful and exhausting. And then it started to affect my memory, which became so disconcerting. The daily dose was 80, and if the liver heals, we will look at the minimum dose of a statin and see how that works."

• Anonymous
• October 8, 2009

For High Cholesterol "Suffered from memory loss/lapse and muscle aches/cramps in my legs. Switched to Crestor and have had no side effects at all."

• Kpr...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 26, 2015

For Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease "Continuous muscle pain on the back of both thighs. Discontinued use after two weeks and a few days, and the pain is gone."

• Anonymous
• February 17, 2009

For High Cholesterol "Many side effects, such as muscle pain, weakness, tenderness, gas, and blurred vision."

• Lin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 12, 2015

For High Cholesterol "My doc says I may be the 1 in 100,000 that just can't take it. My liver enzymes went off the chart and I am still recovering from acute hepatitis and muscle pain."

• And...
• January 10, 2016

For High Cholesterol, Familial Homozygous "This caused me severe muscle pain and cramps."

• Lei...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 31, 2019

For High Cholesterol "Severe muscle pain and skin pain, couldn't stand my bra touching my skin. My doctor took me off of it, she said I should have let her know sooner, she would have changed it."