Withdrawal Symptoms Lipitor (Page 3) (Top voted first)

How long before muscle aches and weakness subside after discontinuing Lipitor

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I have been on 20 mg daily of atorvastatin for a year. My auto refill came in while I still had some left and I consequently lost track of where I placed my refill. After five days without taking atorvastatin, I experience mild intermittent vertigo, increased heart rate of 105 (normally 65), my blood pressure (normally under control) measured at 188/99. I felt adrenaline (fight/flight response) flowing through my body. I felt pressure at the base of the back if my head.

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One year ago I stopped taking Lipitor and had a whole gamete of side effects including aches, pains, low blood pressure, depression and foggy head. I reverted to taking it in small amounts and weaned myself off. Although on a strict diet, my total cholesterol jumped to 280. I now take a product called CholesLo without any of the statin side effects that I had been taking. After 3 months of taking this product, my total cholesterol dropped to 250. I have not checked it lately. I feel great!

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In my case, 2 weeks for improvement and 8 weeks for total resolution

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Hello. I have the exact same story. Been on crestor for 15 years but the dosage was doubled about 9 months ago. Now I am struggling to walk the pain is horrid but my Dr just tells me that I am not young anymore and I have osteo srthritis. Well i have bern doing some resesrch and these medicines can be the cause so i stopped taking it. Only been a week so i still hurt but not as bad.

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Hi, had my heart attack last year, stented and discharged. Prescribed 80mg atorvastatin. Weird thing is like most here, experienced the side effects, and felt my health getting slowly worse. Two month ago decided to quit, decided to quit cold turkey. Anyway, now feel much, much, better. Some suggestions, I did, which may help others.

1. Quit smoking (10 month now).
2. Quit Drinking - Full stop, No Alcohol at all.
3. Quit Soda's and soft drinks sugary type. Occasional Diet drink, though very seldom.
4. Quit Dairy products, will try and avoid as much as possible.
5. Try to avoid processed foods, snacks, ham/turkey/sausage, cheese, crackers, cookies etc.
6. Changed diet from almost 80% meat to now 90% vegetarian. Minimal consumption of cooking oils.
7. Reduced food intake to 1 x meal per day. Fasting between meals. Desert is fresh fruit.
8. Drinks are water/soda water with slight taste flavour added.
9. Exercise, for me about the same.

In addition to quitting statins, I've also quit the beta-blockers. Kind of looking at myself as a type of experiment.

Two month in from quitting, results kind of speak for themselves.
I'm happy with the blood results, and will see what results will be in another 3 month time.
To summarise
Blood pressure : Normal 115 / 75
LDL: increased +10%
HDL: Increased +16%
Triglycerides: less (- 40% )
Weight: less (- 8%)
HbA1C: down to 41 (from 46)

What I'm trying to emphasize here is the key I believe is the change in food, and life style. I literally feel, by continuing on in this manner, I will be healthier and better than I've been since I was a teenager.

Wishing all here, good health, and success.

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Hi darrell, the problem with Lipitor is that to it also stop the production of nutrients within he body. The muscle pain is caused by a lack of co enzyme Q10 which lip stops he production of. You can find it in your local pharmacy and you should take about 60mg twice daily. After a while the joint pain will go when u take the Q10. For the chlorestol try niacin 500mg twice daily, does the job for me. Went off lip cold turkey ended up in hospital after, be careful how you off it! You should take high dose vit c and a good omega 3 and multiple vit. If you take all these you will be fine, costs more than statins but you will feel a whole lot better.

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I have been off Lipitor for a couple of months now. Was on it for about 5 years. Weaned myself down to 10 mg then just stopped. I have been feeling unmotivated and a little depressed but working through it. May go to a doctor and discuss things. Have not done this with drs permission. Have moved countries so thinking the change could be what's brought about the depression. But have so much to be happy about I find it hard to justify this depression. I guess it could be coming off Lipitor . I too was suffering memory loss re. words and concentration. Hard coming up with the correct word in certain instances. Hoping reading of books will be fun again soon.

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I have been on 40 mg of APO Atorvastatin for 14 years. My problem has been that I have been over-weight. I had a BMI of 34 till about two years ago (24 kg over-weight). Eating bad, eating too much and lack of exercise were doing havoc with my cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Over the last 12 months I have reduced my my weight by 18 kg. Despite the change in my eating and exercise regime my doctor keeps prescribing the same tablets. My new year resolution in 2014 has been that I will wean myself off atorvastatin. It is almost one month now since I stopped taking the tableys. No major dramas except for a little dizziness each day after my morning run. I do not intend to tell my doctor. So he will keep subscribing, but I will monitor my six-monthly blood test results.

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I had been taking first 10mg then 5mg Lipitor for 5 plus years. Three weeks ago I stopped. Since then I am feeling better and better. I have more energy, more positive outlook, am getting on with life. The heavy feeling has gone, pins and needles virtually gone, greatly reduced. I had put all this down to getting older but these things are so subtle and come on very gradually over the years. No bad or uncomfortable effects at all. Best wishes and yes, yes to Anyone out there thinking of stopping. Kath

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I'm cold turkey off Lipitor since May 1st. Haven't had any withdrawal symptoms but also my muscle weakness and pain has not subsided. I called the drug company, and registered an "adverse reaction" complaint. They said I had muscle malysia (can't spell it) from the Lipitor. They also told me people report various time lines for the side effects to go away and said to give it 2 months. I would suggest that anyone with adverse side effects make a formal complaint with Phizer (spelling wrong). It's important to document side effects for other people who will be taking this drug.

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I also read the "grain brain" and want "off" of lipitor. Additionally, I have memory loss. I have been taking it about 10 years. So this week I went off cold turkey and I have some side effects. I have whole body muscle aches, nausea and anxiety. I hope it does not last long. I stopped eating basically all carbs and drastically limited sugars,so I do not anticipate too much change in blood tests. I am a little afraid about these side effects.

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I agree with you 100% I did my own research and took myself off of these horrible statin drugs. They were slowly sucking the life right out of me. Big money maker for the pharmaceutical companies. Bad news for anyone who is prescribed them.

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Lori - my doc wasn't pleased either when I told him "no more statins." But you have to remember, they are getting all their data and info from the Pharmaceutical Companies (who also fund the medical schools.) They don't each do their own independent research about all possible side effects and dangers of statins. They go by what they have been taught in medical school. I recently read about a pharmaceutical rep who quit her 3 figure income job, because she would no longer follow her employers orders to "omit" the actual side effect data when selling Statins to the Doctors. She felt like she was putting many peoples health in jeopardy and refused to be part of it any longer.

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I got so weak I couldn't open a jar.

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Hello there, I'm Sandra, if you'd read post 69; that's mine, I've posted it sometime ago. You may not think that some medications can harm you while others can help you but after reading my post you may think differently. Ask your doctor about changing your current statin medication to another statin "if you wish". Read my post and think about it, it's YOUR health and YOUR life; you decide if you want to be crippled or not! I wish you the best of luck and God bless.

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I'm so glad I found this thread. I've been a wreck all week after forgetting to refill and out of town. I was depressed and lifeless. My blood pressure dropped dramatically and I was so weak. My mental state was cut to zero tolerance and my wife said she was going to leave a few days if I didn't get help.
I took a tablet today but I feel like I'm in a vicious circle. I want off of these drugs. I going to find an alternative through research.
I would appreciate any feedback on alternate treatments.

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I had only been taking them for 2 weeks and at the lowest dose. I honestly didn't expect to have any sort of withdrawal symptoms at all. Unfortunately I was wrong. It took about a week for the muscle aches to subside and about two weeks for me to get my brain back.

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I have been on Lipitor for four weeks and developed blurred vision and loss of appetite. i think that this is a dangerous drug and I think you did good quitting it. I also had a lot of anxiety since starting this medicine. I am stopping tonight and hope that i will be ok

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I quit lipitor about a week ago, but tapered off for about 3 weeks. I almost immediately improved my muscle use. my breathing is better too. I am still taking beta-blocker for BP so don't know what effect that has, but my general health has changed to the better, much better

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Joint pain - I was taking 10mg of Atorvastatin for the last 6 months. I stopped taking it altogether a month ago. 7 days ago I developed severe neck and shoulder pain which wakes me up several times a night. Also hip pain/aching when not moving. Once I start moving, it's better. Last week I got out of the car and started walking and my upper back completely seized. I couldn't move feeling that something had a hold of my upper spine. My husband massaged it for a moment and it hasn't done it again. No physical activity has changed in my life, nor my routine in over 2 years. I didn't experience any joint pain ON Atorvastatin. I don't have the anxiety, depression, 'out of body' experience, or fogginess others have had.

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