STATIN-triggered neuromuscular disease
 

After resisting my PCP for years, I finally went to a cardiologist for a second opinion regarding a statin drug--in my case simvastatin (generic Zocor). In six months of low-dose simvastatin, I became disabled with a neuromuscular disease for the rest of my life.

Has this happened to others in this forum?

Immediately before simvastatin, I was trekking in the Himalayan mountains, doing tai chi, training to trek to Everest Base Camp, hiking 2 hours in the hills 4 or 5 times a week and lifting weights. Statins are so over-prescribed, based on no science, to have become a nightmare!

Does anyone know of experts in this area, possible treatments, anything at all? My symptoms, though I had no way of knowing what was going on, started within weeks of taking the statin drug.

Hello david x and welcome to NeuroTalk.

I took a statin for a year and a half. In that time I lost my quality of life. I became quite weak, difficulty walking, Fatigue, memory loss/cognitive issues (my husband thought I was developing Alzheimer's) and I had to quit driving.

Unfortunately, I have a disease which can cause these same symptoms. For this reason it did not dawn on me that the Statin was causing my symptoms and my PCP blamed the symptoms on my Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Through my own research and speaking to my Neurologist I decided to take myself off the statin.

Slowly I started to notice an improvement in my cognitive abilities and my fatigue wasn't as bad. The issue of leg weakness and mobility was something I had to work to regain. It took time, anger, frustration, and hard work but I was able to bring my mobility back to what is normal for me and to increase my strength. Fortunately, due to my disease, trying to regain mobility is something I have had to do several times in the past 29 years.

The FDA has since put a 'black box' warning on statins. I will never use a statin ever again.

I am sorry for your experience, david x.

Best wishes.

STATIN-triggered neuromuscular disease
 

[QUOTE=david x;1066390]After resisting my PCP for years, I finally went to a cardiologist for a second opinion regarding a statin drug--in my case simvastatin (generic Zocor). In six months of low-dose simvastatin, I became disabled with a neuromuscular disease for the rest of my life.

Very interesting because I have been taking Zocor since November and have been having restless leg syndrome. My doctor wants to stop taking it to see if that is the problem. Are you saying there is no hope?

Nice to meet you!!
 

I'm just starting to look into statin drugs. I have a friend whom I try to diagnose because he is "happy" with the help he gets from his doctor which is... lots of pills.

I know my friend might be affected by his poor diet and the sedation of his other meds, but something strikes me as odd. His worst and almost abrupt decline started when started on simvastatin. I'm begging him to talk to the doctor about it.

He used to be quite bright and socially active. He used to know how to do things. These days he doesn't remember anything, he has no real interest in anything, also he is developing strange systems like foot drop. Doc is OK with his memory loss and foot drop. My friend is too. That is the scary part. He is fine like this.

I'm not fine, I miss my friend. I know the doc does not suspect dementia. But I wonder if it could be the statin since the perfect timing of the memory issues. He is very impaired now, been on the med for about 8 years. He never remembers what we talked about the day before, someone else has to control his meds or he will forget or overdose, we used to have a lot of friends in common, he doesn't remember any of them. He used to be good at computers, now he is wrecking them one by one because he doesn't know what he is doing and manhandling them.

I've been told by others it can't be the statin. But can it? Muscle weakness I would not know as he uses a wheelchair and only walks short stretches.

It's so sad to hear him speak, he says the exact things every day, day after day, and now for years and always thinks it's the first time he said it. I'm very upset the doctor is OK with this and refuses to see something is wrong. According to doctor my friend only has normal aging, he is in his 50s...

Hello fadetoblack,

Welcome to the NeuroTalk Support Groups.

I'm very sorry to read about your friend and I hope that you can find information here that will be of help.

I have a friend who was having an extremely difficult time and the doctors decided she had a form of dementia. After being taken off her Statin medication, she's become well again. True story.

You can find other posts across various forums here regarding Statins if you use the forum search feature.

Forum Search Feature

There are a few posts in Neuromuscular Forum

Here's just one thread as an example -

Statin Therapy Inhibits Remyelination in the Central Nervous System

Statins affect memory.

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/Cons...cm293330.htm#2

Never mind the "rare" comment... I don't believe it is that rare.

Dr. Graveline MD, a former astronaut lost his memory to Lipitor
and wrote a book about it.

http://www.amazon.com/Lipitor-Thief-...hief+of+memory

and here is a more recent book by him:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/142...f_rd_i=desktop

Welcome fadetoblack. :Wave-Hello:

Thanks. Yup, searching for all I can find...

Friend has a doc visit soon and I told him to bring this up. I don't have high hopes though, because every time he wanted of a drug he came home with a sheepish look saying "The doctor tells me I need this", and that is the end of the debate.

This looks like a good and well organized forum.

Unfortunately doctors in general are more influenced by pharma & the sales reps - than the reports of statin side effects..:(
Plus the more Rx they prescribe the more follow up care they can provide..:(:(


I was quite affected by Lipitor , I got quite "dumb" :o and could not recall words, spelling, memory, went out the window..multitasking gone.. plus my vision was affected too.
At the same time frame my repetitive work injuries got worse - partially related to the muscle pain effect from lipitor :confused:?

I stopped Lipitor after finding side effects online on the more natural health websites - and haven't gone on any statin..

It is your friends choice really to take it or not...does he have any family nearby that is more natural health focused? And might help him decide if this is something to stay on or not?