Several years my doctor put me on Simvastatin. It did lower my cholesterol rather quickly. After several months, I began experiencing muscle weakness only in my lower body, which very gradually increased. I discussed with my physician and she assured me it wasn’t the medication as I would experience this throughout my entire body. On subsequent visits, my doctor (and her nurse), still argued that it was not the drug. During my visits they kept using the description “muscle pain” and I kept correcting them and telling them it was “muscle weakness.” They both got quite nasty with me. I finally took myself off the drug as the effects were getting worse. For months afterward I went through a myriad of symptoms from lower body muscle wasting, dry eyes to muscle cramps. I was previously a very active person, doing lots of walking and running in my weekend hobby of dog handling. At my worst point, if I walked 50 feet on a level surface, my lower body became so fatigued that I would have to stop and recover for a few minutes before I could continue. I would best describe it as similar to the effects of working out doing repetitions until the muscles simply can’t do any more. Then you sit or stretch and rest, then do more sets/repetitions of exercise. It has taken me a couple of years to get back to something near recovery, and I’m still at about 70% of my previous capacity. This has had and is continuing to have a major impact on my physical abilities.

Several years ago my doctor put me on Simvastatin. It did lower my cholesterol but not as much as my endocrinologist wanted. She increased my dose a couple of times. When I started taking 40mg I began experiencing muscle pain and weakness in my upper arms and shoulders after only two weeks. I thought I had overexerted in some way and believed these symptoms would go away. A month later I was feeling much worse, so much so that my husband had to help me to get dressed. I started to think that it may be my Simvastatin because the symptoms started only after my dose had been increased. I finally took myself off the drug as the effects were getting worse. I went to my family doctor and she assured me it wasn’t the medication as I would experience this throughout my entire body. My symptoms had gotten better, but I was still experiencing impairment in the use of my arms. I decided to see my family doctor and on this subsequent visit, my doctor still argued that it was not the drug and suggested that it may be arthritis. During my next visit with my endocrinologist I explained these symptoms to her, what my family doctor had said, and that she suggested that it might be arthritis. She ordered a test for arthritis, the results of which were negative, and I was told to follow up with my family doctor again. She also told me that my cholesterol had significantly increased and that I needed to be on some type of medicine. She prescribed Zetia, but it made me sick so I stopped taking it. I returned to my family doctor, but she still insisted that if my symptoms had been caused by the medicine, my whole body would be affected and the pain and weakness wouldn’t be localized in my upper arms and shoulders. My symptoms were getting better, but I still didn’t have full use of my arms and had continued pain and weakness. I had another visit with my endocrinologist and had still had high cholesterol. She suggested that since the Zetia made me sick that I take Crestor because even though it was a statin as well, it could be taken at a low dose and still be as effective as a high dose of Simvastatin. I started taking the Crestor and just as quickly as when I had my Simvastatin dose increased, I my symptoms started getting worse again. It has been about a year and a half since this all started and I have gotten back to something near recovery, but I continue to have pain, weakness, and impaired use of my arms. This has had and is continuing to have a major impact on my physical abilities.

Trying to figure out if zocor is causing all my pain. I have been taking abt 7 years In the last 5 years I have had a rotator cuff tear, capsular release of same shoulder, tarsal tunnel in my ankle and now frozen shoulder in other shoulder. My doc wants to do capsular release on this. None of this runs in my family, I have been evaled by neurologist, rheumotologist and don’ t have diabetes . But I have been in pain so long, I don’ t know what it means to be pain free. My doc says it can’ t be the zocor. But ortho is just stumped why this keeps happening looking for advice

I have been taking Zocor 40mg for about 4yrs. over that 4yrs I have been Dx diabetic, and complained of numerous muscle/joint pains in my back, knees, and legs. Just this past Aug. 2011 I ended up in the ER in such severe pain and with confusion. The doctors determined I have rhabdomyolosis from Zocor use. This explains so many of my strange pains! I have been out of work for several weeks and pray for comfort for all of us who are suffering!

I have my cholesterol at 259 and the doctor prescribe me sivastatin 20 mg. this is my first day. I read the comments and the side effects of taking this drug at 40 and 80 mg. I hope this does not happen with 20 mg. otherwise I would let you know. I am also changing my diet. Doctors sometimes do not accept that any drug that they prescribed could have some side effects.( My mother lived until 92 years old and she never took any drug, no cholesterol, no diabetes , no high pressure, God bless her) . but every person is different and some people believe only in organic diet, my father was a pharmacist and I believe in medicine, that’s why I am starting to take sivastatin even when I read these side efffects. It is difficult to put on strict diet when you like to eat, but sometimes you do not have other choice is your health or your illness. I wish everybody and myself to be well and healthy!