Severe muscle cramping while on Statin drugs?

[cjbrooksjc]

This is my second post (re: Lipitor/Zocor saga and slo recovery) to this forum. I stopped the statin drugs and got a round of magnesium shots begining 8/8/06. Though I experienced debilitating side effects while on the drugs with 'No Clue' responses from my regular doctor, I am, today somewhat improved (though not recovered). I am curious to know if anyone else experienced KILLER cramping in the legs, back, and abdomen while on the drugs. My attacks are nearly gone, but I still get a whopper of shorter duration once in a while. The vitamins, minerals, and and L-Carnitine recommended by this site and the SpaceDoc's book have helped, I'm certain, but I am still half the man I was three years ago, and I plan to be a contributor to this forum for some time to come. As an aside, to those whose responses I've been reading: Thanks for your involvement and interest in this unbelievable, pseudo-curative phenomenon.

[carbuffmom]

Yes, as a 13 year user of statins, I still have killer muscle cramps and have been off the drugs for a year now. I get them in my legs, neck, feet, hands, and abdomen. Sometimes they take my breath away. I try to stretch and keep things moving, but I really don't know what else to do. I guess we just keep taking our supplements and hope for the best. Did the magnesium help? DEB

[tex62]

CJ…

Like you, my husband experienced debilitating side effects while taking statin drugs. The muscle cramps were so bad that he wasn’t able to sleep for more than an hour or so at a time. There was a host of other symptoms, but no abdominal pain. Prior to the drugs, his only doctor’s visits were for his annual physical. After the drugs, visits were frequent with complaints of pain, growing weakness, high blood pressure, and other problems. Our doctor said the pain was osteoarthritis, and chalked the other symptoms up to “getting older”. A month after adding Tricor to the Zocor regiment, blood work was “normal”. As a result our doctor didn’t associate the physical symptoms with the drugs. I am still deeply bothered by the fact that so many doctors who prescribe these drugs are unable to identify the side effects, and even if they are identified they don’t know how to treat them. After doing our own research, my husband went back to the doctor and told her that all of his symptoms were listed as side effects of the drugs. She agreed that he should stop taking them for a while. It wouldn’t have mattered if she had agreed or not. He never planned to take them again.

Once my husband stopped taking the drugs, he made steady improvements; however, there were times when the pain would return, and for a while the pain in his hands and arms continued to get worse. During the “recovery period”, if the muscle pain returned, it was usually due to too much physical activity. He continued to take CoQ10 (about 900 mg/day) and later added L-Carnitine. He had worked out at a gym and played golf 5 days a week prior to Zocor and Tricor. He had to give up all physical exercise for several months, as physical activity made the symptoms worse. About four months after stopping the drugs, he was probably 80 percent recovered and seemed to be fully recovered after about nine months.

Even though you continue to have an occasional return of the pain (may be too much physical activity), it sounds like your recovery is progressing.

[cjbrooksjc]

TEX62 & CARBUFFMOM:
Tex62 - Tell me about it! The abdomen cramps were the worst, and YES the mag shots helped; in fact, I'm thinking of going back for another round ($20 or so a shot). I went out-of-network (my reg doc was useless) to a D.O. (osteopathic Dr.) friend of the family, and the first thing she asked was "Are you on Cholesterol drugs". That was the last day I took a statin. She also did a magnesium absorbtion test on me (get a mag shot - pee for twelve hours - they see how much magnesium you expel; lots= you don't need magnesium / a little= you need a magnesium boost... I got rid of NONE!) I got shots twice a week for a month; then, once a week for a month... made a big difference. By the way, are you IN Texas?

Carbuffmom: It's been about four months since I stopped the statins. I feel better but not well. It's my great hope I can recover in nine months as your husband did. The muscle and joint pain (esp the hips and shoulders) is still an occasional visitor, and I hobble like a 90-year-old when it gets really bad, BUT NOT EVERY DAY ANYMORE.

Jesus! I can't believe I am reading so many horror stories on this site; yet this awful drug is still being recommended and dispensed as we communicate. Is there an action committee or something that has grown out of this grass-roots conversation? I used to go to the gym, Kayak with my daughter, write poetry, host writing workshops; hell, I can't do ANY of that now. My mind doesn' work as it used to; my body is a wreck. How do we keep this from happening to others as yet unaffected?!

[tex62]

CJ…

Yes, we are in Texas (Houston).

The information about magnesium shots is interesting. My husband took magnesium supplements, but wasn’t aware of testing to see how much magnesium is expelled. You are fortunate to have found a doctor who is able to give you good advice. My husband’s mobility was so bad at the height of his problems, that I felt he would soon be in a wheel chair. Even though it took more time than we would have like, we feel very fortunate that he has made a full recovery.

We submitted my husband’s information to the UCSD Statin Effects Study – a study that is not funded by the drug companies [http://medicine.ucsd.edu/ses/] I think they are still collecting information. Possibly, the most effective way to bring attention to the significance of the side effects of these drugs is to provide information through an organization like the Statin Effects Study.

[cjbrooksjc]

Thanls for your rely. We're in the DFW area. Our friend and Physician, Mary Ann Block, is a well known advocate for the drug free treatment of ADHD in children and adults. She is a D.O. so she treats the entire patient and, yes, we are lucky she is here and so acutely dialed in to this problem. I also mailed my profile to the Statin Study at UCSD a few weeks ago . The study has been going on so long though, I don't expect to hear from them. But it's another morsel in the stew, and maybe, if they someday decide to publish their findings...