HAD MUSCLE BIOPSY

A message board to discuss personal experiences of Vytorin and its side effects.

HAD MUSCLE BIOPSY

Postby morellwj3 » Thu Oct 25, 2007 2:40 pm

In February 2007, I was having problems with my vision, muscle fatique, numbness in my toes and burning feelings in my hands. I also had some memory problems and symptoms of both Hyperglycemia and Hypoglycemia at different times. Most likely due to bad dieting. I had panic attacks where I drove over 100 miles past my worksite.

My primary doctor did some bloodwork that indicated I had high Cholesterol (300), and Fasting Blood Glucose level of 126, and Triglycerides of 258. He put me on a diabetic and low cholesterol diet. He also prescribed a blood glucose meter so that I could monitor my blood every morning and before I went to bed. Well I lost the 30 pounds in a few weeks but the symptoms did not go away. My Triglycerides dropped to 127, cholesterol went up, but still had some problems.

I finally decided to see and Endocrinoligist who validated I did not have Diabetes, but was pre-diabetic and on the fence line. She told me my problems were not diabetic neuropathy and felt the problems lied elsewhere. She prescibed me Vytorin in July and had the bloodwork for Glucose and Cholesterol redone 2 months later.

Well things got worse. I could not sleep at all and am still having difficulty sleeping and breathing. I have problems swallowing my food, and have episodes of shortness of breath and panic attacks that put me in the hospital thinking I was having a heart attack. I started having pains in my back, neck, arms, legs, hips, and left side of my lower chest. The pains would go from burning and stabbing to throbbing in the upper thighs and forearms. I started having severe muscle pain in the lower righ side of my back and lost toatal feeling in my right leg when walking down stairs. I would have muscle spasms where various muscles would start twitching all the time. I would have mood swings and snap out at the kindest people for no reason at all. I had memory problems where my wife told me nasty things I said that I don't recall saying them.

I went back to my regular doctor and he put me on a pain Killer for the back and we discussed the Endocrinoligist putting me on the Vytorin. We discussed that she indicated my problems were not Diabetes related, but I had to remain on that diet and continue monitoring my blood. He sent me to a Rheumatoligist because I was diagnosed 20 years ago with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Well, the first thing the Rheumatologist otld me is that I did not have RA. He indicated I had Fibremalagia, Sleep Apanthy, and a stress and anxiety disorder of some type. He told me to stay on the inflamatory drug I was taking for that. He prescribed a pill for the stress and anxiety, a sleeping pill, a Sleep Study at the Hospital, and bloodwork to check my liver, kidneys, and CPK levels. Well a week went by and he called me and said to stop taking the Vytorin until he sees me the following week.

The following week I was informed I did not have RA, but it was highly Probable that I had Polymyositis (MDA), and it could only be confirmed by a muscle Biopsy. He indicated my Creatine Kinase level was 2600 (should be less then 160) and Aldolase was four times higher then normal. These are signs of muscle detereation in many muscles including the heart.

Biopsy was done last week and the results came back that I don't have Polymyositis yet. However my muscles throughout my body were saturated with Statin Drug that was degenerating my musles including the heart and other organs.

The Endocrinologist told me she picked up same results in last bloodwork she did, but my cholesterol dropped from 300 down to 62 (L), and I had to get back on a cholesterol medication or it would go back up, She also informed me my Fasting Glucose level jumped up to 169 (Diabetic) and I needed to take the test again for confirmation purposes. I tolsd her I am not going on a cholesterol medication until I discuss it with my other doctors and Statins is out of the picture.

I go in for my sleep study tonight. My anxiety medication was raised, but I still have episodes of mood swings and panic attacks.

Bill
morellwj3
 
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Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2007 2:05 pm
Location: Slidell, LA

Postby Ray Holder » Thu Oct 25, 2007 3:39 pm

Hi Bill, and welcome

Yours is a rather complex case, seeing that you had problems before taking a statin, might there be any history of polio in yourself or your mother/G mother? This could have caused carnitine deficiency.
The ck figure was very high, bordering on a rhabdomyolysis causing level, so statins are a definite NoNo. From my own findings and by inference in a statin muscle problem paper published recently, carnitine deficiency seems to be present in some degree before statin use in a number of cases, and your muscle fatigue might have been caused by this, so that the statin wreaks further damage on your muscles by further depleting carnitine supplies.

Your Q10 level has most probably fallen and that, in conjunction with carnitine shortage will be causing the pains, and shortage of breath by seriously sabotaging your heart muscle energy supply. Diabetes often responds to Q10 supplementation in early stages, so damage to Q10 supplies by statins should worsen the problem. From my own experience, Q10 and carnitine supplementation are urgently needed.

Could you have any other reason for your carnitine level to be low, such as anaesthetic or surgery, or perhaps penicillin use?

You will find lots of reports of mood swings caused by statins, in the posts in this forum

Hoping you get some relief

Ray
Ray Holder
 
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Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2006 2:00 pm
Location: Bournemouth England


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