Simvastatin and gp

I recently had my dose of simvastatin increased to 40mg and for the past five weeks have been having horrendous headaches my friend has just called me and said a relative of hers also felt rotton ill when he started taking simvastatin . I have just read all peoples comments on simvastatin and I am now seeing my gp tomorrow and will ask him the question could this be the cause of my headaches . Really glad I have read the comments because I also thought I had a serious problem. Pat Bailey. Halesowen.West Mids.

Updating - I am female in my sixties. started Simvastatin in Jan. this year due to 7.8 cholesterol reading. Came off for 3 months in May due to joint pains etc. GP said to try and lower cholesterol by diet. Practically lived on salads and fruit - however my cholesterol went up to 7.8 again. Proof to me that diet made no difference to my cholesterol reading. GP in August upped my dose then to 40mg a day. Felt very nauseous and ill and after 10 days came off yet again. I suggested to my GP high dose was making me ill. She agreed to my taking 10mg daily. Feel OK but still have joint pain. I have just read Doctor Malcolm Kendricks Book - The Great Cholesterol Con and I recommend it to all Simvastatin users. Very thought provoking. Please contact me if you would like more info.

I'm 55 year old female and was put on Simvastatin 3 months ago with a cholesterol reading of 6.8. I've been experiencing severe lower back pain, a burning pain in the right side of the groin and severe pain in my right hip and leg. It has become so bad that I'm finding walking difficult. I also have severe itching all over, especially on one part of my arm. I can't take anti-histimes because I am alreading taking beta-histine for vertigo. After reading the postings here I am seeing my doctor this week to have my medication changed. Since I live in the Uk cost is not a problem

hi there i have been on simvastatin about a year now and have felt so ill since taking them i am now due to have several blood test to see what they can find " as i suffer with nausea, pains in my legs and body /and terrible depression and i cant remember me feeling like this before i started taking these tablets i really don't feel like me no more / and i can easily sit down and cry because off feeling like i do / now i have been told to take double dose because my cholesterol is higher / i have spoke to others of these tablets and they have had same reaction so i have decided on my own thoughts to stop i will tell my doctor.and i am hoping i will get back to my old self i will try and keep my cholesterol in control and i think its well worth a try than to have all these side affects B.

I am 45 and have been taking statins for 5 years since having 3 heart attacks in a 4 day period.At first I was on Atorvastatin 10mg and didn't suffer any side affects,I was put on Simvastatin 40mg 2 years ago due to cost.Since then I suffer with very sore muscle pain down the length of my right arm.My GP keeps on prescribing painkillers and doesn't mention the fact it may be side affects of the Simvastatin.I find it sad that costs of drugs are the reason I am in pain.

I've been on simvastatins for about 2 years after TIAs. I'm 56. I had two small Strokes about year ago despite being on simvastatins. Had brain scan which showed two small areas of scarring and carotid artery scan- arteries fine. Started experiencing dizziness last year and GP diagnosed vertigo and gave me seasickness pills which didn't do much good. Since then I've experienced headaches which last for weeks, increasing fatigue (now struggle to get out of bed in morning) muscle pain which is getting really bad and sore feet (?). Increasing memory loss, confusion, lack of concentration, eye problems (when I first wake in morning my vision is blurred for ab out 30 minutes or so. I've been worried i mmay be developing Alzheimers. I've also piled on weight and the texture of my hair has changed - it has become very soft and silky and become thinner - normally my hair is very thick. Also I've had two perms in last 6 months which won't hold curl - been having perms for years and never had this problem. I've had several blood tests including for under-active thyroid and they have all been clear. I've been really worried about all these problems and did some research and came up with this site. I am beginning to think my problems stemm from taking 40mg Simvastatins so am going to stop them and book appointment with GP. Any comments/advice would be appreciated.

I have been taking simvastatin since June 28, 2008. I am 44 years old and have always been majorly active with my 17 year old daughter. Recently I have become chronically fatigued so much as to want to go back to bed within 2-3 hours after I get up in the morning, (definitely not me). I have felt spaced out,depressed to the point of wanting to cry all the time, have severe back, hip, knee, leg, and hand pain. I go to pain management for my back and hip problems (past surgery), but the usual pain has been intensified over the last 2 months and I wasn't sure why, until i decided to check out the Simvastatin to see if it has made me put on a few pounds, and boy have my eyes been opened!!!!!!!!! I AM STOPPING THE MEDICATION IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to all who have spoken up, I wish I would of checked on this sooner!!!!! I'm calling my Dr. first thing in the morning!!!!!!!!!!!

By exhausted in Canton

I have been on Simvastatin for some years and increasingly felt tired to the point of fatigue, had muscle pain in my legs, arms, neck and back and also gained weight.
After reading an article in a British newspaper I linked my symptoms with taking these tablets and, just over a week ago, I stopped taking them.
I already feel much better. The aches and pains are subsiding and I don't feel so tired. No weight loss yet but I live in hope!
I will be seeing my GP soon and I intend to show him this website.
Good luck everyone - I hope your health improves soon!

I am 29 year old type 1 Diabetic. I am healthy and regularly exercise. I recently moved to the east side of London from West London. My new GP would not prescribe Lipostatins that I was on (10mg) and chose to put me on 40mg Simvastatin. I finished my course of Lipostatins and started on Sims' about a month ago. I have only just clocked a relation to the change in drugs to why I feel so exhausted, depressed (nearly finished my relationship because of feeling so low), have pains in my hands and my ankles feel weak (I play football and really my ankles feel weak in comparison to last month).
My GP did not even give me any side effect warnings. I am stopping these drugs immediately for my sanity and the people around me.

I was taking Lovastatin until the VA told me that it was not on their formulary any longer and I had to take Simvastatin. Within a couple months my feet started burning and a numbness began creeping up my legs. I began falling, staggering and lost the ability to walk without two canes. I thought I was in the early stages of MS or ALS and feared I was dying. My fiance' did research on the internet (Spacedoc.com) and discovered that the symptoms I was suffering from were the result of Statin Poisoning (don't take my word...look it up) I took myself off the Simvastatin at the doctors request and began taking 4 1000mg of Omega 3 Fish Oil, 2 50mg CoQ10, 1 50mg L Carnitine, a multi vitamin, and 1 81mg coated aspirin per day. I still have numbness in my legs and some burning in my feet one and one half years later. My Neurologist has told me (and written a letter to the effect) that I am permanently disabled...that this will never go away. Statins (all Statins) are poison...don't take them....the pharmacutical companies only push them to make MONEY they don't care about you or your health. If you need more information contact me anytime and I'll be happy to share any research I have. ******

I started on 40mg of simvistatin 3 and a half months ago,after being on them for a week i started to get bad headaches and felt really fatigued,so when i told my gp she said its just a matter of your body getting used to them,so i continued taking the pills i seemed ok for a while but 5 weeks ago i started with palpitations,then i got indigestion, and general discomfort in my chest,weakness in my arms and legs, headaches and the fatigue came back worse than ever,i haven't been back to see the doctor,i stopped the pills yesterday,the indigestion has gone already,i want to lose about a stone and try to lower my cholesterol myself ,but how can you exercise when you feel so weak and tired,my cholesterol level is 5 but because i suffer high blood pressure the doc said it needs to be 4.3,does anyone else suffer from the same and is on this medication?

I am a 58 year old who was on 10mg for about 10 years with no apparent side effects.My GP retired and the new Doctor said my dosage was low and quadrupled it to 40mg. Since I had been on the drug for so long on the low dose, with no problems I did not relate subsequent problems to this med. Initially I had digestive problems, bordering on diarrhea, which I took as age related. I had occasional but severe lower leg pains. I had periodic night sweats and I gained 25 pounds - going to 165 from the 140 I'd been since high school. I had some vision problems as well and began to develop severe memory and reasoning issues to the point where I believed the I was developing Alzheimers. From net reading, I saw that this statin could cause the digestive problems I'd mentioned - so I stopped it. In the interim my GP gave me every test in the book to find out the weight gain and the night sweats. He found nothing and was about to send me to specialists - which I declined. When I finally read that simvastatin could cause the mental issues, the weight gain, the leg pains etc,, I took myself off the med. My weight problem has now resolved no more leg pains, or intestinal issues. From my reading I understand ths some of the memory and mental issues may be permanent - though they no longer progress. When I met with my GP and told hom that I had stopped the med and about these side effects, that I had discovered on the web - he looked at me like I had two heads and gave them no credence.It amazes me that he had no comment. I had brought it up to him in case any of his other patients has similar problems - as information that could help in his practice which has many elderly clients. As an aside, I had mentioned these effects to a trusted friend - who in tern had mentioned them to his practitioner, who is one of the most highly respected doctors in Canada. This doctor's comment was that' you must have read this somewhere as the manufacturer takes pains to conceal these effects". Wonderful, eh?

been on simvastatin for 4 years with no problems then got pills from a different chemist same 40mg but a different maker immediate symptoms were chronic diarrhea, loss of appetite, tiredness, kept taking after all no side effects with previous maker.thought i had a serious stomach disorder.stopped taking when i realized that was the only constant that had changed,immediate results took none for 3 weeks went back to gp he put me back on my original pills,after taking one,thought that the end was nigh ,diarrhea,sweating general feeling of weakness never again they are binned.

Hi, Im 24 and have hypercholesterolemia. I started Simvastatin 40mg at night about 3 weeks ago. About a week into taking it i was experiencing some mild chest pains, after a while they got worse and for the first time in my life i collapsed on the floor having a panic attack. Since then this past week has been hell, i have been constantly anxious and had several more panic attacks, have had a light weak flu like feeling in my whole chest, diarrhea, Chest pain, Weakness in muscles and pain in my left arm and a lack of apatite resulting in a loss of 5lb's. I stopped taking the pill 3 days ago after advice from a GP however the anxiety has still not gone away, nor has the lack of apatite or chest pain. I just want to go back to being myself but this horrible pill may have ruined my life!

aching elbows and knees within one week of starting simvastatin 40mg . Told by GP to stick with it . Now have severe muscle pain in arms . Wake up at night with severe pins and needles in hands and feet , which takes hours to pass . Muscle deterioration in upper arms . Overall tiredness . Doctor knows best.......I don't think so........stopped today , wish I'd never taken them .

Have been on 40mg of simvastatin for couple of months Experiencing sore calf muscles and feet both legs. Never had side effects from medication before but I suppose there is always a first time. Are the side effects described common?? Going back to GP Friday

about three months after taking simvastatin I had a bad attack of vertigo and have been suffering with dizziness & feeling off balance, also panic attacks have ocurred, I did not experience this before taking this drug. This has now been going on for 4 months. has anybody else experienced this.