Simvastatin and shoulders

Wow, i cannot believe what i'm reading. I have been taking Simvastatin for almost three years. My Doctor never mentioned any side effects. It has gotten bad enough for me to seek information on the internet. What medicine cause all my symptoms; Tingling in the hand and feet, weakness of muscles, dropping things, dizziness, memory problems, sore muscles, sinus problems sore knees, arms, shoulders, stomach,numbness, sensitivity to light. I'm sure glad i have found this web site. I think i am going to take myself off of it for a week and see if things improve. Drug companies must be making a killing on this medicine since they refuse to warn potential patients.

I'm 46 years old male. I am very active. Water Ski, Snow Ski, Weight Lifting, Hockey etc. I was on Simvastatin 40mg per day for about two months. Although I have a bit of arthritis in my knees and shoulders I couldn't believe how horrible I felt on this drug. I felt so weak and I had joint pain that was incredible. I walked around feeling like I had the flu or something. I ached every where. My knee swelled up really bad and I didn't know what to think. So I called my doctor and he said to go off it for now and I can't believe how good I feel again. The scary thing is he wants me to take a two week break then go back on it. According to him, he has read stories that statistics show if you go off this drug for a few weeks then go back on it ,that most of the time people don't experience the same side effects ever again. If anyone has been off then back on it without side effects I would like to hear from you. I really don't want to gamble with this again. It was horrible.

I am so glad I found this site. I have been having hideous headaches and just today thought perhaps it's the Simvastatin that I started this summer. I had an occasion this summer where I lost the vision in one eye (half way up). The doctor said that is called "window blind" vision loss. So after doppler and MRI he said I had to absolutely take 81 mg of aspirin a day (baby aspirin) and started me on cholesterol lowering meds. I didn't want to take the cholesterol lowering meds so at first I resisted completely. However, in the past month I have started to take them. Every night I would wake up with a headache and my neck and shoulders were hurting also. I kept thinking that I was going to have a stroke. The pain was so bad I would vomit but the area of the headache was not where I would get migraines. The pain was more in the back of my head and my neck and shoulders. I decided to do some reading on the internet and found that headaches is a major symptom of simvastatin. I will do my own experiment now and stay off of it for 10 days. I will then start it again and see if the symptoms return. My doppler said I had mild build up of plaque...at 57 I would imagine most people of mild build up of plaque. I don't want a stroke or heart attack but I can't live with these headaches and the lack of sleep.

Not necessarily a new side-effect judging from the postings of other contributors, but I've been experiencing increasing pain in my joints (particularly lower back, knees and shoulders) since boarding simvastatin 40mg about 6 months ago that I cannot attribute to anything other than this medication.

I am a 52Yr old male and was diagnosed with T2 Diabetes 2 1/2 yrs ago ....The doctor prescribed me simvastin a few month later 20mg once a day all had been fine till about 6 months ago when I developed tinnitus and started feeling very tired...My concentration started to lapse especially when driving as i found i couldn't remember driving down a stretches of the road etc ie passing speed cameras etc ...my memory also seems to have slowed down and i have problems recalling recent conversations or things i have done etc...just recently i have been getting severe itching on the soles of my feet almost becoming painful i have pains /aches all over and now especially have pain in my left arm right knee and fingers...when i get up in the mornings i feel like i have run a marathon the day before as i ache especially my neck and shoulders...needless to say i have now stopped taking the tablets after reading this forum and i am seeing my doctor next week initially i put all this down to getting older ...
Steve

I am an active 60 year old.After being checked for diabetes I was told I was borderline and chose to try by changing my diet. Three months later at my next visit UI was told I was improved but my cholesterol was far too high and prescribed 40mg Simvastatin.Between then and the nest three monthly check I had numerous symptoms. My calfs throbbed, my shoulder ached and my sex drive decreased and I was always tired. The most frightening thing of all though was my concentration. I would be riding my motorbike or driving the car and suddenly snap to and realize my mind had been wondering and my concentration gone. (Ive had numerous near accidents.)
IU read on this site about "memory loss" and wondered if this was what was happening to me. My last three month visit was last week, my cholesterol is almost normal so I am stopping the pills and seeing what happens.
Steveb

Hello: Posting about simvastatin. I have been off of the medication for about six weeks. Initially the symptoms led me to hop on an ambulance gurney and visit my local ER due to dizziness, lots of palpitations, and the feeling that I was going to drop on the sidewalk. I followed the ER with two days on the heart unit, and have pretty much have had just about every test but a brain scan (or at least it has seemed that way).

My symptoms progressed to intense burning in my torso, pronounced in the shoulder blade areas, upper chest, and into my forearms. A week after stopping the statin much of the intense burning was gone.

I still have pain and discomfort, but I have not been "white knuckling" to get through the nights like I had been, which is a relief. I read somewhere that someone described the muscle pain as feeling like he had been repeatedly punched with a bag of oranges. I can relate to that feeling, and recently I have felt the symptoms in my thighs as well.

Pain management takes up my days (although I have continued to work). I have begun massage therapy, and I am going to attempt acupuncture next week. I am trying to sort out what supplements may be the best and which ones won't interact with each other or other medications that I take. I am taking CoQ10, Omega 3 capsules, a multivitamin, and a B complex.

Anyone with similar symptoms or comments, please jump in. We are in similar boats, as they say. I have gotten the impression that some people out there (not on this site) don't see this as real. For those people, unless someone is bleeding profusely from an artery, they remain non-supportive or non-believers....

Doctor started me on simvastatin 2 weeks ago. Since then i have been feeling nauseous, especially in the morning. pains in the back and shoulders and feeling very weak. Last Saturday i couldn't get out of bed because i was so weak. The Doctor advises me to continue taking the pills as they will help to reduce my cholesterol and help with my diabetic control i am not convinced. I have had a blood test to test the effect of the statins and has come back negative.