Simvastatin and stroke

I have been on Simvastatin for several months. I am now experiencing low back pain, stiff neck on the right-hand side, fatigue feelings in back when standing, fatigue, dizziness and generally feeling "awful." My MD cut me back from 40mg daily to 40mg every other day, but I still continue to feel sick.
I read complaints from others on this site and want to share my symptoms. I have a 78% blockage in my right carotid artery and a 58% blockage in my left carotid artery. I am 72 years old but what else can I do to prevent a possible stroke should these blockages increase without the use of a statin drug????

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.

I was prescribed Simvastatin following experiencing a stroke- the first time I took it I threw up seriously an hour later - but it was so close to my recent stroke that it was not recognized as having connection with the drug. The day I came home from hospital I threw up again -seriously and yes, in the projectile manner- I rang the hospital for advice - they told me to come in- and I was left waiting , desperate for sleep in accident and emergency- having been traiged as a non important case. On this occasion I was given some medication to control vomiting and sent home. The vomiting continued and eventually I realized it was the drug. I had to return to work a month after leaving hospital and I couldn't do this if there was any risk of sudden and projectile vomiting! I am quite angry that I was not told of the side effect and had to work it out- during a time when my brain was not at it's best!

My Mother started taking Simvastatin 6 weeks ago after a stroke, she has stomach cramps and her lips are all swollen and sore. Does it do this. It's all most odd as these things were not there before starting this drug.

DJ