Atorvastatin for High Cholesterol User Reviews (Page 5)

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 5, 2018

"Went on atorvastatin because I had a fully blocked vertebral artery in the back of my neck and a partially blocked vertebral artery that required a stent. Within three days, I started getting a flushing of the skin of my face and neck. Then the muscle soreness kicked in along with stiffness in other muscles. This gradually increased into neck muscles and finger muscles. I also developed weakness in all extremities. I was also in a fog at times, and it was difficult to concentrate at work. I also had trouble focusing my vision. All of this happened over the six weeks that I was taking the drug. Have to be on something to lower cholesterol until the stent is placed, so the doctor put me on another statin. However, I believe in quality of life over quantity of life, so if the new statin continues like the old one, I will stop taking them and switch to berberine, which the scientific studies I have seen show to be just as effective at reducing cholesterol. My doctor is okay with this plan."

• Eee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 18, 2022

"Awful drug. 20 mg dose started 3 weeks ago. A full 4 days now of flu-like symptoms and the necessity to sleep at random hours. My muscles and joints are so painful, especially my ankles, and waves of nausea pass over me constantly. I’ve only kept taking it as the warnings say don’t stop abruptly… but I’m going to. I’ll report back in a few days as to how I am. These symptoms I have can’t be coincidental."

• Anonymous
• February 28, 2009

Atorvastatin "Lowers cholesterol but I have the oddest side effect - I call it itchy feet. In the bottoms only and nothing stops the itchy feeling, except Neurontin. It's an internal nerve itch, not external. I was scratching on concrete, anything to make it stop."

• Jea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 4, 2023

"This pill has terrible side effects. Makes my heart beat very fast for 60 minutes after taking it, my excellent memory is now gone, and it overworks my diabetic kidneys big time. Stopped it completely last night. Exercise and a good diet are happening today."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 31, 2015

"Was on 10 mg of atorvastatin, my cholesterol went way down. After about 6 months, I developed severe cramping in the back of my legs, especially behind my kneecap. Pain came every night and every morning. There were times I couldn't pick my legs up to get over the curb. Sometimes I wasn't sure I was going to make it to work. Pain was in both legs, ran down from behind my butt cheeks to my heel."

• spd...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 13, 2017

"Felt I was having a heart attack but without the chest pain. Every muscle in my body seemed to go into rigidity, and I could not move. Heavy sweating. Severe pain in muscles and joints. Difficulty breathing that turned into wheezing and gasping for breath. Panic. Dizziness. This was my third dose of medication."

• kar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 22, 2022

Atorvastatin "This is some crazy stuff. Two weeks into taking Lipitor, I woke up with huge red spots in the bends of my arm. It actually looked like eczema, and I have never had eczema. I had a stiff neck, and I had rashes on both my forearms and on the front of my legs. Eyelids were droopy, and the dry skin was horrible. My legs and arms were so dry and flaky. I stopped taking it as soon as I read the reviews. Rashes are clearing up after a week off Lipitor. This was a horrible allergic reaction."

• sap...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 4, 2017

"Been taking 10 mg of atorvastatin for six months now. LDL was 188, now it is 95, so a 50% drop. Total cholesterol from 263 to 136, again nearly 50%. Triglycerides from 154 to 40, which is like 75%. The only not stellar number was my HDL (the good cholesterol), which actually dropped from 44 to 33. Even though most people's goes up slightly. While that is a concern, overall the improvement in my numbers has my cardiologist pleased enough to continue the protocol. For everyone who complains of the muscle aches and pains, you need to be taking ubiquinol, not simply CoQ10. I know if I go too many days without my ubiquinol, I can be susceptible to the muscle issues too. 200 mg of ubiquinol every day prevents this."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 16, 2023

"I've been taking atorvastatin for 6 months, and I feel horrible. I have had muscle pain and trouble with my asthma since I started taking it. The biggest side effect is just generally feeling like a zombie, having no energy, extreme fatigue, trouble sleeping, and just feeling like total rubbish all the time. I'm over it."

• Geo...
• October 11, 2019

"After using for over 30 days, my face skin got severe itching with dry skin. Without knowing this cause, I continued to take it for another 10 days, and by then my face skin looked burned and damaged altogether with severe dry skin and itching."

• Sha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 2, 2018

"I had a TIA August 11th, and the Dr. prescribed 40 mg of Atorvastatin. I became so tired and had blood work done, and my ALT level was 488! Thankfully, my ALT is down to 192 since stopping it 15 days ago. I would never take another medication that you need to check liver levels. Who knows what lasting effects this could have on my future. Very scary."

• Big...
• October 9, 2017

"Dad died of a heart attack three years ago. Then, two years later, my brother had a heart attack from blockage and almost died. My cholesterol is 512. Been taking this statin for about 3 weeks. I'm miserable. Leg pain/cramps. Pain down both arms, but mainly the left one. Totally weak all over. Lower leg pain on both sides. Tight chest every night. Heat pounds all the time now. Barely able to sleep a couple of hours a night if I'm lucky. Sour stomach every night, I have to take antacids at bedtime. Can't function during the day. I gotta go see my Doc now that I know this med is the cause. 43-year-old, fairly active, average weight male."

• Gra...
• January 12, 2016

"First I was on Simvastatin, then I had a Dr. change and he put me on Atorvastatin. My blood sugar levels went up for no reason, then I started having cramps. Told the Dr. and he said to just watch my diet. So I did. The cramps were almost every day and getting me very upset. So I called the Dr. again. He finally told me to stop the meds for 14 days and then start again. The cramps went away until I started taking them again. Don't know what the Dr. will do next."

• Bea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 25, 2019

"Have been taking Lipitor for 2 months. Went to the doctor for a yearly check-up and blood work. My white blood count was low at 2.8. The only changes I have made since the last check-up are the addition of Lipitor and a keto diet. The last 2 weeks, I have been dizzy and have headaches and insomnia. Not sure if I should quit taking the drug or quit my diet."

• Don...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 31, 2022

"I've been on atorvastatin 80 mg for high cholesterol for 6 months. I'm DONE! Extreme burning leg pain, back pain, and can barely walk. Feeling drained to the core and having no energy. This poison has me pretty much unable to function. When in the ER, the doctor told me that this medication causes muscular pain and people end up stopping taking it. Add me to that list. I have an appointment with my doctor next week and will inform him the side effects are too devastating to continue taking it. This is no way to live when people have to help you walk across the street as if you're over 100 years old. Tonight, I am DONE taking it. Then, reading through various complaints, there are people ultimately being diagnosed with Parkinson's, and doctors are still prescribing it. Atorvastatin is bad like all the other pills these quacks shovel out. There must be a holistic way to lower cholesterol without poisoning the body. Right now my legs are on fire and have to take something for pain."

• Tho...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 17, 2023

"I have been on this medication before with no side effects. I stopped for a while, then went back on it. Weeks after starting, I felt horrible. Headaches, muscle aches, ringing in the ears, nausea, diarrhea, and dizziness. I ended up in the ER and then later saw my doctor, who told me about the side effects and to stop taking it. Hoping to feel better soon. This medication is HORRIBLE, it shouldn’t be prescribed. The side effects are worse than the benefits. I rate it a zero."

• Dus...
• June 11, 2009

Atorvastatin "Very healthy 50-year-old white male. Developed a severe rash on the right inside thigh. The doctor immediately suggested stopping taking Lipitor, which I did. Funny, Crestor produced the same rash in the same place. The doctor was amazed."

• Eze...
• June 12, 2017

"I've been taking atorvastatin for a couple of weeks now. HATE IT AND WILL STOP TODAY! I have a cough and stuffy nose (side effect), tight chest, tired all the time, muscle cramps, off-and-on diarrhea, sore throat, no need to say anymore. I've been put on several different kinds of meds for high cholesterol, and they all have side effects that I can't deal with. It's sad, but every doctor I've had has wanted to put me on these meds that make me sick. I'm gonna find foods that may help."

• Mr ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 26, 2017

"My doctor prescribed me Lipitor 10 mg. I have been taking it for 2 months. My cholesterol level was 210 total, now my total level is 167, LDL is lower, and my HDL is the same. I'm pleased to say that I don't have any side effects. I see many of you with side effects, I suggest exercise and drink lots of water. No side effects here, I'm happy."

• Mik...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 17, 2022

"Lowered cholesterol but caused severe leg/muscle pain, joint pain, memory issues, GERD, insomnia, fatigue, and a sense of being unwell, difficulty getting up from the couch, climbing stairs. I tolerated it for over a year until I kindly but assertively said I’d no longer take it."

• ELS...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 2, 2018

"Had bypass surgery, six of them, and was put on an 80 mg dose of atorvastatin. Before surgery, my LDL was 114, total was 214, HDL was 82, and triglyceride was 88. After one week on an 80 mg dose, my values were 73, 166, 80, and 65. I was pleased and had no side effects. Then, after five months, I began getting itching on my back and arms that drove me batty. My memory seemed to be suffering. The final straw was a complete loss of strength in my left leg, near the calf muscle. I could not even walk up my stairs. I immediately stopped taking atorvastatin, and within two days, the muscle returned to normal and the itching got way less severe. Memory also improved. I am 77 years old and have always been a runner, so I am in very good shape."

• COO...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 28, 2018

"Prescribed 10 mg daily but experienced muscle pains. I talked to my doctor and we agreed to split the 10 mg pill in half. I take 5 mg per day with no side effects. Cholesterol levels have dropped to almost near normal range."

• Ben...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 26, 2022

"Thought I’d got away with no side effects for the first month, then the aches hit me. I got aches in my toes, ankles, and arch of feet so bad I couldn’t walk. Stopped the atorvastatin, and by the next day, aches had gone. Doctor says I’m not suitable for statins and has told me to just watch what I eat. He told me that he would never take a statin because of the horrible side effects."

• Alo...
• February 28, 2017

"I was put on 20 mg atorvastatin for 2 months. From the first couple of weeks, I noticed a rise in my blood pressure every three days with severe cramping up my left arm to my head and down my left leg. Most times, I get so fearful that I might be about to suffer a stroke. I noticed that my memory sometimes goes haywire and now I am beginning to have difficulties in swallowing my own saliva during resting periods. I am also suffering from discharging of clear, salty phlegm via spitting when I do not have a cold. I have to put up with constant dizzy spells, muscle pain, and muscle twitching, but I am still taking the drug due to the fact that I really want to get my total cholesterol down from 329 and, most importantly, my bad cholesterol down from 265."

• Zeg...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 4, 2018

"Being treated for high cholesterol and high blood pressure, atorvastatin is one of the drugs I have been on for over four years now. Results have been positive for me, and my doctor has lowered my prescription from forty to twenty mg per day. I take one atorvastatin at night since I was told that the body produces cholesterol at nighttime. So, to get the full benefit of the statin, I take it now, once a night, with my medication for high blood pressure, amlodipine. Which is another story, but positive. Anyway, I am positive about atorvastatin and would recommend it. While at the same time, I would suggest that you watch your own reaction to any medication. Mostly any medication that deals with your heart, be careful. God bless."