Monday, June 11, 2018

Crestor and Other Statin Side Effects

If anyone has to take prescription drugs there can always be side effects. I know first hand from having to find a combination of blood pressure pills that worked thirty plus years ago. I ended up having a cardiac catheterization because of the symptoms I was having due to blood pressure pills. So it is with a great deal of concern whenever I have to start another prescribed drug. Since I have a family history of all things cardiac, it was recommended that I take a statin to lower cholesterol. The first one was simvastatin 10 mg every day two years ago. I got so lightheaded and dizzy I stopped taking it only after a few days. The next one was pravastatin 10 mg every other day. I had calf muscle pain, abdominal pain, nausea, and felt cold and clammy after a few doses. So we decided to skip the statins and continue on with exercise, diet, and fish oil. Then the cardiologist follow up visit recommendation in May was to start rosuvastatin 5 mg (Crestor) ONCE A WEEK. After two doses, I developed a knife like pain in my right thigh where every time I stood up, sat down, and walked was excruciating. A hard lump developed in the thigh muscle that lasted for two weeks with remnants persisting today. Not only was every step painful, but my legs felt like noodles - like I needed support to walk. It was extremely frightening but we knew it was the statin. So now I am back to fish oil tabs twice per day and waiting to see what the blood work shows in August. The statins do work well for some people - like my husband. I simply cannot tolerate them. This blog is just a warning about horrible side effects. But a life without bread, pasta, and potatoes looks pretty grim. I remember the good ole days when you didn’t have to think twice about it. 







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