Drug Company, Pfizer, Sued Over Lipitor

Drug Company, Pfizer, Sued Over Lipitor. John Slattery reporting.Millions of Americans swear by it: Lipitor, the drug that lowers cholesterol.

[Mary Bell Roberts]

I have been using Lipitor for about 8 years, and i am having trouble walking, memory, muscles achs,pain in my legs. My doctor has taken me off Lipitor and then put me back on it for my colosterol. I have never been told of the side effects outside of some moderate pain in my legs i was told.
[e-mail]

[pharmacist -jo]

As a pharmacist, I am deeply saddened by the fact that your pharmacy did not counsel you more effectively about the potential side effects of Lipitor. This drug, though yes it can cause muscle related side effects such a sthe ones you were experiencing, can be a very important one - as we know that lowering cholesterol can reduce the likelyhood of serious heart related events (like heart attacks!!) I am careful to always counsel my patients about this, and stress that if leg soreness, cramping, or any discomfort occurs without explaination - call you doctor or pharmacist immediately! we cannot help you if you do not tell us you are having problems :) I only wish I had been your pharmacist at the time, and your side effects could have been avoided.
Pharmacist Jo

[Kurniawati]

I have been taking lipitor since 2.5 years ago after the panic attack I went through blood test , my choles was about 400. Since then I can not part with this drug also xanax. Recently I developped irritable noise in my left ear. I had consulted ENT in Singapore and had several test. My hearing was normal. My MRI did not show any growth. Finally the doctor prescribed me Vinpocetine. But still no effect. I am suspecting now if Lipitor is the culprit.
I am living in Bali Island Indonesia. If any one can assure me my suspicion true or wrong I shall be very grateful.If by chance she or he comes to Bali I shall welcome and entertain as a token of my thanks.
I can be contacted at [e-mail]

[Laura]

I took lipitor from 2001 until the end of 2002. At first (March 2001) my doctor prescribed 20 mg of pravothol. This medicine made my arms go numb, so my doctor switched me to 10 mg of lipitor. Even though the muscle and joint pains started shortly afterwards, I did not attribute them to the medicine. When I told my doctor, he mentioned possible athritis. Dizziness, memory loss, fatique, tingling in my hands and feet and the increased muscle pains all came on progressively over the years, but no doctor attributed it to lipitor.
I no longer take lipitor, but the side effects continue. I'm wondering if they will eventually wear off.

[Lulubelle]

Mary, I had all the same effects you did plus others. I got off them and everything but the odd swelling in my feet went away. My mind has went back to normal, fog lifted and I can connect the "dots" again. The one thing I never realized until I was off of it, was that it had stolen (also) all my energy. I can't tell you how close I came to loosing my independance, my job and my life. They can keep those statin drugs! I can live with high cholesterol but I can't live without my memory!

Laura, have you visited spacedoc.net and found out what you need to do to get better? You may never get 100% back but I think you can get some of yourself back.

[Richard]

Lulubelle wrote:

Mary, I had all the same effects you did plus others. I got off them and everything but the odd swelling in my feet went away. My mind has went back to normal, fog lifted and I can connect the "dots" again. The one thing I never realized until I was off of it, was that it had stolen (also) all my energy. I can't tell you how close I came to loosing my independance, my job and my life. They can keep those statin drugs! I can live with high cholesterol but I can't live without my memory!
Laura, have you visited spacedoc.net and found out what you need to do to get better? You may never get 100% back but I think you can get some of yourself back.

Just last week I had the most painful leg cramp that I can ever remember. I asked my doctor abut that and asked if Lipitor could have caused this. He said no. I don't know just what to think at this time.
email [e-mail] (Richard)

[Richard]

I suffered a most painful leg cramp the other day. I asked my doctor about and the relationship perhaps to lipitor. He indicated that lipitor was not the cause of my leg cramp. any suggestions?

[Scared by big Pharm]

Richard:

Keep reading and doing research. Read the books that are out there and even just doing a "google" search under Lipitor Side Effects or Lipitor Lawsuit. You'll see that many, many people have these muscle-related issues with this drug, although the ads still refer to it as a "rare, but serious side effect".
Can't hurt to get off it for a few months and see if you feel better. Remember, the biggest muscle in your body is your HEART!!
Good Luck

[Sally]

My husband was put om Lipitor after having a stent placed in his coronary artery. Doctors routinely place their coronary patients on a blood pressure medicine as well as a statin and meds for keeping clotting away from the stent. My husband was O.K. for 5 months while he was on his cardiac re-habilitation exercises. THEN, leg pain, cramps "..like a tourniquet around the muscles, though they'd explode" Then came the memory loss, change in personality, anger, impatience, rages. Equillibrium was destroyed. He was a different person, and unable to walk, as well. I saw on CNN that Pfeiser was being sued for with-holding information about the long-term effects of Lipitor, took him off it immediately. Six monthe later, the local M.D's have no idea that these drugs are dangerous. I am giving him high B complex vitamins as well as CoQ10 (150 mgm) twice a day and L-Carnitine,(500mgm) three times a day. They semm to be helping a bit. Do read Dr. Graveline's book as well as "Cholesterol Myths" by Ravnskov. I am an R.N. and can only suggest what may be working for us. Good luck

[Lulubelle]

"Laura, have you visited spacedoc.net and found out what you need to do to get better? You may never get 100% back but I think you can get some of yourself back. "

Yes, that is where I learned how to get off of it and what supplements to take. I am 8 months off of it and now I am wondering how much permanent damage has been done to my body. Is is like my body is constantly trying to fix itself or still suffering damage. My mind bounces back and forth between being normal and not grasping things. Cramps are coming back in my feet, tingeling and some days my legs are so weak, I can hardly walk, other days my legs are normal.

What chaps my hide is we TRUST these doctors and big pharmars to do right by us and not harm us. I have learned my lesson on that but at what cost? I hope that all money helps them sleep at night and I hope they can sleep at night KNOWING one day, that other shoe is going to fall and they are going to end up being treated just like the tobacco companies was and have to pay! I am SO mad about this that I could choke them and seeing their ads on TV burns me up everytime I see one.

My doctor now knows I took myself off of the stuff and it actually seemed to have made him happy, which puzzeled me. I even reminded him I had complained to him about some of the things I was having happen to me and he brushed me off with another Rx.... I am now off of EVERYTHING but the supplements. No more indigestion or acid reflux either!

A added note; I printed and sent a lot of stuff on the statin damage to my sister in another state because I knew she was on statins. She called me to tell me she read it all and never took another statin.... it had put the pieces together on what she had been experiencing. She had taken 3 bad falls and one of them was bad and she could not figure out why she was getting so clumsey.

...and we are suppose to be just a few that suffer these side effects? I don't think so. The rest just haven't connected it to the statins yet.

[MaryAnne]

I have been on lipitor for 6 months. I have been nursing various aches and pains in my knees, achilles tendons, and calf muscles. I knew muscle soreness was a side effect of lipitor but muscle soreness was nothing like I was experiencing. I recently noticed that I did not have the strength to go up the stairs. I was exhausted by mid afternoon after hardly doing anything. I also had burning sensations going up and down my legs; the worst I have ever had. My fingers were numb and that went all the way up my arm. Every part of my body was sore, I was exhausted, sad (I increased my Zoloft dosage because it didn't seem to be working), I could barely function in the real world. I then put two and two together and started looking up side effects of Lipitor. I went off of it right away and notified my doctor. She had me come in for a CK blood test because all of those symptoms were from Lipitor it would show in the CK count. My CK count was quite normal so she thinks I should start the lipitor again. I cannot even think of going back to that way of living. I have never experienced pain like that. I KNOW without a doubt that the lipitor caused most of these things. After about two days my energy was back, muscle soreness (how about paralysis) was almost gone, my achilles that nothing helped is feeling better, I've dropped my Zoloft back down, no numbness, I can walk without limping, and my brain (especially when driving) feels more active and involved in life. This has only been in one week. I'm now preparing my speech to my doctor, complete with evidence and my notes from day to day symptoms, of why I cannot go back on Lipitor.

[Nelson Lopez- Australia]

I have been taking Lipitor for many years now. I started with 10 mg and gradually it was increased to 40 mg. I also have had similar problem to all the people who had described their problmes. Mainly mine are the numbness in my arms and legs as well as memory loss, but the main problem have been the panick attack at nights. I started to get them nearly twice a week and let me tell you they were terrible. I completely lost control and was very afraid of everything. I wanted to see if it was Lipitor and stopped taking them for weeks at a time and the panic attacks went away. When I strted to take them the attack came back. Now I have decided not to take them anymore as this quality of life I cannot take. My panick attacks have gone but I still feel weak sometimes but my memory is probably a bit better. Somebody should do something about taking this drug out of the market!!!

[Pat in Alaska]

I had been taking Lipitor 10 mg. since the late 90's. This year I have had terrible muscle aches. Asked the doctor and he said no not from the Lipitor. I totally stopped it on my own for 2 weeks and the muscle cramps in my one leg got better. Worried about my cholesterol I have been taking it every other night. Lately my feet have been tingeling and burning. I have Type II Diabetes so was afraid it was from that. I just don't know what to do. Any suggestions?

Also had a heart catherization in the 80's and they went through the right groin; use to be that would bother me with my leg going weak on me. Last year or so groin got real bad with pain going into top of the leg which is now interfering with my walking. Will have to go to the doctor; you hate to go cause lousey insurance doesn't want to pay for anything and you end up with big medical bills. Anyone been experiencing anything like this from a catherization??

[Mike_Aurora Colorado]

40mg of Lipitor daily did a great job lowering my total cholesterol from 376 down to 200 over a period of about 2 years. The side effects however became more pronounced with time: memory loss, mood swings, disorientation,leg pains,fatigue, anxiety, stiff achille's tendons,and abdominal bloating. My doctor claimed that I appeared to be getting fatty liver, but yet disregarded all of my side effect complaints because the lab test results looked acceptable to him. I took myself off Lipitor about 3 years ago. The side effects have diminished. Now I swim for an hour each day and maintain a low fat diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. I'm 60 years old and feel better than ever.

[Joe L Murphy]

I was on 80mg Lipitor for 4 years 7 months before Doc took me off of it. My right calf muscle is sore and causes me to limp. "Can not walk on my toes". Have been going to a Neurologist Since May and nothing has been done for me. They have tested me for everything the can think of, with no results. Dr said on my first visit to him that they would do a biopsy to find out what was causing my right calf muscle to be diseased. I thing the know.LIPITOR

[HumanSpirit]

What is not being mentioned is that Statin drugs remove cholesterol and your brain has cholesterol. Wonder why dementia is increasing in the USA?

[ayr2]

DRUG SAFETY INFORMATION: www.adverse-drug-reaction.net

You can search for reactions to lipitor reported to the FDA

[HumanSpirit]

I use Red Yeast Rice.

[Sylvia Clayton]

Sylvia Clayton
122 ST. Ives Crossing
Stockbridge GA 30281
August 11,2008

Please help me Lipitor has destroyed my life

To whom it may concern: I went to a Doctor in 2005 after finding out I had Osteoporosis so the Doctor put me on several medications one was LIPITOR and from then on my life had change.
I was falling down and passing out the lipitor did not effect me until 3 months later then I went back to the doctor and told him what was happening and he sent ,me to another Doctor who check me for Carpal Tunnel and he told me I did not have carpal tunnel and to keep going to my Doctor to see what is wrong but my Doctor told me to stay on the Lipitor or I will die, but after 6 months I was so ill, falling down and every muscle in my body was hurting and then the real problem began my heart started to hurt and I went into A-fib and had to get on Heparin and Lipitor and I ended up in the Hospital over 10 times and I have records to prove it, My friends was their for me because my Heart went down and I continue to faint. I have called Attorney’s and they told me I had to have stroke or be dead before they could help me so then I wrote the FDA and I just receive my Letter from them and that Lipitor could have cause these problems and they are now going to investigate and they also told me they could not help me with the attorney but send a letter to Lipitor which I did but never heard anything from them.. So this letter is to let you know my life has change since I took Lipitor and I still have a lot of problems with my blood and my heart in which I feel that the Lipitor has cause this damage and no one wants to help with compensation but with the prayer I give to God he helps me to go on I would like to go to School to see if anything will change my life. When I moved to Atlanta to start my own business and go to college after taking the Lipitor
My life seem it stopped I was antisocial I would not come out the door and I stay away from people
For over 3 years depressed, crying all the time and very scared I was going to die..I am now 55 and
I feel my 3 years of my life was lost.

I do have a letter from the FDA and they will investigate but in the mean time I suffer every day and night and my heart beats too fast and sometimes to slow I am on Coumadin now to control my blood and Iam on Heart medications to control my heart. I write this letter for help no one has help me yet except the letter I received from the FDA and now I have lots of doctors bills and I had to stop going to my regular Doctor because I am on Social Security and cannot afford to go anymore and Medicaid refuse to help me now because of my Spend down so I am only able to go to the Heart Doctor and Pain Doctor in which I have to pay the copay but I am so back on bills I cannot get it together. My father is dying with cancer and I cannot even travel to go home because of my illness. PLEASE HELP ME…..

Thank You

Sylvia Clayton