Drug Ratings for ZOCORAverage Rating: 1.8 (855 Ratings)
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Results are sorted by Date Rating Was Added Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ZOCOR | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 4 | high cholesterol | fatigue, weakness | I'm taking Zocor because it's inexpensive. | F | 52 | 3 months 40 mg 1X D | 5/3/2013 | 1 | high cholesterol | I have some mild arthritis which I take an OTC NSAID for (and which works well), but when I started on Zocor, I noticed my hip and lower back pain was worse. I also got a sore in my mouth ( I NEVER IN MY LIFE had a sore of any type of in my mouth) and I directly attributed it to Zocor. I stopped the drug a few days ago and amazingly the pains in my hips and back started to improve the first day I stopped the drug. I could tolerate my usual arthritic problems but I felt the Zocor was already worsening them in just the two weeks I was on the drug. The mouth sore started to go away in about three days after ceasing the drug. I am going to address my cholesterol issues with diet, not meds. These statin drugs are dangerous! | I will never take this drug or any other statin again. High cholesterol can be managed in other ways and certainly should be addressed with diet first before any type of med. | F | 57 | 15 days 19 1X D | 4/28/2013 | 1 | Borderline high cholesterol-familia | 24/7 pain-felt like I had been hit by a truck, chronic muscle spasms, unable to walk without shooting sciatic pains, leg and feet numbness, could not raise arms or lift legs without excruciating pain, could not turn head. Hair falling out and muscle atrophy. Took 18 mos after discontinuing statins for muscle spasms and all over pain to diminish. I was 49 and in the best shape of my life through exercise and diet with some arthritis that had been under control with my exercise routine. I had to stop exercising because of the pain, have ongoing PT, wear compression clothes to support my body and continuously use pain meds. I was so terrified that I had the beginnings of ALS or MS that I started thinking about long term care because I never thought I'd improve. | DO NOT BELIEVE THAT DISCONTINUATION OF THE DRUG WILL IMMEDIATELY STOP THE SIDE EFFECTS OR THAT A LOW DOSE WILL NOT CAUSE SIDE EFFECTS. IT HAPPENED TO ME AND I WILL NEVER BELIEVE THE SCAM ABOUT CHOLESTEROL AGAIN. | F | 52 | 4 months 5mg 1X D | 4/18/2013 | 3 | cholesterol | muscle and joint aches | The trick is to find the absolute minimum that you need to lower your cholesterol to an acceptable level. At 10mg daily I can feel stiffness in my finger joints. At higher dosages the stiffness and aches spreads to other parts of my body. I eat a strict diet now and that helps. I also take Benecol chews which also helps. (I tested Benecol's effectiveness. It's good for a 10 or 15 point drop in LDL) | M | 57 | 2 years 10 1X D | 3/27/2013 | 1 | Cholesterol | knee pain, muscle pain and tightness, numbness and tingling in hands and feet, fatigue, dry eyes and mouth, mental confusion and irritability, headaches, weight gain, nausea, bursitis, sweating | my list of side effects is not complete it could go on and on. I have severe pain all the time everywhere, but mostly now in my knee joints where I am unable to sit, rise from sitting or go down stairs. | F | 40 | 2 years 20 mg 1X D | 3/12/2013 | 1 | high cholestrol | while getting dressed I suddenly had some kind of spell like dizziness, almost passing out, weird feelings in my head and extme weakness. It was scary and weird. | F | 77 | 3 days 20 mg | 2/3/2013 | 1 | High cholesterol, MI | Fatigue, severe muscle pain in legs and hips, neuropathy, dizziness | No side effects in first 5 months, came on gradually. Was sent for testing from lupus to ms, it was the statin. Have been off of it for 1 month and have noticed some improvement. | M | 41 | 11 months 40 mg 1X D | 1/17/2013 | 1 | High Cholestorol | Anxiety, tingling extremeties, numbness, muscle and joint pain, muscle damage, digestive issues, visual disturbances, body shocks, blackouts, light headedness, dizziness, poor concentration and memory | I decided to come back to this site nearly two years after stopping Zocor to give an after-the-fact testimonial. I took 80mg Zocor for 5 months starting January 2011 and stopped June 2011 when I suspected that Zocor may have been the cause of all my symptoms. The weeks following stopping the medication things got worse. I had to take a medical leave and eventually lost my job because of all my symptoms. I saw many specialists and took numerous blood tests and imaging (x-rays and mri's) and had procedures done (upper endoscopy and colonoscopy) and everything was negative. I was even sent to mental health who cleared of any mental issues. I was told by both Mental health and neurology that they had seen this before with patients who had taken Simastatin at the high a level. Things VERY SLOWLY got better but never completely better. The last specialist I saw--a rheumatologist looking for auto immune disorders told me that since no one can find the answers for all my symptoms to try eastern medicine and holistics. I didn’t know what to make of that so I went to see a naturopath a year after I stopped taking Zocor (May 2012). He asked what medications I've been taking prior to my symptoms and he gasped at the high level Zocor. He pointed out that many of his patients had problems with statins. He explained to me that the biggest problem with statins is that it inhibits the production of CoQ10 in the body which is required for all systems. Even a year after sto | M | 35 | 5 months 80MG 1X D | 1/14/2013 | 1 | lowering cholesterol | DIZZINESS, FATIQUE, SHORTNESS of BREATH and unusal tiredness. | Is there something else I could take to lower cholesterol some herb? | M | 83 | 3 months 40MG 1X D | 1/7/2013 | 1 | mild cholesterol | shocking muscle pain debilitating | stopped taking 4 years ago but pain and wasting is still there. this has drastically changed my life. I have set up a web site for australians afflicted by this medication and hope others will join in and unite to show the medical fraterity the real dangers of this medication and try to get some satisfaction in treatment and respect http://australianstatinvictims.com/ | M | 49 | 3 years 20 1X D | 1/3/2013 | 4 | none at first then felt itchy, leg pains, pains in hips pains in my left side and bladder. | suddenly developed rashes under breasts and abdomen. Stopped taking it, not sure if it was from this drug. Ive been vomiting all week. I may have a bug. This med was good at lowering my cholesterol though. | F | 60 | 14 months 20 mg 1X D | 12/9/2012 | 1 | High cholesterol | Severe pain (and I have a high tolerance for pain). Started in knees and shoulders spread to back, feet and arms. The pains shoot out from the joint and in the metatarsal bones of the feet if I move the wrong way. A few times, I didn't think I would be able to get out of a chair or couch. I stopped taking simvastatin 5 days ago and PRAY it goes away soon. I am overweight but active and other than mild arthritis type pain, was able to function just fine. Now I feel like I am close to being an invalid. The drug worked great for my cholesterol but I will NEVER take it again. I'll follow some of the more natural routes. | F | 58 | 5 years 20 mg 1X D | 12/1/2012 | 1 | High cholesterol | hair loss & difficulty swallowing & severely chapped lips & leg cramps | I stopped the medicine, the symptoms disappeared & a few months later, my doctor suggested I try again taking it only 3x a week.... After 6 mos, I experienced difficulty swallowing again......I stopped & it went away after 2 1/2 weeks.......I'm done with statins | F | 65 | 6 months 20 mg 1X D | 11/28/2012 | 4 | zocor | None | M | 65 | 4 years 40 MG 1X D | 9/3/2012 | 1 | cholesterol high | My arm muscles hurt so much , I began to wrap them with tape to be able to move them without so much pain.Also shoulder and neck pain constantly, arms felt like they weighed 200 lbs each.Sharp shooting pains in the feet, and in various spots in my body, it felt like an electric shock sting.Stopped taking them after 2 wks.of pain and feeling like over 100 yrs. old. It took a few more weeks for all of the symptoms to stop. Am now on 10meg. Crestor, and the same type symptoms are starting again- only difference it has taken 3 weeks to have these pains and nerve "stabs" start up.. I have stopped them once again and will not take any statin pills anymore. Age plays no part in this pill, I have always been an active woman and avoided pills of any kind for most of my life. I'd rather die moving around and enjoying life them have my body be attacked and filled with drugs..Let the pharmacutical people who create this type of poison test themselves first before using people as test tubes to find out the side effects. | F | 74 | 2 weeks 20-40 mg. | 8/19/2012 | 1 | high cholesterol | Mostly Pain, Pain, Pain. Deep throbbing pain in my joints and muscles. Hair loss, insomnia, tinnitus, dysphagia, dementia. The prescribing physician shrugged off my complaints with "You're getting older. Everyone has pain." I stopped taking Zocor when another doctor recommended I stop taking all the medication I was on. Most of my problems went away, but not all of them. I was left with no energy and a very dull mind after being tortured for six years. | I took for Zocor for six years. The prescribing physician ignored my complaints. It was all a big mystery to him. I discovered what had been wrong with me by accident months after I came out of a coma. This nightmare took 20 years out of my life counting the 12 years it took me to recover. I kept detailed records. You can see a summary here: http://morleyevans2.com/Depraved/Depraved.html I got better. Please contact me at morleyevans@gmail.com if you need help. | M | 65 | 6 years 10 1X D | 7/27/2012 | 1 | High cholesterol | Muscle weakness and aching, peripheral neuropathy in hands and feet, fatigue, dizziness | I was taking this medication while exercising and I think that masked sme of the symptoms. I have been off it for two months and still have symptoms. Doctor says to be patient...I want to scream, " don't poison youself with this drug!" | M | 49 | 2 years 20 mg 1X D | 6/30/2012 | 1 | high cholesterol | Severe muscle weakness memory loss confusion severe headaches brain fog paresthias breathing problems and much much more. Its the worst thing that ive ever gone thru. Ben off it for one year and im still very very ill. | F | 4 months 20mg | 5/24/2012 | 5 | High Cholesterol | None | I was begun on generic Zocor 20 mg (simvastatin) about 6 yrs ago for high cholesterol. My total cholesterol 6 months ago was 164 with it. After dropping 24 lbs & with regular exercise, my total cholesterol went down to 124 (I have lost a total of 70 lbs over 3 yrs). As per my request, my doc dropped the Zocor 20 mg every day & will re-evaluate my cholesterol levels in another 6 months. I am totally pleased with how well Zocor worked for me !!! | M | 61 | 6 years 20 mg 1X D | 4/19/2012 | 1 | achieve optimal cholesterol level | 6'1" 205lb male in excellent shape, recreationally weight lifting my whole life with no issues, who after a month of Zocor without being to dramatic began fighting deteriiorating into becoming an invalid; after 3 months I was finding it impossible sleep through the ache or to even get out of bed in the mornings, not able to overcome the pain to pull back the sheets, walking around with arms that felt like hurting 20lb bags of potatoes that didn't have the strength to pick up a cup of coffee. After 5 months my joy of life was GONE. Not a minute of the day or night without an excruciating deep ache in my elbows. No sleep, no sex drive, no peace.... all in an attempt at my doctors suggestion to get my cholesterol from a reasonable 200 to an optimum 160. It took getting a point of preferring to have my arms literally cut off my body than continuing to live like this. Within a minute of describing my problem (deep ache as opposed to simple pain) the Dr. said STOP THE ZOCOR IMMEDIATELY. Within 3 days of being off this POISON I can literally feel the pain leaving my body. In 3 months I'll reevaluate the cholesterol issue... but as I type this I'm feeling the weight of the world off my shoulders... and the deep ache leaving my arms. | M | 57 | 6 months 40mg | 3/18/2012 | 1 | Prevenitive Measure | Sex drive is gone... Muscle and joint pain, muscle atrophy,reduced testosterone (Had it tested) and an overall feeling of being unwell. Since starting zocor I went progressively from feeling good to having aches and pains all the time. My hobby is weight lifting. Zocor has managed to take me from a 300 lb bench press (With no pain) to it hurting to just get out of bed. I still lift the weights but see little to no benefits from it and recovery time is significantly longer due to muscles and joints take days if not weeks to stop hurting enough for me to go at it again. | Zocor works well... It lowered my total cholesterol to 99. But being it was only 170 when I started treatment that is not a huge accomplishment. As is always recommended I reported these problems to my doctor and he told me he was certain it wasn't my medication. I just stopped taking this drug for about a week and the muscle pain is already backing off. Who cares if "your numbers look good" if you feel terrible all the time. Another incentive, at least for me to quit statins is the updated FDA warnings about increased risk of diabetes and dementia. My father has been taking "Lipitor" for years. Within the last five years he has been diagnosed with first diabetes then dementia. A little to close to home since the only reason I took this drug was because of "Genetic Predisposition" from Dad. | M | 49 | 5 years 40 MG 1X D | 3/1/2012 | 1 | high cholesterol | Severe pain throughout lower part of body. Just had major back surgery. Should be doing so much better. Found this site. I wish I had found this earlier. I will quit this medicine today. How long before I feel better? | F | 60 | 18 months 20mg 1X D | 2/28/2012 | 1 | Family history | Pain in finger joints and muscle pain and knots in shoulders, neck and back. Severe mood swings. Actually considered smoking again after 7 years of no desire to touch a cigarette whatsoever. Extremely tired and weight gain. | M | 35 | 3 weeks 20mg | 2/14/2012 | 4 | Very high cholesterol | I have been taking this for the past 16 years. No bad side effects, just sometimes get itchy like ive got an allergy, so occasionally take allergy tablet.Would probably have had a heart attack by now if I wasn't taking it. So what would you rather do? Not take it and have a stroke or heart attack or take it followed by a healthy diet and be alive? | F | 41 | 10 years 40 | 1/31/2012 | 1 | Cholesterol slightly high (200+) | My arms ached particularly after raking leaves or weightlifting. That was three years ago. They still ache today if I lift heavy objects. For example, if I hold a toddler for any length of time. | I was eating grapefruit when taking Zocor. I have no doubt the drug has permanently damaged my arm muscles. I can't lift weights anymore. Afterwards my arms ache for weeks. My (former) Doctor wanted me to continue taking Zocor. | M | 66 | 14 days 10mg 1X D | 1/26/2012 | 2 | High cholesterol (296) Genetics | I am a runner. Shocked to find out my cholesterol was so high (296). Learned it was genetic. Side effects began with Charlie horses/calf pain in the middle of the night. Vaginal pain and dryness, swollen gland on left side of throat, sinus infection, naseua, indigestion, dead legs, and weight gain! In 3 months, my cholesterol lowered 103 points, but it's not worth it. Going cold turkey for 3 months and then re-test and go from there. | F | 39 | 3 months 20 mg | 1/20/2012 | 1 | Borderline cholesterol & Family hx | I used simvastatin for 3 years. In year number 2 I started having muscle weakness, leg cramps, confusion and tinnitus. Year number 3 had trouble walking, started using bilateral hearing aids, major leg cramps in especially the top part of my legs. Have seen 2 doctors and 1 neurologist. By the way, my new doctor just started me on Crestor 3 weeks ago--which my neurologist is weaning. I stopped the simvastatin 1 1/2 years ago but symptoms have not resolved. Currently working with a neurologist to see if effects are reversible. At 57, the pain and weakness in my legs and arms along with the horrible tinnitus might be permanent. I wish I had known before the first practitioner started me on this med for borderline hyperlipidemia and a family history. I was having no symptoms from the cholesterol itself, even had a heart cath to prove it. Most recently besides having trouble walking and climbing steps, I've had memory clouding and thinning hair. I have a lot of living to do but this has de | F | 57 | 3 years 10 1X D | 1/19/2012 | 1 | Elevated Cholesterol | Was admitted to hospital with COK values exceding 2400, complete use og my leg and kidney, liver and heart problems | I have attemped to sue but have heard nothing about how the suit is going | M | 72 | 60 days 80 1X D | 1/1/2012 | 1 | high cholesterol/triglycerides | Severe muscle aches, hair loss, weight gain | I was doing roller derby at the time, which produces muscle aches of its own so the muscle aches produced by this drug, along with the 15lb weight gain and hair loss, were unacceptable. I found a natural red yeast rice alternative which has brought my cholesterol down from 193 to 182 and my triglycerides down from 347 to 272 (I know that's still high). I intend to stay on the red yeast rice as I have been on it for the past six months with no ill effects and while the cholesterol drop wasn't major, the tri drop was, so I will continue with it. I wouldn't recommend a statin drug to anyone unless s/he was a masochist who loved chronic pain and getting fat and bald. | F | 28 | 1 years 40 mg 1X D | 12/31/2011 | 5 | cholesterol | leg cramps | dont fool yourself by stopping this drug, you will eventually pay the price in a major heart attack. | M | 56 | 3 years 20 mg 1X D | 12/29/2011 | 1 | Cholesterol | Waves of anxiety, lasting 2-4 days. | I started having feelings of anxiety and worry, usually about work issues. I thought maybe I was just reacting to stress at work, however my feelings were totally out of whack. It would last 2-4 days, where I had trouble concentrating, lost appetite, and just had a feeling of dread. Then it would go away, and I would be fine for a few days. This cycle continued for almost 3 months. I was so confused by this, I figured I might need some psychological help. Then it occurred to me this all started at the same time I had started on simvastatin. Anxiety didn't seem to be a listed side effect, but I was desperate, so stopped the simvastatin. The anxiety continued for about a week, then totally stopped. It is 3 weeks now, no more anxiety, I'm back to normal! I still can't believe the effect, especially since I was on a very small dose (5mg). But the facts don't lie. I'm really scared to start on another statin now, not sure what to do. | M | 53 | 3 months 5mg 1X D | 11/17/2011 | 1 | high cholestral | Started meds last Saturday night. Woke up Tuesday morning and was very stiff and sore. I suffer with joint pain and had both knees replaced 5 years ago. As day progressed pain increased. Haven't had pain like this since before knee replacements..Could not figure out why all this pain.. weather? Activity? nothing out of the norm. By late afternoon i had dug out my canes. Remembered doctor saying complications with Zocor could be muscle and joint pain. Called Dr. told her my trouble. She said quit taking the pill and come in for blood work in morning.. Could not get into our mini van, to much pain. Called my sister who came and got me in her car. Gimped on home in great pain to knees. Thought maybe i felt alittle better last nite, with hopes of being better in the morning. NOT!! took 10 minutes to get out of bed and make it to bathroom. Called doc. again. My blood work looked fine, and she didn't think it was connected to the Zocor. I beg to differ. So now what?? How long does it take to | F | 54 | 3 days 10 mg 1X D | 11/17/2011 | 1 | High cholesterol & tyiglicerides | Shaking hands. Cramps in lower leg extremities and forearms. Foggy headed. | I have expereinced the symptoms above while taking this medication for only one (1) week. I am discontinuing this medication asap. I located a book called the DASH diet, a way of life to natually lower cholesterol. | F | 43 | 1 weeks 20 mg 1X D | 11/4/2011 | 1 | Slightly elevated triglycerides | The mother of all leg cramps, both legs, on more than one occasion. Shoulders feeling like knives are stabbing me. Residual muscle knots under my thighs making sitting for any length of time impossible. Wake up feeling horrible, that is when I can sleep. And all of this over three months after I stopping using this monstrous drug. So much more, but that'll do for now. | I feel that it has poisoned me. The pain is unbearable. I am looking for a support group to address the depression that this has caused. | M | 58 | 30 days 20 1X D | 10/30/2011 History | 5 | High Cholesterol | None | I've had chronic high cholesterol my entire life as long as doctors have been monitoring it. (10 years now). I was on Lipitor for a while when I was in my teens, and 100lbs lighter, but it did nothing to my cholesterol levels.My newest doctor put me on the generic of this (simvastatin) around 4 months ago. I've had no side effects, and it has worked wonders for my cholesterol. I saw fantastic results after just a month of use. My cholesterol was finally in the normal range (below 200) for the first time ever. While they say its supposed to be used in conjunction with a change in diet and exercise, I can't really afford to buy a bunch of healthy foods because I'm on food stamps, and even with no change in my diet and only a small change in my activity levels, I saw these results. | F | 26 | 4 months 20 1X D | 10/29/2011 | 1 | Swelling in legs/ ankles muscles weekness, dangerous at 80 mg | M | 78 | 120 days 80 1X D | 9/13/2011 | 1 | heart disease | Leg cramps and tingling at night numbness in legs..feel sick, very ired | F | 49 | 3 days 20 mg 1X D | 8/30/2011 | 2 | Cardiologist Rx for Atherosclerosis | mood changes, fatigue, knee pain, shoulder pain, muscle aches/weakness, confusion, dizzy | I've been in/out ERs & specialist for past 6mos with list of symptoms and nothing is ever found on CTs/MRIs/Xrays/blood/urine etc and have been going nuts trying to figure out what's wrong with me and feel like a hypochondriac and being treated like one. I've never had high cholesterol, my ahterosclerosis is from other conditions. Taking an aspirin a day 81mg and zocor/simvastatin for 3yrs and FINALLY tonight find this sight and realize it's my dang medicine causing it - I'm stopping tonight and never taking it again. I already have stageIV breast cancer and don't need any extra complications. I don't know why none of the ER docs or specialist didn't mention it being zocor. Thanks everyone who shared here and I know that's what it is. I will post again in a few weeks to let you know. | F | 49 | 3 years 20 MG 1X D | 8/29/2011 | 1 | Family history of heart disease | Joint/muscle pain, esp. in hip, shoulders and wrists. Sharp pain in tips of fingers and toes. Overall muscle weakness. Elevated TSH level after years of steady level on thyroid replacement. Ringing ears. Brain fog. Insomnia. | Doctors forced me into taking Zocor b/c of severe family history of heart disease. Stopped it after two years. Started again when doctors told me I would die, this time with CoQ10. Symptoms are now worse. Quitting for good now. One doctor supports me. | F | 51 | 3 years 20 mg 1X D | 8/19/2011 | 3 | High Cholesterol | Numbness in legs at night | M | 57 | 3 weeks 10 MF 1X D | 8/18/2011 | 1 | High Chlorestoral | Hip pain, back pain, swollen hands, mood changes, knee pain, leg pain, foot pain, neck pain, fatigue, general joint pain, overall stiffness, pain in wrist. | I have worked out my entire life with weights and cardio for an 1 hour a day, never had joint pain. after working out now I am almost unable to walk without severe stiffness even when taking yoga for stretching. I eat healthy and have a great attitude about life. I am now going to go off this drug and hopefully will feel better shortly. It is not worth it. I feel like a 90 year person. | F | 66 | 4 months 10 mg 1X D | 8/17/2011 | 1 | muscle contractions throughout entire body, hip pain, leg weakness, cannot stand to have legs touched due to pain, lack of energy | before being on zocor was taking vytorin for about 7-8 years, and now find I have kidney damage-which I recently found out is a side effect of zocor which is one of the drugs in vytorin | F | 65 | 4 months 40 mg 1X D | 8/13/2011 | 1 | high cholestrol | extreme pain all over my body, hurt to be touched, no appetite, no energy, hurt to walk, pain in knees, constipation, to touch the fiber of body at any place except the tip of my nose and ears was painful! | Was shorted on the number of pills in my last refill, so I skipped taking for a few days and then stopped until I could get my prescription refilled---have to drive 75 miles to get meds. Amazingly, in three days time, my friends could hug me and I felt no pain. I could rub my shoulder and I felt no pain. Still can't believe this. No constipation after three days. Legs don't jump during my sleeping hours, I even feel like cooking and preparing meals again. Have more energy and I want to do things...marvelous! | F | 84 | 6 years 40 mg 1X D | 7/30/2011 | 3 | High cholesterol | In the past 5 years I have had a rotator tear right shoulder, frozen shoulder, same shoulder, tarsal tunnel surgery on my ankle for sever pain, and now frozen shoulder in my other shoulder. I am very lethargic, and went from playing tennis many times a week to no tennis at all. | F | 51 | 5 years 40 mg 1X D | 7/18/2011 | 5 | High cholesterol | No side effects. | I was on Lipitor, but it was quite expensive. At my request, my MD switched me to Zocor (generic is Simvastatin). It is inexpensive and does the job well with no problems. | M | 66 | 5 years 50mg 1X D | 7/9/2011 | 1 | high cholesterol | Knee pain and stiffness,lower back pain, insomnia about 8 wks.Knees felt like they were dislocating and had to wear a brace on left. Severe depression and tired,fluid on the knees just didn't feel good in about wk 9. Caused me to be a different person. | I never thought about my knees or depression being related to this drug. After stopping for 2 days the depression lifted and in 5 days my knees were better. I am still not right and have popping in my knees and legs I am guessing due to muscle damage. I didn't tell the Dr yet because I wanted to make sure it was Zocor..I have never had depression & don't ever want to feel that way again. There was a dramatic drop in my Cholesterol levels by wk 9. but what good is that when you are too unstable to leave the house.? This drug should be taken off the market.. | F | 56 | 11 weeks 20mg 1X D | 6/28/2011 | 1 | for borderline high cholesterol | pain in hips, abdomen, nerve pain (felt like when you get excited in center of chest), pain in upper right abdomen, back/kidney pain, joint and muscle pain, knee pain to the point that it is painful to walk up and down stairs, pain in pelvis and lower abdomen, constipation, tiredness | F | 46 | 6 months 10 mg 1X D | 6/27/2011 | 3 | High Cholesterol | I have had severe back and hip pain for some time. Six months ago I had the muscles in my lower back tie up so badly that I went through two months of three times a week physical therapy. Unfortunately, it did not help. Then while listening to National Public Radio I heard the comments about the dosage of 80 mg Zocor and how it appeared to cause severe lower back and hip pain. When I looked it up on the internet, it was like I was reading my description of how bad I felt. I have been off of it for about ten days and I think that it is getting better; but, then it was never the same from day to day. I hope the pain will go away. | I have been on 80 mg Zocor for about ten years. I never thought about the Zocor being the cause of my pain because I had had two spinal fusion operations in the early 2000's. When I read all of the side effects that some people say they have had; I realize that the reason I feel so bad is... it may not be my age. | M | 76 | 900 days 80 1X D | 6/20/2011 | 1 | High cholesterol | Swollen glands, sciatica-like symtoms: excruciating pain on the left side of my body, feet, thigh, buttock and b. ack, headache, depression, fatigue, feelings of being very old--which I generally do not have, blurred vision in one eye, stomach upset severe itching after I stoped taking the medcine. How do I make it stop with out taking something else dangerous? | F | 55 | 65 days 40 1X D | 6/5/2011 | 1 | High Cholesterol | Involuntary muscle twitching in both upper and lower extremities, (mostly lower) tingling in hands and feet, cramping in legs and feet, muscle aches and random unexplained soreness in left elbow and other joints. Difficulty walking up or down stairs. Severe aggravation of a pre-existing arthritic right knee. | I began taking Simvastatin the middle of July 2010. Since then, I have experienced numerous aches & pains, cramps and severe pain in my right knee. I never would have suspected Simvastatin to be the cause of these symptoms! I have the beginning stages of arthritis in my right knee and I went to see my Orthopedic surgeon sometime in August or September of 2010 because my knee was hurting more than ever. The pain got so bad, it made going down stairs very painful. Plus, this must explain why I have been experiencing foot cramps and muscle twitching in my lower extremities for no reason. I am an active person who exercises regularly. In the past few months I have been limited in my exercise activities due to the amount of pain. I even started to walk with a severe limp! My last 40mg tablet was taken on May 31st, 2011 and I am already feeling better and less achy. I'm sorry, but the long-term side effects of this drug are simply not worth it! I am grateful to have found this site where a multitude of people have similar symptoms. Why would we ever suspect that our cholesterol medication could cause these serious issues? Listen to the commercials for these drugs that are being pushed. It's all about the money folks. They spend 80% of the entire commercial announcing the possible side-effects. Sorry, but I'm not going to pay money for extra pain and health complications any longer. I would much rather try to manage my cholesterol on my own than to go through this again. | M | 38 | 10 months 40mg 1X D | 6/2/2011 | 3 | High cholesterol | Muscle pain, particularly my legs and chest (sternum). | Zocor has lowered my cholesterol significantly. However, I am taking a supplement called Ubiquinol to counteract the side effects. Ubiquinol is the active ingredient in CoQ10...statins deplete CoQ10 from the body so it needs replaced. In Europe, they almost always prescribe a statin along with Ubiquinol. After seven days on Ubiquinol, most of the pain was gone. I occasionally have some minor pain but not like before. Ubiquinol can be purchased at health food stores but is kind of pricey. | F | 43 | 4 months 20 mg 1X D | 6/1/2011 | 1 | Dr. prescribed it for high cholestr | Swollen glands, sciatica-like symtomns: excruciating pain on the left side of my body, feet, thigh, buttock and b. ack, headache, depression, fatigue, feelings of being very old--which I generally do not have, blurred vision in one eye, stomach upset. | Symptoms began to occur approimately 3 days after I began using the drug. My doctor had warned me that this drug might cause side effects, such as headache and muscle aches, but this was common. What he didn't tell me that I would begin to lose energy, ability to walk long distances, climb stairs, and would become depressed because I could not keep up my exercise routine, and lost motivation to do so, due to fatigue and muscle aches. He didn't mention blurred vision and depression, either. Two weeks ago, I was in so much pain, throughout the day, that I had to cut back on my work scheduled, substantially, and stay home. At first, I thought that the muscle pains were a result of lifting my grandson on a trip we took 3 weeks ago, until I read about another person on the web page that thought, erroneously, that she had lifted something too heavy, which caused her problem. After matching my symptoms with so many people on this web page, I now suspect that the Simvastatin is the culprit. I am normally a very strong, healthy person, lifting or not lifting. Incidentally, I can no longer go to the gym and work out, which I have done for years, due to fatigue and unbearable pain on the right side of my body. My doctor gave me two shots, one with something like Ibuproghen, and the other a steroid. The pain medication he had subscribed was not working at all, so I asked for shots. They did absolutely no good, if anything, they made the problem escalate. I would advise people | F | 60 | 1X D | 5/27/2011 | 1 | Cholestoral 200 LDL 32 | Blurry vision, headaches, muscle weakness, constant congestion in nose and chest, trouble walking up stairs, pain in lower back, joints, and in muscles | I will never take this drug or any statin for that matter again. They are poison and should be taken off of the market now. I stopped taking the drug 2 days ago and the symptoms have improved greatly and are almost gone. | M | 44 | 3 months 20 1X D | 5/23/2011 | 1 | Moderately high cholesterol | 1. Breathing Problems 2. Moving About 3. Ear Congestion, Aches infections 4. Joint Pain, No Swelling 5. Loss of Voice 6. Nasal Congestion 7. Chronic Sneezing 8. Unusual Tiredness and Weakness 9. Decreased Vision 10. Constipation 11. Heartburn 12. Morning Nausea 13. Diverticulitis 14. Itching Skin, All Over 15. Rash, Persistent on Left Thigh, Encrusted& Scaly 18. Statin induced Myopathy 19. Statin iduced Peripherial Neuropathy 20.Muscle wasting, lost right hand muscles 21.Cramps | The Drug or the doctors should be removed from the market!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Never mix it with Lopid (Gemfibrozil). | M | 75 | 11 years 80mg / day 1X D | 5/17/2011 | 1 | Lower Cholesterol | loss of strength in hands, headache's, blurred vision, some fatigue and more hair loss. | My cholesterol was at 190 when they put me on this medication. I have used reading glasses for several years, but in the past 3 years my vision has really suffered. I now have to keep my glasses on to see anything. I'm getting off of this medication before it can do me any more damage. I have lost alot of my hand strength. I'll wait and see if any of this will reverse its self. | M | 61 | 3 years 80 MG 1X D | 5/16/2011 | 2 | lower my cholesterol | I've discovered that this medication caused me to have anxiety and negative mood issues. | I thought all along that the anxiety I was experiencing was due to life stresses - my brother's death from cancer, the economy (and my income) tanking, and much more. - but since quitting the simvastatin it's just GONE. Completely! I feel like I'm back on my feet again emotionally. While on the simvastatin, I would feel a wave of darkness wash over me every morning as I opened my eyes and came awake, and spent almost every day mildly agitated at all times, and quite agitated sometimes. I've spent a lot of money on counseling, have permanently lost a friend, and strained a lot of other relationships due to the way this drug affected my moods. WATCH OUT for this side effect, as it's not listed as a prevalent one. | F | 58 | 4 years 20 mg 1X D | 5/14/2011 | 2 | High Cholesterol | Muscle aches in legs; swollen ankles; hair loss; rash; dizziness | Stopped taking Zocor less than a week. Waiting to see if this was the cause of the symptoms. I am sure it was the Zocor. | F | 57 | 6 weeks 10 MG 1X D | 5/10/2011 | 2 | High cholesterol | This is my 3rd, 4th, whatever time trying simvastatin. I have also tried lovastatin and atorvastatin. In all cases the symptoms are: after a week neck stiffens up like glass, is painful and causes headaches (every time I try this it takes less time), slight constipation, have noticed hair loss from top of head, loss of labido, loss of power in weight lifts, loss of endurance, dry eyes, sleep problems, tightness in back with general discomfort, loss of lust for life, my memory gets dull, little foggy headed, skin seems to age. All this because my cholesterol is 244 w/HDL 65. | It's insane I do this. I blindly follow what the med community says to do just because of a number (THC 244). My lineage lives to 80 without this stuff. Is that such a bad age? These statins really much up my life. I mean what life? Once I'm on them. I don't want women any more. I don't want to work ouot. I don't want to get out and do things. My hair is falling out. My skin is morphing before my eyes. Before I tried this stuff people regularly said I looked like forty. Now they don't blink an eye when I say I'm 52. Cholesterol is a major component in your body. It's more than just about arterial blockage. And the Dr's don't even have it right. Cholesterol is more than just THC, LDL & HDL. There are subfractions of these but they don't bother measuring at that level. Most of us probably don't need to be concerned with it. Plus recent eveidence shows its inflamation thats the big culptrit. Managing inflamation is the key. Even Alhzimers shows a connection to inflamation. I'll try this once more but really don't expect it to be differnt to previous attempts. Next I'll get real aerious about free radicals and inflamation. I'll get my % body fat to 8%. Concentrate on low glycemic/low insuline response foods. Balance my omega 3's & 6's. Make sure all trans fats / hydrogenated fats are out of the diet. Never heat any oils or fats. Do resistance & endurance exercises. Work on balance & flexibility. And do brain exercises. - And if I drop of a heart attack or stroke | M | 52 | 100 days 10 1X D | 5/5/2011 | 1 | high cholestrol | The first few days on zocor I felt like I was too weak and tired to exercise.Every day I had a pain somewhere on my body.I started getting the feeling of my lower thigh muscles wasting away.Approximately 2 weeks after I started taking zocor I woke up with the worst body aches I have ever felt in my life. The next day I woke up still sore but also my chest hurt so bad like the worst chest cold immaginable. When I would try to cough it was dry and nothing would come up and my whole chest area would ache so bad that I would double over. Also I became very nauseated and threw up twice.I started having a fever and it went on for 5 days 99.4- 101.2. The third day I was having trouble breathing and went to urgent care. My blood pressure went up to 158/90 (usually is avg.115/74). They took chest xray and sent me home with rx for inhaler. I quit taking the zocor that day on my own even though the dr. knew all about the zocor and the symptoms she never connected the possibility of adverse react | It has been 6 weeks since I started the zocor and 4 since I stopped.I am 49 years old.I am in great health except now I have a pulmonoligist for a doctor and I have to take an inhaler called Qvar 2x a day and on bad days take albuterol inhaler too. Please exercise, eat right and do not take Zocor! | F | 49 | 2 weeks 10mg 1X D | 4/19/2011 | 1 | High colestrol | after 3 weeks of taking simvastatin generic for Zocor, I could hardly walk to my car, my legs and muscles became so weak, and the joint pain was unbearable, I had no idea it was the medicine, I never bothered to read the side effects. So finally I went online I found out that many people were having the same side effects. | Also found out the many people on Simvastain also develop Rhabdomyolyis which causes kidney failure and even death.this is a wake up call for me, something that might help your health, can also destoy you. People please listen to your body and always READ the side of effects!! | F | 37 | 30 days 20mg 1X D | 4/19/2011 |