There are 149 ratings for the drug: PRAVACHOL in the Askapatient database.

Key to ratings for pravachol: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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Rating	Reason	Side Effects	Comments	Sex	Age	Time Taken and Dosage		Date Added
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3	high cholesterol (220)	The second cortisone shot did not help either and in fact was more painful. I am finding that my muscles seem to get tired more quickly and that they don't recover as completely either.		M	54	8 months 40 mg 1X D		8/20/2010 Email History
1	High Cholesterol 235 with drug	severe leg and hip muscle and tendon pain; at one point I had to lift my leg to make it work; rubbery legs; difficulty walking; pain in arms and hands; memory loss, poor sleep, difficulty with bowels; tired all the time, foggy head.	I've stopped this medicine to see if it would make a difference. It did but my doctor said I needed to keep taking it so I restarted the med with CoQ10 to see if that helped. All the adverse effects came back within days. After 10 days I stopped again and within days all the symptoms started to subside. It has now been 17 days off the meds and I do feel better however the hip and leg pain persists. I will not go back on this med and hope I am able to change my cholesterol numbers with diet and exercise. If that does not work I will keep searching for help. There must be something else that can help so many people who are having these severe side effects.	F	55	4 years 20 1X D		8/20/2010
3	High Cholesterol	Bad aching leg cramps, acid reflux, and heart pain.	I was on Pravachol for 2 years and was doing good till I started getting acid reflux then about two days latter my hips and legs started aching real bad to the point that the pain is hurting around the clock. My heart is bothering me also. The doctor took me off of Pravachol five days ago and I am in pain still. I am taking pain pills to help with the pain. The Doctor put me on Lipitor before putting me on Pravachol and Lipitor almost killed me right away. I was in so much pain I could not even tell you how much I cried. Every muscle in my body felt like someone was twisting my muscles, and I could not even walk for three days and took about one month to fully recover. I am through with taking statin drugs.	M	47	2 years 40 MG 1X D		8/11/2010
5	High cholesterol	No side effects that I've noticed.	After using this drug for 3 months, my LDL dropped to 101 and my HDL climbed to 47, without any other lifestyle changes (e.g., diet or exercise). As far as I'm concerned, it's a wonder drug. Bring on the bacon burgers.	M	47	7 years 4mg 1X D		7/11/2010
1	high cholestrol	meds worked good. went from 213 to 124 in three months. However, the pain was not worth it. Dr. had me on Lipitor, Vytorin, Crestor, and now Pravastatin. I had to quit each because of the pain. I thought I ruptured my achilles tendon. Now dr. tells me statins can be rough on tendons. I will soon need a walker to get around, or get up from a chair, etc. Pain waked me at night too, especially hips and thighs. I have been off these pills for a month and so far no change. Maybe it is too late for me. Insist your dr. listens to you if you develop muscle pain - don't let them tell you it's not the drug. It is.	My dr. told me they are starting to listen to people developing muscle pain on statins, especially women. If it's possible for you, try other ways to bring down cholestrol. These meds could make you a cripple if you are sensitive like me.	F	65	2 years 30 mlg 1X D		6/29/2010
5	high cholesterol	Hard to tell which of my side effects can be attributed to Pravastatin because I take a number of other medications.	This is a miracle drug that lowered my cholesterol from 235 to 132 in four months. Unfortunately it's also contributing to my insomnia, hair loss and muscle pain. One of my two blood pressure meds is contributing to my insomnia as well. I've got so many debilitating side effects right now that I don't know where to turn. The list from my diabetes meds alone would be enough to drive a person crazy!	F	58	12 months 40 MG 1X D		5/2/2010
5	cholestrol			F	64	2 years 40mg 1X D		4/14/2010
1	High Cholesterol	Severe muscle pain in legs and lower back. Unable to walk long distances. Severe fatigue and weight gain.	I have been on statins for several years (since the early 90's)and each one has caused me pain. I was first on Pravachol 10 mg; then when I started going to another physician he put me on Lipitor 20 mg. Took that for 13 months and almost wound up in a wheelchair. Changed physicians again and was first put on Zetia, which did no good; then back on Pravachol 10 mg; which was raised recently to 20 mg. Back now to where I was while taking Lipitor. Unable to walk and legs and lower back have severe pain in them even when laying in bed. I'm coming off of statins and letting whatever happens happen.	F	59	7 months 20 mg 1X D		4/5/2010
1	High Cholesterol	I tried this at my Cardiologist's insistance after a terrible experiece with Lipotor 9 years ago. I told the doctor and pharmisist about my bad experiences but "gave it a try" after a long talk w/ doctor. Once again, within 10 days of starting, I feel terrible. Symtoms include: Lethargic, muscle pain, foggy, de-motivated, un-focused, flu-like feeling.	Diet & exercise and let God sort out the rest! These kinds of drugs are not worth the toll the take on my body and mind.	M	51	20 days 20 1X D		4/5/2010
1	ldl 140	severe joint, muscle and tendon pain in arms, back, neck, feet, knees, bloating and memory fog	I took the last pill 2 weeks ago and am still in pain and it's not getting better. I AM AFRAID THAT I WILL NEVER HEAL!	F	53	2 months 20 mg. 1X D		3/22/2010
2	cholesterol was 205	I had low back pain and stiffness, causing me difficulty in walking. I had leg pain and joint pain and constantly moved my legs at night to try to find a comfotable position to sleep. I had "brain fog"-forgetfulness, confusion, poor memory. I slept for long periods on my days off from work. I gained about 8 pounds in a month and had abdominal bloating. I felt exhausted all the time. I stopped the medication after one month and felt an immediate improvement in memory and clarity of thinking and and almost complete absence of the muscle pain and low back stiffness and pain.		F	61	30 days 20 mg. 1X D		3/20/2010
1	Mildly Elevated Cholesterol	Look to the right for full description.	I have been on four different statins in six years for mildly elevated cholesterol (originally, total cholesterol 240). I consulted my physician for the earlier changes. I complained principally of leg cramping and insomnia. I have also had joint pain, fatigue and general feeling of malaise, dizziness, hair loss, and mental fog. I stopped taking 20 mg. per day of Pravastatin a month ago without consulting my physician, but began stricter diet control (Mediterranean diet continued, with added soluble fiber and other foods recommended on the web for a healthy heart) and continued exercising 30 minutes per day on a treadmill. I will see my physician for an annual physical in eight months, but I don't think that he will convince me to try again. I would rather live a quality life, even if it is shorter.	F	63	2 years 20 mg. 1X D		3/14/2010
1	High cholesterol	bloating, after 1 yr. bad indigestion, hair shedding badly, memory affected, joints hurting	It took a year to start feeling quite bad. So glad I read other's comments, esp. about my hair. My hair dresser mentioned the shedding, then I read about side effects and figured it out. I called my Dr., told him I was stopping. I'm sure he'll try to get me on another statin, but I've tried others and had muscle pains and stomach problems. It's not worth it, friends.	F	64	365 days 20 mg 1X D		3/13/2010
4	High Cholesterl	Hair loss. 50 percent of my hair is gone in the middle. i hope the manufacturer would investigate this.		M	35	2 years 10 mg 1X D		3/6/2010
1	cholesterol	Daily leg cramps within 3 days. On day 8 I suffered severe vertigo and vomiting.	no statins for me	M	58	8 days 20 mG 1X D		3/6/2010
2	cholestrol is 233	severe leg cramps on this drug as well as Zocor	stopped taking Zocor for 1 week- cramps subsided- started back on Zocor where I had cramps again- dr. changed me to Pravachol 20mg and cramps have started back. Stopping statins, Cramps are too much for me.	F	58	7 days 20 1X D		2/25/2010
4	high cholesterol and triglycerides	muscle aching when exercising.		M	63	7 years 80 1X D		2/16/2010 Email
1	high cholesterol	Leg pain and cramps, acid reflux	I have only been on this medicine for 3 days and I already have leg pain that keeps me awake at night. My stomach also feels worse than before taking the pravachol. I am only taking 10 mg as I stopped another statin, lipitor, three years ago due to the same problems but after my recent coronary blockage repair the cardiologist said I have to lower my cholesterol and that means back on statins. I have been taking 2 grams of niacin for the last three years but apparently that didn't prevent my recent double-stent angioplasty.	M	55	3 days		1/1/2010
1	high cholesterol	Took pravachol for 2 years and slowly began having insomnia and active thoughts at night. Dr. said not because of pravachol so then had to get on sleeping pills. When I started taking Glumetza for blood sugar then the side effects of muscle pain began so had to stop the pravachol and when I did I began to sleep much better but am now hooked on sleeping pills. Cannot take any statin drugs.		F	61	2 years		10/14/2009
3	High Cholesterol	I have notice for the last 3 1/2 weeks that I have really bad insominia. I didn't connect the dots until just a few days ago. This is when I started taking Prevachol 20 mg. I haven't had any other symptoms. But I am not going to take it for a few days and see what happens.		F	47	3.5 weeks		8/13/2009 Email
3	high Cholesterol	I have been losing my hair. 40 mg a day at night.. sometimes very vivid and bad dreams. Also, sleep a lot, used to love to walk and ride my bike.. last three months. have really done nothing.	I had border line High Cholesterol.. 225 and now at three months 211.. I have few other risk factors. no family history. I have been on HRT.. that is why they prescribed. it.. The side effects are miserable. I am going to stop.. I took lovastatin and had leg and muscle pain that I stopped that within 2 days. I will stop the Provastatin HCGL 40 mg at bedtime daily (Provachol) for 2 weeks and see if it makes a difference.	F	65	3 months		8/10/2009 Email
3	High Cholesterol	Immediate weight gain?? I weighed 128 on Wednesday morning and took my first dose of this drug Wednesday night at bedtime. As always, I weighed myself in the morning and weighed 133. I know that I did not eat like a crazy woman and did not eat any more than usual. I am down to 131 two days later but that still is higher than it should be. Anyone else ever experience this?	Not sure if this is going to work. A 5 pound weight gain overnight is not a good start.	F	54	3 days		8/9/2009 Email
2	Hyperlipidemia	Lower back pain, pain in thighs and knees, fatigue, lethargy.	I took the maximum dose of Pravachol after being on Zocor for over a year. As with Lipitor, Zocor was making my muscles hurt, especially in my lower back. Doc had me try the max dose of Pravachol to see if it would resolve the pain, but it didn't. I have been completely off of statins for 8 days and feel great! First time in many years. There must be a better way!	M	54	2 months		7/16/2009 Email
3	High Cholesterol	No side effects after taking this medication. I already have headaches, back problems prior to use of this medication. Haven't notice anything different since taking Pravachol 40mg.	Will watch out for anything out of the ordinary.	F	33	1 weeks		6/1/2009
1	elevated LDL	extreme fatigue, muscle pains and cramping, ringing ears, fast weight gain	My doctor upped my dose of Pravachol to 40 mg in November. By January I could barely get out of bed in the morning. By evening, I was exhausted and had no energy to do basic chores. I felt disabled. As a results I rapidly gained weight. The pain was awful. I happened to read about the side effects on the Internet and stopped taking it. I am gradually feeling normal again.	M	55	1 years		5/31/2009
1	High Cholesteral	Acid reflux, weight gain, memory loss, muscle aches, fatigue	With every cholesteral med I've taken there is a problem with acid reflux and fatigue. My cholesteral has lowered but the side effects are miserable.	F	45	1 years		4/24/2009 Email
1	after MI/plaque stabilization	foggy thinking, joint pain, and eventually a rectal bleed that almost killed me. I was in ICU for 4 days.	Please read everything on this site http://www.freewebs.com/stopped_our_statins/ then make your own informed decision!	M	47	9 days		4/24/2009
1	Lower my cholesterol	Took Lipitor for 1 1/2 year, had muscle, back & arm pain, I stopped taking it then Dr. prescribed me Crestor i took this for 1 year, I woke up in the morning my right leg felt paralyzed I couldn't move it, It was so painful, I couldn't walk. Stopped taking it, with 7 days I was able to walk. My cholesterol went down from 205 to 140 on the Crestor. Dr. then prescribed me Pravachol, took this for 3 months, I woke up the next morning my left leg was in pain and it was hard for me to move it, couldn't walk again. Both hands are numb, shoulder pain and I cannot lift my left arm. My fingers were tight everytime I wake in the morning. Fogg mind. Stopped it, it has been 5 days since I stopped taking Pravachol, I can walk now but my left leg still feels like its weak. And when I sit and try to get up my legs are sore. I don't want to take statin anymore, I hope I will be able to take it natural. I don't recommend any Statin medication, this will kill you and when you keep taking it this w	It has been 5 days that I have not been taking Pravachol, My left leg is still feels week and my left shoulder has a pain to it and it is painful lifting it up. Well see a few more days, hope that I can get both of my leg and arm strength back. I don't think I will ever get back to statin again. I just had my cholesterol blood test today, well see how the result is.	F	47	3 months		4/7/2009 Email
1	LDL- 150	at first flu-like symptoms,dizziness,fatigue and then anxiety and depression.	will not ever take again. There has got to be a better way to control cholesterol. Shame on the drug companies. They need to come up with medicine that doesn't have so many side effects!! I think my cholesterol is hereditary. I am 5ft.3in. and 140lbs. and I exercise and eat sensibly.	F	37	5 days		3/29/2009
1	High Cholesterol	My cholesterol was 256, DR. kept bugging me to go on Pravachol, got joint pain, then internal bleeding, I stopped Pravachol 12 months ago.	Changed doctor. Stopped pravachol 12 months ago, no more joint pain, no more internal bleeding. Taking 1800mg Pantethine and 100mg Niacin daily, my cholesterol test results today showed 198, excellent LDL and HDL - screw pravachol.	M	52	2 years		3/13/2009
1	high cholesterol	extreme fatigue, hair loss, muscle pain, bladder problems, insomnia, swelling joints, trouble with knees, headaches, nausea, tired, low labido, gas, metal confusion causing speech difficulties	on med for 6 months, 3 months later began with side effects, went to dr. test for arthritis, test neg., told to continue med, still have side effects, another dr. told to get off meds, waiting to see if I will feel better	F	34	6 months		3/13/2009
2	high cholestrol	Terrible pain in my right shoulder and bicep muscles was getting hard to raise my right arm.		M	35	3 weeks		2/12/2009
1	slightly elevated bad cholesterol	headache, nausea, muscle aches that built over 3 weeks, constipation, weakness and progressively worsening tiredness, ringing in ears	this is the second statin I've taken and believe me, I won't take another one. I had a mild heart attack 2 years ago and have one stint but taking the statins is worse than all of that. I'll go for diet, fish oil and exercise instead.	F	65	3 weeks		2/10/2009
4	Elevated Bad Colesterol	None too mention.	Seems to work for me, but I do walk a lot, lift weights.	M	62	1 years		2/4/2009
2	elevated cholesterol levels	Within one week of starting this medication, I experienced bad headaches and extreme stomach upset (acid).	I've ask my doctor for a different drug.	M	43	20 days		2/2/2009
1	Cholesterol	Memory loss, low libido, muscle pain and parasthesia in the toes.	The side effects were not noticeable for about 6 months and then they hit me like a bomb. Tried 2 other statins with the same bad problems. Now I take niacin instead and it works well.	M	48	6 months		1/28/2009
1	high cholesterol	memory loss, hair loss	memory loss almost cost me my job,onset gradual, did not associate it w/ pravochol for a while. when d/c med memory improved (and confidance). i think hair loss a bit less now. have been off drug for 4 months. would never take this again.	F	56	1.5 years		1/13/2009
1	cholesterol	Muscle pain, headaches, confusion.	This is the 3rd statin I have tried = NO MORE !	M	49	8 weeks		1/10/2009
5	high cholesterol	none	I take this because I also take Verapamil. Pravachol is one of 2 stains that do not interfere with Verapamil metabolism. All the other statins are contraindicated if you take Calcium channel blockers for hypertension. If you are on a calcium channel blocker and take lipitor, lopid or one of the others, the chance of muscle damage is increased. So check with your MD. I have no side effects from this med. I take 80mg daily at night . I am also a Critical Care RN for 30 years, so I research everything. If you are experiencing muscle pain from stains, have your CPK checked. That is the only way you can find out if you are really having myopathies from statins. If it's normal, it's probably all in your head. The mind is a very powerful thing. Pravachol is also one of the statins with the least side effects.	F	55	1 years		12/29/2008 Email
1	High Cholesterol	Trouble falling asleep. Ringing in the ears. Floaters in the eyes. Hives.		M	69	2 months		12/29/2008
2	cholesterol	hair loss, swelling joints, aches, tiredness, depression, low libido, numbness, forgetfulness.	I am trying to maintain my health; however, since being on this medication i just don't feel good. I don't know if these side effects are just a part of aging or they are attributed to this medication. After finding this website i plan to talk to my doctor.	M	39	3 years		10/7/2008
1	Cholesterol 236, LDL 154, trig 186	Extreme fatigue, insomnia, flu like symptoms, and lack of energy which is increasing daily. Not sure if related to Pravachol may be related to high Sed rate and High CRP. I will stop med and call MD on Monday.	I am a RN and work 12 hour shifts. Not looking foward to my shift tomm.	F	43	15 days		10/3/2008
1	High Cholesterol	Muscle pain to the point of getting to know my Chiropractor way too well. Extreme tiredness. The absolute worst part was that I began to bleed rectally for no reason. Transfused twicde while in hospital for ten days. They could find no reason for the bleeding. I stopped Pravachol on the day I went into the hospital and after ten days my bleeding miraculously stopped and I was released. I never went back on Pravachol, and never bled again. That was 8 years ago. I do take Lipitor now and do have muscle fatique and big trouble with stairs. As of Sept 1st...today, I am off Lipitor as well. I have had enough of the Statins.		M	62	5 years		9/1/2008
1	Preventative	Right shoulder pain, severe bicep pain in both arms which evolved into bilateral frozen shoulder. Enlarged neck lymph nodes, sudden 5 pound weight loss(I was ONLY 105 to begin with!) Beaus lines in all nails also developed within weeks of beginning this medication. I am now into my 8th month after statin therapy began. I stopped the meds in February (almost 7 months ago) and still have frozen shoulder and severe muscle pain. Range of motion is 30% left arm, 50% right arm and no end in sight. There was no reason to be on this or any other statin (I tried 10 days of Lescol first but developed leg pains). Although diabetic, my cholesterol was phenomenal! However, both my cardiologist and endocrinologist thought I should be on a statin since I have mild carotid artery blockage - thus, this was a preventative measure for which I am paying a high price!	I have found support and wonderful information on the statin side effects forum: www.spacedoc.net and consequently, added CO Enzyme Q10 to my supplement regime in hopes of getting relief someday. Ironically, although my cardiologist "cannot take statins" he DOES take COEnzyme Q10 but never suggested that I do so. Carnitine is also recommended although I've not yet begun taking that. This has been and continues to be a nightmare from which I can't wake up.	F	50	6 weeks		8/25/2008
2	to lower chlosteral,inc hdl	minor headaches and pain in back of head	I was on lipitor 40mg for 2 years and chl. levels were improved and periodic blood work was very good.Recently experienced muscle pain in AM and stopped lipitor for 1month and chl. readings including hdl and ldl went very bad.Dr. switched me to pravastatin 80 mg and am now getting head pain(never had headaches).I am now cutting the pills in 1/2 and will see what happens and will go for bloodwork in 2 weeks.I do not have muscle aches but the head pain is the substitute.	M	64	1 days		7/29/2008
4	Inherited High Cholesterol	Occasional muscle aches, occasional ringing in ears. Overall benefits outweigh the side effects.		F	35	30 days		6/30/2008
1	high cholesterol	Insomnia, mental confusion, forgetfulness, loud ringing in ears, on only 2.5 mg. I've had similar reactions to other statins at very low doses. This cure is worse than the disease.	Statins may be good medicines, but not for millions of us American who experience intolerable side effects.	M	64	10 days		4/5/2008
1	Borderline High Cholesterol	Severe back and rib cage pain, insomnia, painful abdominal bloating, appetite loss,depression, severe foot pain with swelling numbness, stumbling and falling. 200% increase in severity of chronic pain conditions ( fibromyalgia and disk disease in neck). All symptoms subside while taking the drugs yet return within days of starting them. Have made GREAT strides with diet, weight loss and excercise. But doc insists I take them due to mother having heart disease.	I've experienced the same side effects on Crestor, Lipitor, Zocor and Zetia- all at VERY low doses over the past 3 1/3 years. Now before you think "another person who read the symptoms on line".. I have a doctorate in a medical field (DVM). So I know a bit about pharmacology and interpreting legit medical information. The Doc doesn't believe the drugs are responsible and insists I'll die without them. But I cannot deal with the pain and misery anymore. Not even strong pain medications will control the effects. Also the side effects are rapidly ending my career. So I'm going to pursue alternative options. I know how drug companies can influence the outcome of studies so there is no mistake that the medical community is in denial about these medications causing trouble in a good number of folks. Yes for a lot of people these drugs can be lifesavers. But for a lot of people, taking these drugs cause more misery then they are worth.	F	49	6 months		4/2/2008
1	High Cholesterol (226)	On 40mg. Incredible muscle aches and pains in legs as well as shortness of breath. I work out/play tennis several days per week and the pain made working out/playing sports almost impossible. I quit taking this 3 days ago and already feel much better!		M	43	14 days		3/31/2008 Email
1	High cholesterol	After 8 days felt very tired, went to bed and woke up 6 hours later with extreame muscle pain like the worst flu ever, all over except stomach muscles. Felt like I was hit by a truck. Had to roll on to floor to get out of bed. Because I had had lesser muscle pain in legs after 2 other statins, assumed it would go away in a week or so after stopping. Stopped Pravastatin but effects subsided only slowly and were still severe and disabling. Doctor refused to admit it was caused by the drug. I had pain and fatigue that leveled out but did not go away. It was hard to hold down a job and take care of my home but I had no choice, so have had little life for 2 years. Saw several doctors before getting confirmed idagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica, an autoimmune condition. It has taken 2 years and a long course of prednesone to get over it, but I am starting to feel normal. The prednisone helped but had its own problems.	This definitely did more harm than any good it could have done. I will never be a healthy as I was. I have gained 15 pounds and lost a lot of muscle tone. I used to be in much better condition, but now I am overwieght and very flabby and tire easily. I do not know if I can ever get back to the person i was. My new doctor wants me to take Zetia, but I am afraid. I am taking Rx Omega 3 now. I am just starting to get my life back. If I have to go throught that again I dont know what I would do. I still don't understand why the doctor insisted I take this drug after I had had problems with 2 other statins. I have also gone off the Avapro that doctor had me on for BP, and my BP is fine.	F	60	8 days		1/25/2008
1	Elevated cholesterol (252)	After one day, my co-workers were asking me what was wrong. My eyes were bleary, and I had no energy. I feel completely "blah," as if I can't get up enough energy to do anything. I've already brought my cholesterol down from 300 to 250 through diet and exercise, but I have a feeling that the weight gain and cholesterol are from the Zoloft I take for panic disorder (I've had it since I was 18, and the SSRIs have been a lifesaver, despite their problems).		M	47	3 days		12/11/2007
2	Reduce prostate cancer risk	Weight Gain. Gained 16 lbs. in two months.		M	65	60 days		11/20/2007
5	Elevated cholesterol (272)	None so far	I would suggest anyone taking/considering taking a statin to do research on the relationship between dosage and side effects. I have been taking 1/4 of a 10mg tablet of Pracachol once daily for 10 days now, with no side effects yet. My research indicates that, for many, this is all it takes, in conjunction with diet, exercise and fish oil. I will report back in a few months, when my cholesterol is re-tested. After reading several scientific articles about dosage-related effects, I am convinced that many people are overdosed on their statin. See aticles by Jay Cohen of University of California- San Diego. Good Luck!	F	53	10 days		9/20/2007
1	High Cholesterol	rectal bleeding with clots , vertigo , swelling of face and body especially the stomach,frequent urination, bad dreams,tired, fatigue,	Do not take it !	F	40	1 months		8/29/2007 Email
1	high LDL	I suffered nausea, fatigue,vertigo	I suffered vertigo while on Crestor also. Doctor put me on 20mg Pravachol and after 2 months suffered vertigo again. I have to drive to work 5 days a week but that does not matter to him if I kill myself or someone as long as I don't have a heart attack. Doctors seem to have a blind spot when it comes to statin!	F	59	2.5 months		7/17/2007
2	Cholesterol 311	Flu like symptoms, muscle weakness, headache and blurred vision.	Took Lipitor for years and Doctors told me the muscle/joint pain was arthritis. Left my pills at home during our vacation and in just a week felt like my old self. New Physician ordered Pravachol 40mg. Began on Tuesday morning and on Friday, thought I had the flu July. The body aches were bad around my shoulders and neck, and the headache was terrrible, but the worst was the mental fog. I am an RN and had to work in a fog and every little thing made me cry. I stopped them and in 36 hours feel much better. I may try them again for anther week, but it won't be when I have to work. Very dangerous!!	F	60	5 days		7/8/2007 Email
1	LOWER CHOLESTEROL	NUMBNESS IN BOTH FEET, HARD TIME BREATHING, WEIGHT GAIN, ENERGY LOSS,BLOATED, CAN'T SLEEP. PRAVASTATIN 40MG PER DAY	I THREW IT ALL IN THE TRASH! NO MORE STATIN POISONS FOR ME EVER AGAIN. I'LL JUST WATCH MY CHOLESTEROL INTAKE AND LET NATURE TAKE IT'S COURSE. THESE DRUGS ARE POISONS FOR SURE:(	M	58	2 weeks		6/14/2007
4	High Cholesterol / Triglycerides	None, except for the pains that appear out of no where when I read all of the horrible side effects on the internet. Today my back itches..... must be the Statin. I do agree there are side effects, however, I have noticed a correlation to age. The younger have less side effects.	Dropped Cholesterol from 270 to 130. Have never felt better in my life. While taking this med, I have also changed the way I eat and I exercise everyday. The pill itself is not the cure all.	M	36	1 years		5/10/2007
2	high cholesterol	weight gain, lethargy, pain, depression? and memory loss	has anyone noticed a weight loss after going off Pravachol?	F	54	4 days		5/6/2007
3	High Cholesterol	Before taking Pravachol I was taking Lovastatin. Within the first six months of taking it I had gained 20 pounds. Since I've been on Pravachol I've gained another 15-20 pounds all in the abdonimal area. Lowered cholesterol but it is slowly going up again. My stomach is bloated all the time. I have muscle ache, lack of energy, shortness of breath & depression. I've also noticed that my hands and arms "fall asleep" a lot now but I don't know if Pravachol is the cause and it can happen at any time in any position: standing, sitting or lying down. I also feel sleepy all the time and if I allowed myself I could sleep for hours at a time, perhaps part of the depression...	Took Lovastatin for 1.5 years before taking Pravachol and I had experienced 20 pound weight gain in the abdominal area which only continued to get worse with Pravachol. I have upset stomach all the time, certain foods I just can't eat anymore: wheat products & all sorts of vegetables.	M	48	1.5 years		4/10/2007 Email
2	high cholesterol	Painful stomach cramps and diarrhea	Jury is still out on this. I took one 40 mg pill for 3 consecutive nights. Late in day 3 I had awful cramps & diarrhea - now I'm worried about taking more pills. I am going to wait a week and try again to see if something else caused this. I admit I am very suspicious of the pravachol, but since my cholesterol is on the high side I will give it another chance.	F	56	3 days		3/19/2007
2	high cholesterol	upper back and neck pain; some feeling of weakness in one leg	After trying both Lipator and Crestor my doctor put me on 20mg of Pravachol. After only a couple of weeks, I felt terrible on Lipator and Crestor with aching muscles and joints. With each of those, the pain was gone within a few days of stopping the drug. I was hopeful about the Pravachol, but after 3 weeks I feel terrible! I have always been active but now don't want to exercise because of the pain in my upper back and neck. I haven't taken it now for 5 days, but the pain is still with me, though not as severe. I'm hoping it will go away as it did with the other drugs, but I'm concerned.	F	56	21 days		3/13/2007
1	3 arteries blocked and angioplasty	Bad muscle cramps, body aches, nausea, feel like throwing up, dull annoying headache. No help in lowering LDL from 3.6 to below 2 as doctor requires. With Liptor i had these problems within 2 days whereas with pravachol the side effects came after 3 weeks in slow stages starting with mild pains here and there and leading to severe cramps. Recommend do not use statins suggest use herbal cure and diet control. The heart attack i had seems less painful than the side effects of pravachol. Its not worth it. It better to diet then to die with this medication. It is confirmed that it is pravachol because it happen previously then i stopped the medication for 2 weeks and all symptoms disappeared. Went back on pravachol and now I have the symptoms again but thus time worst then before. I have given up and going for alternative medicine. It may be slow but with diet, exercise, good sleep, rest and meditation i know i can beat this.	Avoid this medication and any other statins. These are time bombs that will kill u slowly and painfully. Its better to die of heart attack than to go thru all this side effects that make you feel like a zombie.	M	56	6 months		2/26/2007 Email
1	high cholesterol/triglycerides	My toes started to go numb and my legs felt weak. I stopped taking pravachol (20 mg) for a year and felt better except my toes were still numb. After a high reading for total cholesterol ( about 250 ) my Doctor upped the dose from 20 to 40 mg. Within a month both feet were going numb.	My Doctor switched me to 10 mg of Lipitor, but the first couple of days I felt a pulsing vibration in my feet. My Doctor finally did some research and agrees that in a few cases statins can cause neuropathy. He told me to stop the Lipitor for 3 months to see if I improve but I am not optimistic. I have decided that I can not tolerate any statins.	M	63	4 years		2/7/2007
2	To lower my cholesterol	Very tired, lack of energy, lost of appitite,I get very dizzy and have headaches. I have to take meds for blood pressure.		F	57	2 months		1/3/2007
1	cholesterol	Severe muscle cramps, muscle break down CPK level 12,000. Muscle atrophy to the point that I can't see my right calf muscle anymore. deltoid muscles almost gone. Basically, most all my major muscle groups are affected. I am now seeing a neurologist and they are not saying good things.	None	M	55	3 years		12/1/2006
2	high cholesterol	After taking for 3 weeks I developed back pain, muscle twitching, extreme loss of energy, light headedness, tingling in arms and legs and a general feeling of illness. Saw my doctor who got lab work, CT scan and other tests. All negative. I stopped Pravachol on my own. Symptoms subsiding.		F	49	21 days		10/28/2006
1	cholesterol	The Dr. gave me 40mg. Pravachol & triglide. The combination of the two caused a bad side effect. My muscles hurt all over my body & I feel really bad when I wake up in the morning. My whole body hurts when I wake up. My fingers are really stiff most of the time.	Is this terrible thing going to go away? I will not take statins ever again. This is not worth taking the medicine & would have crippled me if I kept taking it.	F	50	7 months		10/23/2006
4	Extremely High Cholesterol-403-213	None	Was on Pravachol 40mg. for 3 mos.....lowered my cholesterol from 403-213....my Dr. wanted me to try a cholesterol diet....if this doesn't work will try a lower dose of cholesterol med.	F	49	127 days		10/21/2006 Email
2	TIA (small stroke) hi cholesterol	Muscle soreness, arms and legs, wieght gain, fatigue, increased blood pressure, low libido	I'm so glad I read the comments on this site. Once I did, it all fell into place. All these things slowly began to affect me and I just never made the connection to Pravachol. Tonite my arm hurts so badly I can't sleep. I'm going to call my dr. for an appt. and tell him I'd like to try controlling my Cholesterol naturally. Thanks to all who contributed to this overview of this scary drug.	F	56	4 years		9/25/2006
1	Borderline high cholesterol	I was initially given Lovastatin for borderline high cholesterol (222) after I went through menopause. Within two days I started to fell queasy and very tired. I continued to take it for two months and never felt well. My doctor switched me to Pravachol as an alternative when I complained about side effects. I had only taken this medication three days when I noticed severe head pain on the top of my head (like it was going to explode!) and facial pain. A day later my BP which had always been very good shot up to 182/102, I developed nausea, pain in my left arm and diarrhea. Went to the ER and NO cause for this could be found. I quit taking Pravachol that day and the next day my BP was lower and, on the third day without it, my BP was 114/80. I haven't had a headache since and feel SO MUCH BETTER. I am going to lose 30 lbs., start doing Pilates again and keep taking fish oil, olive oil, and eating avocados which have brought my cholesterol and triglyceride levels down before meno	I believe I had severe side effects from Pravachol very soon after the initiation of taking it - probably more so than the average person, but I would WARN anyone to be very careful about taking this particular medication and start with a very low dosage - I was only given 10mg to start and still had what I believe were severe side effects very soon after starting it. I feel fine now - no more head pain, face pain or diarrhea. Seems pretty conclusive that Pravachol was THE CAUSE!	F	57	3 days		9/3/2006
5	LDL too high, then had Angioplasty	None with Pravachol, bad calf muscle cramps with Mevacor.	I was on 20mg which brought LDL down from 160s to 130s then had Angioplasty & 8 stents. Dr. doubled my dosage to 40mg and that lowered LDL to 129. Now Dr. wants me to go to 80mg to get LDL down to 70 which is Kaiser's target for Angioplasty patients. Been on 40mg for 70 days.	M	72	70 days		9/1/2006
2	High cholesterol	Be careful! I've been on many statins for many years. Currently on 40mg of Pravachol. Pravachol's side effects can be subtle. Depression, overall tiredness, low libido, and muscle weakness have all become (a subtle) part of my life. Try stopping the med for at least a month and see if the side effects go away. Nobody really knows the long term damage of statins, and are they really helping to prevent a heart attack?		M	45	3 months		8/22/2006
4	Hereditary High Cholesterol	None noted	Do to my elevated cholesterol along with a family history of heart attacks (my father had his first heart attack at age 42, mother fatal attack at 63) I sought out a highly regarded doctor. Initially I was put on Mevicor. Mevicor raised my liver enzymes, so insted, I was given 20 mg Pravachol once a day, along with Gemfibrozil (Lopid) 600mg twice a day. This seemed to be a good combination. I have not noticed any side effects in 13 years. Recently because it worked so well for my sister, I tried Lipitor. The liver enzymes bumped up so high that the doctor told me to stop everything for 6 weeks. Now I am taking 40mg of Pravachol a day along with the Gemfibrozil, with improved results over the 20mg Pravochol. I do watch my diet carefully and am fairly active. Keep in mind that drugs affect different persons in vastly different ways.	M	55	16 years		7/26/2006
2	chol/tri	as an addendum to what I wrote a few minutes ago; I took the 40 mg before bed. No other medication has put my lights out so quickly as pravachol. It goes beyond ambien and other sedatives I have also taken. I used to take 30 mg at night of remeron, which at that dose will make you eat yourself out of house and home, which is how I gained this volluptous body anyhow which caused me to HAVE to take the medicine. I have now gone down to 15 mg of remeron ih hopes to ingest less foot. So far...it waxes and wanes... (not to mention 5 mg diazapam, and other meds during the day, including Kadian, Vicodin, a trial on baclofen)	I really think the bottom line is diet and exercise. I have been physically limited for a 2 1/2 years, and food is a comfort, yet I am more painfully aware of the additional wear and tear of the body with extra weight, especially if the body is compromized, but if your are open to getting the best out of life, I think there are less harmful ways than pharmacha-illogically. I am still curious about the theory that is takes the extra fat and stores it in the abdomen. Plausible? We shall see ;) As a poster child for many meds, I believe less is best, and putting good things into your body and treating it well will win out over the drug companies. Make sure you are in no immediate crisis and stay in touch with your body. Listen to what it is really telling you.	F	41	3 months		7/26/2006 Email
2	Choles/Triglycerides	I have a several spinal conditions which I need pain management for, but I have had the most horrendous cramping in the striated muscles of the legs. I looked it up here and found another point of reference that the meds may cause additional pain, perhaps weight gain..	I have taken myself down to some what of a titration and am focusing on causes and conditions; so far stomach cramping, but easier with fat intake to have bowel movement, normally difficult on high doses of opiates- no leg cramps at all so far, and my mid back didn't hurt as much this morning. Sleeping position somewhat altered. Not enough for significant difference. My weight gain has been astounding the last few months, I have no desire to be active, yet 2 months in physical therapy got me moving a few times a week. Time in the pool is bliss. There is no pain in the water, EXCEPT for leg cramping. Working on movement stretching and hopefully more cardio strenghtening is taking place(or healthy stimulation.) Took 2 EDTA yesterday only 20 mg pravachol. The day before None.	F	41	3 months		7/26/2006 Email
1	Slightly high total cholesterol	Severe nausea, constant diarrhea, bloating, gas, fuzzy thinking	My symptoms began within 2 weeks of starting the drug, and lasted 5 days. They ceased within 12 hours of stopping it.	F	57	21 days		7/23/2006
4	high cholesterol	is it possible??? Very unusual, offensive body odor..only when sweating, heavily or working out... {we live in Florida}. My wife notices it daily...could it be the drug? The only thing diffferent since I have been taking the medication...also some body aches..but I am very active.	...has lowered my cholesterol without altering my life style.	M	61	3 days		7/11/2006
1	high cholesterol	muscle crams and spasms; muscle twitching; dizziness; heavy arms and legs; terrible pain in right shoulder, between shoulder blade and spine; pain in lower right rib, thought I broke it; dizziness; facial pain and intermittent facial sensitivity disturbances in different areas: above lips, gums,below left eye; pain, numbness and tingling in feet and hands with recent development of raynauds syndrome; memory problems and periods of mental confusion; left eye droops with vision problems, double vision looking to left;shortness of breath; pain in feet; periods of extreme fatigue; shortness of breath	These symptoms got worse when dose was raised to 40 mg, after which I stopped taking pravachol. Rib and shoulder pain gradually went away, but other symptoms still remain after 15 months of stopping it. After being sent to neurologist, opthamologist, neuro-opthamologist, rheumatologist, painful EMG tests for myasthenia gravis, and numerous blood tests for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, nothing conclusive shows up. Neurologist suggests I might have early stages of MS. I have complained to each doctor that I thought these symptoms began with pravachol, no one has listened. I felt like a hypochondriac and beginning to believe it until today, when I read above and more on zocor site. After nagging of my physician, I tried zocor but after 1 week, shoulder and rib pain returned. I am not taking any more statins. This is disgraceful that so many others have been suffering and no one listens. I just signed up to receive study info taking place in San Diego, info posted on zocor askapatient. Do a	F	56	1 years		6/24/2006
5	High Cholesterol	Exhaustion first few weeks	After I got past feeling so tired, I didn't experience anything different except my cholesterol is back to where it should be.	F	45	4 months		6/1/2006
2	High Cholesteral	Shoulder pain - could not lift arms above head. Pain would shock me awake at night. Stopped at Dr's direction - pain left in 2 days.		M	61	2 years		6/1/2006
3	High cholesterol	Gain weigth, 20 pounds in last 6 month, low energy, lost all desires for exercise. my abdomen feels inflated. I also take Atenolol for high blood pressure, that does not help, is known to cause depression. But the weight gain and abdominal fat is the Pravachol wich I think removes the bad cholesterol from your bood and stores it in your abdominal area.	I will stop taking Pravachol but I am not going to tell my doctor, is hard to tell a doctor that you rather have a hart attack or a stroke, than live a long life of misery. Doctors forget about quality of life	M	52	2 years		5/23/2006 Email
3	High LDL	Not sure if this applies but depression, weight gain, a feeling I can only describe as a burning pit between my breasts which goes through to my back (I tell friends it feels like swallowing a pill that doesn't dissolve but sits in your esophagus), lack of motivation to exercise, sore muscles without any exercise (I am used to skating really hard at least twice a week), very tired after work.	Since November 2005 my total cholesterol has lowered from 261 to 230. It definitely is going down. But I can't stand the way my body is reacting to this medicine.	F	56	7 months		5/19/2006
1	To lower cholesterol	Total loss of hearing in left ear after taking pravachol	Stopped taking Pravachol after 26 days when I was diagnosed with left ear hearing loss as doctor pointed out that hearing loss is one of the noted side effects. Hearing is very slowly being restored after 18 days ceasing to take pravachol.	M	66	26 days		5/13/2006 Email
1	Hi cholesterol	Severe pain muscle tension/twitching in upper back often with headaches/stiff neck. started about 15 months ago. taking 10 mg day. was on zocor previous (no side effects) but the usual health insurance shuffle on what they pay for when you switch insurance left me on pravachol last two years. Started as a singular event now have symtoms about 50% of the time. finally got so debilitating i stopped the statin about two weeks ago. symptoms starting to subside - see Dr. Monday to go over alternative regimen "bios life complete". Not sure if turning 60 may have affected my tolerance as I had been taking some form of statins for about 10 eyars without any problems. I would rather have hi cholsterol then be in severe pain half the time.		M	60	24 months		5/12/2006 Email
1	Cholesterol	Was taking 40MG for a couple of years. Some lower back pain and joint stiffness/muscle pain. My doctor increased the dose to 80MG. Lots of knee,back,shoulder pain,fatigue and muscle soreness. No longer taking and problems went away.		M	39	3 years		5/11/2006
5	high Cholesterol/tri's	no negative side effects at 40 mg/day	this is the best statin on the market; it helps prevent 1st and second heart attack, and 1st and 2nd stroke and TIA. check worstpills.org if you dont believe me. no other statin does all that. take in evening for max benefit.	M	35	6 months		4/29/2006
5	high cholesterol	None noted	My previous doctor switched me off pravachol and put me on Crestor. Within a few weeks I started having severe back problems. I went to our new doctor and he put me back on pravachol. No more problems and back to normal.	M	66	6 days		4/24/2006
1	high cholostral	EXTREME PAIN IN SHOULDERS AND KNEES AND KIDNEYS NOT FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. SAME RESULT FROM LIPITOR. THESE STATINS ARE VERY DANGEROUS DRUGS. I WILL NEVER TAKE A STATIN DRUG AGAIN.	THINK ABOUT THE WARNINGS ON THE STATIN DRUGS. "DO NOT TAKE IF EXPERIENCING MUSCLE AND JOINT PAIN". WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MUSCLE IN THE BODY? THE HEART. READ EVERYTHING YOU CAN FIND ON STATIN DRUGS. I AM NOW TAKING 1200 MG OF OMEGA 3 FISH OIL TWICE PER DAY AND MY CHOLESTRAL IS DOWN TO NORMAL. STATIN DRUGS ARE A $20 BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY. IT'S ABOUT THE MONEY, NOT YOUR HEALTH!	F	60	40 days		4/18/2006 Email
2	High Cholesterol	I have taken 10 mg dosage of Pravachol daily for about 6 months. I have noticed a severe lower back pain on both sides where the kidneys are located. It was so sore and extremely uncomfortable. I decided to stop taking it for a few days and found that the pain went away. I tried to take it again and the pain immediately came back. I repeated the process four times and found that the results were the same which confirmed my suspicion that it caused by taking Pravachol. I am glad that the drug works on some of you. I don't believe that those who were dissatisfied with the drug complained of the side effects after reading it from the internet.	My cholesterol levels remain the same. I decided to stop taking Pravachol and made an appoinment to see my doctor shortly.	M	54	6 months		4/17/2006
2		Hair Loss. Keeping in mind that ALL the "statin" drugs have some side effects which vary by individual, I must report that I lost about 25% of my hair while taking Pravachol. Although nothing supporting the correlation appeared in the literature, my internist was sensitive to my comments and switched meds. Two days after the switch, my hair, thankfully, started to regrow. After this experience, early in 2005, my internist, dermatologist, and yes; haircutter, started to receive similar stories from other patients.		M	56	3 months		4/3/2006
2	high cholesterol - 255 overall	Was on it for 3 weeks and started to have pain just below the rib cage on each side. Doctor told me to quit taking it. Pain went away on right side but worsened on the left. Feels like my lowest rib is bruised. Doctor thinks it's the muscle not rib. Blood and urine tests came back normal. I'm 99 % sure it was something the Pravachol did. Pretty strange.	I've been off it for a week and still have pain. www.dungtongue.com	M	38	21 days		3/4/2006 Email
3	Heart Attack in 2003 from Imitrex	I am up to 80 mg. for 2 years, along with Zetia 10 mg. I have no liver problems yet. However, I have severe hair loss that the doctor said is from my BP meds, but I think this drug is playing a part too. I have leg and feet cramping daily, some memory loss and upper back pain. Don't know if these issues are from Pravachol. My Total cholesterol is now good, not great, even at the highest dose. Runs in family. I exercise 3 times a week and watch diet.	The hair loss is my biggest issue. It may be hard losing hair as a man, but try being a woman! My doctor loves these statins and refuses to take me off. He said the benefits totally outweigh the risks in my case.	F	57	3 years		2/24/2006
3	Hereditary High Cholesterol	None.	Pravachol lowered my cholesterol, but my cholesterol was still decently above the 200 mark. The doctor transferred me to 10mg Lipitor after a year on this.	M	25	1 years		2/8/2006
3	high cholesterol	CAN PRAVACHOL cause weight gain? Been on 40 MG for 6 weeks & I've gained a #/week. WHERE can I find info. on this??	Also taking Protonix (PPI) for same time-could it be EITHER drug?	F	65	6 weeks		1/21/2006 Email
3	high cholesterol	CAN PRAVACHOL cause weight gain? Been on 40 MG for 6 weeks & I've gained a #/week. WHERE can I find info. on this??	Also taking Protonix (PPI) for same time-could it be EITHER drug?	F	65	6 weeks		1/21/2006 Email
4	Cholesteral	I was previously on Lipitor for one year till the muscle pain inhibited my daily movements. Now on 40mg/day of Pravachol, I am pain free.	Only thing I worry about now is hair loss. Maby coincidence, but since taking Pravachol, I have noticed thinning of my hair not present in the past. I have always had thick hair with no signs of loss my entire life till now.	M	52	6 months		1/9/2006 Email
4	Cholesteral	I was previously on Lipitor for one year till the muscle pain inhibited my daily movements. Now on 40mg/day of Pravachol, I am pain free.	Only thing I worry about now is hair loss. Maby coincidence, but since taking Pravachol, I have noticed thinning of my hair not present in the past. I have always had thick hair with no signs of loss my entire life till now.	M	52	6 months		1/9/2006 Email
2	low good cholesterol and high bad c	Shortly after starting to take pravachol my shoulders started getting very sore. Now I can't lift either arm above my head. I'm quitting the pravachol! Rather take my chances and feel good again.		M	55	1 years		1/3/2006
5	high colestoral	i am a family member writing this review i am very disatisfied with the drug my father took it for 6 years, and when they upped his dosage, he began experiencing.. muscle loss blurred vision trembling hands back and muscle pain he is now dead his symthoms continued to grow worse resulting in loss of kidney and liver function. loss of vision		M	74	6 years		1/2/2006

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Average rating for drug: 2.3. This page is printer-friendly; use landscape print with background color turned on.

Key to ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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