Hi, I was just prescribed cholesterol meds after having 3 stents put into one of my heart valves/arteries..( i dont know which lol) anyway..first I was prescribed Vytorin...I noticed that I had severe muscle pains in my arms legs and chest as well as my jaw..I called my doctor and he sent me to the ER to do another heart cath to make sure the stents were still in place. They were. The two days I was off the Vytorin I felt better. I told him of my suspicions about the medicine..he prescribed me Lipitor. Last nite I took the Lipitor for the first time and waited to see if I would have any pains. I did slightly..but I think one dose probably wont tell you much. I know that one of the "rare but serious" side effects of cholesterol med is muscle pain. Does anyone know how serious this is? It seems that I may not be able to take ANY cholesterol meds. has anyone else had this problem? PS. I am 39 years old and passed all past heart tests..only until I had a heart cath did they find a 90% blockage..so beware all who are having chest pains..you cant trust stress tests.

Quote from Godiswithyou:

Hi, I was just prescribed cholesterol meds after having 3 stents put into one of my heart valves/arteries..( i dont know which lol) anyway..first I was prescribed Vytorin...I noticed that I had severe muscle pains in my arms legs and chest as well as my jaw..I called my doctor and he sent me to the ER to do another heart cath to make sure the stents were still in place. They were. The two days I was off the Vytorin I felt better. I told him of my suspicions about the medicine..he prescribed me Lipitor. Last nite I took the Lipitor for the first time and waited to see if I would have any pains. I did slightly..but I think one dose probably wont tell you much. I know that one of the "rare but serious" side effects of cholesterol med is muscle pain. Does anyone know how serious this is? It seems that I may not be able to take ANY cholesterol meds. has anyone else had this problem? PS. I am 39 years old and passed all past heart tests..only until I had a heart cath did they find a 90% blockage..so beware all who are having chest pains..you cant trust stress tests.

Muscle pain is a very serious (and rather common) side effect of statin cholesterol drugs. You need to inform your doctor of the side effects.

There are other cholesterol drugs available to you, too. Talk to your doctor.

Quote from Godiswithyou:

I heard that it was a dangerous side effect..but do you know why? How can muscle pain be dangerous? Do you know of an effective cholesterol medicine that is better without all the side effects? Thanks for responding!

The muscle pain is caused by rhabdomyolysis, which is a process in which dying muscle cells cause a toxic buildup of substances in the blood. Statin drugs can cause this condition in some people.

Some doctors will simply try the patient on another Statin drug, just as lovastatin, Zocor, Lipitor, Vytorin, etc. Other doctors use other cholesterol lowering drugs that belong to a different classes. Alternatives include Niaspan, Questran or Colestid, and Lopid and Tricor. Many professionals believe that these brands aren't as effective as the statins, but nonetheless are successfully used in many patients.