I have been taking 20mg of Lipitor daily for the last two years. In the beginning, I resisted it for several months, and my primary care physician got very frustrated with my reticence to start a medication he termed “so safe, most doctors think it should be in the water supply”. He referred me to a cardiologist, who assured me it was well tested, effective and had few side effects. So, I started taking it, and my cholesterol numbers dropped dramatically. Whoopee!
But about a month ago, I started having palpitations, as though my heart would pause, and then beat very hard once or twice. This would happen several times per hour, and was very disconcerting. I had no pain, and no difficulty breathing.
So I called my cardiologist, and I am now wearing a cardiac event monitor, which will record each time I experience an erratic heart beat. I am suppose to wear it for two weeks, then find out what the heck is going on.
10 mg a day for over 2 years, and the only side effect (which I just started to have and might not even be related to Lipitor) is dry mouth. I wouldn’t have noticed it if it weren’t for all the Rx ads where dry mouth is mentioned as a possible side effect. “Hey! I got that!”
I’ve had those palpitations too, but I’m a smoker, so nothing surprises me. My heart checks out fine though.
Mr. Legend has a chronic heart rhythm problem for which he’s been on various medications since he was a teenager. His cardiologist, who knows his history through and through and who is one of the best in town, put him on Lipitor over two years ago. He never noticed any increase in arrhythmia, and I really don’t think his rather conservative doctor would have prescribed something that was known to exacerbate an existing problem.
Well, we’ve got the gold standard evidence rating in medicine right here: a poll about side-effects conducted via internet message board.
First, IANAD, I have no personal experience with statin treatment, but here’s the educated guess I’d make about it from the literature: it certainly is plausible, but you should consider the risks and benefits. Basically, statins are, on the whole, really pretty remarkable drugs. Not just in their ability to lower cholesterol, but long-term studies of patient-oriented outcomes (are you dead, have you had a heart attack, are you happy, etc.) show that they can extend quality years of life considerably.
Now, I’m no cardiologist, but because it reduces AF (good), I think it’s plausible that it also increases PVC. I’m not saying that it does, just that it’s possible.
But, while PVC’s are no picnic, a single PVC a day isn’t going to put you onto the path of certain doom.
"Mortality/Morbidity: The clinical significance of PVCs depends on the clinical context in which they occur.
* PVCs in young, healthy patients without underlying structural heart disease are usually not associated with any increased rate of mortality.
* PVCs in older patients, in particular those with underlying heart disease, are associated with an increased risk of adverse cardiac events, particularly sustained ventricular dysrhythmias and sudden death.
* In patients who have had a MI, the risk of malignant ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death is related to the complexity and frequency of the PVCs. Patients with PVCs in Lown classes 3-5 are at greatest risk (see Lown grading criteria below)."
Thank you for your excellent cites on statins and arrhythmia. I did not intend this poll to find any conclusive evidence for that relationship, however. I was just curious.
Exactly the same for me. If one looks carefully, it will be noted that the problem with the leg muscle pain can be extremely dangerous, with possible liver damage. This is documented, but usually in really tiny print in magazine advertising, and not at all on the billions of TV ads.
I know cholesterol is the deadly enemy of all MDs, but it astonishes me that so few ever mention (or look for) these bad side effects. When I talked about it to my cardiologist, she wanted me to try others, which I did a couple of times. When each time I had the same problem, I told her I would take no more statins. She objected, so I changed chardiologists to one who seems familiar with the problem.
The only alternative my doc suggested that works for me is Red Yeast Rice (over-the-counter) . It does not seem to have any side effects, and lowers the cholesterol level somewhat. Large doses of Niacin (500 mg) help some people, but produces a strong flush, which is not dangerous, just uncomfortable. It did not help me at all, though, so gave up on that.
They all say it is a small minority that has this muscle problem, but if you are on of that minority, watch out!
You might ask her about Zetia. That’s the drug that they combined with Zocor (a statin) to make Vytorin. Zetia isn’t a statin. It somehow interferes with the body’s ability to process cholesterol from food.
I only know about it because my husband is on Vytorin.
Thanks, jsgoddess, that was suggested too, but by now i research everything. My problem is not from eating the wrong foods, but because my stupid liver seems to churn out excessive amounts of cholestrol. This is not uncommon in us geezers…the older you get the more this seems to happen, so the Zetia would not help.
When I pointed this out to my (former) cardiologist, she said, “Oh, yeah, I guess that’s right.” Those damn pharmaceutical salespeople are just too good.
