I hope that someone can learn from our mistake and prevent permanent muscle damage.

Lipitor or any statin therapy for high cholesterol should NEVER be taken while taking Macrolide antibiotics, Erothromycin, clarithromycin, anti malaria medications or many antifungal meds!!

These multiple medications can cause serious and sometimes fatal muscle damage and kidney failure.These patients start with complaints of muscle pain or aching in the quadriceps, glutea femoris. The patients describe inability to rise from a sitting position in a low chair. Often it is thought to be due to lyme disease or herxing.

Nonspecific muscle pain and tenderness and joint pain can be exhibitations of statin induced
mypothy.

Myalgia - muscle ache or weakness without creatine kinase (CK) elevation.

Myositis- muscle symptoms of pain and aching with increased CK levels of 3 to 10 times normal levels. Discontinue statin therapy to prevent permanent muscle damage.

Rhabdomyolsis- muscle symptoms with CK elevations 10 times normal or more (usually with brwon or red urine) demonstrates kidney failure
This disease results from the toxicity of destroyed muscle cells. A pigment that contains Iron, called myoglobin that exits the skeletal muscle enters the bloodstream after the muscle suffers damage.

The kidneys have difficulty filtering the myoglobin out of the bloodstream because it blocks the structures within the kidney, which can result in fatal kidney failure.
Symptoms are elevated CK levels, muscle tenderness and pain.

Anyone taking any statin, including Lipitor SHOULD take CQ-10 200 Mg daily, at the same time, to prevent muscle damage. DO NOT take statins at any time as the above mentioned antibiotics, antivirals or anti malaria medications because this will almost always cause muscle damage.

My mother had muscle pain start after she was put on Malarone/Mepron. She thought it was a herx due to Babesia/ lyme Disease. As it turned out it was a dangerous interaction with the antibiotics, antivarals and malaria meds.

Do not know if the damage is permanent yet but STATINS must be IMMEDIATELY stopped and Welchol lipid lowering treatment to be started for lowering lipid levels.

Please prevent the damage and pain my mother has endured due to not being told by doctor or pharmacist of damaging interactions.

Lyme often causes muscle and joint pain and is often attributed to herxes........... when in reality the pain is from serious statin induced toxicity.

My mother will be tested to see if the damage is permanent or has damaged her kidneys. In the meantime, Magnesium IM shots of 1 gram weekly has helped the severe muscle cramping and pain.CQ!) 200 Mg is a MUST!!!!

Stain users with LYME Disease and muscle or joint pain BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!

aunty

[This message has been edited by auntybiotic1499 (edited 04 July 2004).]
 

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oops!
Lymetutu

 

I have about 50 links but I am not computer savy. How I found them was to go to your search engine, such as Yahoo, and type in Statin Muscle damage or Lipitor induced muscle damage.

Here are the links on the bottom of the articles

http:/www.apma-nc.com/PatientEducation.rhabdomyolysis.htm

http:/www.impostertrial.com/physician.htm
http:/www.acc.org/clinical/alerts/statins_june02.htm Thanks, aunty