I did fine on the lower doses of Lipitor for the first several years than begin having serious problems. I didn't think it was the Lipitor at first but stopped taking it for a while on 2 different occasions and all my symptoms disappeared. I've been taking Lipitor for about 10 years and now for the 3rd time have quit taking this poison pill permanently after talking to my new doctor. He told me to quit taking it and not let anyone else make me take it after telling him some of the problems I was having saying some of them were life threatening.

I have been aware of me having high cholesterol since about 16 years old, but back than there were absolutely no treatments for many years. I'll be 62 in about 2 weeks and have lived without statins all this time. My heart has always been healthy and had low blood pressure. And such a high level of HDL that the doctor's can't figure it out. But, after I started taking Lipitor, my blood pressure went up to dangerously high readings and was even taken out to the hospital a few times because I though I was having a heart attack. Started having swallowing problems because of phlegm would fill my stomach keeping my food from going down. The longest it took to get this phlegm up was about 2 hours-scary indeed. Also had a lot of diarrhea, Was in so much in pain that I had to hold on to everything just to get to the bathroom and back. And Ibuprofen had no affect on this pain caused by the lipitor.

I also worry about my brother who is the same age since he is taking 80 mg of Lipitor, which is the maximun amount. He has to take prescription pain killers now because his body is so full of pain. I've talked to him about it and he says it's arthritis. But I will never believe it since he didn't have this terrible pain before. I could have easily blamed my pain on arthritis as well since I have arthritis-but the pain went away when I quit taking Lipitor.

So Lipitor's side affects rears it's ugly head in many ways.