Statins and joint aches on golfers

[9wood]

I'm a 67 year old golfer who takes a statin to control my cholesterol level and believe that some of my aches and pains I experience when golfing are caused by my use of a statin. Two years ago I got off of the statin and barely kept my cholesterol in check by taking fish oil. Since then my cholesterol levels have gotten worse and I am back on the statin once again. Now once again I have more joint and muscle pains than when I wasn't on any statin. 

Is this true for any others besides me?

[Gator Hazard]

19 minutes ago, 9wood said:

I'm a 67 year old golfer who takes a statin to control my cholesterol level and believe that some of my aches and pains I experience when golfing are caused by my use of a statin. Two years ago I got off of the statin and barely kept my cholesterol in check by taking fish oil. Since then my cholesterol levels have gotten worse and I am back on the statin once again. Now once again I have more joint and muscle pains than when I wasn't on any statin. 

Is this true for any others besides me?

OT but can you still take the fish oil with the meds?  Also how high of a dose?  It's anti inflammatory and may help with  the joint pain especially if high quality mercury free and you can take a healthy sized dose. . 

[Patch]

You need to tell you doctor who scripted the statin about the muscle/joint pain. It could very well be related.

[9wood]

20 minutes ago, Patch said:

You need to tell you doctor who scripted the statin about the muscle/joint pain. It could very well be related.

I did tell my doctor about the joint and muscle pain and was taken off the statin to see if I could control my cholesterol by taking fish oil. I was just barely able to keep my cholesterol within limits for 2 years but then with age my cholesterol shot up and the doctor put me back on the statin at a lower dosage combined with the fish oil. I'll have to wait for my next check-up in 6 weeks to find out the results of my blood work to see what can be done.

34 minutes ago, Gator Hazard said:

OT but can you still take the fish oil with the meds?  Also how high of a dose?  It's anti inflammatory and may help with  the joint pain especially if high quality mercury free and you can take a healthy sized dose. . 

I do still take the fish oil with a lower dosage of the statin 20 Mg

[Pendragon]

I'm 69 and take Lovastatin for my cholesterol, and I do have a fair bit of pain, but I've been taking it for a long time (at least 6 or 7 years). The pain is pretty much limited to my right knee and my right thigh, but has only been an issue for the past 2 or 3 years, so I didn't really think to connect the two. The pain in my thigh came about from a slip and fall on the golf course when it was wet. and I tore a muscle. It sucks to get old, huh?

[McObra]

I take a generic of Lipitor, and have no problems. I'm a couple of years older than you are.

 

[RayG]

Same here... about 3 years of Atorvastatin. No issues at all. Any aches and pains were already part of my lifestyle- knees, back, shoulders, etc...

[Jcm288]

16 hours ago, 9wood said:

I'm a 67 year old golfer who takes a statin to control my cholesterol level and believe that some of my aches and pains I experience when golfing are caused by my use of a statin. Two years ago I got off of the statin and barely kept my cholesterol in check by taking fish oil. Since then my cholesterol levels have gotten worse and I am back on the statin once again. Now once again I have more joint and muscle pains than when I wasn't on any statin. 

Is this true for any others besides me?

Myopathy is/can be a common side effect of the statin class medications. I've heard of patients getting some relief from taking CoQ10 (over the counter supplement) in addition to the statin. Of course, consult with your doctor before starting. My mother has been on Crestor for over 10 years now and said that she could tell a difference with the CoQ10.....small, but a difference nonetheless.

[Mr. Desmond]

I take a low dose of Crestor and don't have issues. I also take an enzyme version of CoQ10, and a daily aspirin. I also take fish oil - my doc's attempt to raise my HDL. The only issue I have is a loose ACL ... don't think the Crestor caused that issue  

[SteveH]

I have had lots of grief with statins. Had pain in a shoulder and bicep a few years ago, was doing some heavy retaining wall work and thought it was an injury but it turned out to be the statin. Tried different ones over the years and good for a few months and then the pain starts, various different muscles.  I finally gave up and am now taking fenofibrate ? a couple of times a week which seems to keep the muscle problems away. My last check was good. I also take a supplement on the recommendation of a pharmacist. My doc feels my cholesterol is likely a hereditary issue. I realize I run a higher risk not being on a full dose but I feel I have to balance that risk with my own enjoyment of life.

Edited January 14, 2016 by SteveH

[dennyjones]

I've had problems with statin drugs in the past but the Crestor hasn't given me any problems.   I'm only taking 10mg daily with a full aspirin.    

My wife seems to think I can eliminate the cholesterol drugs with diet, which would include eliminating dairy, meat and all processed foods.   I'm not sure it's for me but Dr. Michael Greger has publish a book "How not to die" in which he states with proven medical evidence that a plant based diet can help or reverse several medical conditions.   

He is the same doctor that Oprah used in her defense against the meat industry back in the day.  

[9wood]

2 hours ago, Jcm288 said:

Myopathy is/can be a common side effect of the statin class medications. I've heard of patients getting some relief from taking CoQ10 (over the counter supplement) in addition to the statin. Of course, consult with your doctor before starting. My mother has been on Crestor for over 10 years now and said that she could tell a difference with the CoQ10.....small, but a difference nonetheless.

I tried CQ10 but didn't notice any difference. AS a side note - Web MD states that CQ10 hasn't proven itself to be beneficial

2 hours ago, Mr. Desmond said:

I take a low dose of Crestor and don't have issues. I also take an enzyme version of CoQ10, and a daily aspirin. I also take fish oil - my doc's attempt to raise my HDL. The only issue I have is a loose ACL ... don't think the Crestor caused that issue  

I did pretty good when I was on Crestor but my doctor will not proscribe it for me anymore because of the cost

[Mr. Desmond]

46 minutes ago, 9wood said:

I tried CQ10 but didn't notice any difference. AS a side note - Web MD states that CQ10 hasn't proven itself to be beneficial

I did pretty good when I was on Crestor but my doctor will not proscribe it for me anymore because of the cost

If you go to the Crestor site, they have coupons ... and it is relatively inexpensive.

[dkolo]

Honestly, just do whatever your doctor tells you and take what he prescribes. Medical advice from a golf forum, while well-intentioned, is potentially incomplete or wrong based on facts we're not privy to.

My grandmother had tremendous pains due to Lipitor, and it took half a dozen doctors before her rheumatologist caught it and gave her Zetia. But Zetia is fantastically expensive and many insurance carriers will require a number of alternatives first due to their formulary.

[9wood]

4 hours ago, Mr. Desmond said:

If you go to the Crestor site, they have coupons ... and it is relatively inexpensive.

I still need my doctor to give me a script for the Crestor but my insurance won't cover Crestor. So no script

[Scratchman]

On 1/14/2016 at 0:06 AM, 9wood said:

I'm a 67 year old golfer who takes a statin to control my cholesterol level and believe that some of my aches and pains I experience when golfing are caused by my use of a statin. Two years ago I got off of the statin and barely kept my cholesterol in check by taking fish oil. Since then my cholesterol levels have gotten worse and I am back on the statin once again. Now once again I have more joint and muscle pains than when I wasn't on any statin. 

Is this true for any others besides me?

I am 74 and have been taking statins for 27 years, and yes I too have muscle stiffness as a result, but as a doctor myself I know that without this medication I would probably have been dead for some years.!! You will find that you gradually get used to feeling stiff and you will adapt. Do not stop taking the statins if your doctor advises you to take them.

 You could try NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as "Ibuprofen")) but only on the advice of your doctor of course..

[Dave325]

On January 14, 2016 at 1:35 PM, dennyjones said:

I've had problems with statin drugs in the past but the Crestor hasn't given me any problems.   I'm only taking 10mg daily with a full aspirin.    

My wife seems to think I can eliminate the cholesterol drugs with diet, which would include eliminating dairy, meat and all processed foods.   I'm not sure it's for me but Dr. Michael Greger has publish a book "How not to die" in which he states with proven medical evidence that a plant based diet can help or reverse several medical conditions.   

He is the same doctor that Oprah used in her defense against the meat industry back in the day.  

I whole-heartedly believe in this as the best solution... A plant-based diet. My doctor put me on statins way back when until I started to read some of stuff about them. Decided to go with a more natural approach. The plant-based diet can be very tough one to start into, but it definitely is something our bodies can adjust to. I just wish I was better at following it (I love meat...arg).

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn from the Cleveland Clinic has done a lot of work in this area and has proven how a plant-based diet can prevent and even reverse heart disease. There are a lot of great videos by him and others on YouTube.

http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/

For the joint pain, there a natural spice (turmeric) that is great for this. Terry Naturally has this in a pill form. It's called CuraMed. I take one a day for natural heart health.

[ghalfaire]

On 1/14/2016 at 5:06 PM, 9wood said:

I'm a 67 year old golfer who takes a statin to control my cholesterol level and believe that some of my aches and pains I experience when golfing are caused by my use of a statin. Two years ago I got off of the statin and barely kept my cholesterol in check by taking fish oil. Since then my cholesterol levels have gotten worse and I am back on the statin once again. Now once again I have more joint and muscle pains than when I wasn't on any statin. 

Is this true for any others besides me?

Yes I know it can and does for some.  It also can cause muscle cramps.  But I guess pain means you're still alive and so if you need the drugs it is better than dying of a heart attack or stroke.  Welcome to the chronologically advanced humans club.  Gotta be tough to get old, not for the faint of heart (no pun intended).