Do you take lipitor?

[usonia]

This is kind of an odd question and I'm going to be a bit vague initially because I don't want to lead to a specific answer.

About two years ago, my cholesterol level had gotten to the low end of what is considered borderline high, so my doctor recommended that I start taking a minimal dose of lipitor daily. I was very hesitant at first because I didn't like the idea of taking anything long term. After a long discussion with my doctor of the pros and cons I decided to go ahead and start taking it while I continued on my fitness program and watched my diet. It has worked out well so far. I take 10mg daily which is half of the smallest pill made. My cholesterol level is down and while there are are some potential side effects, I didn't have any of them, except for one odd thing.

Now this may be completely coincidental and could have nothing at all to do with the medication but I can trace this change in me back to basically the same time period I started taking it. I asked my doctor about it and he said he had never heard of such a thing with this type of medication.

So, does anyone take Lipitor and if so, have you noticed any mental/personality type changes in yourself since you started taking it.

[balthazar]

My wife was on Lipitor a few years ago- she had to stop because she had bad muscle spasms/pain. She takes Zetia now. She does not recall any changes you are asking about, but I believe she was on it pretty briefly.

Medications can cause all sorts of wackiness in different individuals.

[Paolino]

Usonia... just because you experience a side effect the doctor doesn't know about doesn't mean it doesn't exist... I took a medicine a while back that gave me tremors (the shakes). My doctor said "There is absolutely no history of anyone getting them from this medicine."

A few years later when he wanted to try the medicine again, sure enough, now on the side-effect list, are "tremors".

Did you try looking online to see if other people have had whatever side effect you're feeling?

[usonia]

Did you try looking online to see if other people have had whatever side effect you're feeling?

Yeah, I did an internet search but didn't find anything quite like what I'm running into.

I don't mean to be mysterious about this so I'll just go ahead and give a short explanation. It isn't really a bad thing I guess, just very odd for me.

I've never been an emotional person about anything. So much so that friends have kidded me about being a Vulcan. In the time that I've been taking Lipitor, that has changed big time. Now, I get emotional about all kinds of stuff that I would have never thought twice about before. For the most part, this isn't something that anybody would necessarily notice because I can hide it pretty well when I'm not by myself. But, it can come over me so quickly and so intensely sometimes, it's freaky. There's never anything negative about it I guess. I mean, you hear about people taking certain mood-altering drugs and they get feelings of suicide and stuff but this isn't anything like that.

For example, I had a little episode this morning when I was reading the paper at Starbucks. I never noticed it before so it may be something they've just recently started doing, but printed at the top of the page was the first amendment to the constitution about freedom of the press. When I read it, this intense emotional feeling came over me. My eyes suddenly welled up, my throat started to hurt, my breathing changed and I felt like I was going to cry right then and there. Then it passed as quickly as it happened. The first amendment???? I like to think I'm as patriotic as anybody, but come on, it shouldn't have that effect on me and it's not like I've never read it before. Then, in the comics section, today was the last original panel for the comic strip 'For Better or Worse'. The same thing happened when I read that. Even sitting here typing this and remembering it from this morning, I'm feeling weird...about a comic strip??? This is all just so stupid and makes no sense to me.

[trinacriabob]

About two years ago, my cholesterol level had gotten to the low end of what is considered borderline high, so my doctor recommended that I start taking a minimal dose of lipitor daily. I was very hesitant at first because I didn't like the idea of taking anything long term.

Wow. Talk about a current concern with me. My reading isn't the lowest, either. I am trying my darnest to lower it naturally. I go for labs in mid-October.

I DO NOT want to take pills an on ongoing basis. So what I've done is:

- lost 8 lbs. in the last 2 months, another 7 to go

- oatmeal, fruit and juice every AM for breakfast

- no more burgers during lunch...only grilled chicken sandwiches

- salad and/or "tuna (in water) + olives + seasonings" for dinner

- no desserts of any kind

- a pasta buffet once a week as my "cheat allowance."

Have you considered the natural route prior to medication? I'm sure cholesterol can be turned around in 4 to 6 months in most people.

Edited September 3, 2008 by trinacriabob

[usonia]

Yep, I totally understand where you're coming from. I was very, very hesitant to start taking this stuff too. I'm also taking a very mild diuretic to flush excess water from my system as a blood pressure aid. It is my hope that I can get both cholesterol and blood pressure down to the point where I can ease off both of these completely. I'm a little pudgy but I'm not really overweight for my height. I've been trying to stay on a regular fitness routine and I do watch what I eat, but I'll also admit that I haven't been as good about either of these as I should for a while. Work over the past year has been a major issue for me. I've been so busy but I know that's really not a good excuse. My health has to come first and I'm hoping that as I head into fall, I can get myself back on track.

Are you following a specific dietary plan? What you describe sort of sounds like the Mediterranean diet.

[Croc]

Sorry to hear...I'm very lucky--I'm a total caffeine addict (Rockstar, black coffee, espresso 24x7), I smoke half a pack a day, and while I try to eat somewhat healthily, in all honesty I eat way too much fried and fatty food. Somehow though, my blood pressure is on the low end of normal. No clue how that works. Dunno my cholesterol, but that's some knowledge I'd honestly prefer not knowing in all likelihood.