Statins causing bowel movement motility reduction

Hi @naiviv
I never took that statin drug, but I took the Lipitor for 3 years without noticeable issues until the last 3 months I was on it, when it literally crippled me with pain in my right hip and low back. I was unable to put any weight on my right foot, and because I had been on it for so long no one was looking at the Lipitor. I was laying on the sofa feeling miserable and HEARD the warnings they read real fast at the end of the commercial, where it said that it can cause severe muscular pain. I had been using crutches for 3 weeks with repeated visits to my Primary and she was unable to determine what was causing all the pain. When I heard that commercial, I thought, "No possible way." I stopped it immediately and 3 days later the crutches were gone, but it took 4 months before the muscles got completely back to normal.
Something else we are not told is also in the commercials. Statin drugs destroy our body's own Co-Q-10, which protects the heart. I tried 2-3 different statins after I stopped the Lipitor, but to no avail. 12 years after starting to take them, without having any of that information about Co-Q-10 so I could supplement, I had a heart attack at 47. If you continue to use Statins, please look into supplementing Co-Q-10. I had been walking 4 miles or more a day since I was 28 and rode bicycles on 10-20 mile treks most weekends. I was in good shape, but I had a complete hysterectomy at 28, and as soon as that last ovary was removed -- they removed the uterus first, then the left ovary a month later and the right one a month after that. I went into the hospital and prior to surgery my cholesterol was 178, where it had been all along, but upon discharge it was 310 and that's where it stayed. Lipitor helped for about 4-6 months and then it went back up to 270 and that is where it remains over 45 years later.

Sorry to hear about all the health issues you have been going through. I am very skeptical about taking statins but my risk for heart disease is high. I started to have some digestive problems with the statin I am taking now and I never had so much constipation in my life. I follow the Mediterranean diet very strictly and I don’t drink alcohol or smoke. I drink 7 8-oz glasses of water evetyday and no sweets at all. That regime was working great for me with good lipid results but my cardiologist kept pushingthe statin until I told him that I was going to try it. I stopped it last night. I can’t be constipated due to my diverticuli and hemorrhoids. I will keep my diet and lifestyle regime.
My parents suffered from heart disease when they were in the late 80’s and cardiologists never gave them statins at all and they were very careful eating.
I remember my cardiologist telling me about other non statins but these are worse, side effects are really to worry about if anyone take them. (Kidney and liver failure, gout, gastroparesis znd the list goes on and on).
Hoping you stay healthy and safe. Thanks for your input.

@naiviv
There are some excellent supplements out there for supporting the liver, that are excellent for lowering cholesterol. "Liverwell" did miracles for my cholesterol for the first time in my life, when I started having pain in my right side and an ultrasound showed swelling in the liver. I purchased a product called VitaLiver, and the pain was gone in less then a week, but it is a powerful blood thinner, so has to be taken with caution. Too bad doctors didn't look into something like that all natural product instead of putting people on blood thinners that have rat poison in them!! I switched and went to the Liverwell, but didn't make the connection, because I had stopped taking it by the time I had my one and only blood test with normal cholesterol and triglyceride levels. I just started it back up a month ago, because when going back through my food logs I saw where I was taking the Liverwell shortly before I came up with that "normal" blood test. I took it for 3 months.
As I told you, I was 28 when they took my ovaries and my cholesterol skyrocketed and stayed there. But the heart attack at 47 was most likely due to the lack of CO-Q-10 in my system and drinking way too much Mountain Dew to stay awake to meet my deadlines for materials that had to be turned in from public meetings I attended most evenings. It was a minor heart attack, and with my cholesterol remaining very high, I have still managed to reach 75 years of age. I am still very active with all the walking and do all my own yard and garden work and grow a lot of my own food, and I clean all my own snow away from the driveway and my roof. I will be very happy to reach my 80's like your parents, because with what my cardiologist did to me, using me as a guinea pig for years, I never thought I would make it to 70. I'm still going strong and so is my ticker.

So happy to hear you are doing great. I will not take any statin or non statin to lower my lipids. The Mediterranean diet recommended by Mayo and Cleveland Clinics cardiologists is the one I have been following very strongly and it really works. I have lost weight, I exercise daily, no alcohol no smoking no sodas. Only water 7 8-oz glasses daily. Stay safe and healthy.

Yes! Atorvastin stopped everything w/in 48 hrs. Took two weeks off to get back to normal. Pravastatin marginally better but BM are different - less productive, different color, smaller, LOTS of gas!

Will likely go off this one too if not back to more normal after a few weeks. NOT a side effect I’m willing to live with!

absolutely...constipation and loss of muscle ....notified doctor and stopping atorvastain. Big problem as I'm post polio and ANY loss of muscle function is huge.

Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect, @magmeo. Constipation and loss of muscle is a tough combination to deal with. I feel your pain!

I take lower doses of several cholesterol drugs that seems to work better than a higher dose of any single one. I am even taking atorvastatin currently after stopping it 20 years ago.

I am full of questions, and I do not know much about post-polio…What are your muscle symptoms? How did you figure out atorvastatin is the culprit? Does your doctor have others thoughts that may help you?

@shiver My deceased husband was a Neurologist..2003-2007 I walked dogs with friends— an Endocrinologist and his wife. (They moved to another city.)
The endocrinologist said statins were miracle drugs and everyone should be on them.
I asked my husband. He kind of laughed and said “all those patients come to me.” So many patients with leg pain and weakness, and other pain, that was new/not chronic. One of the first things my husband asked was if the person had recently started any new medications. MANY had recently started a Statin.
My husband advised that the patients try stopping the statin. Most patients had immense improvement and decrease in pain and weakness. He thought statins were needed in some patients, including my sister who had severe cardiovascular disease. Heart attack at 50, TIAs at 65, died from stroke at 66.
I would never say statins are bad. Cardiovascular disease should be treated. Just be careful.
I’m so sorry to hear of your suffering, and the changes you have endured.
Take care.

I'm a 69 year old male with normal blood numbers and blood pressure. My doc says that my main risk factors are my age and gender and he says I should consider taking a statin. It seems like someone in my risk category is going to have a 10 year coronary risk of between 5%-15% whether you take statins or not. Is it even worth it for someone like me? The potential side effects scare me.

Hi, @ttheo. I am so glad to see you actively posting comments on Mayo Clinic Connect.

As @naiviv wrote when she started this discussion, “Statins causing bowel movement motility reduction”, it is important to keep in mind they are processed in the liver. A liver doctor told statins do not harm the liver. It does make sense that this process would affect our digestive system.

I am not a medical professional, just a patient who recognizes how medications affects my entire body. Something sticks in my mind that you may find helpful. I recently tried a drug I questioned may be causing side effects. He told me to draw a stick figure and indicate on it where my symptoms were. I dated it and put it away. Then, I drew another one 30 days later and pulled the initial one out to compare. He had me report the changes to him and I discontinued the drug.

So, my 2 cents are to have another discussion with your doctor recommending the drug. If you are comfortable, try it and pay close attention to side effects. Maybe try the stick figure drawing, it helped me not dwell or stress about “is it the drug, remember where this hurt”, etc. Report what you figure out to your doctor and make a decision at that point after knowing more.

You mention it seems like your 10-year risk is 5-15% regardless of taking statins. Are you going to ask your doctor what the benefit of taking them will be?