Crestor and managing side effects

My complaint is more personal. No one ever checked my liver, kidneys, blood, heart. A very young 'wellness' person told me I had dangerously high cholesterol and prescribed Crestor and one other pill to take daily. The two of them combined turned me into a walking zombie in two days. I contacted the office and they said to take half the dose.
I have one kidney, which results from kidney disease. I experienced intense eyeball pain in one eye, about a week into taking the Crestor. When I stopped taking it, the pain went away. No one ever asked me about kidney problems, took blood samples, or even listend to my heart...
It's been about three or more years and I am still suffering from memory problems, and they don't seem to be improving.
The doctor (who is also part of this group) seems upset that I refuse to take anything for what is actually 'normal' cholesterol.
I blame big pharma for pushing this.

I recently started Crestor and feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. Legs, arms, shoulders hurt. Muscle weakness. It’s only be 10 days but I’m not liking this at all. Someone please tell me the side affects get better!!

Hi @skd4953 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! Feeling like you’ve been hit by a truck after 10 days of Rosuvastatin (Crestor) is not fun. It is a good thing you have made this connection so you address it.

I have tried darn near every cholesterol drug and absolutely understand what you are feeling. I cannot tell you if/when your side effects will subside. That is a question to ask your doctor sooner than later. I do have a couple thoughts that have helped me.

When I suspected drug side effects my prescribing doctor told me to draw a stick figure and indicate where my pain was. I quit the med, wrote the date on the picture and threw it in a drawer. After 30 days I drew another stick figure. Then, I compared the two pictures and told my doctor what I learned. He confirmed I was having side effects and were able to move on together.

Another thought is to ask about reducing how much Crestor you currently take. There are different types of statins and they are not equal. Rosuvastatin is a good one, though one that may be a good idea to take the lowest dose possible only two times per week. Crestor is a drug with a longer half-life so at least some will stay in your body all the time even by reducing the frequency it is taken. This provides full benefits of the drug.

Is this the first statin you have tried? Do you think you will talk to your doctor?

Hi thanks for your advice. I’m going to stop taking the Crestor
I’d like to some more natural options. Red yeast rice for example, so I’m researching. In addition to the body aches, I have migraines, have vertigo and I have two tendon issues in my shoulder, all can be problems using Crestor. I spoke to my doctor and let him know what I’m looking into.

@skd4953 Red yeast rice is not a natural option. It contains a compound called monacolin K, which is identical to lovastatin. You're essentially taking a statin with red yeast rice. The difference is that it's completely unregulated, and you have no idea how much you're getting. I don't recommend it.

Best plan is to talk to the doctor. Sometimes a different dose and/or a different statin does the trick.

I too started Rosuvastatin, or Coreg, about 1.5 weeks ago, only 5 mg. since I'm sensitive to drugs. I started getting achy legs at about 1 week. Initially I figured it's due to my PT exercises I'm doing for a hamstring injury, but it's both legs all the way up & down in the muscles, especially upon rising from sitting. I think I'll do what Janell suggested & notify my cardiac doc. Adjusting the dose to not every day may be an option. I'd tried 10 mg of Lipitor before & it was much worse pain, had to go off. I do need to get those LDL numbers down.

Thanks, Patty

@skd4953

As you research you will learn updated information from a recent Mayo Clinic Cardiovascular Continuing Medical Education podcast. You will hear what providers are hearing.

-Mayo Clinic Statin Myopathy
https://cardiovascularcmemayoclinic.podbean.com/e/statin-myopathy/
Also, another discussion you may want to browse if you haven’t already.
- How long do side effects from statins last once you stop taking them?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-long-do-side-effects-from-statins-last-once-you-stop-taking-them/
I would love to hear what you think after reviewing the podcast!

@jardinera25 Oh, I feel your pain!

I would love to stay tuned to your journey. Will you come back and provide updates on your testing, how you’re doing?

@skd4953 , I’d check with your doctor about stopping a statin. They may recommend the safest way to do it. My doctor told me that immediately stopping a statin creates a high risk period for cardiovascular events. I’d ask about tapering.

@skd4953 Why are you on a statin? Are your lipid levels really high or just borderline? Were you placed on a statin because of your age? I had borderline high lipid levels but the ratios were acceptable but the PCP wanted me to be on a statin because of my age--77. I tried it for about 3 or 4 days and I hated it! I switched to OTC methods and my levels dropped by 20%. I take Red Yeast Rice daily and Garlic tablets. Also push the fiber to keep things moving through. I have NO side effects and I am not feeding big pharma with the costly drugs they promote. Ask around and do some research.