Q. I’ve been on simvastatin for about six months and I have developed excruciating hip and upper leg pain. I get very tired in the middle of the afternoon and sometimes go to bed by 8 PM.
I also am troubled with constipation, then the runs. I feel like I’m 100 years old though I am 69. Could simvastatin be causing all this trouble?
A. Statins such as atorvastatin (Lipitor), lovastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin may cause fatigue, digestive distress and muscle or joint pain. The discomfort can affect almost any part of the body including neck, back, legs or hips.
Muscle weakness may also affect the eyes. A recent report in The American Journal of Medicine (March, 2011) describes a man who had to stop driving because of red, irritated eyes and double vision caused by atorvastatin. The authors found 256 cases of statin-induced eye problems in medical reports.
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