Hello Everybody, since I had an ischaemic stroke in Feb this year I was discharged from hospital on atoravastatin 40mgs some weeks ago I felt my arms and shoulders becoming really heavy like I have just done a workout. I am having pins and needles in arms and legs and feel 20 years older. The side effects are getting worse over time. Last night my legs twitched the whole night in bed so badly that I didnt sleep at all. I have stopped this tablet and not taken todays dose as I cannot bear going through any more sleepless nights. I have tried taking it in the morning to no avail. Has anybody had a similar experience?
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Hi Flo-- I have not taken atoravastatin, but I have tried several other statins. I can’t take any statins, as they give me stomache aches. I take Zetia (estimibibe) instead for cholestrol. It works differently and I have been on it for 4 years with no till effects. But it doesn’t lower cholestrol as much as statins. Your other symptoms may also be due to the stroke, and the nerves waking up your brain, etc. As far as the leg twitching goes. That sounds similar to the leg spasms I had after my ischaemic stroke 4 years ago–the spasms kept me awake at night–terrrible. The thing that helped me was CBD Oil drops under the tongue. It always worked, and I needed it regularly a bed time for about a year. There is info on the net as far as usage goes. Hang in there. There are almost always solutions. 
Jeanne
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@axnr911 Thank you for your reply. The nerves and tingling have only started in recent weeks and are both sides of my body. After the stroke I was not affected too much physically this is a deterioration that is progressing at speed. I feel far worse now than I did post stroke. Thank you for the CBD advice I have a friend who uses it to great effect for MS. Going to see GP this week will talk to him about alternative. Thanks for your encouragement. Fiona
I too had leg spasms - they gradually reduced over about a year, and I still have the odd spasm, but I don’t think it is anything to do with atoravastatin, The neuro specialist in hospital said I could try something but said it might not work, and it didnt! Those spasms were awful while they lasted, but they do get better - eventually!
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Hi @flo99
I guess I can understand your suspicion of statins, the internet is full of tales of the double-edged nature.
At 4 months post stroke you’re still likely to be experiencing effects from the natural processes of clearing up the damage from your stroke to tissue such as oedema and you’ll be experiencing the adjustments that are secondary effects of the loss of muscle control and nerve connections - so to conclude rather than suspect the statin is I think stretching too far .
Atrovastatin is reportedly one of the most effective and incidentally cheapest. However there are many others. you definitely need to experiment for quite some time if you are too establish cause and effect. I’ve tried taking a holiday from my atrovostatin on two occasions of about a month long period, a year apart.
I can’t say with certainty that I can attribute my numbness or tingling in the extremities with taking or not taking it.
I think it took me 18 months to adjust to the meds so that I wasn’t feeling the attributable side effects. I noticed many on here attribute tingling to repair; I certainly think changes in gait and arm usage have resulted in tendon and nerve tightening and that the exercises I do to help them are a contributor to tingling.
In short I’m suggesting that you’re voicing a reasonable suspicion but you probably need to leave it the best part of a year before you can start forming conclusions and you may find the factors morph on their own between now and then for many factors that will probably never be knowable
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@SimonInEdinburgh thank you so much for your reply. I think i will ask GP to change statin as these neuropathy time symptoms are happening both sides of my body i had mild weakness for 3 days post stroke on right side. Nothing too physically disabling thankfully. This is affecting whole body. Although peripheral neuropathy symptoms would take time to resolve after stopping. Ive noticed in the days since stopping the joint pain and muscle soreness has gone. The muscle twiching has also lessened greatly. This is changing day to day. Only time will tell.
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Gosh, it might have been 40mg, it was early on after stroke. The nerve pain was the worst, couldn’t sleep properly at all.
I wrote about it on this thread here.
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@Rups thank you thats dose I’m on. I understand it also stabilises the plaque. Which is the only reason im looking to change to another otherwise i would just stop them entirely. My cholesterol bloods are are at normal levels. Best wishes
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Im on 80mg of Atrovastatin and find that sometimes I get pins and needles in my hands and/or legs. I cannot definitively say it is the medication that is causing the issue but since having my stroke 2.5 years ago,I am starting to realise just how lucky i am that it was caught in time as I only have mild aphasia and sometimes drool a little from the left side of my mouth.
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@GezTalbot Thank you for your reply. I agree i would also consider myself lucky. I feel the psychological effects are very challenging. Have you ever asked your GP about the pins and needles?
And even that could still change for the better. I’m 2½ years post stroke too, and only recently there was some change in my facial muscles one day and suddenly my tendency to drool was no more 
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I’ve not had a stroke ( my brother has, which is why I’m on here) and I have suffered all the side effects that you mentioned. I’ve been on them for years now and always thought it was my medical condition that caused it. Last month I was too unwell to get my prescription, but after 4 days without the statins I realised, starting with my leg spasms at night, that I was in fact feeling better than I have done in years. Several weeks later my aces and pains have more or less gone and even my memory ( brain fog) has improved significantly. I know that I must go back to my doctor but hate the thought of having to try something else.
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@Irene55 Hello and thank you for your response. So since my last post I have gone to my GP and he has suggested stopping the atorvastatin for 4 weeks. Which I have done, since then all the symptoms have disappeared even in such a short space of time. However he suggested that due to my stroke risk it would be advisable to change to another statin. I am in agreement with him as I understand the benefits these tablets can have. Everybody has their opinion of them good and bad and I would say we all need to do what is right for us as individuals. It reminds me of the HRT debate some think they are great some think they are not and the jury is still out on that. I believe we all need to trust our judgement together with an educated professional. I have a GP who listens which has honestly made the world of difference to this journey. I will try another when this is out of my body. My very best wishes to you and your brother and I hope you continue to improve.
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Hi. I’m glad you have a good doctor who listens to you, mine is really good too and I’m definitely going to make an appointment to see him this week.
I totally agree that statins are a good medication and I hope that you and I both find another make which suits our system 
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@Irene55 good I’m glad you’re going to see your GP. My GP has suggested commencing rosuvastatin after a break of 4 weeks off atorvastatin. Let us know what your GP advises. Best wishes
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Fingers crossed that this one agrees with you. I’m going to make an appointment tomorrow, but will probably be a couple of weeks till I get to see him. I will let you know how I get on. In the meantime, please do let me know how you are feeling on your new ones. Good luck
With best wishes
Irene x
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Thank you I will do. Take care.