Atorvastatin prescription from doctor

Drake

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Mar 7, 2023
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I have suffered with varying levels of Fibromyalgia for years but one day I had an appointment with a new GP. She immediately
told me I should have been prescribed a tablet for my heart because I was high risk as heart problems are in my family. Consequently,
the Doctor prescribed me a tablet called Atorvastatin 20mg. Since taking this tablet which was back in November 2022 I have loads more energy and I haven’t had any symptoms of Fibromyalgia since! Alleluia! Hope this may help those of you are still suffering from this horrendous condition!
 
Atorvastatin
also known as lipitor is a standard medicine used for heart conditions It is used to lower cholesterol has no effect on fibromyalgia - the "effects of fibromyalgia you no longer feel is probably the effects of high cholesterol. The tablet used for fibromyalgia is Lyrica not Lipitor
Many fibromyalgia symptoms overlap with those of other conditions. Also those taking statins such as Lipitor can get Statin myopathy which mimics fibromyalgia

In fact statins are not recommended for those with fibromyalgia
 
hate to say it, but it sounds to me like perhaps you didnt have fibro to start with.
There are a lot of different conditions that can produce similar symptoms to fibro.

and I would not recommend taking statins to just anyone, unless they are needed for specific reasons.
 
Hi Drake, and welcome,

yup, I second cookiebaker, this would be the rarest of cases, an utter exception, it goes against everything we know about both.

Atorvastatin actually is like other statins notorious for producing muscle pain similar to fibromyalgia in praps 30% of cases, as well as quite a few further side effects, and has absolutely no track record of increasing energy or decreasing pain, it only lowers lipids ("cholesterol") very effectively.
(However that "30%" according to recent studies contains quite a lot of nocebo cases, that's people getting pain from it because they believe they will.)

Personally, I took atorvastatin for close to a year, together with ezetimibe (an "newcomer" that's rapidly catching on) and it was very effective for my lipids, but definitely for nothing else. It didn't cause any direct pain, but in agreement with my cardio I replaced it with supps like nicotinic acid, which don't work as well and also have side effects.

Altogether I can't help but think not only this wasn't fibro, but this wasn't that tablet, but something else, or if it was, then a very strong placebo effect.
You could try stopping it to find out.
You didn't change anything else in November?
I always double and treble check things, and even then am never sure.

I agree with cookiebaker: statins are nothing to try "for fibro".
 
Well I certainly don’t have any and never have had any cholesterol problems. There’s no way I want to stop the tablets and go back to suffering Frybo symptoms which I’ve had to endure for 30 years! I‘ve had several ECG‘s over the years and my heart is fine. I was just trying to give some hope to others since this tablet has worked for me.
 
I have spent the morning researching for any link between statins and fibromyalgia - the only one I have found is that people with fibromyalgia may have medical problems with taking statins. Taking statins can lead to Statin-associated Autoimmune Myopathy which can mimic fibromyalgia but that happens after you start taking statins No where can I find a reference to using statins to treat fibromyalgia pain.

That is not to say that you did not suffer from pain but I and others on the forum may be of the opinion that your doctor misdiagnosed your medical condition wrongly as fibromyalgia ( this is a common thing either nowadays as it is very hard to actually diagnose fibromyalgia)

But I am glad you are free of pain
 
I also looked for any connection, or any information on using statins to treat the symptoms of fibromyalgia and found none.

It seems clear to me that @Drake does not/ did not have fibromyalgia.

Doctors know so little still about fibromyalgia that it is very often misdiagnosed -- going both ways, being diagnosed when it is not present and not being diagnosed when it is.

Statins will not remove the pain of fibromyalgia.

But I am very glad for you, Drake, that whatever did cause your pain is relieved by taking them. Be interesting to find out what you really have/had, but maybe not possible to know. The main thing is that you are pain free now. Very happy for you.
 
Well I certainly don’t have any and never have had any cholesterol problems.
Then why the heck would you have been given a statin?
They are only for "cholesterol" (incl. triglycerides), not for the heart or anything else.
 
Then why the heck would you have been given a statin?
They are only for "cholesterol" (incl. triglycerides), not for the heart or anything else.
I was wondering the same thing
 
AS I understand it Atorvastatin has anti-inflammatory properties.
under specific circumstances for acute coronary syndrome, yes, they have been shown to have that property
But, they are not, and should not be used as a general anti-inflammatory.

They are just as likely to cause inflammation, joint pain, and other problems. this is why they should only be used under a doctor's care for specific reasons.
 
I took atorvastatin for close to a year, together with ezetimibe (an "newcomer" that's rapidly catching on) and it was very effective for my lipids, but definitely for nothing else.
Same. I'm on ezetimibe now. The atorvastatin (and every other statin I've been on) caused achy leg pains.
They are just as likely to cause inflammation, joint pain, and other problems.
Yep.
 
AS I understand it Atorvastatin has anti-inflammatory properties.
There are various things that have those "properties", which doesn't mean they are or should be used as anti-inflammatory medication. Also, fibromyalgia is not primarily an inflammatory syndrome, although inflammation can be part of it for some people.
In this case, @cookiebaker is correct - this medication can cause inflammation, if not used correctly and correct use wouldn't be for fibromyalgia patients..
 
As I understand the first post now, it might have been given by the GP not for fibromyalgia, or for lipids, but for acute coronary syndrome.
However at "high risk" is not the same as acute coronary syndrome....
tablet for my heart because I was high risk as heart problems are in my family
 
under specific circumstances for acute coronary syndrome, yes, they have been shown to have that property
But, they are not, and should not be used as a general anti-inflammatory.

They are just as likely to cause inflammation, joint pain, and other problems. this is why they should only be used under a doctor's care for specific reasons.
I agree. At one point my doctor had me stop taking Lipitor (Atorvastatin) for a month to see if the pain and inflammation would be alleviated. It did not, though. So, she ruled it out as a potential cause of pain in my particular case.
 
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