Sore Muscles

[OzTrack]

About 10 days ago I decided that I would stop torturing myself and stop the Zocor I have been taking. Not only was I constantly sore, but I was so exhausted all the time, it just became and effort to do anything.

10 days on, I notice I am still having the same symptoms, I know that there is so much on this bulletin board re, what to take etc., so this posting is not for advice, but rather to say that perhaps people with a high acid content in their bodies are those that suffer the painful side effects. I mean I know people who take 80mg of Lipitor a day and have absolutely no problems. This goes for a number of friends and colleagues, my mother struggled for years with arthritis and high acidity, possibly I have inherited this, if one was to change one's diet and concentrate on eating raw vegetables, avoiding the high acid type fruit and tomato, perhaps we will eventually get the relief.

So really this posting is mostly just my thoughts, I am going to pursue this by beginning a diet next week cutting out Red meat, or certainly reducing it, only eat raw vegetables.

I will try this for a few weeks. If I have success, then good for me. In the meantime I am sure my cholesterol has shot sky high because I have stopped the medication. I will have a test in a few weeks after changing my diet, and trying all the other things that have been shared on this site.

[Ray Holder]

Hi OzTrac
I stopped my statin and things only worsened over the next 14 months, you may find that you need to make up for some of the deficiencies brought about by the statin.

I suggest that not eating red meat is counter productive, your muscle pains are most probably due to lack of carnitine, and red meat is the best natural source of carnitine. The pains are caused by an acid, it's called lactic acidosis, but that is because there is insufficient carnitine available to carry the waste products of energy production out of your muscles.

Don't leave it too long before you try supplementing with Q10 and carnitine, if needed, delay may only lead to more permanent damage.

Ray

[harneyn]

I took four (4) tabs of 20mg Zocor in early October. Almost immediately had muscle pain in my legs. Stopped the Zocor, and the pain continued.

Prednisone was prescribed for two months. During that time the Pred. helped with the tension in my legs, but not the muscle pain. I believe that CoQ10 200mg three times a day, and L-Carnitine 750mg three times a day got me through that period!

Last month I realized my legs did not hurt as much. It was as though I was so used to the muscle pain and tension that I did not realize it was gone. Thank God for that!

I have gone down to 200mg of CoQ10, and 500 mg of L-Carnitine. Have also walked laps in a pool for two months, and now getting back to a little exercising in the pool.

My leg muscles are not still without some strange "activity", but mostly I do not notice it.

I have hope that there is life after Zocor!
Ann

[cjbrooksjc]

harneyn: I had much the same experience when I stopped Zocor (how long before I feel better). Still, it takes weeks, months, sometimes years before real recovery is felt (based on posts in this forum). I am off Statins now since 8/8/07, and I still have bad (painful) days. The exhaustion is not nearly as severe now; it used to be debilitating. Also, I am sensitive to Niacin (B3), and unbeknownst to me, found I was taking a 500% RDA dose of Niacin with my multi-B vitamin and dropped it from my regimen; it seems to have made quite a difference. Red meat is a good source of L-carnitine as Ray said, and, if not already, you should be taking CoQ10 and L-Carnitine suppliments as they help nourish and facilitate waste removal from your cells (esp. muscle cells) at the mitochondrial level. I take about 1G of COQ10 and 1.5G of L-Carnitine daily... they are the two suppliments that TRULY help me feel better. I don't know how long I'll need to take these two, but I'll take them as long as necessary. On a more hopeful note, I'm taking short walks now (1.5Mi.) without feeling exhausted, and hope to be back in the fitness center by Summer. It's been a long haul. Don't get discouraged.

Regards,

Brooks

[cjbrooksjc]

OzTrack: Sorry for the confusion: my last post was intended for you Oz; not HarneyN.

Regards,

Brooks

[OzTrack]

Hey thanks for all the posts, I am taking CoQ10, but not the L-Carnitine, because I work out at the gym, I introduced Glutomine to my daily list of supplements. Only because I was really struggling with the muscle weakness and total exhaustion after a moderate workout. I take so many supplements now I rattle when I walk.

I will get some L-Carnitine, but I have to tell you this. Over the weekend, I pretty much stopped drinking Wine, eating processed foods, only ate raw veggies, very little tomato and have to say this morning the pain has reduced drastically. I read on the net about introducing food that is more alkaline rather than acidic, so I have introduced apple cider vinegar to my first glass of water in the morning. I don't think there is any harm in me pursuing this for a few weeks, could lose some weight as well but will get some L-Carnitine. I really do want to stop eating meat for awhile. Mostly because I am just tired of it. I am really prepared to try anything to bring down my cholesterol naturally.

I will keep you posted.

[harneyn]

This has probably been posted before, but as a reminder.

The patent request by Merck in 1990:

Coenzyme Q.sub.10 with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors

Abstract
A pharmaceutical composition and method of counteracting HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor-associated myopathy is disclosed. The method comprises the adjunct administration of an effective amount of a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor and an effective amount of Coenzyme Q.sub.10. ..

... As a specific embodiment of a composition of this invention, 20 mg of lovastatin and 35 mg of Coenzyme Q.sub.10 are formulated with sufficient finely-divided lactose to provide a total amount of 580 to 590 mg to fill a size 0 hard-gelatin capsule. Optionally added are a excipient such as finely divided cellulose, a disintegrant such as Explotat and a lubricant such as magnesium stearate.

They knew it all along.
Patent denied I believe because COQ10 is a natural substance.

Long URL... must copy it all up to and including the final 165

[url]http://patft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=4933165.PN.&OS=PN/4933165&RS=PN/4933165 [/url]

Ann

[Darrell]

OzTrack, I don't put much stock in the acid theory because the body regulates blood pH very closely. But since you do, you should note that vinegar is acidic.

Also, cutting out red meat is cutting out dietary carnitine. Consider keeping the leaner red meat in your diet.