I just finished a 2 month trial of Tricor which failed miserably.... I'm stiff and sore and my average speed has plummeted...... now the Dr. wants me to try a non-statin drug called Zetia. Anybody tried it? I told the Doc I wasn't going to start it until the stiffness and soreness goes away from the Tricor..... anybody else get this result from Tricor (or any other statin) and if you did, how long does it take for the muscles to come back?

I have been taking Lipitor for years and got a little muscle soreness that went away after couple of weeks. Even with diet and excercise my cholesterol didn't come down enough. My doctor added Zetia a year ago, but I didn't notice any physical changes. Muscle soreness is not listed as a side effect of Zetia alone. It is listed as a side effect for Lipitor and Tricor. Statins (Lipitor and Tricor) reduce the body's production of cholesterol, Zetia reduces the absorption of cholesterol from foods. I have a family history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease so take Cozaar in addition to the above. I usually ride about 125 miles per week, with one normal day off, but some days I'm just too tired to ride. Don't know if it is age (51) or all the meds. Keep working with your doctor on your health, I've had several family members die of heart disease at a young age.

Al

Taking Tricor and Zetia for several years without any muscle soreness.

Try it, I went through Lipitor, Lescol and Pravachol before I found that Zocor works for me with no side effects. Lipitor gave me the best reduction in cholesterol but it felt like someone was beating my calfs with baseball bats and my liver enzymes went way up. Zocor just went generic so that makes my drugs a lot cheaper. Don't settle keep trying until you find something that works for you, no need to have pain or risk liver damage.

I always had a healthy lifestyle. Almost no red meat, exercise, weight control, etc. but I couldn't get my cholesterol in line.

With a small dose of Lipitor, my total cholesterol immediately dropped from 244 to 130 and my ratios are like those of a teenage vegetarian. It's almost scary what these drugs might be doing to us! (No outward side effects after a year).

Grampy,

I"ve been going through the same thing. Started on Zocor and was miserable, could barely ride at all my thighs were so sore. I switched to Zetia last week. No side effects yet. After I stopped the Zocor it took about 2 weeks for my legs to feel OK again. I had a muscle enzyme test this week and it was back to normal.

As some of the commercials point out both high BP and Cholesterol can come from a poor diet but a lot depends on your genetics as well. In my family everyone has high BP and Cholesterol, I went on a completely fat free diet, increase my exercise and did everything I could to reduce it. Very little affect. So I am thankful for the drugs, they may prevent me from having a bypass or some other surgery in the future. I do have some concern about the effect of long term 20-40 year statin use, but I don't think the alternative is less risky.

Dang.......Blackberry and I could be related as it sounds like our genetics and almost identical.

I've taken both Pravachol and am now on Lovastatin and have not had any muscle soreness or weakness issues. It has reduced my cholestrol from 240 to 145.....exercise and extreme dieting did not move total cholestrol more than 10% and was fruitless in my opinion.

Like what stonecrd said-keep experimenting to find what works best for you.

I was on Lipitor for over a year. At first it worked well - 243 down to 150 - and I didn't see any side effects. But with time, I started getting sore and performance plummeted. I'd go for a 'moderate' paced ride and be so sore for 3 days that I could hardly walk! I finally got the doc's OK to quit, even without the liver function test which would probably show my enzymes all screwed up, but I figure I've lost at least 15% of my former leg strength since last season. The scary part of that is, the heart is a muscle, too. With a little luck I'll build it back in a year or two, but for now... color me very discouraged.

Muscle soreness is not listed as a side effect of Zetia alone. It is listed as a side effect for Lipitor and Tricor.

This is a paragraph from zetia.com

Unexplained muscle pain or weakness could be a sign of a rare but serious side effect and should be reported to your doctor right away. Patients reported few side effects while taking ZETIA, including tiredness and stomach pain.

....but how will I know if it's adversely affecting me if I'm already sore from the Tricor?

One time a very nosy lady told Mark Twain that if he would give up those horrible cigars and liqueur he would probably live to a very ripe old age, to which he replied,"Madam, if the road to old age isn't a pleasant one, I'm not certain I want to take it."

Before recieving my transplant I was on zocor and it caused sore muscles and atrophy. The fine print reccomends excercise.

Your question about adverse effects is a good one. How do you know when your body is purged of the old drug and has recovered from the effects? How long before the new drug will start showing effects?

Since the bypass, I have been on Symvastatin and never had any effects from it- Or if I have, I have not known about it.

Years ago, I was taking Pravachol, and just didn't feel like I could climb like I used to, before taking it. I quit taking it for a couple of weeks, and my climbing vastly improved! But I needed something to keep my cholesterol level in check. I am now on Crestor, and it is working great for me! Does not seem to be any side effects and is not affecting my riding. And my chol dropped from 275 to 166. But what works for one may not for another.

I started off with Zocor but developed muscle soreness and atrophy after about 18 months. DR switched my meds to Pravachol and Zetia and so far no problems.