Thanks for the voice of reason, vitualis- pretty much what I've been been trying to say in here but you said it better. I think a lot of people are confused about atorvastatin (Lipitor) because 1. It's a statin, 2. Other statins HAVE been implicated in serious adverse events, and 3. Lipitor must also be responsible for SAEs as well. In fact, Lipitor is probably the safest of the cholesterol-lowering drugs (statins or otherwise), except perhaps for the phytosterols (the jury's out on these...). If you have to take a statin, Lipitor is probably the best one to take, as long as it works for you.

That said:
1. The lay public is generally pretty deluded when it comes to meds- there's a very prevalent belief that popping a pill will take care of everything. This is a very dangerous belief, especially when it comes to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Listen up, people- statins are pretty much mandated in post-heart attack or post-strokee patients, even those with mild hyperlipidemia- their efficacy in secondary prevention is very well documented. Part of the reason why their efficacy in primary prevention is not quite as clear is probably (IMO) due to the belief that you can pop a statin and still not exercise and continue to eat like a pig. People who've had an MI or stroke are likely to be much more vigilant in this regard.

2. While the jury is definitely still out on transient amnesia, there is an increasing number of spontaneous reports of this from people on statins of all kinds, but these seem to concentrate among Lipitor users. No surprise there- it's the most frequently prescribed statin, either alone or in combination therapy. There are a number of possible reasons for this- self-report bias and the "epidemiology of information" bias being just two. But until it can be evaluated epidemiologically, I wouldn't hold a lot of stock in these reports at this point.

3. As to muscle discomfort- there is a good biochemical reason why statins could cause this, and I wouldn't necessarily dismiss it as coincidence. Does this mean that every ache and pain while you're on a statin is associated with the drug? No, not at all. Does it mean that if you do have muscle or joint discomfort that you have rhabdo? NO! As vitualis points out, rhabdo is extremely rare in the population at large, and is in statin-exposed patients as well. HOWEVER, if you do experience muscle or joint discomfort with a statin (any statin, not just Lipitor), you really should tell your doctor. It is very possible, even probable, that the drug is causing this (especially if it appears anew after taking the drug), and an adjustment in dose or switching to another statin will probably help.

4. DO NOT believe everything you see/hear in ads from pharma or in news stories. Case in point- who hasn't seen the ED drug ads, where the statement "If you experience an erection lasting longer than four hours, seek medical care to avoid injury" appears in a prominent place at the end? Priapism is a rare, really rare complication of ED drug therapy, yet they make it sound like it's common (it's in every single ad, regardless of manufacturer). I realize that they are covering their butts against possible litigation, but there's a positive effect of this statement, isn't there? Who WOULDN"T want an erection to last a long time (maybe not four hours...)? The subtext of this statement is that ________ (fill in ED drug name here) will make you perform like superman. Now, go back and think about all those Lipitor ads that Jarvik appeared in. Not that he was lying (I get so p*****d-off at those who say he isn't a doc- he has an MD, but doesn't have a license to practice- so what?- he probably knows more about statin chemistry than most practicing MDs out there). Even so, the ads are there to sell a product. And they do it so very well...