User Reviews for Pravastatin

this medicine changed my life (and not for the better). side effects included: total exhaustion, depression, joint aches, sexual dysfunction, mental fog, difficulty breathing, inability to climb stairs, leg weakness and buckling, etc. I went from being a distance swimmer and cyclist who, even though old, worked out everyday and pursued my profession as an artist to someone who could, literally, not get up from the couch. I spent last Winter just lying on the couch reading because I did not have the energy to do anything else. when I tried to go back to swimming, i found there was so much pressure on my chest that I couldn't get my breath. I felt like my life was over for more than a year! I stopped taking this last week. Yesterday, I began to feel normal for the first time in more than a year. I will NEVER take another statin. I have alot of anger at the medical profession for not listening to patients when they report these side effects.Read More Read Less

Genetic high cholesterol. Resisted statin drugs for years and finally gave in to this one. I have been taking it for 2 months and I'm just now figuring out that the 15 lb weight gain in 11 days last month what's most likely due to starting this drug. I am experiencing muscle pain and will be discontinuing this drug. I will get a cholesterol check in a few days to see if it has lowered any but the weight gain and muscle pain is never going to be worth it.

I was prescribed Pravastatin as I do not tolerate other statins. I began on 20mg then was put on 40mg. It brought my cholesterol down from the low 300's to 212. I have hereditary high cholesterol. I experienced overwhelming, severe fatigue, bad sinus stuffiness and ear congestion and ear pain, very foggy memory, brain fog and extreme joint stiffness. I am in my 50's and I feel like a 100 year old woman. I would wake up each morning feeling like dead weight and could barely move to get out of bed. Everything hurt. It is not helpful that I have no thyroid. I did a test and took myself off of Pravastatin for 2 weeks. My energy, ear/sinus pain, stiffness and brain fog all improved but my cholesterol went back up fast by about 30+ points. Crazy. I have had horrid reactions to other mainstream cholesterol meds. Livalo being the absolute worst. I almost went to the ER after being on that one for 6 days. I had awful bone and muscle pain and stiffness, felt like my sternum and ribs and chest would break if I moved the wrong way and I kept peeing dozens of times in one night and had severe low back pain. My body was trying to expel Livalo I'm sure.Read More Read Less

Halved my plasma cholesterol concentration after 1 year. Unfortunately, I have also lost a LOT of leg and arm muscle mass, but i don't know if this was caused by this drug. I had to stop taking Lipitor due to muscle soreness and muscle loss. I began using statins in 2010 at age 64 and I am now 74.

3-4 weeks after taking 10 mg/day of this medication, I developed an itchy rash on my torso and scalp. Not worth it.

After one week I could easily sleep all day. It feels like all of the fluid has been drained from my back and legs. I just literally want to lay down all day and do nothing. I am usually very active but this has taken away any desire for me to workout since it feels like my legs are jello. Not sure what to do since I dont want to die of a heart attack like my family history has. Tough to lose weight since I dont want to hit the gym. Next step is to call my doctor and let her know but I have been on and off a few statins for the same reasons. They all do the same thing to me. Dang genetics. Oh to be healthy again. Read More Read Less

Terrible drug. Eventually I developed extreme muscle pain, itching skin, intestinal upset skin disruptions. Side effects not worth it. Don't use this class of drug.

I was prescribed this medicine for high cholesterol. I have been taking it daily for several months now but since starting this medicine, Iâ??ve noticed a significant amount of my hair falling out when I shower, my feet and hands are swelling up and my urine, which used to be almost a clear color, is now a very dark color, and I drink nothing but water all day after my coffee in the morning. I would rather have high cholesterol than be a bald, swelled up smelly old woman ! Iâ??m not going to take anymore of this medicine and I would advise anyone who is prescribed this medication to be very careful and listen to your body! Read More Read Less

....damn near killed me and myself from depression. Always healthy...no smoke/drink...ran 3 miles a day...after stain..couldnâ??t walk 3 miles. Suggestion...die of cholesterol!!!

I do believe this drug is killing me. Was in good health b4 taking it. Declining health ever since. Now have ALS symptoms. BAD BAD BAD drug.

causing my legs and arms to ache badly. Wake me up at night.

Gave me adult rickets, depleted my hormones, my vitamin levels, gave me head tremors, weakened my immune system, have problems with my central nervous system, damaged myelin sheath,muscle atrophy, can't walk normal due to collapse hips due muscle problems and lack of vitamin d levels. Have to have hip surgery, neck surgery. Thirsty all the time. Ruined my life. After going off of this God forsaken drug, I am still having major health issues. Oh, and minor cuts turned into major infections. Had tooth pulled, hair falling out, severe headaches every day. Please do not take this drug. It is a death sentence for many people. It will destroy the quality of your life. If not immediately, in later life after a while, it will cause uncontrollable tremors, and kidney damage. Read More Read Less

This medication caused me to have headaches, joint pain, memory problems, difficulty swallowing, fatigue, etc. These symptoms subsided after discontinued use. Tried this Rx after Lipitor also caused severe side effects. I believe that statin drugs are destructive to the body in general. I personally would recommend that these drugs be avoided.

Well, i started taking 40 mg right after my heart tx, and it didn't really make me feel weird or anything. if anything after becoming a vegetarian, taking statins has really just become an additional measure of prevention which i believe is what my dr's are striving for. i've taken this medicine straight for 9, going on 10 years in april. first 40mg, then got reduced to 20mg, at some point i would take a some pills for heartburn, and idk if it was related to the statin or maybe the other pills i would take together.Read More Read Less

When my doctor first prescribed this medication for me I didn't take it. I was so scared to as I had read about the dangers of statins and so I thought I am not taking it. Fast forward 3 years later and my dad needed to have stents in his heart and got me thinking about my family history. I am glad I started it. I have no problems taking it. I am one of the few people it seems to suit. My blood showed my liver profile and my cholesterol levels to have gone down on 20mg.

i have tried other statins and had severe leg cramps combined with excessive tiredness. I couldn't perform normal exercise that I had done for years. Discontinued statins on my own. Doctor insisted I try one last time and used this one. Now after 3 days I'm feeling excessive tiredness again. I think its the medication. Has anyone else experienced this? I don't see it on the list of side effects but it may be a precursor to the muscle and joint ache.

I'm 54 years old, physically active and in general good health. Been taking Pravastatin for about 9 months now to help with Triglyceride levels. After 6 months my cholesterol numbers improved. Initially I didn't have any side effects. Now my lower back is hurting worse than it every has, my shoulders, collarbone and neck hurt to the point that it's hard to get dressed. Talked to my doctor and he said to discontinue the medication. So this is day one of no Pravastatin. He said within 2 weeks I should notice a difference. Fingers crossed!Read More Read Less

Have been taking 40mg 5 days a week for 1 year. My HDL has dropped from 250 to 141. Triglycerides have dropped from 152 to 93. No noticeable side effects.

I have only been on this medication (20mg) for about 4 weeks and I have not had a blood test to recheck my cholesterol yet. That is not going to happen because I am having some bad side effects. Some muscle but mainly joint stiffness to the extend I have difficulty climbing stairs. I never had headaches before however since using this drug I started getting headaches and the frequency of them is such that I have headaches every day now and some very intense I would say similar to a migraine. I have tried cutting the pill in half and now only have a mild headache but still joint stiffness. This drug may be effective for some but not for me. I will be seeing my doctor tomorrow to get off of it. I am going to have to make diet changes to improve my cholesterol levels.Read More Read Less

I was on Prevastatin 10mg, for several years... My memory began to get really bad... I was confused, and couldn't remember small things, such as where I put something or remembering something a family member would tell me. I at one point thought it was stress, and even blamed my anti-depressants. - One day my daughter had been reviewing the side effects of Pravastatin, and told me about some adverse side effects such as memory difficulties..I was struggling thinking I was getting dementia or worse-Alzheimers!! Well low and behold I stopped taking the drug and I was back to my normal self again!!!! Now my blood work tells me that my cholesterol is high. Not sure what to do????? Read More Read Less