flu-like symptons, of aching all over; Rheumatoid arthritis OR statin drug use; read on.?

Question

my Mom aches as i mentioned above, if she goes too long without taking ibuprofen (she takes two-200 mg. daily and one 325 mg. of aspirin dailey, later as blood thinner and the ipuprofen for her rheumatoid arthritis --which she does NOT have badly for 3 yrs. now;
she took methroxate ? (spelling ?) 3 yrs ago for only 7 wks. & she just stopped going to her Rheumatologist. She's been on statin, Zocor, 1 mo. for high cholesterol; I wonder if her aching is caused by Statins; she seems to be weaker & tire more easily too, since she's been on Zocor, but it's hard to tell What causes What! Are there certain tests her Doc can do -to see if the Zocor is causing the aching all-over. She only takes the aspirin and ibuprophen ONCE daily in dosage i mentioned above, but if she takes them a few hrs LATER than usual, the aching returns.
Can her rheumatoid arthritis cause tHAT TYPE OF aching, even tho her hands, etc, are not in pain--as they were a few yrs ago.
thanks; Mom, 57 onThanksgiving.

Answer 1

Well, you are right on the mark with the Statin drugs. I hate them. You are probably right about them making her feel so bad. Rheumatoid Arthritis wouldn't all of a sudden do that unless she also developed a secondary reactive arthritis with it. You should go with her and discuss this with the Rheumatologist and ask about the non-statin drugs available for the cholesterol.

Oh, and 81 mg aspirin is normal for keeping platelets slippery.. 325 a day is extreme unless her doctor ordered that.

And one more thing, Ibuprofen and Aspirin together can be a problem - bring this all up with you doctor:

http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ibuprofen/default.htm

Answer 2

Statins work directly in the liver. There is a system in our liver that produces cholesterol. Cholesterol is necessary in our body. The statin mechanism, is to create bile. Bile is necessary in our digestion and absorption. So the liver makes cholesterol to make this happen. It can also remove cholesterol from the blood for this purpose. Statins work by attacking in the liver the enzyme system that produces cholesterol in the liver. And that forces the liver cells to pull it from the blood and thereby lowers your cholesterol. And so our cholesterol comes down because we stop the production in the liver.



However, side effect of statins, according to the experts and literature is myalgia. Myalgia is an ache in our muscles, when you walk. If the myalgia gets more severe, simple squeezing your muscles with your hands, it would hurt immediately. . A lot of people find they can't climb stairs, they feel they've lost their energy, and they do a little exercise and their muscles keep on hurting after they finish. It's an effect on the muscles from the statins.


Other side effects are less common. It can cause nausea, stomach upset, some people get bowel disturbance, either constipation or diarrhea. These are enhanced with increasing age. If you have a smaller body mass, a small frame, you tend to have more of these side effects as well.


You are right in your suspicion that simvastatin or Zocor might be one of the causes for your mom to ache all over.


Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that involves a chronic infammmation of the joints.9 synovium) It might involve some pain within the surrounding tissues and muscles around the joints. but there is usually redness; swelling and warmth. esp at the knees and hands.and wrists.


When the disease is active, symptoms can include fatigue, lack of appetite, low grade fever, MUSCLES and JOINT ACHES, and stiffness. Muscle and joint stiffness are usually most notable in the morning and after periods of inactivity. Arthritis is common during disease flares. Also during flares, joints frequently become red, swollen, painful, and tender. Although the side effects of statin and symptoms of RA are alike. Symptoms of RA would come and go. .


Your mom's complaints of weakess or fatigue; tires easily could be attributed to RA not statin drugs.



Hallmarks of Myalgias:


Your mom might find it difficult to walk, without her muscles hurting her. She might need to sit down for the generalized aches to go away after a while. Then when she gets up and atttempts to do it again and the pain is back,-If this is the case; your Mom or you might suggest to the doctor to allow her to take a "holiday from the statin drug." She might be able to stop this drug for 10 days- two weeks in time. I bet those symptoms will all go away. Reintroduce the drug and if aches are resumed; then you would discover that indeed- the statin is the quilty one.. Body aches in this instance is definitely not from getting older. Your mom will be pleasantly surprise when she finds out that , "Oh my God, I feel normal again."


You can try other agents. Some statins will do it where another statin might not, although there generally is a lot of crossover. If one does it, the next one will do it too.


She has to be careful in using NSAID's (great drug of choice for rheumatoid arthritis to reduce the inflammation and pain reduction or analgesia.) such as Ibuprophen. However, she places herself at greater risks for overdose, liver toxicity and liver damage from this more than Tylenol. It can also irritate the linings of your GI tract; esp if taken on an empty stomach. ASA although good for CAD; might cause bleeding and ringing of the ears. and Reye's syndrome in children which is fatal. However, in a critical care setting; we normally administers only a ST Joseph's Baby asprin. .


Another thing to consider while on Zocor or any anticholesterol drug; grapefruits are forbidden. It interferes with the effectiveness of the drug.


Usually, when anyone is on anti-cholesterol drug regimen; the patient is monitored closely to find if there is liver dysfunction as all anticholesterol drugs are detrimental to the liver and kidneys.

Methotrexate (Trexall, Rheumatrex) is a drug used in .adult Rheumatoid Arthritis. and other Neoplastic diseases. ..

Answer 3

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Answer 4

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Answer 5

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Answer 6

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Answer 7

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Answer 8

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Answer 9

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Answer 10

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