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“Sadly, I did not stop taking the Lipitor in time. After feeling back to normal for a short time I took a sudden downturn and was diagnosed with ALS last week. I am losing strength and mobility every day. I would like to join any lawsuit against Pfizer.”
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“The first neurologist gave Dad about an hour long electrode and needle test in arms and legs (we were in the room and watched) and provided us a medical/technical written report several full pages long to take to our second opinion. He was pretty sure it was ALS, but emphasized we needed to go to an ALS-specialized neurologist. Right now we are focused on his health and the battle against Lipitor.”
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“My neurologist has done a complete turn in his diagnosis. A few weeks ago he told me that he didn't think that my speech and swallowing problems were caused by Lipitor and that he thinks that I DO have ALS! Well, he calls my problems "atypical" ALS because I have d teriorated slowly. At this point in time I have had problems for almost three years. Currently, I can barely speak and my speech is pretty unintelligible. Further, I have such great difficulty in swallowing that I can only eat pureed food and I have lost a lot of weight. I am tired a lot, feeling weak and my breathing has declined somewhat. I have been off statins for 2 1/2 years and that has not restored my vigor.”
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“I am a veterinary pathologist, that does a lot of neuropathology, and unfortunately, I am the patient with neurologic issues currently. I have been on Lipitor 40mg qd for 6 years (increased from 20 mg qd 2 years ago). Over the past 2 years, I have noticed increased weakness, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath, and very significant loss of muscle mass (postural muscles, laryngeal muscles, legs/arms, etc.). The loss of muscle mass in the lower legs has led to significant edema, which was the main clinical signs that my physicians were focusing on to try and explain. After some consideration, I became convinced that I had ALS. I have also experienced short-term memory loss, have trouble finding the right word, have trouble dictating my biopsy cases fluidly, and have significant depression. I have a referral with a neurologist tomorrow for an initial evaluation.”
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I came across your website while doing some research concerning the side effects of cholesterol medication. My mom has been taking cholesterol medication for 15 years now. Recently the past couple months she has been showing signs of ALS. These symptoms include muscle weakening in the arms, tingling, twitching, slurred speech, fatigue, neck aches, and an overall mood change. She went to see a couple different doctors and they have taken her off her medication. One of the doctors told her that she has ALS. I am not convinced that she has ALS. I still have a strong feeling that this has something to do with her cholesterol medication. She has always watched her diet and before all these major symptoms occurred, she was working out really hard. We are in serious need for some answers. I am so worried about my mom. She is only 48 years old and her spirits are so low.”
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“I would first like to thank you for all your work. It never really occurs to you that one day you may have to face a diagnosis like this until it happens. It is incredibly uplifting to have people like yourself offering information like this to all of us! However I have a question or request... My mother (65yrs old) has been healthy her entire life until recently being diagnosed with ALS. In our efforts to put her on more medications I noticed she has been taking these statin drugs for about a year now (Zocor & Lipitor). My question to you... how strong are the relationships between statin drugs and ALS or side affects similar to ALS? Are there any doctors out there that truly understand the relationship and are willing to consult us on what we can do to help my mother? Any names would be incredibly appreciated.”