A seemingly simple prescription of drugs to protect her heart has turned into a daily nightmare for Simone Howard.

Just a short walk to the end of the road and back can leave her tired and suffering aches and pains.

Mrs Howard, of Wickham Avenue, Bexhill, says her ordeal began nearly a year ago when she was prescribed the drug Lipobay to lower her cholesterol.

The drug has recently been withdrawn by German-based manufacturers Bayer because of concerns about possible side-effects.

The Medicines Control Agency (MCA), whose job it is to ensure all medicines in the UK meet appropriate standards of safety and efficiency, has been sent more than 450 "adverse drug reaction" reports from UK doctors about Lipobay.

Doctors prescribed the drug more than 767,000 times in the 12 months leading up to its withdrawal on August 8 last year.

The drug is believed to have links to the condition rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of muscle which leaks into the bloodstream and then blocks the kidneys.

This can lead to renal failure or heart problems.

An MCA spokesman said: "The drug was voluntarily withdrawn on August 8 following concerns about the increased risk of rhabdomyolysis associated with its use.

"Anyone who had been taking the drug and was feeling unwell, particularly with fever or muscle pain, was advised to seek medical advice.

"No patients should now be taking the drug as it has been withdrawn."

Bayer has received about 100 reports worldwide of people who were diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis after taking the drug and who have since died.

The company says the cases are based on spontaneous reports which are not conclusive.

It maintains the causal relationship between the drug and the illness is difficult to assess due to the complicated medical histories of the people involved but in most cases the relationship has been assessed as unlikely.

The company is continuing to investigate the drug and its links with the condition. But Mrs Howard is in no doubt about what has happened.

She is one of dozens of people across the UK now planning to sue for compensation. Mrs Howard, a qualified nutritional therapist, visited her GP in February for a routine check-up.

Tests showed her cholesterol level was 7.5 per cent, higher than the recommended level of 5.5 per cent.

Her doctor suggested she start taking the drugs to bring her cholesterol level down.

Mrs Howard, 56, said: "I am vegetarian and always careful about what I eat so at first I was unhappy about taking any drugs.

"I thought I could possibly manage to bring down the cholesterol through other methods."

In the end, Mrs Howard agreed to go ahead but it was a decision she would regret.

For the first three months, she did not have any problems but then she started to deteriorate rapidly.

She said: "I could not move my left arm and had severe pains in my legs and chest.

"I also developed pains in my kidneys. I was so chronically tired that all I could do was lie on the sofa all day.

"I couldn't drive and I couldn't go to work. It was an absolute nightmare."

Mrs Howard went back to her GP and after talking with him and going through some more tests she decided to stop taking the drug.

Months after stopping the drug she is still feeling the side-effects.

Mrs Howard is now making a slow recovery but is not certain when or if she will regain her full strength.

She said: "A medical report says it is more than likely my condition developed as a result of the drug.

"I have started working again and am seeing a couple of clients a week but that is all I can manage. I had been planning to run cookery courses last year but I had to cancel them.

"It has taken me a long time to gather the strength to tell people about what has happened.

"It has changed my life as I now cannot work very much or do anything for long periods without rest.

"I was always healthy and well but now have to pace myself because I just don't have the energy."

Mrs Howard's husband, Stan, and their two adult children were horrified by what happened.

She said: "My husband and I decided to move from Bedfordshire to Sussex last October so I could be closer to my daughter as I was feeling so unwell.

"They were really worried about me because we did not know what was happening and whether things were going to get even worse."

Mrs Howard has now set up an information line for people who have been given the drug and may have suffered side effects.

She said: "I can't give medical advice but I can point people in the right direction. I'm sure I'm not the only person who has gone through this in this area and I want to bring it to people's attention so they can do something about it."

Mrs Howard can be contacted on 01424 217292.