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Are Statins Making you Ache? |
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 Statins are a group of medications that have been used successfully in many people to treat high cholesterol. Examples of statins include simvastatin ( Zocor®), lovastatin (Mevacor®), atorvastatin (Lipitor®), fluvastatin (Lescol®) and pravastatin (Pravachol®). Unfortunately, up to 10% of people who take statins experience a common side effect: muscle pain. This type of muscle pain should be brought to the attention of your doctor right away. Although it is usually not serious and may go away on its own within a month or two, it may be the sign of a more serious side effect called rhabdomyolysis. This is a condition characterized by severe muscle breakdown. In fact cerivastatin (Baycol®) was withdrawn from the market in 2001 because it was particularly prone to causing rhabdomyolysis.
If you are taking a statin, don’t panic. Rhabdomyolysis is a rare condition. The benefits of taking a statin to control cholesterol levels and prevent a heart attack outweigh the risks for most people. However, it is still a good idea to report any new muscle pain to your physician. To determine if your muscle pain is just a mild case of aches and pains or if it is caused by a more serious condition, your doctor will likely order a blood test called a creatine kinase. Levels of creatine kinase rise during muscle damage. Sometimes, if symptoms are not bothersome and creatine kinase levels are less than 10 times above normal, your doctor may recommend continuing the statin at a lower dose or trying a different statin.
If you and your doctor decide to switch from the statin to another type of cholesterol-lowering medication, there are several others to choose from depending on your specific needs. Some physicians will prescribe coenzyme Q10 for muscle pain caused by statins, however, there is no concrete evidence this is effective. Never the less, many physicians are recommending 100mg once or twice a day of coenzyme q10.
The important thing to remember is to bring any unusual muscle pain to your doctor right away so that he can determine if the pain is caused by a mild condition or something more serious. If the condition is serious, catching it early is often the key to successful treatment.
Author: Christi Larson, Pharm. D.
Dr. Larson is a pharmacist, author of Empowered Medicine; A Guide for Consumers and creator of Empowered Medicine. You can read more about her by visiting www.EmpoweredMedicine.com and clicking on the 'About Us' tab. EmpoweredMedicine.com is committed to providing evidence-based medical information from a pharmacist's point of view.
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