The real risk of developing muscle pain as a result of taking statins is about 5% or less compared with taking a pill that doesn't contain medicine, called a placebo. However, studies have found that nearly 30% of people stopped taking the pills because of muscle aches even when they were taking a placebo.
World's largest study shows less than 10% suffer side-effects caused by the drug. Summary: As many as one in two patients stop taking statins, reduce the dose or take them irregularly because they believe the cholesterol-lowering drugs cause muscle pain and other side-effects.
Not everyone who takes a statin will have muscle pain. Muscle pain from statins might also show up differently for different people. For example, you could feel muscle weakness, soreness, aches, stiffness, or cramps. These side effects can range from mild to severe.
Within a month of starting statin therapy, they may feel aches or weakness in the large muscles of their arms, shoulders, thighs or buttocks on both sides of the body. About 5 to 10% of people who try statins are affected. It's more common in the elderly, in women and in those taking the more potent statins.
One of the most common complaints of people taking statins is muscle pain. You may feel this pain as a soreness, tiredness or weakness in your muscles. The pain can be a mild discomfort, or it can be serious enough to make it hard to do your daily activities.
Statin-related muscle pain, if it happens at all, usually happens within the first few months after you start the drug or raise the dose. You may feel a constant soreness or weakness in your shoulders, thighs, hips, or calves. If you're like most people, it'll affect both sides of your body equally.
Statins can rarely cause muscle inflammation (swelling) and damage. Speak to your doctor if you have muscle pain, tenderness or weakness that cannot be explained – for example, pain that is not caused by physical work.
Unregulated calcium leaks may cause damage to muscle cells, potentially leading to muscle pain and weakness.
The intolerance can be either partial (ie, only some statins at some doses) or complete (ie, all statins at any dose). The most common presentation of statin intolerance is muscle aches, pains, weakness, or cramps, often called myalgias; these can occur in up to 15% of treated patients.
We have data now from over 20 statin trials of over 135,000 patients that show statins compared with placebo or no medication result in a 23 percent reduction in heart attacks, 17 percent reduction in fatal or non-fatal stroke and 19 percent reduction in death from cardiovascular causes. So, they definitely work.
Studies show that about 5 percent to 10 percent of people are unable to tolerate statins, largely because of muscle aches and related side effects, including potential muscle damage.
Many patients stop taking statins because of muscle pain, but statins aren't causing it, new study says. Statins are an important tool to prevent major cardiovascular problems, but many patients stop taking them because of side effects, including muscle pain.
Joseph A. Hill, M.D., Ph. D. The controversy in the United Kingdom started in 2013 when the British Medical Journal (BMJ) claimed statins were being overprescribed to people with low risk of heart disease, and that the drugs' side effects were worse than previously thought.
If you've made lifestyle changes through diet and exercise that have lowered your cholesterol levels, you may not need to continue taking a statin. These changes can help reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, or blocked arteries while allowing you to take one less medication.
While pravastatin and fluvastatin may be associated with the lowest incidence of myalgia, the LDL-lowering effect is low compared to other statins.
People who are unwilling or unable to take statins have limited options for other cholesterol-lowering medications. One possible choice is bempedoic acid, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2020.
Ezetimibe is a tablet that lowers cholesterol. It may be prescribed if statins cannot be taken, or alongside a statin for extra cholesterol-lowering. It's a 'cholesterol absorption inhibitor' that limits the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine.
Fear of side effects and perceived side effects are the most common reasons for declining or discontinuing statin therapy. Willingness to take a statin is high, among both patients who have declined statin therapy and those who have never been offered one.
Currently, more than 60 percent of older people in the United States who, like me, have high cholesterol take a statin to help prevent a heart attack or stroke.
If you experience joint pain while taking a statin, it may go away on its own in a couple of weeks. But if it doesn't, speak with your healthcare provider. Together, you can take steps to manage your symptoms, such as lowering your dose or switching to a different medication.
The American Heart Association guidelines say older people should take statins if they have known cardiovascular disease, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol of 190 or over, or are at high risk.
Statins work for people of all ages
For every mmol/L reduction in LDL cholesterol, statins reduced the risk of an MI by 25% and a stroke by 21% across all age groups.