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Does statin use cause myalgia?
Do statins cause muscle pain?
Can statins cause myotoxicity?
Can you stop taking statins if you have muscle myopathy?
Can statins cause rhabdomyolysis?
Do statins cause myopathy?
Aug 14, 2012 · Explain that myalgia with statins is common, affecting 5-10% of patients in clinical trials of statins. Assess how severe the symptoms are. Do they affect his quality of life?
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Jul 18, 2024 · One of the most commonly reported by people who take statins: muscle pain called statin-induced myopathy, also referred to as statin-associated muscle symptoms, or SAMS. It’s a major reason...
Although myalgia has been reported commonly in people receiving statins, muscle toxicity truly attributable to statin use is rare. When a statin is suspected to be the cause of myopathy and creatine kinase (CK) concentration is markedly elevated, or if muscular symptoms are severe, treatment should be discontinued.
- Overview
- What is statin-induced myopathy?
- What are the classifications of myopathy?
- What are statins?
- What is myotoxicity?
- Symptoms of statin-induced myopathy
- What are other potential side effects from statins to be aware of?
- Why do statins cause myopathy?
- What are the risk factors for statin-induced myopathy?
- How is statin-induced myopathy managed?
Many doctors or healthcare professionals prescribe statins, or cholesterol-lowering drugs, to help lower your risk of stroke or heart attack. Statins are usually taken throughout your life.
Statin usage can present certain side effects. The most common side effect is myopathy, a painful clinical disorder of the skeletal muscles.
The most common complaint associated with statins, according to the American College of Cardiology, is myopathy, a muscle disorder, which may occur in up to a third of statin users. Statin-induced myopathy brings on muscle-related symptoms that didn’t exist prior to when you started taking a statin. Symptoms tend to start soon after you begin statin therapy.
The disorder may include any or all of the following symptoms:
•muscle pain
•muscle weakness
•cramping
•tendon problems
Myopathy is separated into three different types based on toxicity:
•Myalgia. Myalgia refers to generalized pain in your muscles. There may be a small increase in the creatine kinase enzyme, which is associated with muscle damage. If you have an increase in kinase, it can be identified in your bloodstream through a routine blood test.
•Myositis. Myositis presents itself with muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness and a higher level of creatine kinase in your bloodstream.
•Rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis is an extreme, life-threatening type of myopathy. It’s brought on by muscle breakdown and significant creatine kinase elevations, up to 10 times greater than normal values. In some cases, rhabdomyolysis can be fatal due to acute renal failure. But rhabdomyolysis is rare, occurring in fewer than 1 person per 100,000 per year who takes statins.
Statins are among the most widely prescribed medications around the world, used by more than 200 million people to lower cholesterol and their risk of cardiovascular disease. The drugs work by lowering the production of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (“bad”) cholesterol in your liver.
High cholesterol levels can lead to the formation of artery-clogging plaques in your arteries. Plaque buildup in your heart’s arteries (coronary arteries) is the main risk factor of a heart attack.
There are seven types of statins available in the United States. Each one works a little differently in your body. Stronger statins are often prescribed if you have very high LDL cholesterol levels and other heart disease risk factors, while milder statins are typically used if you have lower LDL levels, often as a preventive measure if you’re at low risk. The following is a list of statins from strongest to mildest:
•rosuvastatin
•atorvastatin
•pitavastatin
Myotoxicity is the destruction of muscle cells. It can be triggered by a variety of sources, ranging from snake venom to drugs, including statins. Symptoms can range from mild to severe.
Statins may bring on myotoxicity by interacting with your muscle cell components, such as mitochondria, as well as by triggering an inflammatory response due to the drugs’ effects on your muscle antigens. A 2020 study also suggests that statins may lead to myotoxicity by affecting your electrolytes, oxygen supply, or other factors affecting your muscle health.
As with most cases of myopathy, symptoms originate in the muscles of your upper arms, shoulders, pelvis, and thighs. During the advanced stage of the disorder, the muscles of your feet and hands can be affected.
Common complaints, especially in the lower body, include:
•cramps
•heaviness
•stiffness
Symptoms of rhabdomyolysis include:
Like any powerful medication, statins can cause many different side effects. Most side effects tend to wear off after weeks or months of statin use. Some of the more common side effects include:
•headache
•dizziness
•nausea
•fatigue
•low blood platelet count
It’s not entirely understood why or how statins cause muscle problems or why some people have these side effects and others don’t. Statins may interfere with a protein integral to your muscle health and growth. Another theory is that statins cause a reduction in coenzyme Q10, a substance necessary for your muscles to have enough energy to work optimally.
A 2019 study also suggests that statins may cause the release of calcium from your muscles, causing a number of symptoms, including muscle pain and weakness.
Several risk factors have been associated with statin-induced myopathy, including:
•being a person assigned female at birth
•having a low body mass index (BMI)
•being of an advanced age, particularly being age 80 years or older
•having untreated hypothyroidism, high blood pressure, liver disease, and kidney disease
•drinking heavy amounts of alcohol
If you begin to show symptoms of muscle myopathy after starting statin therapy, talk with a doctor or physician as soon as possible. A blood test is usually ordered to measure your creatine kinase levels and rule out rhabdomyolysis. If rhabdomyolysis is the culprit, statin treatment will be stopped immediately.
In the majority of situations, your creatine kinase levels will be normal or only mildly elevated. If this is the case, a doctor will likely start by ruling out other factors that might be contributing to your pain, such as:
•doing strenuous exercise
•misusing alcohol
•having certain medical conditions, including hypothyroidism or a vitamin D deficiency
Sometimes a brief break from statin medication is needed in order to determine if the muscle aches you’re experiencing are due to statin usage or just a part of the natural aging process. A doctor might temporarily stop your treatment for a couple of weeks so you’ll have time to compare how you feel when you’re taking the medication and when you aren’t.
Dec 20, 2022 · Despite clear indications, some studies show that roughly half of patients stop taking statins after six months, and only a quarter of patients with high cardiovascular risk continue with treatment long term. 3 4 Statin associated muscle symptoms, described as myalgia, cramping, or fatigue, are the most common cause of statin intolerance.
Sep 10, 2022 · It is known that statins can, rarely, cause substantial muscle damage (ie, myopathy [approximately one extra case per 10 000 person-years]; or, in a more severe form, rhabdomyolysis [approximately 2–3 cases per 100 000 person-years]) as indicated by muscle symptoms accompanied by biochemical changes (eg, multi-fold rises in creatine kinase ...
May 27, 2023 · Very rarely, statins can cause life-threatening muscle damage called rhabdomyolysis (rab-doe-my-OL-ih-sis). Rhabdomyolysis can cause extreme muscle pain, liver damage, kidney failure and death. The risk of very serious side effects is extremely low. Only a few cases of rhabdomyolysis occur per million people taking statins.
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