FREE REPORT. Your key pointers to a life-transforming diet

Find out the best diet for you in one of four free reports we'll give you when you join the WDDTY community. We'll also send you up-to-the-moment health news and advice twice a week, packed full of insights that may well transform your own health.

email to friend Printer friendly

News

Cholesterol drugs cause muscle abnormalities

01 December 2002

Statins, commonly used to treat high cholesterol levels, may also cause symptoms of muscle tenderness and weakness.

Collectively, these muscle symptoms are known as myopathy, and one statin (cerivastatin) has already been taken off the market because patients frequently developed myopathy while taking it.

While doing a larger study of muscle symptoms in patients taking statins, the researchers found four patients with muscle pain and weakness during statin therapy that went away when the patients stopped taking the drugs. All four patients had normal creatine kinase levels.

The researchers then gave these patients a statin or placebo and asked the patients to guess which they were taking. All the patients knew they were taking a drug because of the debilitating side-effects. Objective testing showed that, while on statins, the patients had reduced muscle strength. In addition, in three of the four patients, the doctors took samples of muscle to examine under a microscope (muscle biopsy) both during and after statin therapy. These biopsies showed changes consistent with myopathy (Ann Intern Med, 2002; 137: 581-5).

Can statins cause shingles? - Statins and nerve damage - Statins (HMG-CoA-reductase inhibitors) are known to cause a form of muscle pain and weakness, liver abnormalities and, in severe cases, rhabdomyolysis...

Statins: Now children as young as 2 can have them - Children as young as two may be given statin drugs if their cholesterol levels are dangerously high, new guidelines for American doctors suggest.

Statins don't reduce risk of osteoporosis - A new analysis throws into doubt the wisdom of using statin therapy to reduce the risk of fractures. ...

Statins: the only safe dose to reduce muscle weakness risk - Doctors firmly believe cholesterol-lowering statin drugs are a good thing. But too much of a ‘good thing’ can harm you – and even kill you, say scien...

Statins: not for life - Doctors may be pushing statins like mad for everything from osteoporosis to Alzheimer's disease, but patients aren't having it. Although the use of st...

Statins: the other downsides - In addition to suppressing CoQ10 and possibly causing CHF, the major side-effects of statins include muscle pain and weakness (myopathy), liver and ki...

Statins: Are they the great drug con? - Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs are some of the most widely used in the world, with annual sales in the USA alone of $15.5bn – and they may also be...

Cholesterol drug no better than placebo-specialist - Pravastatin, the cholesterol lowering drug, is no better than placebo, a leading heart specialist has concluded. For every case of heart attack the d...

The British Institute for the Identification & Treatment of Allergic Disorders

How You Beat Asthma
How To Beat Your M.E.
How You Beat ADHD
How You Beat Arthritis
How You Beat Backpain
How You Beat Depression How You Beat Pain
How You Beat The Menopause
How You Beat Heart Problems
WDDTY Health Shop

Register for our health updates and free gifts.
First Name:
Email: