Statin side effects but interfering with the intricate chemistry of the human body seemed to bring unwanted side effects. Although side effects believed to be caused by statins can be annoying, consider the benefits of taking a statin before you decide to stop taking your medication. The full range of statin side effects goes far beyond cognitive dysfunction to include behavioral and emotional disorders, chronic nerve and muscle damage and an alslike neuromuscular degenerative process as major categories of damage. Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Some of the dosage forms listed on this page may not apply to the brand name lipitor in summary. Statinassociated muscle symptoms sams, the most common statin side effect, are reported by 10% to 25% of patients receiving statin therapy. In 2003, the statin lipitor became the bestselling pharmaceutical drug in history. Furthermore, that statins can cause dementia is still uncertain. Most people do not experience any side effects and the drug may not be the cause.
Today, generic forms of some statins are available at a lower cost. When possible side effects arise in a patient on any drug, the riskbenefit balance of treatment should be reassessed. In fact, research indicates that statin use may help to prevent alzheimers disease. The aim was to characterize and describe muscular side effects and create an anatomical frequency mapping. It disappears within a few weeks after stopping the medicine. High cholesterol and lipid treatment options beyond the basics. Statinassociated muscle symptoms sams, the most common statin side effect, are reported by 10% 1 to 25% 2 of patients receiving statin. Adverse effects from some statins on muscle, such as myopathy and rhabdomyolysis, are rare at standard doses, and on the liver, in increasing. Some of these will not necessarily apply to the specific statin youre taking.
Of respondents currently taking statin therapy who experienced side effects or abnormal laboratory values, 40. If you have persistent side effects, your doctor may be able to adjust your dosage or recommend a different statin. Going off the statin temporarily and then starting again, called a statin rechallen. Although no one is 100% immune from developing side effects, some people are more at risk than. Nine common side effects including nosebleeds and headaches statins are a group of medicines used to lower blood cholesterol levels. Knowing the side effects of statins will help you make better choices about your health. Some patients decide to stop taking statins, a cholesterollowering drug, if they experience side effects. Statininduced muscular side effects at rest and exercise. In an internet survey of former statin users, 60% reported sams 2 and 62% reported stopping statin therapy because of side effects 2. To analyze the side effects of statins in the mouth cavity, and to. Statins and their side effects university health news. Baycol, bayers statin drug, was recalled after 31 people died from muscle breakdown andor liver failure. Clinicians often assume symptoms occurring with statins are caused by statins, encouraging discontinuation.
Review the safety of statins in clinical practice university of oxford. Some of the more common side effects of statins include. This document contains side effect information about atorvastatin. Statins, such as atorvastatin lipitor, simvastatin zocor, rosuvastatin crestor, and lovastatin mevacor, are commonly prescribed medications that lower bad ldl cholesterol and have been shown to help reduce the risk of heart. Side effects of statins, tendonitis and statins side effects. Reported side effects of statins include muscle pain, diabetes, and memory problems.
This can cause other statin side effects like weakness, neurologic dysfunction, etc. What proportion of symptomatic side effects in patients. To minimize muscle cramps, doctors often recommend doing stretching exercises, wearing compression stockings, avoiding highheeled shoes, keeping the arms and legs warm. The goal of the statin adverse treatment experience survey was. Hmgcoa reductase inhibitors statins are a widely used class of drug, and like all medications have potential for adverse effects aes. Side effects of cholesterollowering statin drugs webmd. Under certain conditions, statin therapy may be however associated with residual risk and several side effects, e. People began reporting muscle weakness, pain, and loss of mental clarity and memory. The scope of statin associated side effects is extremely broad, reflecting the effect of these drugs on multiple physiologic and biochemical pathways. Muscle side effects including rhabdomyolysis have been a great concern of statin critics, but in this study there was no difference between the statin and placebo groups and there was only one case of rhabdomyolysis and that was in a 90yearold subject with febrile influenza, pneumonia, and traumainduced myopathy.
Abstract we aimed to study the prevalence of the sideeffects of statins among iranians. Remember that statin medications can reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke, and the risk of lifethreatening side effects from statins is very low. Coping with statin side effects tribune content agency. Scientific studies to determine the effectiveness of coenzyme q10 in reducing statinrelated muscle pain have had mixed results. Statins also are prescribed for preventing and treating atherosclerosis.
Memory loss and other cognitive side effects are rare side effects of statins and they are not serious. However, side effects may be a concern, especially if you have effects that are painful or bothersome. The nla recently published its evaluation, finding statins to be generally well tolerated, having a high safety profile, with rare though potentially fatal side effects6. For statins, as for all medications, vigilance for potential aes is imperative. In doubleblind statin rcts designed to assess effects on cvd outcomes, the incidence of intolerance, represented by numbers of statin and placebo recipients stopping study medication because of any adverse event, has typically been similar between treatment and placebo groups. Capitals indicate lifethreatening, underlines indicate most frequent. This side effect could arise after taking the statin for a day or after use for several years. Plutzky thinks that stopping the statin for several weeks, then taking coenzyme q10 for several weeks, and then restarting the statin may prevent a return of the side effects. An estimated 5 to 20 percent of statin users report muscle pain and stiffness, or myopathy. About 10% to 20% of inidividuals who take statins report that they experience muscle pain or muscle cramps. Statins also seem to block the utilization of other nutrients that, long story short, create energy in the body. In addition, other more serious adverse effects of statins may also occur. Statin associated muscle symptoms sams, the most common statin side effect, are reported by 10% to 25% of patients receiving statin therapy.
Thousands of statin users have been afflicted with peripheral neuropathies with a tendency to be resistant to. Symptoms may begin 1 day to years after stating the statin and resolve within a median time of 3 weeks after the statin is stopped. Statin drugs can be valuable for managing your ldl and preventing heart disease. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. But some peoplesuch as those who have very high ldl, have suffered a heart attack, or have diabetes may require a highintensity statin. For a complete list of severe side effects, please refer to the individual drug monographs. Hmgcoareductaseinhibitorsstatin pregnancycategoryx indications. Statins also reduce the risk of circulatory and heart problems in people who have atherosclerosis, even if their cholesterol is normal. An interesting debate on statin side effects has been recently raised at the british medical journal bmj. Rhabdomyolysis is the most serious adverse effect from statin use, though it occurs quite rarely less than 0. For details of the side effects of a particular statin, check the information leaflet that comes with your medicine.
Statinassociated side effects article pdf available in journal of the american college of cardiology 6720. This has been all the more imperative since fda has been extremely reluctant to report sideeffect data on the statin class of drugs. Side effects can vary between different statins, but common side effects include. The most common statin side effects include headache and gastrointestinal symptoms, but other potential side effects include. Statin toxicity or intolerance most commonly presents as samss. Debate on adverse effects of statins european journal of internal. Some statins, particularly those metabolized by cyp 3a4 such as atorvastatin, pravastatin and simvastatin, can interact with several other drugs, such as clarithromycin, protease inhibitors, cyclosporine, gemfibrozil, oral contraceptives, and digoxin. Review side effects, drug interactions, dosing, storage, and pregnancy safety information prior to. Statins have been associated with memory loss, forgetfulness, amnesia, memory impairment, and confusion. The risk of muscle injury increases when certain other medications. To understand the rationale for what i am about to say first requires an understanding of the mechanisms of action of the statin drugs as we currently understand them.
For information on nonstatins, see our chart, nonstatin lipidlowering agents. Because coenzyme q10 plays a role in muscle cell energy production, some researchers have proposed that taking a coenzyme q10 supplement might reduce the risk of musclerelated side effects. Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur. Discussions about statin efficacy in cardiovascular prevention are always based on data from blinded randomized controlled trials rcts comparing statin to placebo. Symptoms are ranging from benign myalgia to myositis and in rare cases to rhabdomyolysis. Common side effects of statins are headache, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea.
Statins have cholesterol and noncholesterol pleiotropic effects. Consequently, critical appraisal of evidence relating to possible unintended effects of longterm statin therapy is needed, on the one hand to accurately assess their incidence, and on the other, to place often exaggerated perceptions of side effects among patients, the general public and some healthcare providers, in their correct perspective. Musclerelated symptoms with or without creatine kinase ck elevation are common adverse effects associated with statin use. Statins are associated with a few rare, but potentially serious, side effects including. The more intensive statin group had a slightly higher risk of. The label on most statins will mention possible side effects like memory loss, confusion, or dizziness, but the actual evidence for this is muddled at best when compared to the other side effects listed above. In studies where patients are randomly assigned to take a statin or a placebo pill, the rates of. Dosing, side effects, drug interactions of lipidlowering drugs effects of lipid lowering drugs on serum lipids properties of statins drug ratings in pregnancy us food and drug administration cytochrome p450 3a inhibitors and inducers related topics. Experience of patients reporting side effects of statin therapy. The side effects are more severe as the statin dose and potency increase. Commonly reported side effects of atorvastatin include. See below for a comprehensive list of adverse effects. Muscle effects arising on statins do not uniformly resolve fully with statin discontinuation.
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