Statin Side Effects: Know How Cholesterol Medicine Can Lead To Muscle Weakness

Statins are prescription drugs for lowering cholesterol levels to normal. While some of these decrease your low-density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol by even 50 per cent or more, they also help your liver be healthy and fit. According to experts, statins also increase your HDL or high-density lipoprotein, which brings cholesterol to your liver—only to be thrown out of your body.

Statins block an enzyme your liver needs to make cholesterol, leading the liver to remove the greasy substance and reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. While statins are highly effective and safe for most people, they have also been linked to muscle pain, digestive issues, and mental fuzziness in some people. Rarely, they may also lead to liver damage.

Muscle pain and weakness are two of the most common complaints of those taking statins. According to doctors, you may also feel this pain as soreness and tiredness or weakness, causing mild discomfort, or it can be serious enough to make it hard to do your daily activities. However, according to studies, there is also a "nocebo" effect when it comes to people thinking they have muscle pain from statins, which means those who have negative expectations about a medicine report experiencing the potential side effects at higher rates than the drug would cause.

According to statistics, more than 30 per cent of people stop taking the pills because of muscle aches.

Doctors say rarely, statins also cause life-threatening muscle damage known as rhabdomyolysis, which can also cause liver damage, kidney failure, and death. However, the risk of very serious side effects is extremely low and only a few cases of rhabdomyolysis occur per million people taking statins.

A few other side effects are:

Those taking statins are also at risk of high blood sugar levels, which can cause type 2 diabetes. Doctors say even though the risk is small but important enough that the Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning on statin labels regarding blood glucose levels and diabetes.

The increase generally occurs when blood sugar levels are already higher than normal. People with prediabetes or diabetes may see their blood sugar levels rise when they start taking statins.

Statins The FDA warns on statin labels that some people have developed memory loss or confusion while taking statins. However, the side effects reverse once you stop taking the medicines. There also has been evidence that statins may help with brain function — in people with dementia or other cognitive issues.

Not everyone who takes statins will have side effects, but some people may be at greater risk, and the risk factors include:

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