Staying Healthy
Muscle pain in statin users is probably not caused by the drug
In the journals
- Reviewed by Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
While muscle pain is a possible side effect of taking a statin medication, an analysis published Sept. 10, 2022, in The Lancet found that it's uncommon, and most pain stems from something other than the cholesterol-lowering drug.
Researchers reviewed 19 trials with more than 120,000 people who took either a daily statin or a placebo for an average of four years. (Most dosages were moderate-intensity regimens that typically reduced LDL cholesterol levels by approximately one-third.) About 25% of people reported muscle pain whether they took statins or not.
Among statin users, the drug was found to have a marginal impact on pain risk. In general, symptoms were rated as mild and gone within a year despite continuing the drug. A separate analysis of four trials, comparing high statin doses with moderate or low doses, showed a greater likelihood of muscle pain symptoms from higher doses. But almost always, the benefits of high-intensity doses outweigh any muscle aches the user may experience, the researchers noted.
They also suggested that many people who develop muscle pain after beginning a statin experience a "nocebo effect," where negative expectations can lead to perceived side effects. In other words, some people think a statin will cause discomfort, so they blame the drug even though muscle aches and pain generally are more common with age.
Image: © Oleg Breslavtsev/Getty Images
About the Author
Matthew Solan, Executive Editor, Harvard Men's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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