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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Statins: Tips for Managing Muscle PainStatins are prescription drugs that lower high levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol. Doctors prescribe them a lot because they’re safe and proven to reduce your odds of heart attack or stroke. But statins can cause some unwanted symptoms, such as muscle pain.Doctors don’t understand the exact cause of statin-related muscle pain. But there’s evidence that these drugs might change how your cells use energy or cause calcium and protein to leak out of your muscles. Some people may be more sensitive to these changes than others.You might not have any aches. But if you do, don’t stop taking your pills. Talk to your doctor first. They’ll make sure nothing more serious is going on. Then they’ll go over strategies to lower your cholesterol while easing muscle pain at the same time.Studies show that about 5% of people in drug trials get these aches. But in real life, as many as 30% of those who take stains complain of muscle pain. Some experts think this higher number is partly due to the “nocebo” effect. That means you feel certain bad symptoms because you expect to. Statin-related muscle pain, if it happens at all, usually happens within the first few months after you start the drug or raise the dose. You may feel a constant soreness or weakness in your shoulders, thighs, hips, or calves. If you’re like most people, it’ll affect both sides of your body equally.Your symptoms can be mild or serious enough to interfere with your day-to-day life. This side effect may or may not get better the longer you take your medicine.Your odds of statin-related muscle pain go up if:You’re 80 or olderYou’re a small femaleYou already have a muscle diseaseYou have kidney, liver, or thyroid problemsYou take a higher-dose statinYour doctor might ask you to go through several steps, including the following:Take a statin vacation. This is when you stop the drug for 3 to 4 weeks. Your muscle pain should go away by then if it’s related to your statin. Another way to do this is to take the statin every other day. This may help continue to lower bad cholesterol without the achy muscles. Change your dose. Muscle aches sometimes get milder or go away when you lower the amount of statin you take. Your doctor will go over the pros and cons of this choice. If your LDL levels
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