Side Effects of Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Known as Statins

If you are an older person who has not been able to lower your cholesterol through lifestyle changes such as exercise, a healthy diet, weight loss, quitting smoking, etc., your doctor may have decided to put you on prescription medication for your high cholesterol. These cholesterol-lowering medications are, for the most part, comprised of a type of drug known as statins. Younger adults should be aware that statins are not the first recommended course of action for treating high cholesterol. If your doctor suggests them, remind him of your age and ask what alternative treatments should be tried first.

While anyone taking statins may develop side effects, there are certain groups that are more susceptible to these side effects. They include patients who are small in frame, female, are older than 65, suffer from diabetes, liver or kidney disease, or those taking multiple drugs for high cholesterol.

The most common side effect from taking statins is the development of gastrointestinal upset, such as diarrhea, constipation and nausea. The Mayo Clinic website suggests that these types of side effects can be reduced by taking your medication in the evening, and with food.

The three most serious side effects, which have received a lot of media attention over the past few years, are muscle pain and weakness, liver damage and neurological conditions such as amnesia and confusion. Of these serious side effects, the muscle pain is the most common. If a person suspects that they have muscle pain caused by statins, they should contact their physician immediately. Your doctor may switch medications or change the dose, or they may suggest that you stop your normal exercise routine or take a break from the statins for a couple of weeks to see if the muscle pain decreases. Taking over-the-counter medications for pain will not help if the muscle pain is caused by the statins.

Because taking statins interferes with your body's production of Coenzyme Q10, many doctors are recommending that Q10 supplements be taken, but there is still little or no evidence that taking these supplements actually helps to reduce the side effects of taking statin drugs.

Statins also interact with a wide variety of other prescription medications, and even grapefruit juice has been found to contain an ingredient that increases the strength of statins, so it is vital that your physician understand all other medications you are taking before he puts you on statins for your high cholesterol.

A paper recently published in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs states that physicians still do not have the level of awareness regarding these serious statin side effects that they should have, so patients taking them need to closely monitor any symptoms of side effects and discuss them with their doctors immediately.

SOURCES:

Mayo Clinic - High Blood Cholesterol - Statin Side Effects: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/statin-side-effects/MY00205/NSECTIONGROUP=2

Science Daily - Statins' Adverse Effects Documented (January 29, 2009)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090127090735.htm