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Is my muscle pain due to taking statins? I wonder

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Carina1962

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I have had this muscle pain in the top of my thigh (LHS) for quite some time now and it has been a lot worse since i went on a 6.5 mile walk to Dovedale this Wed so i went to the GP this pm and wondered whether it is due to me taking statins (80mg). She is going to send me for a blood test to see whether it is the statins that is affecting my muscle pain but she also said that she is reluctant for me to stop taking them so told me to carry on with them and to use deep heat on the affected area. I am due for another cholesterol test end of Nov to see whether my dosage of 80mg has brought down my cholesterol even further than 5.6 (my last reading). I'm not 100% happy about taking statins, especially this high dosage but what else can I do? :(
 
Muscle pain is a common side-effect of statins. I think I would ask the doctor for a cholesterol test now rather than waiting until November, to see if the dose can be reduced. Alternatively, I would request that the statins be stopped for a couple of weeks to see if the pain subsides.
 
I eventually had to come off statins due to severe muscle pain, however this is exacerbated by my ME. It eventually spread from the legs to one arm, not a good sign I am told.

The walk was a long one, so keep your eye on things to see if you get more pain or it appears in the arms.
 
I had a blood test on tues to test for CK (can't remember what it is abbreviated for) but it is to see whether my muscles are depleted of this due to statins. Has anyone else had this test?
 
I had one a few months ago. I never phoned up for the results since I figured, if there's a problem they'd tell me. I think it's one of those that's either ok or not.

I'm still taking the statins and have no apparent problems, so maybe my muscle fatigue was just that. It can take a long time for your body to get used to increased exercise.

I hope you get an all clear.🙂

Rob
 
I haven't Carrina but I'm thinking about asking for one next time I see the nurse. I've been having problems with my arm for a while and it's getting worse. I did try leaving the statin off for a couple of weeks and there was no improvement but I'm still concerned that might be the cause. Fingers crossed for your results. XXXXX
 
Hi Carina62, I had really bad problems with the first statin I was on. Blood tests suggested everything was OK and my low cholesterol was even lower. I had so many aches that I just stopped them and after two weeks the aches and pains had gone. I was on simvastatin and my GP has now put me rouvstatin which does not give me the same problems. Simvastatin is the worse for ache sand pains but prescribed first as it is a cheap as (what's cheap these days) Tesco 10p baked beans.
 
Hi. I too was on Simvastatin, the cheapest and nastiest of these poisonous pills. Headaches, muscle pain, insomnia and memory loss all followed after just 2 months, along with some weight gain and a massive jump in my fasting glucose levels, from 6.5 - 7.5 to 14 mmol. Despite complaining to the Doc about this and the other problems, they told me to carry on with them and eat less fruit!! At the time I was jogging 3 miles a day, every day and swimming 3 or 4 times a week. 8 weeks on statins and I couldnt walk the 1/2 mile to the local shop and back without stopping. It has taken me nearly 6 months to recover and get back into the exercise routine without pain.

The Docs don't seem to believe people who develop anything that might be attributable to statins, posssibly because of brainwashing by drug companies, or more likely they know of the problems but are prevented from doing anything by the bean counters who look on these cheap nasty little pills that will save them a fortune in the future.

One statin has been banned in the States because of the number of people developing diabetes after taking it. My own readings showed my BG doubling in just a few weeks, yet the doc told me to eat less fruit rather than accept the fact the statins might just be the problem.

Summing up - statins are supposed to prevent heart disease.
Statins can increase likelihood of / worsen Diabetes.
Diabetes can cause heart disease.

It's all a bit "would you prefer to be hung or shot" to me, end result is the same.
 
I couldn't get on with simvastatin and am now on atorvastatin (much more expensive) and my aches and pains from before have gone 🙂
 
steve451 said:
Hi. I too was on Simvastatin, the cheapest and nastiest of these poisonous pills. Headaches, muscle pain, insomnia and memory loss all followed after just 2 months, along with some weight gain and a massive jump in my fasting glucose levels, from 6.5 - 7.5 to 14 mmol. Despite complaining to the Doc about this and the other problems, they told me to carry on with them and eat less fruit!! At the time I was jogging 3 miles a day, every day and swimming 3 or 4 times a week. 8 weeks on statins and I couldnt walk the 1/2 mile to the local shop and back without stopping. It has taken me nearly 6 months to recover and get back into the exercise routine without pain.

The Docs don't seem to believe people who develop anything that might be attributable to statins, posssibly because of brainwashing by drug companies, or more likely they know of the problems but are prevented from doing anything by the bean counters who look on these cheap nasty little pills that will save them a fortune in the future.

One statin has been banned in the States because of the number of people developing diabetes after taking it. My own readings showed my BG doubling in just a few weeks, yet the doc told me to eat less fruit rather than accept the fact the statins might just be the problem.

Summing up - statins are supposed to prevent heart disease.
Statins can increase likelihood of / worsen Diabetes.
Diabetes can cause heart disease.

It's all a bit "would you prefer to be hung or shot" to me, end result is the same.
Click to expand...

Hi Steve. While it's known that statins can cause msucle pain and serious muscle problems in a minority, I don't know of any evidence of it worsening diabetes. There's a lot of claims on the internet that are very dubious and many people with personal agendas, so I would say, although it seems simvastatin wasn't right for you, it doesn't mean it is responsible for as wide a range of problems as some of the sources claim. I've got no vested interest in them, but have read a fair bit about them and am not as scared of them as I once was, having filtered out some of the propaganda.🙂

The current evidence suggests that there is a link between high cholestorol and heart disease/stroke and that statins can safely lower that cholestorol for most people, especially for those with an increased risk such as diabetics.🙂

Rob
 
Phil65 said:
I couldn't get on with simvastatin and am now on atorvastatin (much more expensive) and my aches and pains from before have gone 🙂
Click to expand...

Exactly the same for me Phil.🙂

Rob
 
The impression from that article is that there is a miniscule increase of risk on a higher dose (80mg).

I was just reading a similar article http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Atherosclerosis/27197 that suggests a reverse causal effect. That people predisposed to diabetes may be surviving longer on statins, therefore showing up as statistics where they wouldn't otherwise.

ANd it also says that the 80mg needs to be ramped up to and is for patients on statins for a year. So if a patient was put on a high dose to start with, they would have a greater chance of side effects. Not all doctors are as good at following instructions, which could be the case in Steve's case.

But I would suggest that maybe the side-effect of the statin on his muscles and the headaches would raise BGs due to the stress effect, since he was laready diagnosed as pre-diabetic. So the raised BGs could be a secondary effect and not directly attributable to the statins.

It's easy to scare a lot of people out of taking statins who would otherwise benefit, by suggesting links that are yet to be proven. I think we should be cautious and look for peer-reviewed research before we condemn any meds. Statistically, they are saving many lives. But it's well known that for a small minority they're not suitable.

Rob
 
carina62 said:
I have had this muscle pain in the top of my thigh (LHS) for quite some time now and it has been a lot worse since i went on a 6.5 mile walk to Dovedale this Wed so i went to the GP this pm and wondered whether it is due to me taking statins (80mg). She is going to send me for a blood test to see whether it is the statins that is affecting my muscle pain but she also said that she is reluctant for me to stop taking them so told me to carry on with them and to use deep heat on the affected area. I am due for another cholesterol test end of Nov to see whether my dosage of 80mg has brought down my cholesterol even further than 5.6 (my last reading). I'm not 100% happy about taking statins, especially this high dosage but what else can I do? :(
Click to expand...

Can I ask what you're cholesterol reading was when you we're first diagnosed with statins.. Many thanks, Amanda x 🙂
 
carina62 said:
I had a blood test on tues to test for CK (can't remember what it is abbreviated for) but it is to see whether my muscles are depleted of this due to statins. Has anyone else had this test?
Click to expand...

If you are experiencing muscle pain with statins it is good practice to check creatine kinase (sp?) levels, if these are very high then your statin could well be discontinued, hth 🙂
 
exactly ! The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ride together - Hypertension, Obesity, Hypercholosterol and Type 2. Anyone on a Statin for raised cholesterol is at greater risk of T2 simply because of that(the Metabolic Syndrome). One suggestion a couple of years ago from the medics that any middle aged person with hypertension or raised chols should be routinely monitored for T2.
 
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